Dolly Parton, James Patterson collaboration set to be a Hollywood hit

A blockbuster collaboration between country singer Dolly Parton and crime author James Patterson on a new book — and a 12-song album to go with it — has Hollywood going crazy.

Crime author James Patterson can safely say he has never been so well groomed for a publicity tour in his life.

But then, he has never teamed up with the likes of country music superstar Dolly Parton before.

While the pair may seem like the most unlikely collaborators, Patterson and Parton found their groove while writing their first novel together, Run Rose Run.

“She chose my jacket,” Patterson boasts proudly of the red sequined jacket he is wearing for our Zoom interview from Nashville.

“I kinda like this, I might wear it to dinner.”

Parton cuts in: “You’ve been countrified!”

Their perfect co-ordination was not contained to fashion; it turns out Patterson and Parton have a lot more in common than you may expect, a combination which is tipped to make Run Rose Run a hit, both in terms of book sales and on the big screen.

Dolly Parton and James Patterson have collaborated on Run Rose Run.

And the reason is simple – they are both brilliant storytellers. So much so that Hollywood is desperate to get its hands on the manuscript.

Run Rose Run follows the story of AnnieLee, who arrives in Nashville with a battered guitar and a bagful of dreams.

The talented young singer doesn’t have a dime to her name so she starts singing for free in a local bar in exchange for food. She catches the attention of another aspiring talent, Ethan Blake, who introduces her to Ruthanna, a retired legend of the country music scene.

But it’s obvious to all that AnnieLee is not just seeking her big break in the country music capital of the word, she is running from a dark and dangerous past.

One aspect that has made this book stand out is that Parton created a 12-song album to go with it, songs she made specifically for the book and its characters.

“I think that’s what makes it particularly special and that’s why Hollywood is going crazy now,” Patterson says.

“There are like 70 different groups that wanted this book to make a movie out of it.

Parton adds: “We don’t know if anybody has done that before, it was just my way of contributing as much as I could to the book and to enhance it as best I could.

“We’re looking forward to a possible movie because it would be kind of a musical without characters just busting into song, it would be like they will really be performing or have a reason to be singing.”

Patterson cuts back in: “It was an honour in terms of the people who wanted to do this (movie), The AnnieLee part is a star maker. That’s one of things about her. She’s the kind of character in the book who comes along every 10 to 20 years, like Tiger Wood or Michael Jordan or Dolly.

“She’s this amazing character. But as good a singer and as good a songwriter as she is, it still doesn’t mean you’re gonna make it.”

Parton reveals they have narrowed the field of filmmakers down to two, and she discloses a more personal ambition with the book-slash-movie deal — she wants to play the part of the retired icon, Ruthanna.

Dolly Parton created a 12-song album to go with the book.

Patterson is no newcomer to collaborations.

The prolific murder mystery writer most recently teamed up with former US president Bill Clinton to write two best-selling crime thrillers, The President is Missing and The President’s Daughter.

And he has long co-written books with various authors. In fact, the writer, who is often criticised for his fast and furious approach to novel writing, is said to have about 30 projects on the go at any one time, including non-fiction and children’s books.

But he doesn’t like to reveal the nuts and bolts of the collaborative process.

“I never get into the secret sauce on how we do these things,” Patterson says.

“We went back and forth on everything and a lot of the story comes from Dolly and a lot of the ideas on chapters comes from Dolly.”

Parton says: “He didn’t need a whole lot of help telling a great story, but he did need to know a little bit more about the people in the business and the thought process and how women feel. He would send me pages on things he’d written and like ‘I’m going to critique James Patterson?’.”

Patterson interjects: “But she would anyway.”

The pair won’t rule out a sequel to the book.

Patterson thinks it may be too early to talk about sequels yet but Parton adds her trademark high-pitched excitement to the topic.

“They could make a series out of it,” she squeals.

“This thing is bigger than we expected, it’s growing daily. We really hope more than anything that people just enjoy reading it. And all the other things that come along with it, well that’s just gravy on the biscuit as they say.”

Run Rose Run by James Patterson and Dolly Parton, is out now through Penguin Random House, RRP $32.99

Got a news or entertainment tip? Email [e-mail]