Harlan Coben on ‘Gone Before Goodbye’, Writing Thrillers for Hollywood, and Creative Roots

Harlan Coben joins Hungry Dogs with James Patterson to talk about the book he co-authored with Reese Witherspoon, Gone Before Goodbye, and the joy and success he’s found through collaboration. They look back at how Coben’s creativity developed—from his writing courses at UMass Amherst, to the early book deals that once felt massive, to the international acclaim he enjoys today. Though the two differ in how they bring their stories to the page, the New York Times bestselling authors find common ground in the struggles it sometimes takes to get the words down. Coben also discusses his collaborations with Netflix and the adaptations of his work abroad. 00:00 Intro 01:24 Back in the Day... 03:26 Early Career Struggles 04:51 Collaboration with Reese Witherspoon 08:37 Hollywood and Netflix Projects 11:36 Success in France and 'Tell No One' 16:27 Discussing the Bad Guy 16:51 Basketball Memories 17:50 High School Days with Chris Christie 19:13 College Years and Notable Classmates 21:50 Tragedy as a Teacher 23:39 Balancing Ordinary Life with Creative Work 27:29 Writing Process and Outlining 28:47 Golf and Life Analogies 30:50 Upcoming Projects and Family Connections Follow James Patterson: https://.jamespatterson.com/ https://jamespatterson.substack.com/ https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/contributor/james-patterson/ https://www.instagram.com/realjamespatterson/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices