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Most writers dream of publishing a book in their lifetime, and maybe even selling a few copies. Then there is James Patterson, who has sold over 300 million of them. The author of such runaway hits as the “Alex Cross” and “Women’s Murder Club” series raked in an estimated $95 million in 2016, according to Forbes, placing him among the highest-paid writers on the planet. For the latest in Reuters’ “Life Lessons” series, we talked to Patterson about what he has learned from the unbelievable plot of his own life. Q: Who was your biggest influence as a kid? A: Probably my grandmother. She was very bright, very tough, and very protective of me. She felt I could do anything I wanted to do, other than play in the NBA. There was absolutely no doubt in her mind. Q: Which books shaped your thinking early on? A: When I got a job at a psychiatric hospital, I used to read a whole lot at night. The books that got me going were “Mrs. Bridge” and “Mr. B...