Like millions of readers worldwide, James Patterson loves Sarah J. Maas' "A Court of Thorns and Roses" and Rebecca Yarros' "Fourth Wing."
They are staples of romantasy, a portmanteau of romance and fantasy and one of publishing's most popular genres. When Yarros’ “Onyx Storm” published in January 2025, it became the fastest-selling adult novel in 20 years at 2.7 million copies. Maas' series – Throne of Glass, A Court of Thorns and Roses and Crescent City – have sold more than 70 million copies in English worldwide. Since BookTok's explosion during the pandemic, the genre is largely driven by women and for women.
A surefire bestseller himself, Patterson is known for his pulse-pounding crime thrillers, mysteries and the occasional nonfiction book.
On a four-decade publishing streak, Patterson has co-authored books with former President Bill Clinton and Dolly Parton. He started a podcast last year. Most recently, he wrote a book with MrBeast, the world's most successful YouTuber.
Now, he's venturing into the world of romantasy, USA TODAY can exclusively announce. “Firedance,” written with Hazel McBride, author “A Fate Forged in Fire,” comes out June 7, 2027 from Little, Brown and Company and is available for preorder now.
As far as his motivation, Patterson says there’s nothing he wouldn’t try.
“I think your initial response is (how) a lot of people are going to respond – like, ‘What?’” Patterson says, referencing my surprise at him stepping into the genre. “But I will tell you, it has nothing to do with the money, it has everything to do with the storytelling. I just love the idea and having read some of these, as I mentioned, with Sarah (J. Maas) and Callie (Hart) and Rebecca (Yarros), I just said, I’d love to let my imagination loose in this area.”
James Patterson reveals romantasy novel with Hazel McBride: See the cover
“Firedance" is set in a kingdom ruled by cruel twin princes, where magical creatures are imprisoned and shapeshifters are targeted for execution. Julianna, the protagonist, runs a menagerie dedicated to healing these beasts. She once hoped to escape the kingdom with her first love, Raal, but he betrayed her and deserted into the wilderness outside of the kingdom walls. Now, as the twin princes embark on a royal hunt, Julianna sees her opportunity to infiltrate and dismantle the court.
The story promises "the momentum of a thriller and the emotional intensity of an epic fantasy romance," the publishers told USA TODAY in a press release.
The beasts were especially fun to write, Patterson says. There are mermaids and ogres and fairies and griffins and, of course, dragons.
“We got a mermaid love affair and we have fascinating ogres and a wonderful couple of scenes with the fairy, a wonderful little fairy who Julianna is very fond of,” Patterson says.
Just don’t expect any tried-and-true romantasy tropes. From enemies-to-lovers to star-crossed lovers, these storytelling devices or character archetypes are often what draw readers to come back to the genre for book after book. But Patterson thinks tropes can be limiting.
“Once people start thinking there are rules, I think it gets boring and repetitive and not so good,” Patterson says. “It’s been done. I’m not interested in it and if somebody says you can’t do it (without tropes), I get really fascinated.”
The book is planned as a duology, Patterson says, though he is open to more.
“If it takes off like Rebecca Yarros, I will probably be able to twist our arm and help me do a third,” he says.
Clare Mulroy is USA TODAY’s Books Reporter, covering buzzy releases, chatting with authors and diving into the culture of reading. Find heron Instagram, subscribe to our weeklyBooks newsletter or tell her what you’re reading at cmulroy@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: James Patterson is writing a romantasy with this Scottish author | Exclusive
