Author James Patterson gifts holiday bonuses to dozens of bookstore workers in Massachusetts
BOSTON - Dozens of Massachusetts booksellers are among the 600 receiving holiday bonuses from bestselling author James Patterson. The "Alex Cross" writer has awarded $500 each to independent bookstore employees around the country every year since 2015.
"Booksellers save lives. Period," Patterson said in a statement Tuesday through his publisher, Little, Brown and Company. "I'm happy to be able to acknowledge them and all their hard work this holiday season."
James Patterson bookstore bonus program
Bookstore customers, fellow employees, owners, publishing professionals and authors can all nominate booksellers to receive a bonus.
Booksellers can also self-nominate. All they have to do is answer this question: "In 250 words or less, why does this bookseller deserve a holiday bonus?"
"We appreciate Mr. Patterson's financial generosity as well as his generosity of spirit. We all continue to be awed by, and grateful for, Mr. Patterson's continuing support of independent booksellers," Allison Hill, CEO of the American Booksellers Association, said in a statement.
Along with his gifts to booksellers, Patterson has given millions of dollars to schools, libraries and literacy programs. In 2015, the National Book Foundation presented him an honorary National Book Award - the Literarian Award - for "outstanding service to the American literary community."
Bookstore employees in Massachusetts recognized
Below is the list of booksellers in Massachusetts who received a bonus from Patterson:
Nat Herold, Amherst Books, Amherst, MA
Brenda Lawrence, The Book Rack, Arlington, MA
Linda Bedard, Love Your Shelf, Bellingham, MA
Rachael Conrad, Belmont Books, Belmont, MA
Vickie Roberts, Copper Dog Books, Beverly, MA
Sue Kelly, The Book Shop of Beverly Farms, Beverly Farms, MA
Read Davidson, A Sanctuary Cafe, Boston, MA
Nicholas Yajko, East End Books, Boston, MA
Helene Sacre, I AM Books, Boston, MA
Avery Batsimm, Papercuts Bookshop, Boston, MA
Jen Fryar, Porter Square Books: Boston Edition, Boston, MA
Jack Fox, Trident Booksellers & Cafe, Boston, MA
Jessica Devin, Brewster Book Store, Brewster, MA
Wendy Hermance, Buttonwood Books and Toys, Cohasset, MA
Bing Broderick, justBook-ish, Dorchester, MA
Ruth Daniel, Book Moon, Easthampton, MA
Julie Baker, Eight Cousins, Falmouth, MA
Raymond Neal, Roundabout Books, Greenfield, MA
Meghan O'Brien, Good & Golden Books, Haverhill, MA
Kimberly Mavroides, Tidal Pages, Ipswich, MA
Mirielis Gonzalez, LALA Books, Lowell, MA
Andrea Iriarte Dent, Molly's Bookstore, Melrose, MA
Mary Cotton, Newtonville Books, Newton, MA
Catherine Keisling, The Purple Couch Bookshop, North Andover, MA
Jessica Delaney, BookLink Booksellers, Northampton, MA
Gabrielle Belisle, An Unlikely Story, Plainville, MA
Kyra Tatlow, Book Love, Plymouth, MA
Chris Mclaughlin, East End Books, Provincetown, MA
Jen Manning, Bookworm Quincy, Quincy, MA
Kayla Skinner, The Next Chapter-Books and More, Quincy, MA
Jeanne Dennehy, Whitelam Books, Reading, MA
Rachel Bolton, Wicked Good Books, Salem, MA
Christina Pascucci-Ciampa, All She Wrote Books, Somerville, MA
Lauren D'Alessio, Wellesley Books, Wellesley, MA
Nicole DiCello, Bedlam Book Cafe, Worcester, MA
Sara Klock, Andover Bookstore, Andover, MA
Carl Annarummo, Brookline Booksmith, Brookline, MA
Emmaline Crook, Harvard Book Store, Cambridge, MA
Rae Titcomb, Titcomb's Bookshop, East Sandwich, MA
Arwen Severance, The Bookstore of Gloucester, Gloucester, MA
Timothy Ballou, World Eye Bookshop, Greenfield, MA
Tim Ehrenberg, Mitchell's Book Corner, Nantucket, MA
Ada Denenfeld Kelly, Broadside Bookshop, Northampton, MA
Ana Guimil, Odyssey Bookshop, South Hadley, MA
Julia Zephir, Bunch of Grapes Bookstore, Vineyard Haven, MA
Debra Horan, Booklovers' Gourmet, Webster, MA