How Patricia Heaton Ended Up as a New York Times Bestseller
By Movieguide® Contributor
TV star Patricia Heaton recalled the craziness behind writing her first book, Motherhood and Hollywood, How To Get A Job Like Mine.
“In 2002, EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND was everywhere. But still, that wasn’t enough for me. I needed more attention so I wrote a book about me,” Heaton joked on an Instagram post. “Since it’s fashion Friday, let’s talk about the book cover; The wonderful photos. So I came up with this idea that we’re all like fancy, I’m in a gown and with a sports car but then you flip the cover over and there on the back, we’re doubling down, just how behind-the-scenes is not glamorous even if you’re on a show because my dress was taped together, clamped together and there the car once again, my youngest son, Dan, makes an appearance. He was like a natural, he just ran out and did a thumbs up or whatever he was doing and I always love that. I always love to have a little bit of family in there.
“I mean my little celeb, sort of, tell-all book made it onto the New York Times Bestseller list,” she continued. “I remember being at a book signing in New Jersey and the line was around the block. I was on this book tour which was very intense. Talking about myself 24/7 for a week, it was too much of me. You can actually OD on yourself.”
“Fun fact, the title, Motherhood and Hollywood, How To Get A Job Like Mine, was created by my dear brother Michael. He helped me with the editing,” Heaton added, shouting out her brother who passed away in 2022.
Heaton’s first book is a collection of essays that reflect on the beginning of her life, through making it as an actress. Though she experiences much pain in her life, including losing her mother at age twelve, the book is full of humor.
Since writing her first book, Patricia Heaton has written multiple other novels with her latest book being Your Second Act: Inspiring Stories of Reinvention.
Movieguide® previously reported on Heaton:
Patricia Heaton is sharing the importance of trusting in God’s plan and accepting that “God’s in control.”
“God, in His mercy, withheld any success from me because I wanted it too much,” she said of her early career while appearing on “The Storytellers with Andrew Erwin” podcast. “[I] really wanted to be famous — acting was the center of my life, as opposed to God being the center of my life, for a long time, and it would have been ruinous for me if I had been successful any earlier than I was.”
The EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND actress continued, “I think it only happened in the timing it did because I was able to center God in my life, and when that happened, I think He knew it was safe for me to start being successful and have all the things that come with that.”
Heaton also spoke about how faith has guided her throughout her life. She mentioned that, despite her family’s money worries, she always remembered her father making sure to donate to different charities.