The great Danish existentialist Soren Kierkegaard was remarkably prolific. Even so, he complained in his journals that so many thoughts and ideas blossomed in his brain he couldn't begin to jot them all down.

Author James Patterson clearly doesn't have that problem.

Writing solo or — in an effort to harness his own flock of extrapolating plot ideas — with a small stable of collaborators, Patterson has published over 150 titles, holds the record for most New York Times #1 bestsellers, and has over 350 million copies of his books in print. In his home office, he has a file cabinet with thousands of book ideas and plot outlines. And — just like Kierkegaard — Patterson writes in pencil.

Perhaps not surprisingly, Patterson's production totals will continue to escalate. A "Coming Soon" sidebar at jamespatterson.com lists 17 new works that will be published by early January 2018, and just out are his two latest efforts. One is "The Store," a suspense novel co-written by Richard DiLallo about a creepy online retail conglomerate whose business philosophies might draw from Scientology, Amazon.com and Rod Serling. The other is a children's book called "Big Word for Little Geniuses" — wherein Patterson's collaborator is his wife, Susan, in what is her first publication.

The couple will appear at a Q&A/signing event celebrating both books at 2 p.m. Saturday in the Shops Concourse at Mohegan Sun. Full disclosure: this writer will moderate the discussion.

Now 69, Patterson, a former ad executive at J. Walter Thompson, blasted to publishing success with his novels about Alex Cross, an African-American detective in Washington D.C.  And the deluge began.

The Patterson literary machine has produced stand-alone thrillers; nonfiction works; several series including the Michael Bennett, Women's Murder Club, NYPD Red, Daniel X, Maximum Ride, Private, and Witch and Wizard books; plenty of romance, children's and young adult novels; and the visionary BookShots concept — which are quick-read thrillers aimed at reluctant or time-challenged readers in the age of social media. Billed as "stories at the speed of life," each BookShots title costs under $5, runs 150 pages or less, and most are available in print as well as on any mobile device.

"Big Words for Little Geniuses," though, was actually Susan's idea, and it's a pretty great one. Rather than accept that a kiddo's early vocabulary will consist of monosyllabic derivations of Mom or Dad or dog or cat, the book, with clever and colorful illustrations from Hsingping Pan, introduces children — and possibly parents — to a variety of large but fun (and fun-sounding) words ranging from "dulcifluous" and "empyreal" to "rapscallion" and "xanthochroism."

"We wanted to do a book together, and a children's book seemed perfect," James says in a recent phone interview with both Pattersons.

"We both love big words, and the idea of introducing them to a young audience seemed like a fine combination," Susan adds. "We picked out words we like, but with a variety. We want it to be fun, but part of the reason, too, is to get kids interested in words and reading."

During the process, the Pattersons spoke to a variety of teachers to gauge an appropriate intellectual level and made certain that the included words provide a balance from goofy and whimsical to educational.

"Above all, the book isn't a test," James says, "this is about creating a sense of joy about books and to instill curiosity."

Indeed, the Pattersons are huge forces in the philanthropy of literacy and reading. They fund 400 annual teacher/education scholarships at over 20 colleges and universities, have donated millions to libraries and indie bookstores, and sent hundreds of thousands of books to U.S. soldiers and public school students across the country. Too, on Thursday, Patterson and Scholastic Book Clubs Inc. told The Associated Press that 3,500 teachers nationwide will receive grants from Patterson totaling $1.75 million. Scholastic is matching Patterson's with gift points that can be redeemed for books and other materials.

As for "The Store," a Manhattan-based husband/wife author team, disturbed by the creeping power and influence of The Store, an online retail giant in all walks of life, decide to infiltrate and, working from the inside, write an expose. They move their family to The Store's headquarters in a seemingly idyllic company town, where things turn sinister at top speed. While the pacing and action is vintage Patterson, there's also a dark, suffocating element to "The Store" that suggests a horror novel.

"Oh, I agree," says Patterson. "Tone-wise, it's very reminiscent of 'Rosemary's Baby' or 'The Stepford Wives.' You take something we're all familiar with and have some fears or anxieties about, and you build on that."

Patterson says "The Store" didn't actually "creep me out," but the book hints at things happening in the world that do bother him. As for stuff he's written that did frighten him, he says, "I'm proud to say there are scenes in (the Alex Cross thriller) 'Kiss the Girls' that creeped me out — and everyone else."

As for "The Store's" fairly obvious similarities to Amazon.com, Patterson says there have been no signs that the company is manipulating his book sales as punishment.

"Thanksfully," he laughs, "they haven't had anything to say about it. Or maybe they just consider it beneath them."

In any event, there will always be more books — as per the gold-line vault where Patterson stores idea for future projects. (Actually, it's a file cabinet, but the metaphor is apt.) Patterson says, for each project, he typically writes and outline is 50-80 concise pages detailing plot, character development and suggestions for settings and descriptions. As for which projects will be written exclusively by Patterson (about 20% of the total output), he prefers to write the Cross and Maximum Ride series himself. The other 20-plus series utilize a stable of about 25 collaborators — many of whom will go on to solo careers.

For a collaborative book, Patterson assigns an outline; the writer fleshes it out in novel form and returns it; the two then edit and go back and forth until the story is polished and ready for publication.

"I give the cowriters a lot of leeway," he says. "I want them to contribute and feel invested in the project because that makes it better. I'll make a lot of changes and they'll make a lot of changes and, honesty, we usually come up with a different and better ending than what I'd originally envisioned. That's part of the fun. After all, the whole idea is to tell stories, right?"

If you go

Who: James and Susan Patterson

What: Discuss and sign their collaborative children's book, "Big Words for Little Geniuses," as well as James' newest thriller, "The Store." The Day's Rick Koster moderates.

When: 2-4 p.m. Saturday

Where: The Shops at Mohegan Sun concourse

How much: There is a limited amount of spots available for signing event. Each book purchased will entitle purchaser to one bracelet, which gains them entry to the signing line. All guests must have a bracelet in order to gain entry into the signing line. Pre-ordering is strongly recommended.

For more information: (860) 536-3795, banksquarebooks.com