Viola Davis and her latest co-star, author James Patterson

On yet another sunny winter day in southern California, Viola Davis is home, and happy to be here. She says she’s a homebody: “Homebody, totally. I’m total introvert,” she said.

What does she like about being at home? “I like just being,” she said. “I just like to be regular. I don’t want to put on makeup. I don’t want to try to be anyone else, other than myself.”

But when she does leave home, she Davis a tendency to make magic. She can light up a red carpet, turn bad guys into superheroes, and in “Air,” even make us believe she helped negotiate Michael Jordan’s shoe deal.

And now she’s stepped into the publishing world with a new novel, “Judge Stone,” that she co-wrote with superstar author James Patterson, who knows a thing or two about collaboration, having co-written books with President Bill Clinton (“The First Gentleman”) and singer Dolly Parton (“Run, Rose, Run”).

Davis said she and Petterson couldn’t be any more different: “And yet, meeting, writing this book, I just liked him. We just connected.”

So, magic happened? “I think magic can happen a lot, if people would just stay open,” Patterson said.

“Judge Stone” is a legal thriller about a respected Black female circuit judge in a small Alabama town, who presides over a highly controversial case when a teenage girl named Nova is raped and has an illegal abortion.

Why touch on the subject of abortion, when it’s a lightning rod for some people? “That’s why. That’s exactly why,” Patterson replied. “To make it so it’s not a lightning rod. And I think that’s why this story is so good, why it’s so powerful, because we’re going into areas that people aren’t [talking about]. We need to talk about it.”

To help flesh out the character of the victim, Davis says she drew on her own experience with sexual assault. “I felt a responsibility to women who have been sexually assaulted and raped, especially children, as I am one of them,” she said. “And what they also deserve is the truth of how it made them feel.”

The new book comes out tomorrow, and Patterson says he has high hopes: “You know, every book you start, you want it to be great. And sometimes, you have to settle for not so good, or very good. And in this case, I think we settled for great.”

They both know all about “great.”

Viola Davis played an agonized mother in the 2008 film “Doubt” opposite Meryl Streep, who became a close friend during filming. “Miss Meryl Streep! I think we clicked on ‘Doubt’ over a lot of chocolate,” Davis said. “Oh man, we ate the hell out of that chocolate, let me tell you!”

Davis was only on screen for eight minutes, but her performance was so riveting it earned her an Oscar nomination. It’s not all that surprising when you hear about the work she puts in before the cameras roll, writing biographies for her characters. “We’re trying to figure out who they are,” she said. “And so, you write, and you write, and you write, and you write. And somewhere in there, something clicks.”

In fact, Davis wanted to write long before she wanted to act, even as a little girl growing up in Central Falls, Rhode Island. “I wanted to be a writer when I was nine years old; it was my fantasy,” she said. “I don’t know why, maybe because I loved the Bobbsey Twins books. I was like, ‘Oh. I could make a life of that.'”

Her new book centers around an impoverished young girl struggling with her own self-worth, and to Davis that’s familiar ground. She says her own story influenced her characters: “All of it. Every single bit of my story influenced all of these characters. I feel that it is my duty to honor six-year-old Viola. I can’t sort of think about her dimples without thinking about the fact that she always felt ugly.”

Davis says she carries the pain she felt as a six-year-old into every role, from her TV series “How to Get Away With Murder,” to her performance in “Fences,” turning her personal insecurity into dramatic power – and Oscar Gold. She even made an Oscar-worthy acceptance speech: “To my husband and my daughter, I’m so glad you are the foundation of my life.”

Speaking of her husband and daughter, she still shares a house with both … plus one very pampered pup, Bailey. “It was my daughter who desperately wanted a dog,” Davis said. “And guess who never walks a dog now? I mean, she does walk the dog, but you know how kids are.”

So it seems that Viola Davis is one of the most decorated dog walkers in the world, with her EGOT status (having earned an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony). And now, she’s sure to add “bestselling author” to those accolades.

Asked if “Judge Stone” represents the start of another career for her, Davis replied, “Perhaps. I don’t know. I don’t. I don’t know what this chapter in my life is about, you know? Maybe a little bit more writing, or maybe travel, you know? Maybe just being a regular person. I think I’ve earned that, you know? EGOT is not gonna be on my gravestone, just put it that way. I don’t think there’s enough space, but ‘Beloved,’ there’s enough space for ‘Beloved,’ you know?”

WEB EXCLUSIVE: Watch an extended interview with Viola Davis (Video)

     
READ AN EXCERPT: “Judge Stone” by Viola Davis & James Patterson

      
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Story produced by John D’Amelio. Editor: Lauren Barnello. 

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