Patrick served his country at Fort Benning in the 1980s, with a specialty in Advanced Infantry Training. A conversation Patrick had with a schizophrenic veteran who believed he was a secret assassin sparked an idea that would eventually inspire him to write his first novel, Execution of Justice.

After the military, Patrick attended Presbyterian College, where he majored in Political Science and began to have short fiction published in PC's literary magazine, Figs and Thistles. He eventually earned a Masters Degree in Chemistry, and is a member of Mensa.

Patrick lives in South Carolina with his wife and newest son.