Maxine Paetro is an American author who has been published since 1979. She is widely known for her collaborations with best-selling author James Patterson on the Women’s Murder Club, Private, and Confession series. In 1979, Paetro published her first book, How to Put Your Book Together and Get a Job in Advertising, which received its fourth revision in August 2010.

Paetro has also authored three novels: Manshare, Babydreams, and Windfall, published between 1986 and 1991. In 1993, she collaborated with Dodd Darin to write the biography Dream Lovers: The Magnificent Shattered Lives of Bobby Darin and Sandra Dee.

In 1984, Paetro created Broccoli Hall in Amenia, New York. It is an English-style cottage garden that includes a series of enchanted garden rooms and has been featured in national magazines.