From Flint MI but now residing in Minneapolis MN, Jones is the author of over fifty novels for teens. His working with teens in correctional facilities and alternative schools has informed his works such as the Unbarred and The Alternative series. He has also written nonfiction about mixed martial arts and professional wrestling. His first novel was Things Change (2004) and his most recent was Emotional Slot Machine (2021). He is not the Patrick Jones who is a Welsh poet or a football coach in Washington.