His 2000 novel ''Rough Music'' is the most widely held of his books in libraries: in 2018 it was owned by 673 libraries, according to WorldCat.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldcat.org/search?q=Patrick+Gale&dblist=638&fq=(((x0:book-)OR(x0:book+x4:digital)OR(x0:book+x4:mic)OR(x0:book+x4:thsis)OR(x0:book+x4:largeprint)))+%3E+ap:%22gale,+patrick%22&qt=facet_ap:|title=Results for 'Patrick Gale' > 'Patrick Gale' [WorldCat.org]|website=worldcat.org|accessdate=19 June 2018}}</ref>
Describing himself as the "last novelist in England", he has lived in Cornwall since 1988, a county described repeatedly in his novels.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cornwall novelist Patrick Gale - ABC (none) - Australian Broadcasting Corporation |url=https://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2012/09/04/3582847.htm |access-date=2024-02-16 |website=www.abc.net.au}}</ref> He is artistic director of the North Cornwall Book Festival, which he helped found.<ref>[{{Cite news |last=Gale |first=Patrick |date=2016-10-20 |title=Patrick Gale: why I started a new literature festival for shy writers |url=https://www.ncornbookfesttheguardian.orgcom/books/booksblog/2016/oct/20/patrick-gale-why-started-north-cornwall-book-festival |access-date=2024-02-16 North|work=The CornwallGuardian Book|language=en-GB Festival]|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> He is a patron of the Charles Causley Trust,<ref>[{{Cite web |date=2021-11-26 |title=The Launch of Mother’s Boy: the new novel by Sunday Times bestselling novelist and Charles Causley Patron, Patrick Gale. |url=https://causleytrust.org/the-launch-of-mothers-boy-the-new-novel-by-british-novelist-and-charles-causley-patron-patrick-gale/ |access-date=2024-02-16 |website=The Charles Causley Trust] |language=en-GB}}</ref> the Penzance LitFest,<ref>[{{Cite web |title=Our patron – Patrick Gale |url=https://www.pzlitfest.co.uk/our-patron-patrick-gale Penzance|access-date=2024-02-16 LitFest]|website=www.pzlitfest.co.uk |language=en}}</ref> and Literature Works.<ref>[{{Cite web |title=Gale |url=https://literatureworks.org.uk/writer/gale/ |access-date=2024-02-16 |website=Literature Works] |language=en-GB}}</ref>
