Q&A With Patrick Sangimino

Mickey Mikkelson connected me with debut author and former journalist Patrick Sangimino! Patrick’s debut novel is Dogs Chasing Cars.

Q: Welcome to Book Notions Patrick! Would you please give a brief description of Dogs Chasing Cars? Where did the idea for the book come from? 

A: Dogs Chase Cars details the downturn in the newspaper industry through the eyes of a longtime Kansas City sports columnist who is driving to work on Friday expecting to be the latest casualty in a mass layoff. The story takes place over a single day, but flashes back to those seminal moments — the stories he covered in his career — while also noting the people and the relationships he encountered along the way.

The idea for Dogs Chase Cars came about seven or eight years ago when I had a couple of friends get swept up in mass layoff. These were talented longtime journalists and, more importantly, salt-of-the-earth people who were suddenly out of jobs, out of a profession to which they had given so much. It made me think what I would do if something like that happened to me. I jotted down some notes, put it on the back burner and went back to work reporting the news. Eventually, I pulled out those notes and wrote Dogs Chase Cars, a story that I believe transcends industries and is relatable to anyone who has ever had to deal with the possibility of losing a career in these economically challenging times.

Q: Is it fair to assume that your 4-decade career in journalism writing, helped with writing Dogs Chasing Cars? 

A: It’s more than fair to assume that writing each day for a newspaper flexed my writing muscles and helped me to develop an authentic writing voice. It also gave me some institutional knowledge about the newspaper industry, which allowed me to relay in an authoritative voice on some of the newsroom antics I experienced.

Q: How long did it take you to write Dogs Chasing Cars? What lessons and emotions do you hope readers get out of reading the book? 

A: I wrote the first draft in about nine weeks. Once it went through the editing process, the real work began. The second draft entailed moving around a lot of parts in the book, and writing transitions to make sure it flowed. It was like putting together a giant puzzle and making sure all the pieces fit and took three months. Once that was completed, it was edited again.

Q: If there were to be a sequel to Dogs Chasing Cars, what would the characters be doing right now? 

A: That’s an interesting question because I have been asked to write a sequel about what becomes of a man in his 60s who is suddenly separated from a job and career, he absolutely loved for more than 32 years. Without the daily pressure of having to write a sports column, he was suddenly free to do what inspired him, what brought him joy. The real challenge came in figuring out where that inspiration and joy might come from.

Q: Can you reveal details for book 2 or is it too early to say?

A: J.P Pasquale’s chapter two in life includes relocating back to his hometown, a tiny coastal Northern California town, caring for his elderly mother and coaching a little league baseball team. It’s a departure from his career in sports journalism, but he runs into a lot of the young athletes he covered as boys. They are now fathers to the kids he coaches.