#WriterWednesday Author Interview wth Holly B. Gutwillinger

I’d like to welcome author Holly B. Gutwillnger to the blog today for #WriterWednesday!

A few of your favorite traditions: I love to wake up early, before anyone else, to write by the fire with a cup of chai latte.

Something that you’ll never do again: I’ll never visit a corn maze on the farm and get lost again.

Favorite treat: Homemade pumpkin pie with vanilla ice cream.

A treat that makes you gag: I gag at the idea of eating mincemeat pie.

Something you only do in the fall: I chop wood and stockpile for the winter months.

Something you’d never do in the fall season: I would never swim in the local lake.

Favorite beverage: Iced Chai Latte with extra cinnamon and two inches of foam.
A drink that gives you a sour face: Over-steeped green tea turned bitter.

Favorite smell: Cedar trees in the forest.
Something that makes you hold your nose: rotting leaves on the forest’s bed or in my yard.

Best memory: I have fond memories of packing a lunch and joining my father for a full day of harvesting wood for the winter.

Something you’d rather forget: My dog jumping into the icy lake to chase ducks.

Best thing you ever cooked/baked: Butter tarts with maple syrup in the recipe.

Your worst kitchen disaster: Sourdough bread from a failed starter.

Favorite place you to spend a day: In the hardwood forest in the Muskokas, which is located in Central Ontario.

The worst place to spend a day: In Florida because then I’d miss the autumn leaves in Ontario.

Funniest story: My boys, who were young at the time, carved a large hole in a pumpkin, placed them over their heads, and walked into the house to scare me.

Your worst story: It had to be the time I spent hours intricately carving an image on the pumpkin, but I pushed too hard and ruined the hours of work. It could not be repaired.

Favorite pumpkin spice item: I love Pumpkin cheesecake squares straight out of the freezer.

Something that should never be pumpkin-spiced flavored: Cinnamon buns should never ever has anything different because the original recipe is what makes them unique.

About Holly:

Holly B. Gutwillinger is an author and podcaster who calls a small northern Ontario town home. Her anticipated debut novel, North of Broken & Furever Home, launches February 14, 2026, offering readers an intimate and heartfelt exploration of a woman's complex, evolving relationship with her rescue dogs—a story that weaves together themes of healing, companionship, and the unexpected ways animals transform our lives.

Holly's writing voice is profoundly shaped by her deep love of family. As the proud mother of two adult sons, she brings an authentic understanding of parental devotion and the complexities of watching children grow into their own lives. This same fierce commitment extends to the animals who share her world, and her work reflects the belief that our relationships with both human and animal family members reveal fundamental truths about who we are and who we aspire to become.

Holly combines formal training with natural storytelling. She is currently deepening her craft through her MFA in fiction at the University of King's College, where she continues to explore the intersections of character, voice, and emotional truth. Beyond her individual pursuits, Holly is deeply embedded in the literary community, serving on the board of her local writers' guild and volunteering her expertise with the Women's Fiction Writers Association, where she helps support and champion other voices in the genre.

Through both her written work and her podcast, Holly creates spaces for authentic conversation about the stories that matter—those that examine our connections, our vulnerabilities, and the quiet courage it takes to open our hearts to love in all its forms.

Let’s Be Social:

Substack: https://substack.com/@hollybgutwillinger?utm_source=user-menu

Instagram: @rambling_from_the_little_shed 

Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/ramblings-from-the-little-shed/id1852258364

Website: www.ramblingsfromthelittleshed.com

#WriterWednesday with Author Ruth J. Hartman

The amazing Ruth J. Hartman is my guest today for #WriterWedneday!

Favorite thing to do when you have free time: Take walks on a nearby trail with my husband. Play with our cats.

The thing you’ll always move to the bottom of your to do list: Dusting.

Things you need when you’re in your writing cave: Chocolate, Diet Mountain Dew, Cats

Things that distract you from writing: Cats!

Hardest thing about being a writer: Coming up with story ideas.

Easiest thing about being a writer: Writing dialogue. I love that!

Favorite snacks: M&Ms and Doritos

Things that make you want to gag:  Beets, Brussel sprouts, rhubarb

Something you’re really good at: Making people laugh even when I don’t mean to

Something you’re really bad at: Driving and listening to the radio at the same time

Something you wish you could do: Be graceful and athletic

Something you wish you’d never learned to do: Rake leaves

Things to say to an author: Your book made me laugh.

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: Are you sure you had an editor look at this before it as published?

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: Climbed up inside a pyramid in Egypt

Something you chickened out from doing: Roller coaster rides.

The most exciting thing about your writing life: I get to make up stories and the people who live in them.

The one thing you wish you could do over in your writing life: Start earlier. I was 45 when my first book was published.

The nicest thing a reader said to you: I stayed up all night reading your book!

The craziest thing a reader said to you: Cats are icky. Why would you write about them?

Best piece of advice you received from another writer: It’s a marathon, not a sprint.

Something you would tell a younger you about your writing: Don’t worry about what others are accomplishing. You’re on your own path.

Recommendations for curing writer’s block: Take a walk. Go for a drive (go to Dairy Queen!)

Things you do to avoid writing: Laundry, dishes, clean litter boxes

About Ruth:

Ruth J. Hartman loves a good mystery. That’s probably why she happily gave up a life of cleaning other people’s teeth to write books. With several cozy mysteries under her belt, her main problem is keeping the characters straight – sometimes they have a tendency to hop on over to a different series, just for laughs.

Over forty books later, consisting of romances, a children’s book, women’s fiction, and now cozy mysteries, Ruth still enjoys the thrill of taking the thoughts and images of her characters from her imagination to her computer screen.

She lives in rural Indiana with her husband, Garry, and their family of spoiled cats. Because of Ruth’s love for felines, every one of her books has at least one cat in it. Her cats, who’ve deemed themselves her editors, act like they’re supervising her writing, even though they’re often loafing off or napping.

Let’s Be Social:

Website: https://www.ruthjhartman.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063631596817#

#WriterWednesday Interview with Christine Knapp

I’d like you welcome the wonderful Christine Knapp to the blog for Writer Wednesday!

Hardest thing about being a writer: Writing for a deadline/Being a one finger typist

Easiest thing about being a writer: Procrastinating

Favorite music or song: Van Morrison/Alison Krauss/Rolling Stones

Music that drives you crazy: Mannheim Steamroller

Things you always put in your books: Recipes

Things you never put in your books: Medical advice

Things to say to an author: Loved your book! / I bought a copy for my friend. / I can’t wait to read the entire series/ I left a good review online.

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: I don’t like mysteries. Are there any zombies in your book? / Are male midwives called mid-husbands? 

Favorite places you’ve been: Maine/Ireland

Places you never want to go to again: Cincinnati in the summer (too hot!)

Favorite books (or genre): I love many genres but mystery is probably the top of the list in Fiction.

Books you wouldn’t buy: Paranormal romance

The nicest thing a reader said to you: Because of a birth vignette in the book, I finally feel heard.

The craziest thing a reader said to you: Do these books involve murder?

Besides writing, what’s the most creative thing you’ve done: Made a Sailor’s Valentine.

A project that didn’t quite turn out the way you planned it: The Sailor’s Valentine!

Some real-life story that made it to one of your books: I did attend a birth in a car at the entrance to the hospital.

Something in your story that readers think is about you, but it’s not: Because I am a six-foot-tall nurse midwife as is my modern midwife, Maeve, I often get asked if she is modeled after me. She’s not.

My favorite book as a child: Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery

A book I’ve read more than once: A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving

Your favorite movie as a child: The Wizard of Oz

A TV show or movie that kept you awake at night as a kid (or as an adult): Jaws (I live by the ocean)

About Christine:

Christine Knapp practiced as a nurse-midwife for many years. A writer of texts and journal articles, she is now thrilled to combine her love of midwifery and mysteries as the author of the Modern Midwife Mysteries. Christine narrates books for the visually and print impaired. A dog lover, she lives near Boston.

 Let’s Be Social:

 Website: https://www.thoughtfulmidwife.com/

 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christine.w.knapp

 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maevecw/

 X/Twitter: https://x.com/chriswknapp

 Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/maevecwk.bsky.social

#WriterWednesday Author Interview with Kalee Boisvert

I’d like to welcome author, Kalee Boisvert, to the blog for a New Year’s Eve #Writer Wednesday!

Hardest thing about being a writer: Getting started. A new project can feel daunting at the beginning, before the story finds its footing and the blank page stops feeling so loud.

Easiest thing about being a writer: Noticing. Stories are everywhere, in my kids, in quiet moments, in the things we almost miss. Caring deeply and paying attention has always come naturally.

Things you need for your writing sessions: A quiet pocket of time, a warm drink, and the freedom to write badly at first, knowing the good stuff always shows up once I start.

Things that hamper your writing: Overthinking the opening line, interruptions, and the belief that I need the whole plan figured out before I begin.

Words that describe you: Creative, curious, intuitive.

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: Messy and busy.

Something you’re really good at: Seeing meaning in small moments and turning them into stories that feel true.

Something you’re really bad at: Doing things slowly, especially when I’m excited about an idea and want to do everything at once.

Last best thing you ate: Ahi tuna that reminded me how good simple food can be.

Last thing you regret eating: A hot dog that absolutely did not live up to the moment.

Things you’d walk a mile for: Going on rides at Disney, every single time.

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: Awkward small talk and meetings that could’ve been an email.

Things you always put in your books: Stories that resonate—moments that feel familiar, emotionally true, and quietly reflective of real life.

Things you never put in your books: Anything written just to shock or impress.

Favorite places you’ve been: Italy.

Places you never want to go to again: None yet—I’m loving traveling and always up for a good adventure.

Favorite books (or genre): Spiritual books and fiction of all genres.

Books you wouldn’t buy: Overly technical books.

Favorite things to do: Travel, spend time with my kids, and get lost in a good creative project.

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: Forced networking and small talk.

The first 8-track, record, cassette, or CD you ever bought: New Kids on the Block.

A type of music that’s not your cup of tea: Country.

My favorite book as a child: Nancy Drew books and The Babysitters Club.

A book I’ve read more than once: The Alchemist.

Your favorite movie as a child: A Goofy Movie.

A TV show or movie that kept you awake at night (as a kid or adult): Saw (as an adult)

About Kalee:

Kalee Boisvert has spent over fifteen years in the financial industry, driven by a desire to rewrite the money story she grew up with. Raised in a single-parent household, she became passionate early on about financial empowerment and helping others create freedom and confidence through money. But her path didn’t stop there.

Over time, Kalee’s work expanded into something deeper: a soul-level invitation for women to remember who they are. Today, she writes both financial and spiritual books—offering practical tools, tender truth, and gentle reminders that you are already enough.

 Let’s Be Social:

More information can be found at: Kalee Boisvert - Your Money Guru | Contact

#WriterWednesday Author Interview with Devon Delaney

Devon Delaney is my special guest today for #WriterWednesday!

Hardest thing about being a writer: Finding daily solid blocks of time may be the hardest for. I am involved with lots of activities and have many interests and writing is often wedged in between watercolor painting class and tennis clinics.

Easiest thing about being a writer: I write what I know so I have no shortage of story ideas revolving around cooking, recipes, and competition.

Things you need for your writing sessions: To be a productive writer I need a long walk with my dog, a seat on my couch under the picture window and a cup of honeyed green tea. Maybe some quiet, too.

Things that hamper your writing: The modern world of distracting internet, my iPhone, incoming texts, and my uber-busy imagination are the distractions that hamper my writing when I don’t practice restraint.

Words that describe you: I’ve been described as athletic, determined, inspiring, strong-willed, patient, energetic, artistic, goofy, funny, eager to improve.

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: I’ve also been described as anxious, goofy to a fault (my own interpretation) and slightly obsessive.

Something you’re really good at: I’m successful at competing in and winning recipes contests.

Something you’re really bad at: I’m not so good at saying no.

Last best thing you ate: We had a dinner of slow cooked short ribs and kimchi fried rice that was out of this world.

Last thing you regret eating: Fresh spinach I didn’t wash well and the leaves were so gritty I gagged.

The last thing you ordered online: A snuggly winter hat.

The last thing you regret buying: Winter boots that were only water resistant not waterproof and what good is that in winter!

Things you’d walk a mile for: Authentic Swiss milk chocolate, my grandchildren, a new set of spa-grade bath towels, my dog (not nec in that order)

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: Rhubarb, the smell of burnt bacon, my husband’s discarded dirty socks on the floor

Favorite places you’ve been: Positano, Italy. Missoula, MT, Charleston, SC and London

Places you never want to go to again: Costco, but I’m going next week

The coolest person you’ve ever met: John Travolta

The celebrity who didn’t look like he/she did in pictures/video: Kelly Ripa, she’s so much prettier in person which is amazing

The nicest thing a reader said to you: “I have been reading this series for a very long time and never must not. Between the mystery and recipes, what not to love? The author does such a great job but as soon as you turn that last page, you’re looking to see when the next entry will be published. It’s that good!” (thank you, reviewer!)

The craziest thing a reader said to you: Can you send me all your recipes?

My favorite book as a child: Misty of Chincoteague

A book I’ve read more than once: Agents of Change, Winning Ugly

Your favorite movie as a child: Sound of Music

A TV show or movie that kept you awake at night as a kid (or as an adult): Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone

About Devon:

Devon Delaney is the author of the cooking competition cozy murder mystery series. She is also a wife, mother of three, grandma to four, accomplished cooking contester, sometime empty nester, and lifelong resident of the Northeast. She has been handsomely rewarded for her recipe innovation over the last twenty-plus years, including a full kitchen of major appliances, top cash prizes, and four trips to Disney World She has also won the Grand Prize in a national writing contest for her “foodie” poem, “Ode to Pork Passion.” She began writing cozy mysteries when she relocated to Connecticut and saw the opportunity for a career change from teaching Lego Robotics and computer education.

Let’s Be Social:

https://www.instagram.com/devonpdelaney/

http://www.devonpdelaney.com

https://www.facebook.com/devon.delaney.16

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100069231386805

#WriterWednesday Interview with Kim Davis

I’d like to welcome the fabulous Kim Davis to the blog for #WriterWednesday.

Hardest thing about being a writer:

Finding the time to sit down and actually write! I’m an integral part of caring for my special needs granddaughter and have her 3 days a week. On the days I don’t have her, I have the usual household chores, errands, appointments, blogging, book marketing (which, as you know, Heather, takes up way too much time), cooking, etc. that always needs my attention. It can sometimes be weeks without writing on the next book.

Easiest thing about being a writer:

Procrastinating, lol! When I finally find that rare window of time to write, I often fall down the rabbit hole of “research”. In my case, it’s researching the theme of the book (with my latest book featuring the theme of Día de los Muertos, I had costumes, makeup, food, history, and traditions to research). Plus, I generally have ten recipes in each of my Cupcake Catering Mysteries, so I hunt down ideas for what I’d like to include and start cobbling together recipes to experiment with, which takes me to the kitchen instead of my computer to work.

Things you need for your writing sessions:

Caffeine! I start with coffee in the morning and then move on to tea when the afternoon slump hits. I have to time the afternoon tea just right because if I wait too long to drink it, I won’t be able to fall asleep that night.

Things that hamper your writing:

My mini-goldendoodle, Missy, gets annoyed with me for not paying her enough attention. She can be very loud in demanding a walk, or another treat, or needing me to throw the squeaky ball for her when she’s done with me being on my computer. I’ve trained my husband not to interrupt me when I’m writing… now if I could only do the same with our dog, lol!

Last best thing you ate:

We recently made a trip up to Solvang for a few days, and I hit the Danish bakeries (for research, you know…). One of them had Sarah Bernhardt Cookies, a delectable base of almond cookie, topped with chocolate cream, and then dipped in dark chocolate. Oh, goodness… swoon-worthy!

Last thing you regret eating:

Some chili beans. Unfortunately, I have a variety of food allergies, one of them being foods from the nightshade family. I really have to avoid tomatoes (or tomato-based products), peppers, potatoes, eggplant, etc. The tomato-heavy chili beans were so good though, but my tummy paid the price because of those darn allergies.

The last thing you ordered online:

Groceries. While I’m blessed to have several grocery stores nearby, when I’ve got a lot of deadlines staring down at me, I often order groceries to be delivered. Since my husband and I both have several food allergies, it’s a lot easier to find substitutions online (i.e. dairy-free and gluten-free) than for me to walk up and down every aisle, reading labels. I’ve also found that while the physical store might not have the product I need, the warehouse or central local store will.

The last thing you regret buying:

The wrong size leggings for my special needs granddaughter… now I have to track down the receipt to return them and hope I find the right ones 😊

Things you’d walk a mile for:

Those Sarah Bernhardt Cookies mentioned above! Heck, I’d walk two miles for one of those!

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room:

Any creature that belongs outdoors and NOT in my house… like spiders, insects, rodents, lizards, etc. Big heebie jeebies!

Things you always put in your books:

Recipes! Even if it’s not a culinary cozy, I can’t help but put a supporting character who bakes into the storyline, and then I have to find recipes to go along with whatever they’re sharing.

Things you never put in your books:

Steamy romance… which I’m not opposed to, but it doesn’t fit with what I write. True story: I was at my very first writers’ conference, and I sat next to a lovely young woman during lunch and started chatting. Turned out she was one of the writing instructors, so I asked what her class was about. We were in a loud environment, but I was positive she said she taught neurotic writing… “Well, count me in! I’m neurotic,” I said. She almost fell off her chair laughing so hard… she taught erotic writing!!! Yeah, I skipped that class.

Things to say to an author:

Keep up the good work! Or if their work isn’t your cup of tea, say something like you admire their dedication to all the hard work it takes to create a book.

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book:

“I’d write a book if I weren’t so busy, but I have the perfect plot, so I think you should write it instead.” And then go on and spend 15 minutes telling you about the story and how you should go about writing it.

Now, I will say that authors like collecting ideas and hearing about real-life happenings from our family, friends, and readers, but we don’t want to be lectured on how to put those ideas or headlines into our next book. For example, in my latest book, Catering to the Dead, I spent 1-1/2 hours stuck in gridlock traffic trying to get my youngest granddaughter to LAX airport Thanksgiving week last year. We passed the time talking about what the themes of my next couple of books should be. She tossed out a lot of ideas, and we finally landed on the Dia de los Muertos theme because her parents had thrown an elaborate party several years before. Brainstorming together or mentioning a headline you’ve seen is MUCH different from lecturing and giving point-by-point instructions on what you think an author should write and how they should write. But of course I know without a doubt none of you would be that presumptuous!

Favorite places you’ve been:

Hawaii. There truly is something magical about the islands. I had the good fortune of getting married (second time was the charm) on Kauai, so it holds a special place in my heart.

Places you never want to go to again:

Lake Havasu, Arizona, in August… 118 degrees (F)… need I say more?

Besides writing, what’s the most creative thing you’ve done:

Decorating elaborate cakes and cookies. Once my granddaughters came along, I decided to take some cake decorating classes so I could make their birthday cakes. As time went on, my birthday cakes and end of school year summer pool party cakes and special party cakes all became bigger and more intricate with each passing year. In fact, the cake featured on the cover of Catering to the Dead is the cake I designed and made for my family’s Día de los Muertos party.

A project that didn’t quite turn out the way you planned it:

Creating so many recipes has brought about quite a few kitchen disasters. The biggest disaster I had was while developing a recipe for cocktail cupcakes using Fireball Whiskey. When I opened the oven to rotate the cupcake tin, the cupcakes all flambéed, shooting blue flames that filled the oven! Fortunately, the flames died out when I slammed the door shut. The next day, my husband placed two fire extinguishers in my hands to keep in the kitchen just in case I ever had another fire-related disaster. Oh, and I finally got the recipe figured out after another couple of tries, and it’s featured (along with my disaster) in Cake Popped Off, the second book in my Cupcake Catering Mysteries.

Your favorite movie as a child:

While not a movie, I was obsessed with Scooby Doo. My love of mysteries started early, especially those featuring dogs!

A TV show or movie that kept you awake at night as a kid (or as an adult):

The Shining really did a number on me, even though I was in my 20s when I saw it. It took me a week or more to stop having nightmares. To this day I have a strong dislike of Jack Nicholson simply because of that movie. Apparently, I can read horror books without too much distress… my brain downplays the violence and the super scary bits, but there’s no escaping it on screen.

About Kim:

Kim Davis writes the Aromatherapy Apothecary cozy mystery series, and the award-winning Cupcake Catering cozy mystery series. For over ten years she’s written the Cinnamon, Sugar, and a Little Bit of Murder culinary cozy mystery blog, and has recently joined the permanent group of bloggers at Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen. She lives in Southern California with her husband and rambunctious mini Goldendoodle, Missy, who has become an inspiration for several plotlines. Kim Davis is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.

Let’s Be Social:

 🧁 Sign up for Kim’s newsletter – I frequently have subscriber only contests:

https://kimdavisauthor.com/

 🧁 Visit me at:

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Kim-Davis-Author-1532277473479031

https://www.facebook.com/Cinnamon-Sugar-and-a-Little-Bit-of-Murder-187400864778608

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/authorkimdavis/

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/kim-davis-899e51b0-5661-401c-98b1-ec4c2973d58a

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Kim-Davis/author/B093NRS3F2

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14713259.K_A_Davis

#WriterWednesday Author Interview with Doug Lawrence

I’d like to welcome Doug Lawrence back to the blog for #WriterWednesday!

Things you need for your writing sessions: I need a creative environment to work within. I did a private writing retreat one time that seemed to work alright. I was able to write 30-40 pages of content.

Things that hamper your writing: Trying to write in a place where there are too many distractions.

A few of your favorite things: My favorite thing is my laptop. I would break into a cold sweat without it. I took a short break and went to visit a dear friend for a week. I was without email and other things for a few days and I was panicking. Sounds funny but it was stressful.

Things you need to throw out: I have two closets of clothes that I need to cull out. I also had some food in the pantry that needs to go. I had a friend who was kind enough to help me purge some of the stuff but we could do more. It is like a new beginning.

Favorite foods: I like steak and mushrooms

Things that make you want to gag: Liver and onions. I can handle the onions but the liver is definitely off limits.

Something you’re really good at: Mentoring others to help them grow personally and professionally. That would include help with their healing journey from mental health and grief related issues.

Something you’re really bad at: I wouldn’t say I was bad at something. I would say that I had room to grow. Using negative connotations doesn’t improve things.

Last best thing you ate: Schnitzel

Last thing you regret eating: Liver and onions

Favorite places you’ve been: Dubai

Places you never want to go to again: Shanghai

People you’d like to invite to dinner: Ken Blanchard or Oprah Winfrey

People you’d cancel dinner on: I can’t think of anyone off the top of my head. I would look at this as an opportunity to learn more about someone and to also learn something more about myself.

Best thing you’ve ever done: Mentor a young entrepreneur with mental health challenges

Biggest mistake: Allowing a mentee to not be accountable for her mentoring sessions. Only happened once and that was the last time.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: Zip line in Mexico

Something you chickened out from doing: Bungi cord jumping

About Doug:

Doug Lawrence is the founder of TalentC® and is focused on all things mentoring as a solution provider. Doug Lawrence is an International Certified Mentor and holds two Mentor Certifications; Certificate of Practice – Mentor and the Certificate of Practice – Journey Mentor from the International Mentoring Community. Doug is the only one to hold the Certificate of Practice – Journey Mentor in the world today.

He has over 30 years of mentoring and leadership experience and is recognized as a thought leader in the mentoring space. Doug authored the book entitled, The Gift of Mentoring and his second book entitled, You Are Not Alone became an Amazon #1 Best Seller in North America and the UK and is a bronze medal recipient in the Global Book Awards. Doug’s third book, Grief, The Silent Pandemic was published April 20, 2025 and was the recipient of two bronze and one silver Global Book Awards. Doug is an International Best - Selling Author.

Doug works as a volunteer mentor with the Sir Richard Branson Entrepreneur Program in the Caribbean and with American Corporate Partners (ACP) in the United States helping military personnel transition from service life to civilian life.

Let’s Be Social:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/doug.lawrence.1610/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/douglawrence-mentor

Twitter: @DougLawrenceJM

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCE4YC1GkfHrQtFYgYrf8baQ

Website: https://www.talentc.ca

#WriterWednesday Author Interview with Patrick Sangimino

I’d like to welcome Patrick Sangimino to the blog for #WriterWednesday!

Things you need when you’re in your writing cave: Most of all, I need to be ready to write. It’s a mental state. Once there, music is a requirement, with no lyrics. Jazz or classical. With words, I find myself singing, which hinders my ability to get lost in the story I’m trying to tell.

Things that distract you from writing: Conversation. Human interaction. I love good conversations. Unfortunately, they can’t happen when I am in a writing zone. Years of working in a newsroom – surrounded by others – trained me. I learned to put on headphones when it was time to write.

Favorite snacks: Without question: Nothing fancy. Poporn or chips and salsa. Maybe some fruit.

Things that make you want to gag: tofu, definitely tofu.

Something you’re really good at: I’ve been told I am a great storyteller. I’ve made a living telling stories in the written form but have entertained loved ones with my ability to tell a story that will cause laughter.

Something you’re really bad at: Playing any kind of musical instrument, guitar especially. I have a profound respect for musicians and their ability to make magic. Much of that respect comes from my own lifetime of musical failures that have become some of the stories in my repertoire.

Something you wanted to be when you were a kid: Originally, I wanted to be a lawyer, but that ambition changed the first time I saw Jack Klugman in the old sit-com “The Odd Couple.” From that point on, I wanted to be a sportswriter.

Something you do that you never dreamed you’d do: After years as a newspaper columnist, writing a book always seemed like a bridge too far. And then I found the wherewithal to write one. Holding it in my hand for the first time – seeing my name on the cover – was an emotional experience.

Something you wish you could do: I wish I could play the piano. I always wanted to be that guy who could walk up to a piano at a party or crowded barroom and belt out something that would leave people speechless.

Something you wish you’d never learned to do: While paining houses – interiors and exteriors – is a good skill to have acquired, it’s something that friends and family members have taken advantage of over the years. As if helping to paint your best friend’s house over the course of a weekend can be compensated with pizza and beer. The things we do for love.

Last best thing you ate: The crab cioppino at a small family-owned Italian restaurant in San Francisco.

Last thing you regret eating: The four-alarm buffalo wings at a national chain. The wings were good at that moment. The heart burn that followed wasn’t nearly as pleasant.

Favorite places you’ve been: St. Thomas, the U.S. Virgin Islands. Great beaches and weather. Clean place with friendly people. Wonderful food and a good place to recharge.

Places you never want to go to again: Las Vegas. Sin City earned its monicker. And while, I’m not a prude, such sin comes with a heavy price tag – figuratively and literally – I’m not willing to pay anymore.

People you’d like to invite to dinner (living): Billy Joel, Warren Buffet, Paul Giamatti and Tiger Woods.

People you’d cancel dinner on: Any politician, television evangelist or anyone who judges someone else simply by who they voted for.

Favorite things to do: I adore being outside, working in the garden or playing golf. I also enjoy going to a ballpark on a warm day to watch school-aged kids – say, ages 12-18 – with a passion for the game and enough skills to catch my attention – play baseball.

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: Paying the high-dollar costs for parking, concessions and entry to the ballpark to watch professional ball players, without a doubt world-class athletes, often times go through the motions while taking part in a game once meant to be played by children. Ironically, there was a time when I earned my daily bread by chronicling their daily endeavors. Sports writing, it’s been said, is a young man’s game.

Best thing you’ve ever done: My daughter is evidence that I did something right in this world. She is smart (an attorney), funny and grew up with a love for “Seinfeld” reruns and an early knowledge of how to read the Major League Baseball box scores each morning. She’s a daddy’s girl and the apple of my eye.

Biggest mistake: My biggest regret is failing at marriage. Two meaningful careers took precedence over what should have been a happily-ever-after. We never factored job relocations into the equation. Happily, my ex-wife has become a dear friend, but our divorce is my greatest failure.

The funniest thing to happen to you: Running a five-kilometer race the morning after staying up to hit a late-night deadline was an achievement, especially since I ran a personal best. However, just a few steps from the finish line, I threw up, sending my morning coffee spewing like a geyser toward those congratulating the finishers. It was a moment that was captured and chronicled in my best friend’s next column.

The most embarrassing thing to happen to you: My embarrassing moment has evolved to shame. My bad behavior as a boy after my father’s best effort to turn my bicycle into a motocross by painting my handlebars black and screwing a broomstick across the bars, a makeshift renovation that was ridiculed by my friends. Years later, I am more embarrassed by the way I lashed out at my father, who was only trying to give me something our family just couldn’t afford.

About Patrick:

Patrick Sangimino worked as a journalist for over forty years, writing for large newspapers throughout California and the Midwest. He worked during the print journalism golden age and saw it slowly shift into the digital age. From beat reporter to award-winning columnist, Patrick wrote about some of the biggest sporting stories of all time, including eight seasons of the National Football League, World Series games, and local legends who made athletic history.

A self-described “ink-in-the-veins” writer, Patrick was not merely a journalist, he was a weaver of tales. His craft was motivated by a native curiosity, relentless doggedness in pursuit of fact, and the deeply human understanding that accompanied membership in the communities he served. His columns were read devotionally, acclaimed for their humor, pathos, and biting acuity.

Having retired in 2024, Patrick devoted himself to fiction. But whereas his columns were anchored firmly in the real world, so too is his fiction. Dogs Chase Cars is his first novel, but it feels like the accumulation of a lifetime of experience unvarnished, perceptive, sometimes self-aware, always uncompromisingly truthful.

Sangimino now spends his retirement doing what he’s always done best writing. Whether looking back or making up stories for the future, his pen still pursues meaning, memory, and perhaps a little bit of mischief.

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