Sanchez, Patrick 1970-

PERSONAL:

Born February 9, 1970, in Fort Leonardwood, MO; son of Guillermo (a physician) and Patricia (a nurse) Sanchez. Ethnicity: "Hispanic." Education: George Mason University, B.A., 1992.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Arlington, VA. Agent—Deborah Schneider, 250 West 57th St., New York, NY 10107. E-mail—patrick@erols.com.

CAREER:

Value Options Managed Healthcare Co., Falls Church, VA, 1993—, began as a customer service representative, became director of proposals.

WRITINGS:

Girlfriends (novel), Kensington (New York, NY), 2001.

The Way It Is (novel), Kensington (New York, NY), 2003.

Tight (novel), Strapless (New York, NY), 2006.

SIDELIGHTS:

Patrick Sanchez's first novel, Girlfriends, is about a group of free-wheeling friends, similar to the women of Candace Bushnell's novel Sex and the City, except that they are in their twenties and live in Washington, DC. His second novel, The Way It Is, features a multicultural group of three roommates living in Washington. The beautiful black Wanda aspires to a career as a plus-size model, while the recently divorced Ruby is determined to lose her extra pounds. Simone, a successful Latina reporter, is the smallest of the group and wears a size six. With the help of her friends and a makeover, Ruby comes to accept herself for who she is and also to grow in strength when Wanda's career is threatened by another model and Simone needs someone to help her work out a personal problem. Booklist reviewer Megan Kalan described The Way It Is as being "a witty tale."

Tight features protagonist Nora Perez, an attractive woman approaching forty who keeps in shape and enjoys the company of many men. Fearing the worst, that some of her young suitors may lose interest as she ages, Nora enlists her coworker, Brenda, to attend a seminar being held by a popular young plastic surgeon. Nora makes appointments for several procedures, and Brenda, a plain woman whose husband is wandering, considers whether she should follow suit in order to keep him at home. Nora is soon threatened by the arrival at work of Kamille, an efficiency expert hired to improve the operation. Unknown to Nora, Kamille has undergone surgery to improve her looks, but it has not helped her extreme insecurity. When Kamille plans for yet another operation, Nora and Brenda save her from herself and her desperation. A Kirkus Reviews contributor described Tight as being "a frank comedy of manners that exposes both the highs and lows of the modern quest for youth and beauty."

Sanchez was interviewed for the Pretty Boring blog by Henry Cruz, who asked if it is hard for him to write from a woman's point of view. Sanchez replied: "There have been times where I actually start to feel the emotions of the characters while I'm writing their dialogue and their thoughts. At times, it's hard to get into their heads and other times their words just flow while I'm typing. I wish I knew why; maybe my muse takes some days off here and there.

"It can be a challenge to write female characters, but, my whole life, I've been around women. I grew up with three sisters and my mother (my father was mostly absent) and now I have plenty of female friends to help me stay on the right track and review my drafts and let me know when I've got it all wrong."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, November 1, 2003, Megan Kalan, review of The Way It Is, p. 480.

Kirkus Reviews, January 1, 2006, review of Tight, p. 14.

Lambda Book Report, November, 2001, review of Girlfriends, p. 27.

Publishers Weekly, August 6, 2001, review of Girlfriends, p. 64.

ONLINE

Patrick Sanchez Home Page,http://www.patricksanchez.com (January 31, 2007).

Pretty Boring,http://prettyboring.com/?p=1092/ (November 3, 2006), Henry Cruz, "Interview: On Getting Tight."