When Garth Stein sat behind the wheel of his Mazda race car in 2003, racking up points as he navigated the twists and turns of tracks across the Northwest, he never imagined he鈥檇 channel that experience into a book.
And he certainly never imaged the main character of said book would be a dog, or that he鈥檇 still be talking about both of them more than a decade after the book鈥檚 release.
Published in 2008, 鈥淭he Art of Racing in the Rain鈥 tells the story of a race car driver through the lens of his philosopher dog, Enzo. Stein will be in 蜜柚直播 Saturday, Feb. 8, speaking at the Humane Society of Southern 蜜柚直播鈥檚 Annual Impact Lunch.
While Stein is quick to clarify that the novel is not even close to semiautobiographical, portions of it are rooted in truth, including his race-car driving past and his love of dogs.
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Stein got involved with 鈥渉igh performance driver education鈥 in 2001, receiving his racing license and competing within the Sports Car Club of America, the country鈥檚 largest amateur sanctioning body that oversees road racing, rallying and autocross. Racing in the Spec Miata class, Stein won the points championship for the Northwest Region in 2004.
鈥淚t was a lot of fun,鈥 Stein told the Star. 鈥淚 made some really good friends, I learned a lot and I had a great time doing it, with absolutely no intention of writing a book about it.鈥
Stein exited the sport after a serious crash, which in typical Pacific Northwest fashion, occurred during a downpour. He said that when he鈥檚 tried to return to the track on a limited basis, racing once or twice a year, it鈥檚 been mostly frustrating.
鈥淵ou drop off speed really quickly if you鈥檙e not on the track. You kind of lose the edge and forget what it feels like to be at the limits, and suddenly everybody鈥檚 passing you if you haven鈥檛 been racing for awhile,鈥 Stein said. 鈥淚 want to be a front runner, I don鈥檛 want to be one of these back markers.鈥
While that fateful crash may have marked the end of Stein鈥檚 racing career, it marked the beginning of a bigger chapter in his life.
When he began to write 鈥淭he Art of Racing in the Rain,鈥 Stein said the first thing that came to him was the voice of the dog. With two previously published books already to his credit, Stein knew he needed a plot beyond the dog.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 when the story (came together) of him analyzing his human partner鈥檚 or master鈥檚 position and trying to learn from that,鈥 Stein said. 鈥淎nd I thought, 鈥榃hat better place to set a dog philosophizing about the world except at the racetrack?鈥
The rest is history, with the novel going on to sell more than 6 million copies worldwide, being translated into 36 languages and spending more than three years on the New York Times Bestseller list. The novel鈥檚 success led to a series of picture books inspired by Enzo鈥檚 adventures and last summer, 鈥淭he Art of Racing in the Rain鈥 had a successful run at the box office as a major motion picture.
Stein is currently working on a series of graphic novels, with the first of its three volumes due out in July. 鈥淭he Cloven鈥 is about a group of mutant goat people living under the freeway in Seattle, which Stein said has surprised some people in the literature world who feel like it鈥檚 straying from his usual type of work.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not at all, it鈥檚 an evolution,鈥 Stein said with a chuckle, adding that the process of working with his illustrator has been a great deal of fun.
This won鈥檛 be Stein鈥檚 first trip to 蜜柚直播: He was a presenting author at the inaugural 蜜柚直播 Festival of Books in 2009.
鈥淚 look forward to coming back,鈥 Stein said, adding that he鈥檇 like to enjoy some time under the 蜜柚直播 sun. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a little dreary this time of year in Seattle.鈥
