Oh, you want to talk with me about my book? Be Glad To!
I wrote in a September blog post that I was fortunate to be invited to read from my novel, Where You Will Die, at a monthly gathering called WordFest, here in our new home town of Longview. A lively arts and literary community thrives in this small port town, and Alan Rose, who hosts the readings, is a long-standing and respected leader in that community.
Alan Rose is the author of four novels, his most recent being As If Death Summoned, the award-winning story of brave community volunteer workers in Portland Oregon during the early days of the AIDS crisis. (You can read my review of this powerful novel here.) He has also long been a beloved fixture in the Longview area literary scene, writing for the Columbia River Reader, blogging extensively about nature, the writing craft, mental wellness and other topics. He also hosts a monthly feature called Book Chat that airs on local public station KTLV and can also be streamed from his website.
Well, I was honored to be invited on BookChat, and Alan and I recorded a segment back in October that has just aired - You can watch it on YouTube here!
Alan has hosted these half-hour sessions interviewing authors of all stripes for at least a dozen years, and his experience shows: He's a seasoned interviewer who asks great questions and puts his guest at ease. I was palpitating like a new bride over being interviewed in a TV studio, but he was so kind and unassuming that I calmed down quickly and had a great time. People like to talk about themselves, writers being asked about their work especially so. The half-hour flew by and, until I saw the finished product, all I remembered was laughing a lot.
Alan as interviewer is supported by a great team, including director and editor Bethany Glenn and Engineer Eric Anderson. And for a small community broadcaster, KLTV has an impressive studio, state-of-the-art equipment and a commitment to community service and outreach. Staffed by volunteer members, KLTV partners with a variety of local producers, associations and government agencies to create and share important and interesting local programming. These range from arts programs like BookChat to coverage of vital local governmental proceedings and most recently, a powerful series of open forums titled Community Crossfire that brought local people together for civil discussions addressing the local issues that affect the communities of Longview and Kelso. I've had some experience in video production and community television, and it was exciting to be in a studio again.
So, I hope you'll take a half-hour of your time to listen to me prattle on about by book, how it came to be and how it managed to survive five years of my awkward first time out as a novelist to become something I'm proud to share.
Be Well!
