My big TV adventure
I survived the experience...the show's two hosts were very nice and did their best to try to put me at ease, but I was *so* glad that I'd spent the weekend practicing my answers for "what is your book about?" and "what inspired this book?"
I started the morning by going to a local beauty salon to have my makeup done for video, since I don't normally wear makeup and in any case, what's required for TV/video is a bit different than everyday makeup.
That only took about 20 minutes, and there wasn't any traffic, so I arrived at the studio well ahead of time.
The TV studio was tiny, located in the offices of the Pleasanton Unified School District. I showed up about ten minutes early, was seated in what looked like a dentist's waiting room, and then the hosts showed up. We all introduced ourselves, the show's other guests showed up (the two bookclub discussion ladies and the owner of the local bookstore, who was going to present her Fall/Winter reading recommendations) and we all chatted for a few minutes.
Then the bookclub ladies were ushered into the studio to film the first segment, and Judy (the bookstore owner) and I were left to chat in the waiting room. Having someone to talk to helped keep the nervousness down.
Then it was my turn. I was ushered into the studio, and seated on a small stage, facing my two interviewers, so I didn't have to look straight at a TV camera. We seated ourselves, the cameraman clipped on tiny microphones (it was kind of funny because you have to snake the microphone cable up inside your blouse, then clip the end to your neckline. Then we chatted for a few minutes before the cameraman announced that the cameras were rolling.
The interview actually flew by very quickly, and I hope I wasn't too much of a dork.
They had six minutes set aside for me (on GOOD MORNING AMERICA, they only only give authors four minutes, I was cheerily informed). The host did the introductory "back from commercial" spiel, introduced me as a local author who lives in Dublin, did my "technical writer by day, historical novelist by night" catchphrase, and then they asked me what my book was about. I was able to give a reasonably coherent answer (One of the hosts complimented me after the taping, saying that it's a question that throws a lot of the authors they interview), and then they segued into "what inspired you to write this book?" followed by a question about my career as a technical writer, and whether that made writing fiction easier or more difficult for me. Somewhere in there I gave my pre-rehearsed pitch about why I found the 17th century so interesting.
And then it was time to wrap up. The cameras went off, we chatted for a few more minutes (one of hosts is an English Lit professor at San Jose State, so we chatted about Milton's Paradise Lost for a bit), I autographed a copy of TWIST OF HONOR for the show's other host, and then it was time to film the segment with the bookstore owner.
There was only one take, so whatever they filmed is what get aired, I guess. The whole process took about an hour.
I started the morning by going to a local beauty salon to have my makeup done for video, since I don't normally wear makeup and in any case, what's required for TV/video is a bit different than everyday makeup.
That only took about 20 minutes, and there wasn't any traffic, so I arrived at the studio well ahead of time.
The TV studio was tiny, located in the offices of the Pleasanton Unified School District. I showed up about ten minutes early, was seated in what looked like a dentist's waiting room, and then the hosts showed up. We all introduced ourselves, the show's other guests showed up (the two bookclub discussion ladies and the owner of the local bookstore, who was going to present her Fall/Winter reading recommendations) and we all chatted for a few minutes.
Then the bookclub ladies were ushered into the studio to film the first segment, and Judy (the bookstore owner) and I were left to chat in the waiting room. Having someone to talk to helped keep the nervousness down.
Then it was my turn. I was ushered into the studio, and seated on a small stage, facing my two interviewers, so I didn't have to look straight at a TV camera. We seated ourselves, the cameraman clipped on tiny microphones (it was kind of funny because you have to snake the microphone cable up inside your blouse, then clip the end to your neckline. Then we chatted for a few minutes before the cameraman announced that the cameras were rolling.
The interview actually flew by very quickly, and I hope I wasn't too much of a dork.
They had six minutes set aside for me (on GOOD MORNING AMERICA, they only only give authors four minutes, I was cheerily informed). The host did the introductory "back from commercial" spiel, introduced me as a local author who lives in Dublin, did my "technical writer by day, historical novelist by night" catchphrase, and then they asked me what my book was about. I was able to give a reasonably coherent answer (One of the hosts complimented me after the taping, saying that it's a question that throws a lot of the authors they interview), and then they segued into "what inspired you to write this book?" followed by a question about my career as a technical writer, and whether that made writing fiction easier or more difficult for me. Somewhere in there I gave my pre-rehearsed pitch about why I found the 17th century so interesting.
And then it was time to wrap up. The cameras went off, we chatted for a few more minutes (one of hosts is an English Lit professor at San Jose State, so we chatted about Milton's Paradise Lost for a bit), I autographed a copy of TWIST OF HONOR for the show's other host, and then it was time to film the segment with the bookstore owner.
There was only one take, so whatever they filmed is what get aired, I guess. The whole process took about an hour.