Authors – Now I've Heard Everything

From Murder Scene to Murde3r Scene: Crime Writer Edna Buchanan

July 17, 2024July 13, 2024Bill Thompson

Edna Buchanan joined the Miami Herald in 1973, working the police beat. And she was good at it. She won the Pulitzer Prize in 1986 for her reporting.

By the late 1980s, she had turned to fiction writing, The real life stories she had covered became the raw material for her fiction.

And it turned out she was really good at that, too. Many of her books became best sellers, and a couple were turned into movies.

But she also wrote several nonfiction books, including one in 1992 called Never Let Them See You Cry. That’s when she and I had one of our several conversations over the years.

So here now, from 1992, Edna Buchanan

Edna Buchanan is 85 now, and still lives in Florida.

Rita Mae Brown: Bestselling Author and Pioneering LGBTQ 0Advocate

June 28, 2024June 22, 2024Bill Thompson

Since her college days in the early 1960s Rita Mae Brown has been an advocate for the LGBTQ community. Long before it was known by that shorthand descriptor..

She was also active in the anti-war movement, the feminist cause, and the lesbian liberation effort.

She holds two doctorates, in literature and political science.

But she is also widely known for her fiction, her “cozy” mysteries as well as her standalone novels. Her book Rubyfruit Jungle, published in 1973, has become a literary classic.

I met her in 1993, when we had the first of what would be many conversations in the years that followed. We talked about her novel Venus Envy, the story of a young woman who makes one of those life choices that changes everything – and not always for the better,

So here now, from 1993. Rita Mae Brown.

Rita Mae Brown Is 79. She lives in Virginia.

Unlocking the Heart: Leo Buscaglia, aka Dr. Love

June 14, 2024June 8, 2024Bill Thompson

They used to call him “Dr. Love.:

Author, educator, and motivational speaker Leo Buscaglia was an immensely popular figure in the 1980s, seeding the American psyche with a message of love and humanity. Buscaglia was also widely renowned for his penchant for hugging people, even strangers. But once you met Leo you were no more a stranger to him,.

Lao Buscaglia’s parents were Italian immigrants, and although he often mentioned his mother in his books, he had never written extensively about his father, until his 1989 book Papa, My Father. That’s when I first met him.

In this powerful interview, Leo urges us to connect and reconnect with our fathers – and mothers – before we run out of chances to do so.

So here now, from 1989, Leo Buscaglia.

Leo Buscaglia died in 1998. He was 74.

From Insider to Author: Susan Ford’s White House Thriller

May 22, 2024May 19, 2024Bill Thompson

Susan Ford was 17 when her father, Gerald Ford, became the nation’s 38th president, and she moved into the White House.

The youngest of the Fords’ children, and the only daughter, Susan acclimated to her new surroundings, absorbing details about the history and protocols of the First Family’s home.

And years later, she drew upon that intimate insider’s knowledge to write fiction, a mystery set in the White House, complete with scandal and intrigue. .

In a nod to her real life profession, and that of her book’s main character, Ford called her book Double Exposure.

And alongside all the elements of a good, page-turning mystery Ford gave her readers some delectable tidbits about the White House and its mysteries.

So here now, from 2002, Susan Ford.

Susan Ford will be 67 in July. She lives in Texas.

Stephen Covey: The Man Behind the 7 Habits that Shaped Millions of Lives

May 18, 2024Bill Thompson

Let’s face it, most self-help books are a dime a dozen – get a better job, have a happy marriage, raise smart kids.

So when a book comes along that can help people do all of those, it catches fire.

Drawing on principles he learned as a lifelong Mormon, Stephen Covey in 1989 published his bookThe 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. And it became hug

It spawned its own little industry — more books, tapes, videos, and public appearances. The book has sold over 20 million copies worldwide.

In 1996 Time magazine called him one of the 25 most influential people.

Ttoday let’s go back to where it all started. I interviewed him when his book was first published. So here now, from 1989, Stephen Covey.

Stephen Covey died in 2012. He was 79.

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Conquering Personal Fears: Insights from Arianna Huffington

May 6, 2024May 5, 2024Bill Thompson

What are you afraid of?

Beyond the common fears of spiders or tall bridges or public speaking, many people suffer from self-inflicted fears about their appearance, their relationships, or their parenting skills.

And those fears are all but universal, according to author, columnist, and Huffington Post co-founder Arianna Huffington.

Get your copy of Arianna Huffington’s book

In her 2006 book On Becoming Fearless she reveals the fears that she has experienced – and how she overcame them.

I met with her when she was on the author tour for that book. It was one of many conversations we’ve had through the years.

So here now, from 2006, Arianna Huffington.

Arianna Huffington will be 74 in July. and remains active in several business ventures.

Conspiracy Theory Debunker Brad Meltzer

April 29, 2024April 28, 2024Bill Thompson

Do you have a favorite conspiracy theory?

History is replete with them. To start a debate all you have to do is say “John Wilkes Booth” or “DB Cooper” or “JFK.”

And sometimes it takes someone with the analytical mind of a great fiction writer to unravel them.

And so it was in 2013 that bestselling author Brad Meltzer published a book called History Decoded, In which he set out to find the truth behind the ten greatest conspiracy theories of all time.

So Are you ready for some debunking? Here now, from 2013, Brad Meltzer .

Brad Meltzer is 54. He and his family live in Florida. His most recent novel was 2022’s The Lightning Rod.

Wendy Wasserstein’s Guide to Slothful Living

April 26, 2024Bill Thompson

About 20 years ago, the New York public library assembled a list of books on the seven deadly sins.

One of which, of course, is sloth.

But if you’ve always been a little fuzzy about exactly what sloth is playwright essayist and satirist Wendy wasserstein to the rescue.

You may remember wasserstein best for her 1989 play The Heidi Chronicles, which won a Tony award and a Pulitzer prize.

Her 2005 book Sloth is a parody of self-help books, with detailed instructions on how you too can acquire sloth.

I interviewed Wendy several times, but this was the most fun one. So here now from 2005. Wendy Wasserstein.

Wendy Wasserstein died in 2006, She was 55.

Dean Koontz: Suspense, Horror, and 500 Million Book Sales

March 4, 2024March 3, 2024Bill Thompson

Most authors would be very, very happy if their books sold half a million copies.
Most would be thrilled if their books sold one or two million or five million or ten.

But Dean Koontz has sold 500 million books since his first one was published in 1968.

A master of suspense thrillers, with some horror thrown in, Koontz never fails to satisfy readers. His books routinely appear on major bestseller lists.

I’ve interviewed him several times, including our 2004 conversation about his thriller Life Get your copy of Dean Koontz’s bookExpectancy. What’s terrifying about the storyline is how ordinary his protagonist is, except for the deadly things that could happen to him

So here now from 2004 http://Get your copy of Dean Koontz’s bookDean Koontz.

Dean Koontz will be 79 years old in July.Get your copy of Dean Koontz’s book

Amber Tamblyn on Her Poetry, Her Family, and Her Creative Journey

March 1, 2024February 25, 2024Bill Thompson

Some might say that Amber Tamblyn was born to be an entertainer.

Her father is veteran actor-dancer Russ Tambllyn. Her mother is a singer and a teacher, and her grandfather was in vaudeville.

From the age of 12, when she joined the cast of TV’s “General Hospital,” Amber Tamblyn’s talent has made her a popular and award-winning actress. But she is also well known for her writing, especially her poetry.

She has actually published seven books, including the 2009 collection Bang Ditto. It was while she was on tour promoting that book that i had a chance to meet her – and to hear what really matters to her in her creative life.

Amber Tamblyn will be 41 in May. Her latest movie role was in “You Hurt My Feelings” in 2023.

So here now, from 2009, Amber Tamblyn.

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