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Better World Books Podcast: Gin Phillips

Posted by Dana on 09.30.2010 at 2:30 pm

THE WELL AND THE MINE is the story of a family living in an Alabama coal mining town in the 1930s. The story begins when nine-year-old Tess watches from the darkness of her back porch as an unknown woman lifts the cover off the family well and tosses a baby in without a word.

As Tess struggles at first to be believed and then later to find the “Well Woman” the family and the town struggle to survive the difficult and complex time they live in.

The book tackles the racism and sexism of the time period as well as the immensely difficult lives of coal miners and their families. It does all this with a grace and fluidity that make it feel like more of a classic than a debut novel.

Have your say » | Tagged Author Podcast, Author Podcast, dana barrett, Gin Phillips, The Well and the Mine

Better World Books Podcast: Eric Jerome Dickey

Posted by Dana on 08.31.2010 at 3:24 pm

NY Times Bestselling author Eric Jerome Dickey and I are kindred spirits. While I am not a NY Times Bestselling author, we both started out in IT and ended up in books and we both had stops along the way that included acting and stand-up comedy. A couple of years ago I actually interviewed Eric on the phone for the radio show I was doing at the time, but this was the first time I was going to meet Eric in person, so I was pretty excited to meet him.

And I was not the only one. Eric had some adoring fans in our office who were happy to get to meet him too (and unhappy with me – because I gave them no advance warning so they didn’t have their books with them to get an autograph!)

From Left: Kimeke Armstrong, Eric Jerome Dickey and Curtis Hoosier

Have your say » | Tagged Author Podcast, Author Podcast, Curtis Hoosier, dana barrett, Eric Jerome Dickey, Kimeke Armstrong, Tempted by Trouble

Better World Books Podcast: Patricia Sprinkle

Posted by Dana on 03.16.2010 at 3:49 pm

Patricia Sprinkle has written almost thirty books in her writing career. Most of them are mysteries but she takes a break from all that for her latest work Hold Up the Sky.

Hold Up the Sky is a story about 4 women relying on each other through some fairly difficult times. It takes place during a drought in a small Georgia farming town and though not the kind of book I would normally be interested in, I was drawn in.

The characters Patricia creates have heart and though the dilemmas they face may not directly be facing us all, they do force us to question how we would behave in similar circumstances.

When Patricia and I sat down for the interview we focused on where the story comes from and some of the situations the characters found themselves in. But we also dealt with the idea of looking deeper into “genre” fiction for the issues the book is handling. For example, in Hold Up the Sky, Patricia humanizes US immigration through the character of Emerita. She doesn’t have the answer for us, but she does put a human face on it.

Enjoy the interview, and click here to check out the rest of the great authors talking about their books on our podcast!

– Dana

Better World Books Author Podcast [ 18:36 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1140)

Have your say » | Tagged Author Podcast, Author Podcast, dana barrett, Hold Up the Sky, Patricia Sprinkle

Better World Books Podcast: Jodi Picoult

Posted by Dana on 05.20.2009 at 11:24 am

Jodi Picoult came by my office on a Wednesday afternoon while she was in Atlanta for her book tour. And while I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing NY Times bestselling authors before, I’m definitely not as cool as I should be and I was nervous.

I mean, after all Jodi Picoult is not just any author she’s the kind of author whose books jump to #1 on the list the minute they come out. Everyone knows who she is. If you’ve ever walked into a bookstore or even past one in an airport, you’d recognize the cover of a Jodi Picoult book. And now her most famous book MY SISTER’S KEEPER is about to come out as a major motion picture as well.

So yes, I was nervous because of her fame but it was more than that. I had just finished HANDLE WITH CARE the night before at about midnight and I was fired up about the ending. Read more…

Interview with Jodi Picoult [ 14:42 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1096)

6 Comments » | Tagged Author Podcast, Author Podcast, Brittle Bone disease, dana barrett, Endings, Handle with Care, Jodi Picoult, My Sister's Keeper Movie, Wrongful birth lawsuit

Better World Books Podcast: Dr. Helen Fisher

Posted by Dana on 04.24.2009 at 7:46 am

Why do you fall in love with one person rather than another? In her new book Dr. Helen Fisher identifies four biological personality styles generated by brain chemistry; then using her study of 28,000 people, she shows who is naturally drawn to whom.

Dr. Fisher is the chief scientific advisor for CHEMISTRY.COM and her personality type test has already been taken by millions! She has been seen on 20/20, The Early Show on CBS and even The Colbert Report, so I was especially excited that she was able to take the time to sit down with me.

Once you read this book (and listen to the podcast!) you’ll never look at people (or more importantly, yourself) the same way.

Do you know what it means if your ring finger is longer than your pointer finger? How ’bout who should pay for dinner and why? (Scientifically speaking, of course). helen4 Read more…