So, radio interviews are now old hat. Or are they? Today I had my fifth radio interview. I went in supremely confident and just fumbled over all my words. I’m really afraid for the MP3 to arrive because I’m going to sound like a twit. Should I put it on my website? People will think I’m drunk.
But it’s good that it happened. Even though I know my topic (ME!), it’s important that I’m mentally prepared for each interview. Each radio personality has different questions and I’m still falling into the trap of wanting to say what I want to say. I also noticed that the radio personality knows what he/she is doing. That’s probably a “duh” statement, but it’s important to remember that. I need to respect what they are doing and the path they are on and follow it.
This interview was different than the other four. The personnel at the station were very respectful and polite to me. I mean, they displayed a respect and politeness that I remember as a child–old-fashioned respect and politeness. The kind that you only seem to find in small town America. However, this was in Hillsboro, Oregon, the epicenter of Oregon’s high-tech cluster, a suburb of 100,000 people. I was impressed.
I was especially impressed by my interviewer. She had actually bought the Kindle version of my book and read the whole thing. When she told me she had “read it”, I thought she meant the prologue and first chapter which are available on my website. She corrected me and I was astonished. I sent this station (KUIK) an email on October 10. On October 12 they contacted me for an interview. That means she had less than a week to read it. As most people have indicated, she, too, said she couldn’t put the book down. She said the characters were fascinating and that she was totally engrossed.
But more than that, she told her listeners this same thing. Probably three times she spoke about how engrossing the book was and how everyone should go out and buy it. I was so gratified. She is the first radio personality to do that. I fell in love with this woman!
But even more than that, she GOT it. By that I mean, she understood the issues behind the book. She understood what I was going through. She asked me if I have trouble trusting and I answered affirmatively. She said that as she read, she was yelling at the book, telling me not to go back to my biological father. But she understood why. I was thrilled.
And to top off today, as I drove to this interview which was at 3:30, I received an email on my iPhone from KXL, the biggest talk radio station in Oregon. The Program Director said he would be in touch for an interview. KXL is also coupled with KUFO and he said that they would probably play the interview on both stations. I never expected to get an interview there.
I still have one interview scheduled in Grants Pass in November as well as a possible TV interview in Eugene that month. I’m waiting to hear from stations in Klamath Falls, Medford and Tillamook. Tomorrow I go visit stations in Corvallis, Lincoln City and Newport. I’ve already contacted TV stations in Portland and Vancouver, B.C. I still have Medford and Seattle TV stations. After the media is over, I suppose I’ll put more effort into my next outing. As I fly to Europe for Christmas, I’ll have lots of dead time to make notes and write.
This is My Lemonade 