I’m not into social media although I look at Twitter. Or, I guess they call it X, now. One of the people I follow there is Amy Rigby. Years ago she was touring for her album “Diary of a Mod Housewife.” She came through and appeared on my radio show on WYSO. I sent Amy a tweet mentioning my memory of her performance. She asked me what I’m doing these days? I told her I’m interviewing authors on the radio. She replied: “I wrote a memoir, “Girl to City.” She sent me the book and I loved it. We did another radio show. I even pulled out tapes of those songs she performed in 1997 on WYSO.
Chris Woodyard
Another person I follow on X is Chris Woodyard. She lives in Beavercreek. I consider her our leading authority on ghosts, graveyards, and death. Chris has written fabulous books about haunted Ohio. We did another radio program to talk about her latest book “A is for Arsenic: an ABC of Victorian Death.” She is so witty and possesses vast knowledge. Plus she has a lethal sense of humor. We had such fun.
Ann Cleeves
Ann’s Vera Stanhope books have been made into a popular TV series. Her Shetland books have also been adapted for television. She’s English and she’s famous. I heard she would be over in the US-I talked her publicist into letting me interview her again for her latest novel “The Raging Storm.” Something in that novel reminded me of a favorite song from my high school days. I mentioned this to her. She said she is familiar with the group, that she actually knows the son of their lead singer, who died many years ago. I was thrilled to discover this.
Joe R. Lansdale
Joe R. Lansdale has written a slew of terrific books. I interviewed him years ago-things didn’t go well. He was on a film set talking on a cell phone - it kept cutting out. You could hear noisy people in the background. He sounded distracted. Well, he had a new story collection out, “Things Get Ugly: the Best Crime Stories of Joe R. Lansdale,” so we tried it again. This time around he was relaxed and completely charming, telling yarns about how he became a writer. He made a superb guest.
Lawrence Block
During 2023 I went on a tremendous Lawrence Block reading binge. The book I’m reading now is the 32nd Block title I have read this year. He never fails to entertain. We talked again for his latest book “The Autobiography of Matthew Scudder.” Block has this deeply textured, gravelly voice that sounds really magnificent on radio. His anecdotes are priceless. He’s become one of my all-time favorite guests.
Vick Mickunas of Yellow Springs interviews authors every Saturday at 7 a.m. and on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. on WYSO-FM (91.3). For more information, visit www.wyso.org/programs/book-nook. Contact him at vick@vickmickunas.com.
Credit: Contributed
Credit: Contributed
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