My 2nd TV Interview - #amwriting #romance

Last year, I filmed my very first television interview--I was invited to discuss SILVER LAKE on Books and the World, a local cable program.  The first link takes you to the post with the actual interview, but this one explains how nervous I was!  So why, one might ask, did I ask to go through it again?



Because I'm passionate about my books, and I constantly push myself beyond my comfort zone in order to connect with readers.  As an avid reader myself, I know I'm always looking for recommendations.  When I find a book I can't put down, I'm truly transported...it's my absolute favorite form of entertainment.  My hope is that my books provide that type of enjoyment for fans of romance, suspense, and the paranormal. 

So...I finally sent the email to the producers of the show, telling them about my latest release, GULL HARBOR.  I was invited to return for another interview, and we filmed on June 13 (Friday the 13th, but that's okay, I'm a big fan of the number 13).  This time, I found I was much more relaxed as I waited in the conference room.  I was introduced to my interviewer, an amazing WWII veteran who said he enjoyed my paranormal romance immensely.  That set me at ease, until he further stated that we would not discuss any questions in advance.  We'd just have a conversation, in front of the cameras.

*Gulp* 

I'm a plotter.  I like to be prepared.  My nerves fired back up into overdrive.  But it was fine, and I found myself actually forgetting about the camera this time, and just focusing on answering the questions and discussing my passion.

So, here's the interview, should anyone care to watch.  And here's part 2, because for some reason Youtube won't load the whole half hour program.  Finally, here's the way putting myself out there led to even more exposure:

The producers informed me that although the show only airs in certain towns, the episode would be available on a statewide access website.  Any town could pick it up, if requested to do so.

Again, I pushed myself beyond my comfort zone.  I emailed the cable stations in both my hometown and my husband's hometown.  And guess what happened?  One of those stations invited me to come in for THEIR author interview program, which airs in 44 towns with a potential reach of one million viewers!  The authors who've appeared on the program include some very big names.  Since DIVINE FALL releases this summer, we'll be focusing on my new YA paranormal romance.

Of course, I'm over the moon to have this opportunity.  Once again, I'll have to push my anxiety aside for the sake of my passion.  And while being interviewed in front of a camera is not yet something I feel completely comfortable doing, I've got to admit, each time gets a little easier.  Here's hoping I don't make up any words this time!

My TV interview - Kathryn Knight

In April, I blogged about my TV debut on a local cable channel.  I was interviewed by the host of Books and The World during the same whirlwind week Gull Harbor was hitting #1 in the free Kindle rankings.  After the interview, I was a bit shaky (truthfully I was shaky before and during, as well!) and I could barely remember if I'd strung two words together correctly.  But I had to wait to find out, since a) the interview had to go through editing before it was ready to air and b) I don't have access at home to this channel.

After an agonizing 5 weeks, I found the DVD copy in my mailbox at 11:00 at night when I went out to grab something from my car.  I was leaving for a long-anticipated girls' weekend vacation in the morning, so I said to myself, "I shouldn't watch it now.  What if I did terribly?"  I decided to go upstairs to bed and get some sleep, then instead I promptly inserted the DVD into my computer and poured a glass of wine.

I thought I did pretty well, for a first-timer!  However, that knowledge did not let me finally trudge upstairs to finish packing and get a restful sleep.  I had to watch it once more.  And then question whether I really did okay, or whether I was fooling myself.  Should I wake my husband and make him watch?  Since it was now midnight, I decided he would not be a willing critic.  Adrenaline poured through my veins, and even that glass of pinot grigio did nothing to calm me down after that.  I lay in bed staring at the ceiling most of the night, finally drifting off for a solid half hour before my alarm went off at the crack of dawn for me to catch my train to girls' weekend.

Much more relaxed after a mini-vacation with the high school friends who helped inspire Silver Lake, I settled down to figure out youtube.  I was worried, but since my first book came out, I've mastered blogging, twitter, a Facebook page, Pinterest, and Goodreads, so I told myself I could handle this.  And it really was not hard to upload the DVD, although it broke it up at the end--I believe the interview ran slightly over the 30 minutes allotted free on youtube.

So, if anyone wants to take a peek, or is looking for a reason to put an unpleasant task aside for 30 minutes, here it is:  Books and The World interview

and here's Part 2 (last few minutes), you know, if you've got to see how it ends ;)