AuthorViews Video Podcast

AuthorViews is pleased to present two-minutes with author Sarah Honenberger, cut from an interview at the 2006 Virgnia Festival of the Book. Honenberger discusses her novel, White Lies: A Tale of Babies, Vaccines, and Deception, based on a true story. Honenberger's comprehensive research into the scandal behind the National Vaccine Compensation Fund helps her create a realistic portrayal of a mother's struggle against a powerful drug company. In this video, Honenberger discusses the great lengths the government goes through to avoid paying legitimate claims to the 1986 National Vaccine Compensation Fund. She also warns all mothers to question what they're told regarding childhood vaccination and to demand as much information as possible from their doctors.

AuthorViews is proud to present two minutes with the erudite Jonathan Gross, taken from an interview conducted at the 2007 Virginia Festival of the Book. Thomas Jefferson's Scrapbooks is one of the earliest anthologies of American literature, with 243 poems that Jefferson himself collected -- beautiful prose concerning nation, death, love and family. By exploring Jefferson's taste for American poetry, Gross is able to examine Jefferson through a lens neglected by most historians and biographers. Along with the poems, the anthology contains annotations, essays and photographs that together make this one of the richest volumes ever created on America's third President. In this video, professor and Jeffersonian expert Jonathan Gross talks about Jefferson's use of poetry to teach his grandchildren how to read, as well as Jefferson's fascination with romantic poetry.

From the world of fantasy AuthorViews brings you two minutes with Robert Fanney, a new author video, filmed at the 2007 Virginia Festival of the Book Luthiel's Song is geared towards young adult readers, primarily young girls (11-16 years old) with a taste for the heroic and fantastic. Fanney shares with us this world he has created, a place where dreams and nightmares often intrude upon day to day life. His foundling hero, Luthiel, breaks from the pattern of the traditional changeling in that rather than being an elf left to be raised by humans she has been left with the elves. On the advent of her fifteenth birthday things change drastically. She finds herself fighting through the dreamworld in a quest to save someone close to her from dying. Dreams are the source of magic in Robert Fanney's world, which is cause for both hope and fear. Now through the magic of the internet you can hear him share the thoughts and ideas that compose the framework of this delightful fantasy world!

From the dark side of the Mississippi Delta Author Views brings you two minutes with John Pritchard, a new author video, filmed at the 2007 Tennessee Williams / New Orleans Literary Fest A native of the Delta region, Pritchard shares a darkly humorous take on the deep south in Junior Ray. In this, his first novel, he presents a study of two characters who are polar opposites. Episodic in nature, the story is basically a character study of people separated by social class. It also addresses the theme of just how much will people accept in the name of being "protected form danger." A warm and sociable gentleman, Pritchard candidly shares the joy being published has given him, beaming like a child on Christmas morning when he speaks of his book. This brief video opens a window onto the pride of creation and the satisfaction of becoming a published author.

It is our distinct pleasure to bring you a new author video, filmed at the 2007 Tennessee Williams / New Orleans Literary Fest. When most people hear the phrase "Louisiana Politics," the first thing to cross their mind is usually either corruption or absurdity. New Orleans native Jason Berry takes those preconceptions and tops them with his political comedy, Last of the Red Hot Poppas. While most people know him for his hard hitting investigations into sexual abuse in the catholic priesthood, Berry has been both an historian and a cultural writer for many years. In this 2 minute video he talks about branching out into yet another genre with this knee slapping comedy of scandal and politics, a work that begins with the all too believable premise of a Louisiana governor being found deceased and naked with lipstick in some incriminating places. The story is a wild romp that is nothing short of scandalicious!

We are pleased to bring you a new author video, filmed at the 2007 Virginia Festival of the Book. Most people consider a trip to the islands to be good therapy. For some people this is more true than for others. In Re'enev Luke and Meesha are taking an island sojourn in an attempt to rejuvenate their rocky marriage. Young professionals from Boston, they had been happily married until personal tragedy created an emotional gulf between them. Now, as they vacation in the rain forest, they attempt to create a fresh start for their relationship. In this brief video Mike talks both about his book and the reactions it has garnered. His candid presentation of marital dynamics is discussed as are the parallels in real life. Divorce, avoidance and communication are addressed both in the framework of the novel and in the responses from his readership.

Many of us have wondered, What would it have been like to be stuck in New Orleans in the days after Katrina? How would we have handled ourselves at the Superdome or the Convention Center? Now imagine those first few days with no electricity, no air conditioning, no running water -- inside the psych ward at the Orleans Parish Prison! In this brief video, nurse Gavin Johnson talks about getting through Katrina with his elderly father in the psychiatric ward of a prison in downtown New Orleans where they had to shoot the windows out just to get air. Don't worry -- this video is actually sweet, not graphic; many of the rumors about the prison -- such as a mass escape -- were flat wrong. For the full inside view, get a copy of Gavin Johnson's new book, Prisoners of Katrina.

At Book Expo America in New York last month, I was pleased to see dozens of old rockers and new fans in a long line waiting for Chuck Panozzo to autograph his book, The Grand Illusion, an autobiography of this bass player for the band, Styx. AuthorViews got a chance to meet Chuck Panozzo and interview him privately at the Bywater Tech Center during Carnival. Styx was in town to perform after the Endymion parade at the annual krewe's ball, held in the now-infamous SuperDome. In this candid, 2-minute interview, Chuck shares what it was like growing up "different," and how he kept a secret for years in an attempt to spare his parents, band members, and fans. It's a moving clip.

Our two-week program featuring children's book authors from Annick Press comes to a conclusion today with the first online video ever of beloved author, Robert Munsch. Munsch is the creator of such classics as The Paper Bag Princess, Mud Puddle, and Thomas' Snowsuit. The manic Mr. Munsch has a unique way of writing -- his stories are created live, in the classroom, based on one of the kids, then honed over years of telling until the lines are just right. Robert Munsch has written hundreds of books. His books have sold over 30 million copies. Annick Press recently released a compendium of Munschworks -- a four-volume collection of Robert Munsch stories. In this 2-minute video, filmed at the Toronto offices of Annick Press, Munsch describes the difficulty in translating the animation of his verbal stories to paper. The video gives a wee glimpse into the magic of Munsch. We hope you'll enjoy it!

Fans of Robert Munsch books, such as The Paper Bag Princess, will appreciate this behind-the-scenes interview with illustrator extraordinaire, Michael Martchenko. Martchenko is Munsch's longtime collaborator, but it's rare for the two men share the same room. During the filming of this video at Annick Press' Toronto offices, Robert Munsch tried his best to unsettle his doodling friend, to no avail. Tomorrow we will bring you Munsch's side of the story. In this 2-minute clip, Martchenko talks about the early days with Annick, his training as an artist, and one particularly rewarding moment in his career as an illustrator. "I've got the best job in the world," he says, with a twinkle in his eye, and we believe him!

Diane Swanson has written more than 60 books for children of all ages, from toddlers through teenagers. Most of them deal with science and nature, such as A Crash of Rhinos, A Party of Jays: The Wacky Ways We Name Animal Groups. In Nibbling on Einstein’s Brain: The Good, the Bad and the Bogus in Science, Swanson helps children evaluate the scientific claims they hear. "I can’t make up anything more amazing," the author says, than the creatures that already exist in our world. In this 2-minute video, filmed in the Vancouver offices of publisher Annick Press, Swanson describes one of those amazing creatures. She also talks about how one can rediscover the beauty in the world around us by looking through the eyes of a child.

Today we're featuring TWO books by Shari Graydon: Made You Look: How Advertising Works and Why You Should Know and In Your Face: The Culture of Beauty and Youth. In Your Face is about "the pressure on teens to live up to unattainable ideals of beauty," according to Graydon. The book talks about where our ideas of beauty come from, all the way back to early childhood. It goes on to take its readers through an historical and cross-cultural look at physical ideals. Made You Look is also aimed at young readers, examining how they're targeted by marketing and advertising. Like In Your Face, this book also delves into the ideals that are pressed upon teens by various societal influences. In this 2-minute video, filmed at the Toronto offices of publisher Annick Press, Graydon explains how and why these ideals are unobtainable and describes her hopes for creating a more "media-literate" youth.

Author Emily Pohl-Weary grew up in a famous literary family and has made that tradition her own through a series of ambitious publishing projects. As editor of the zine, Kiss Machine, Pohl Weary is herself a pioneer in do-it-yourself publishing. She's also written a critically-acclaimed biography of her grandmoter, sci-fi pioneer Judith Merril, along with a collection of poetry and an anthology on female super heroes. It's no surprise, then, that the heroine of Pohl-Weary's young adult novel, Strange Times at Western High, is a fearless, independent zinester. In this 2-minute video, filmed in the Toronto offices of publisher Annick Press, the author introduces us to her lead character, 16-year old Natalie Fuentes, and speaks about girls, confidence, and indy culture.

Next in our Annick Press series of author videos comes Dennis Foon, father of the eerie Longlight Legacy trilogy of science fiction novels. The trilogy comprises three books: The Dirt Eaters, Freewalker, and The Keeper's Shadow. The action takes place in a post-apocalyptic world and features two young heroes, Roan and his sister Stowe. The Longlight Legacy continues to gain critical acclaim as one of the great science fiction trilogies of the new millennium. The cinematic scope of the work is no accident; author Dennis Foon is an accomplished playwright and filmmaker -- check out his credits in IMDb (the Internet Movie Database). This 2-minute video was filmed at Annick Press' gorgeous offices overlooking the harbour in downtown Vancouver's historic Gastown district. In the video, Foon is bathed in luminous green light as he talks about the ecological underpinnings of his epic adventure.

We are pleased to continue our series of children's authors from Annick Press in Toronto with what may be the most perfect author video we have ever shown. Effervescent illustrator Ruth Ohi takes us inside the covers of Clara and the Bossy, her humorous look at the serious subject of bullying. Clara is a lovable Guinea Pig with a fondness for purple who tries too hard to please her glamorous friend. Ruth Ohi (pronounced "Oh-Weee") has written and illustrated several children's books, including A Trip With Grandma and The Couch Was a Castle. Ruth Ohi fans get a rare treat in this 2-minute video: watching the author create an illustration right before your eyes! It's a magic moment and you shouldn't miss it. With no further ado, let's join the author for a brief trip with Clara and the Bossy.