Diana Belchase is an award winning
writer - she won the RWA Golden Heart in 2011 - but today she's at WWK because
she's also the Barbara Walters of the Mystery world. On her YouTube page you'll find interviews with writers from Darynda Jones to Brad
Meltzer, Louise Penny to Elaine Viets, Eloisa James to Don and Renee Bain. How
does she score all these great guests?
Welcome, Diana.
Diana, you have interviewed, well,
it seems like everyone. Do you have a count of how many authors you've
interviewed?
Thank
you so much for having me here, Shari, and for the incredible welcome. I
have 70 interviews that are posted with more coming live every day. What means
the most to me isn't the number of authors, but the number of views - that
people are actually taking the time to watch these videos. I am so humbled
every time someone leaves a comment or sends me a private email. It makes what
I'm doing worthwhile.
Do you remember your first
interview? How did it go?
The
first interview I ever did was for Michael Hauge, a screenwriter and writing
coach. We were in a room next to a restaurant and the staff kept talking loudly
and dropping silverware. Absolutely horrible, but I soldiered on. LOL. It has
the worst audio ever, but I keep it posted because there is information that
people might want to struggle to listen through. My second interview was with
Eloisa James who knew I was new at this and gave me pointers. She told me to
break things into segments, she put up with technical problems, and was the
sweetest, most wonderful interviewee I could have ever had. I think, if not for
Eloisa, I might not be doing this today and thank her with all my heart.
What elements make a good author
interview?
A
forgiving and easy-going subject is so important - someone who won't balk
during glitches and will open up on camera. I once had someone who was very
funny who completely froze on film. Then there are people who ramble or are
monotone. In these cases it's hard to edit together something interesting. But
being able to capture who an author really is - their sense of humor, that
spark of mischief - is what is essential. There are people who've been so
wonderful on film I frankly forget I'm interviewing them - Cherry Adair comes
to mind and so does Cathy Maxwell. I laughed so much and I think that joy shows
on the video. I also think finding that one question that helps reveal
something new, something unsaid, about an author is what makes it a success.
I'll never forget the Bains sharing with me Don pretending to be an oversexed
flight attendant or Elaine Viets admitting she looked into yacht windows as she
surf boarded, or Louise Penny talking about spending a night with the monks.
What advice do you have for authors
doing video interviews? Any do's or don'ts?
Be
prepared. The special moments on camera come from knowing a lot about your
subject before the camera starts rolling. It also gives you the confidence to
direct the conversation and be less visibly nervous on film. When in
doubt, smile. Remember the person you are interviewing is likely nervous as
well.
Tell us about an interview that
surprised you.
I
was thrilled to be able to interview Beppe Severgnini - an Italian filmmaker,
writer, journalist, and TV personality. While he's not well known to my
audience, it was like having Peter Jennings sit down with me.
The
most touching interview I've ever done was for a sculptor who was an
Australian/Italian named Victor Pirruccio. I was on vacation and stumbled upon
his artwork and asked him for an interview. He was shy and had throat cancer so
again he was difficult to hear and I added subtitles later on. During the
interview he suddenly opened up and told me a secret about his art that he'd
never told anyone before. I was astounded that he felt comfortable enough
to share it with me, especially since he'd never consented to an interview
before then. A few months after the interview I found out he had died
unexpectedly. What a devastating loss for the art world and for everyone who
knew that gentle soul. His manager wrote me afterwards and told me how
much my interview meant to him. Imagine - my interview actually touched him. It
doesn't get better than that and I'm glad that he is on film for art scholars
to see in future years. I think I'm surprised every time a major author agrees
to sit down with me. I am grateful and humbled by every one of them.
What projects are you working on
now?
I
continue to work on my spy series as well as a more literary novel called THE
NATIVITY COLLECTORS. I am also working on Cyber-hugs for Heroes again - a
project I've done in the past - where I gather messages of love and hope for
our troops abroad. Last time I gathered 300 messages. I'd really love to get
500 if at all possible this time. If your readers would like to help the
project they can leave a message at
http://dianabelchase.com/2014/10/31/celebrating-heroes-on-veterans-day/. It is never too late to leave a
message since this post will not be taken down.
Your YouTube page has dozens of
author interviews, but also video of Thai dancing, proper British tea, and a
tour of the French Embassy. Such an eclectic, international collection.
You must be someone who loves to travel.
I
do love to travel and have my camera with me at all times. I'm also lucky to
live in the DC area where there is so much to see and do, especially at the
embassies. Right now I'm completely behind on posting things but I hope to
eventually catch up. I have photos from the Italian Embassy's celebration of
the film industry with close up shots of costumes from Cleopatra, Barbarella,
and The Leopard. But I also do things that are much more mundane - like
the display of sushi at a restaurant I visited that was exquisite. Life and
art are all around and capturing it is something I love to do.
What books did you read when you
were younger that inspired you to say, "I want to do that. I want to
write."
Ooh,
too many to name. I especially loved the Mrs. Pollifax series which inspired me
not only to write but to be more than I am - and to know I can do it at any
age. I will forever be grateful to Dorothy Gilman for that message. I think one
of the reasons I write is also from what I wasn't reading. I wrote my first
book, THE SPY IN THE MIRROR, because I couldn't find anything like it and it
was the book I wanted to read - a serious spy series with a female heroine who
had a real life and a dollop of romance. I hope others agree. Winning the
Golden Heart for that book, along with several other awards, gives me hope that
I'm not the only one who is interested in this kind of novel. ;-)
So how do you score all these great
videos? Have any authors said no?
I've
been lucky that no one has turned me down - well, except for David Baldacci,
who I'm still hoping will agree one of these days since I admire him so much.
David was the first author who inspired me at a signing by autographing his
novel "Welcome to the Club" - so interviewing him would be wonderful.
I think knowing so many people personally certainly helps - and when I started
out several of them vouched for me, too. Now, I'm fortunate that my videos sort
of speak for themselves and authors are usually happy to work with me.
And the big question on WWK – E. B.
always asks - Beach or mountains?
Oh, love them
both, but falling asleep to the pounding surf is beyond beauty.
Look for Diana's interviews at http://DianaBelchase.com.
Look for Diana's interviews at http://DianaBelchase.com.
