Over the years I have kept a list of authors I would love to interview. I try to be realistic about it. I used to think I could get an interview with Bill Clinton but I gave up on that idea a long time ago. There was a time when I might have been able to interview a former president. About 20 years ago I did come very close to getting to talk to Jimmy Carter. The Secret Service was in the process of vetting me. Then he canceled his book tour. Jimmy is still with us but that was definitely my last shot.
The novelist Stephen King has never been on my list. He rarely does interviews. He's simply too famous. I have never interviewed James Patterson but I would not rule it out. I think that one is still possible. Ken Follett had never been on my list. For one thing, he lives in England. He's also super famous and has sold millions of books. I suppose I assumed he would never be offered to me as a guest. But I was wrong. He just published a new novel and I was offered an interview. I leaped at the opportunity.
He was a wonderful guest. I thoroughly enjoyed our chat. His book is marvelous. And it will come as no surprise that this book is another instant best-seller. It debuted last week at #1 on the New York Times fiction list.
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