The Author Archive Podcast

Leslie Howard - The Celestial Wife

This novel is set in the 1960s with a backdrop of The Beatles and other music of the time.

It tells the story of Daisy Shoemaker who is 15 in 1964. She was born into a fundamentalist Mormon community on the US - Canada border.

In a ceremony called Placement she is given as a teenage wife to a much older man. She finds this intolerable and runs away.

The church official who makes the decisions is known as Bishop and he assures his followers that he has a direct line to God. Amazingly they believe him.

It's a gripping and enraging read. It's fiction but events like the book describes are still happening today. The fundamentalist cult is vey much alive and well.

There is a Netflix documentary about the group .. Keep Sweet : Pray and Obey.

Angus Hanton - Vassal State

This brand new book examines the astonishing extent of American ownership in UK business.

Whether you are interested in 'taking back control' or how much of our day to day financial transactions happen via the US, you will find this fascinating and possibly horrifying.

Gareth E. Rees - Sunken Lands

Sunken Lands is about a journey through flooded kingdoms and lost worlds.

Gareth tells of places he has visited to see history and extrapolates forward to imagine the world we are leaving for future generations.

There is anger, poetry, myth .... and David Bowie.

Robin Eggar - biography of Tom Jones

This conversation was recorded in 2000 when Robin Eggar's biography of Tom Jones was first published.

At this time Tom's wife, Linda, was still alive and Tom himself was a mere 60 years old.

It emerges from this interview that the man born Thomas Woodward was driven by two passions. What they are is revealed in this Author Archive episode.

Andrew Lownie - Traitor King : The Scandalous Exile of the Duke & Duchess of Windsor.

Once again Meghan and Harry are juggling with their identities.

They are clearly wanting to be royal having given up being 'royal'. If you decide to walk away from your royal identity just what are you left with?

This book,'Traitor King', tells the story of an inglorious royal. It is a shocking example of what happens when inherited status is randomly given to a person who is clearly not up to the task. The book is the basis of the Channel 4 programme that shed light on the whole episode.

As well as telling the historical story Andrew Lownie discusses the lessons that can be learned by the present Royal Family. Maybe food for thought for Andrew as well as Harry and Meghan.

Andrew Lownie is currently working on a biography of Price Andrew. Because of the rules surrounding the royals he is finding it impossible to access some of the documents he requires to write a substantial comprehensive book. 

I'm looking forward to talking to Andrew about it.

 

 

Lisa St Aubin De Teran - Memory Maps

Lisa has written a new memoir 'Better Broken Than New'

She has ploughed this furrow before  and I interviewed her when 'Memory Maps' was published.

Lisa has lived life to the full.

She is a very beguiling woman and many men have fallen for her charms and married her.

On the day I interviewed her she was in the mood for remembering her life and loves in wonderful detail.

Jon Ronson : Them

Jon Ronson was not so well known when this conversation was recorded in the early 2000s

I was very taken with the subject of the book and the way Jon talked about it.

Being a Jewish journalist getting involved with people money raising for Hamas seemed improbable. It's true of course, as was Jon's interest in the wilder fancies of David Icke.

'Them' is a terrific read.

Maeve Binchy - Scarlet Feather

This conversation was recorded when the very last Maeve Binchy novel was published in paperback.

Maeve was always an entertaining interviewee - getting her to talk was never a problem!

Unsurprisingly her books continue to sell.  

Chris Grey : Brexit Unfolded - How no one got what they wanted (and why they were never going to)

As more Brexit checks and red tape come into action it is illuminating to remember how we get to be in this sorry situation. 

Many of the leading players are only where they are because they are Brexiteers.

Professor Grey has made it a personal mission to chronicle the drama and effects of Brexit.

He writes a blog and now the latest edition of his book "Brexit Unfolded" is published bringing the story up to date.

Does this mean that the Brexit story has reached a conclusion?

Maybe not!!!

 

 

 

Magnus Magnusson - Scotland: The Story of a Nation

Magnus Magnusson died in 2007. He was  77.

I spoke to Magnus when his history of Scotland was first published in 2000.

Our conversation covered thoughts on Scottish independence, the film Braveheart, Shakespeare and whatever happened to the Picts.

There was so much more to Magnus than being the chair .....I've started so I'll finish ..... of Mastermind!