Tuesday 24 June 2008

Interview in the Bookfiend's Kingdom

Hope all my fellow MNWers will forgive me for repeating a post I've put up on my own blog. Thought the site mentioned deserved more publicity than it would get from my blog alone!

Back at the end of May I did an interview with the delightful Vicky Warren from the Bookfiend’s Kingdom, a literary website set up to raise money and awareness for the Disabilities Trust which cares for adults with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. It’s a fascinating site with interviews (some written, some spoken) with people as varied as Danny Scheinmann (Random Acts of Heroic Love), Charley Boorman (Long Way Round and Long Way Down with Ewan McGregor) and MNW’s own Len Tyler. And now me.
When Vicky initially got in touch, I assumed that she knew that I worked with teenagers with autism and had decided to interview me because of that. But no. She just liked the look of Testament and had decided to interview me. So she came, chauffeured by her friend Debbie and, having propped up her little recording device on our kitchen table, we did an interview. Amazingly, I sound quite coherent. If you’re remotely interested in hearing me rabbit about Testament for many minutes, or even in just hearing what I sound like, (not what I think I sound like, incidentally, but that’s universal) click here. If not, have a look at the BFK site anyway, Vicky has interviewed numerous authors so you’re bound to find somebody you’re interested in!

7 comments:

Frances Garrood said...

You sound as nice as you look, Alis! A really good interview. You say 'religion gets in the way of God.' I have always felt that it's the church (any church) which gets in the way of God (same thing, I suppose). As an excommunicated Catholic (I commtted the sin of marrying a divorced man) don't I know it!

Ellie said...

Well done, Alis!

Ann Weisgarber said...

Congratulations, Alis. I hope this is just one of many more interviews yet to come!

David Isaak said...

Very cool! And very cool site, too!

Tim Stretton said...

I really must get the habit of listening to interviews (rather than reading them at work...). Ill try and have a listen at the weekend.

It looks an interesting site with a wide range of authors interviewed. Enough there to keep me out of mischief for a while...

Alis said...

Hi Frances - Yes, the church, religion, dogmas, 'tradition', whatever clutters the whole thing up with rules which get in the way...

Hi Eliza - thanks!

Hi Ann - great to hear from you. Yes, more interviews would be cool - got any contacts?!!

Hi David - Yes, interesting site, though I think they could do with more support for the cause...It's always hard raising money for a charity which doesn't directly touch most people.

Hi Tim - yes, I think you get something different out of listening. I've listened to quite a lot of the interviews on the site and read a number of the written ones and though it takes longer to listen to the podcast ones (they're mostly a lot longer anyway because Vicky just lets you ramble on) I've enjoyed them more.

Thanks for listening folks!

Len Tyler said...

An excellent interview, Alis. You sounded more confident than I felt when I was doing mine! The Bookfiend people are lovely though - and it's a really good cause.