Tips for Taped Television Interviews

Mom and I are very excited, but terrified, about our first television interview airing on O2 Media's morning talk show "The Balancing Act" on Lifetime Television tomorrow, June 21st, at 7am (ET/PT). Note: 6am Central/Mountain. This is our teaser (will become the show once it airs. And, yes, this is the first time I've ever used an embed code on my blog):

When they first called and asked to interview us, I was terrified. My breathing slowed once I found out it was not live television. Okay, we could do this. One month before the interview we sent in five copies of our book (staff and hosts were all required to read it). Two weeks before, we sent in a synopsis, the main points we wanted to cover, and some images. One week before, we received five questions. Easy, right?

Mom and I had insane weeks leading up to our trip to Florida to tape. We decided to arrive a day early and do a marathon training session. All day Saturday we wrote and rewrote our answers. We had a four minute slot for our interview. There were five questions. We figured the host wouldn't get to all of them, but we wanted to be prepared just in case. We also knew we could do more than one take. Breathe, we constantly told ourselves.

We showed up to the studio prepared. We rehearsed our answers the entire car ride over. Unshakable. Then we met the host. Lovely. She was encouraging, friendly, and above all, made us feel comfortable. "We are just three ladies sitting down to chat," she told us. We had makeup done, microphones put on, and were placed on set. At this point, there was no amount of prescription antiperspirant strong enough for me.


We did the first take in question order until time was called. We survived. No flubs. The crew asked us how many television interviews we had done. Sure, sure, I thought to myself, they are just trying to make us feel better. The host asked us which questions we really wanted to fit in now that we had a sense of the time. We rearranged. Second take and done. Success! I felt even better when we saw the next person tape. After three takes, she left the set momentarily to compose herself.

In May, we posted a humorous what not to do during a television appearance list. Now, we want to give some practical advice.

Tips for a Taped Television Appearance:

1. Rehearse your answers. If they don't give you a list of questions, ask or offer some of your own. The host appreciated our preparation, and it never hurts to have the host in your corner. Several staff and crew thanked us for our professionalism. Another benefit, rehearsing made us more confident and less nervous.

2. Engage your host. Take our host's advice, you are sitting down to chat. If you aren't talking, look interested in what the host (or the co-interviewee) is saying. Nod and smile. The effort it took to keep a pageant-smile on my face made me focus less on the butterflies in my stomach.

3. It's okay to breathe. I kept worrying I'd forget our scripted answers. Mom reminded me it was okay to take a breath and gather your thoughts. Better to breathe than rush through and crash.

4. Follow directions. There are reasons they ask you to nod and smile while looking to your left. Just do it, no matter how silly it seems. It's their job to make you look good, so they look good. Another important one: they will often give you suggested clothing colors and a list of don'ts. Pay attention. I watched the show for weeks before we taped, and I saw some poor choices.

5. Trust the Team. See #4. Trust the producer, host, and crew. And don't forget the makeup person.  He or she knows television makeup. No matter how much you like to do your own makeup, those lights are different. If you have sensitive skin, bring your products and then trust him/her.

6. Send a thank you note. As soon as I got home, I sent a follow-up email to the producers, the host, and anyone else who helped along the way. I then followed up with written thank you notes. They've already been in contact with us about future dealings, and asked me to forward a thank you note on letterhead to put up in their main lobby.

7. Sell yourself. People will buy your product or service if they buy you as a person. It's four minutes. Be your best self.

Having said all this, we haven't seen our appearance. We will see it tomorrow along with everyone else. It's easy to ask yourself if you should have done three takes, worn something different, smiled bigger. But, in the end, I trusted my team.

We'd love some feedback. If you can't watch in the morning, please set your DVRs or come back and view the link. Then leave some comments below. We can take it!

A Day to Celebrate Dads

There's something like a line of gold thread running through a man's words when he talks to his daughter, and gradually over the years it gets to be long enough for you to pick up in your hands and weave into a cloth that feels like love itself.

John Gregory Brown

The thread began with the birth of your first daughter, me! Two more followed. Your drive to be a good man increased. You always told us we could be anything we wanted to be. With each encouraging word, a stitch was sewn.

You worked sixty hour weeks and provided for our family. You helped with homework and re-proved Geometry theorems long proven. When I asked what a word meant, you told me to go look in the dictionary. But your advice didn't stop there. You told me to memorize the word above it and below it as well.

My favorite Dad sayings:
* SOL = S**t out of luck
* Katie bar the door = Hold me back
* You might want horns, but you're going to die butt-headed = I told you No, child.
* You've gone from preaching to meddling now = advice is one thing, nagging is another
* If a frog had wings, he wouldn't bump his ass when he jumped = Deal with reality

The first time I heard someone else say SOL, I wanted to ask them if they knew my dad. In my eyes, he invented everything. My pedestal was built high, and he sat upon it. The teenage years came. He pushed us while holding on and creating safety. We disagreed at times, but I knew he loved me. More stitches sewn.

When I met my future husband at eighteen, he was cautious but supportive. Five years later, we married. Dad walked me down the aisle, but never gave me away entirely. The year we got married was my parent's 25th year of marriage. I asked my dad what made a good marriage. He told me compromise, with a caveat. "Compromise does not usually mean 50-50," he said. "Sometimes he'll get 100% of what he wants, sometimes you will. But, in the end, it should all come out right." These words often comfort me. What is the 50-50 to having children? Whether to move or not? Changing careers?

Dad with Jackie in 2000

I made my dad a grandfather the year he turned 50! Still a successful and very busy professional, he always made time for visits. The stress washed away when he held my daughter; he softened like I'd never seen. The cloth surrounded me; so many stitches.

My parents recently celebrated 40 years of marriage, and their support for their children has never lessened. Though we've grown up and had kids of our own, they still ask us to call if we are traveling to let them know we are safe. I am very blessed.

Today, I say Happy Father's Day to my dad. I wouldn't be half the person I am today without your love and support. And, I must say, all those extra words I looked up have come in handy!

Special aside: my dad was the humor. He found ways to lighten up heavy moments and trying times. I credited my gift of humor to him in our Lifetime Television interview, scheduled to air Tuesday, June 21st on their morning talk show, The Balancing Act, at 7am (ET/PT). A link to the teaser: http://www.thebalancingact.com/video/?v=CHS56QHE203174.

And let's not forget my wonderful husband on Father's Day:



Ed with Jackie and Reagan 2002

 

I fell in love with him for many reasons: his looks (honesty is my curse!!), his beautiful smile, his calming effect, his kindness, and his loyalty. We met the third day of my freshman year of college, and we never looked back. I wasn't looking for a husband, much less the father of my children. But I know a good thing when I see it.



With Maddie, our baby, 2005

 I first fell for the man, but I fall harder every day because of the father and husband he is. His family comes first. Laid back in most things, I've seen him agonize over decisions involving our family and his precious girls.

I'd like to take credit for picking a great father, but luck was on my side. Girls, especially, learn so much from their fathers. It takes a special man to give girls those gold threads.

My husband has always been hands-on; he changed many a diaper and makes school lunches almost every morning. He rarely misses an event. My girls will someday have their dad-cloth, and I know all too well what comfort it brings.

Thanks to all the dads out there, and Happy Father's Day!

What's your fondest memory with your dad?

The Delicate Balancing Act of Life

Today I wanted to share the teaser link to our upcoming appearance on Lifetime Television's morning talk show "The Balancing Act." The show is set to air on Tuesday, June 21st at 7am/6am (EST/Central) on Lifetime. The link: http://www.thebalancingact.com/video/?v=CHS56QHE203174.

But this really got me thinking. Balance. Lately, my life has been completely out of whack. I thought I planned everything so well. I graduated college, worked in a very practical career for almost ten years, saved money, had my first child and stayed home, had all three of my children in five years, and wrote a novel. Depression Cookies was published just as my last child was entering school. I'd have all the time in the world to market, build on my writing career, and catch the eyes of important people in the industry.

Stop laughing. It was a plan. Or, rather, the plan developed as the novel took so long with life constantly getting in the way. But, then my husband announced another move. Five locations in ten years. Crazy. That's okay, I thought. While the kids are in school, I will transition all of us to a new state AND promote a newly published novel while also writing and building my author platform.

Okay, enough with the laughing. I am striving for balance. It's hard. I want to be a mom, and it is my first priority. I also want to be a good wife to my wonderful husband. One, because I love him. Two, he will still be here once the three sweethearts fly the coup. I also want our home to be a warm, loving environment that is also CLEAN! Oh, and finally, I want to be a successful author.

What I'm finding . . . there simply aren't enough hours in the day. As a newbie in the social media and marketing world, I could spend 12 hours a day just scouring the internet devouring information on all these topics. As our book has garnered more attention, like our recent award!!, I feel the pressure to keep the momentum going. Plus, we are working on the follow up novel, I'm writing a YA novel, and we are trying to grow our blog!

In addition, the more visible our book becomes the more the professional marketing gurus come out of the woodwork. Their first question: what's your budget for marketing? Hmmmmm. "Very little, so I can't wait to hear what you can do with that!" I exclaim to a ringtone.

I know I need to set a timer for two hours and write, then set it for an hour and do social media, then an hour for cleaning and bills, then . . . it just never works. The phone rings. Child forgot their lunch. Hurry! Finally settle back down and hear the dog puking on the carpet. Clean! Look up at the clock to see it's almost time to get the kids off the bus. Run! "Girls, can Mommy have an hour to wrap some things up on the computer," I say. The baby replies, "I hate the computer. I wish I could smash it." Guilt.

HELP! I'd love your suggestions for finding balance.

What Not to Do During a Television Interview

Mom and I just taped our first television interview about our novel on Monday. There are several things we did right. First and foremost, we practiced over and over again the questions we were given and knew our answers cold. We also practiced in front of a mirror, painful but helpful. I seriously don't know how people do live television. Without this practice and knowing our questions beforehand, I would have puked for sure (see #4 below).

Still, there were several things we learned:

1. Don't Use Someone Else's Beauty Products

My mom has very coarse, dry hair while I have my Dad's thin, oily hair. So it should have dawned on me not to use her shampoo for dry hair the day before a television interview. It didn't. The next morning, I touched my hair and wondered why it felt so oily. I started to panic. I started styling, but the more I touched my hair, the greasier it felt. Mom's attempt at teasing, which could easily be listed as Mistake #1 all by itself, only made matters worse. I finally rewashed my hair with the "God awful soap the hotel gives you" as Mom said. We made it to the interview on time, and now I know to bring my own products. Stick with what you know works for you.

2. Don't Assume you Know Anything about Television Production

I did my research. I watched the show many times and noticed when the host was interviewing two people, the guest on the outer edge of the couch got the widescreen shots. Never would I want to be on the receiving end of a widescreen shot. So, I devised a plan to sit on the inside, and jokingly (well, not completely) told Mom I would run to the couch and tackle her if she attempted to get my coveted spot. She gracefully motioned me forward. I got my spot. However, little did I realize from the beautifully edited shots I viewed in the mornings, this spot was problematic. First, I had to ping-pong my head from the host to my mom when I wasn't speaking. Whiplash and awkward only beging to describe the sensation. Then, I realized I could see the camera man as he was frantically doing the "wrap it up signal" while Mom was facing away from him and blissfully unaware. So much for trying to be prepared.

3. Resist Green Room Goodies
(otherwise known as "Eat and Drink Something Before you Go to the Set")

The production staff was so nice. They led us to our green room and told us to please have some coffee, soda or pastries while we waited. We were starving. We didn't want to eat anything before in case our nerves decided to reject it. Still, Mom decided some pastry would calm the fear that her stomach would growl mid-taping. She bit into a nice chocolate pastry, and I immediately pointed out the remnants in her teeth. She fixed it. We went to makeup and then came back to wait. Now we were thirsty. Don't want to do an interview with dry mouth, right? Have you ever tried to drink from a water bottle without disturbing your professional makeup or dribbling on your pristine and carefully-chosen outfit? It's not easy.

4. Don't Text your Husband After with a Joke

Right after the taping, I wanted to text my husband to let him know how it went. I knew he was nervous for me, plus I owed him the courtesy after leaving him with our three kids for three days. I thought a humorous text immediately followed by a "JK" text would be fun. I should never underestimate how slow I text. Lord knows my daughter wouldn't. I texted him, "Mom and I did great after the producers cleaned up my puke." I couldn't even get in the "JK" before I received, "Come on. Oh no!" Then, just to make me feel worse, I lost my signal for a couple of minutes before I could finally let him off the hook. My kids better NEVER pull a trick like that on me.

In the end, have fun and trust yourself. And, if you feel you can't go it alone, definitely take your mom like I did.

We will have a link to our interview up soon, but in the meantime, go to http://www.thebalancingact.com/ and check out the show. Danielle Knox was our host, and she was lovely.

******

Tune in tomorrow for a new feature.

Every Friday we will feature the "Favorite Thing I Read This Week and Why." It could be anything from a magazine article to a novel or even something a child wrote. Check back tomorrow!

Lifetime TV's "The Balancing Act"

Mom and I filmed a segment on Lifetime TV's morning talk show "The Balancing Act" (airs Monday - Friday 7am EST/Pacific and 6am Central/Mountain) about our novel, Depression Cookies, and being a mother-daughter writing team. What a lovely, yet completely nerve-wracking experience!

Come back and check out more details about our experience (and the list of errors NOT to make on television) here on Thursday, 5/5.

For now, some pictures . . .

Mom before makeup - I hope to I take after her!

Tia pre-makeup

Mom even more beautiful

Post makeup and ready to tape

All done and quite relieved!



Mom with host, Danielle Knox



Tia with host, Danielle Knox



Tune in Thursday for more of our adventures.



Book Clubs: Excellent for Readers and Authors

Mom and I intially set out to write a novel about corporate moving and the issues faced by the families who move, like ours did, every 2-3 years. Of course, the book became so much more.

We are first and foremost READERS! I've said it many times on this blog . . . I support all genres and love to read. As does Mom. When Tiffany Schlarman of http://acozyreaderscorner.blogspot.com/ asked me to do a guest post, I knew I wanted to cover the importance of book clubs. Not only are they an excellent source for book lovers to find quality books to discuss, but they are an excellent resource for authors as well.

Check out my guest post at http://acozyreaderscorner.blogspot.com/2011/05/book-clubs-wonderful-marketing-tool.html.

Also, please take a peek at our Book Club tab. We'll have pictures from our latest Depression Cookies book club up soon. Thanks again to my friends in San Diego, especially Debbie Lanpheer who hosted. I miss you all!

Later today: A bit about our Lifetime TV appearance yesterday followed by a post on Thursday, 5/5 with details about the experience including things NOT to do on television!