Yesterday was a busy day for me at Ujima Radio. Paulette kindly let me have the first half hour for Talking Books, and as I had Amelia Beamer in the studio we focused on zombies, including her novel, The Loving Dead. Along the way we gave plugs for other books, including Mira Grant’s Newsflesh trilogy and Cherie Priest’s Boneshaker. I also managed to get in a mention of Jonathan Coulton’s “re: Your Brains”, though sadly we didn’t have time to play it, or “Thriller”. The conversation included discussion of the origins of the zombie myth, and different ways in which zombies have been used in literature. I’m pleased to report that the Ujima website is showing all of the old shows properly now, so you can listen to or download that segment here.
That podcast also includes the second half hour of the show, in which Paulette and I talk to two other guests: Mandy James and Emily Knight. Mandy is a local writer who has a time travel romance due out next month. A Stitch In Time will be launched at Foyles on April 10th. As the publisher is called Choc Lit there will be chocolate as well as wine. Cunning plan. If I remember correctly, Mandy is a former history teacher, so I imagine the historical sections will be good. I wonder what she’ll make of Connie Willis?
Emily runs the Bristol Bites blog and is therefore a Very Useful Person to Know. Anyone who gets paid to write about food has my admiration. I was delighted to find out (sadly off air) that she shares my love of My Burrito.
The second hour of the show starts with Judeline asking her panel what the Chancellor should have done in the budget. Oddly these “lighter look at life” segments keep drifting into politics, though I think my contribution may raise a smile or two. After the ads, about 15 minutes in, I get to interview Amelia for the Woman of the Week segment. We talk, amongst other things, about Locus, about living in different countries, and about Australian wildlife.
The final half hour sees Paulette talking to two guests about natural birthing. I had no idea that Caesarians have become a fashion. They certainly have a place, and the option to have one saved the lives of two people very dear to me, but the idea of them being the preferred choice horrifies me. I fantasized a lot about getting pregnant as a kid, and never once did I consider anything other than a natural birth.
Still, stranger things can happen. Next week my guest in Talking Books will be Stephanie Saulter. Given the subject matter of Gemsigns, we’ll be talking about designer babies. In addition I’ll be talking to Hannah-Marie Chidwick of the Hecate Theatre Company about putting on all-woman plays.