Fear of Writing Success Story: Darryl Dawson’s First TV Interview

DARRYL DAWSON is the author of The Crawlspace, released in October 2009. Fear of Writing was very proud to have him as a student of the Fear of Writing Online Course, where he unleashed his style of horror on us in all the best ways. You can experience more of Darryl’s writing on his blog, Darryl’s Crawlspace. To find out what makes him tick as a writer, be sure to read Darryl’s bio.

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I’ve been working in television since 1994, slaving away as a video editor, stumbling around as a video photographer, or pulling off small miracles as a satellite coordinator in Reno, Phoenix, Albuquerque, and Phoenix again. There are many disadvantages to this career that I will discuss at another, more appropriate time. But there is an upside: occasionally, when you have something to report, announce, complain about or sell, you get to be on TV without asking. This was the case as my cohorts at KPHO CBS5, desperate to fill time on a slow holiday morning, invited me onto the set for an interview about The Crawlspace.

This would be my first time talking about the book in this medium and hopefully not the last. As my workday started I was in the best of moods, converting my nervous energy into quick and easy conversation (something I am not known for). After a half-hour of sifting through video feeds of preparations for the big Macy’s Parade and tuning in live shot from a McDonald’s where they were giving away free breakfasts, I was ready for my close-up at 5:00 a.m. Sarah, our floor director, handed me my wireless microphone, and I’m still not sure to this day if Mike in audio got a full mic check from me. After a quick look at the overnight stories and a weather update, it was, as they say, “go time.”

It was weird sitting on the desk of the fancy, HD-ready set normally reserved for the on-air staff, but not altogether foreign. Chris and Marya were fantastic, keeping the segment lively while allowing me to be myself and make my points. I did very little preparation for the interview…why micro-manage yourself? I thought…and it was much smoother than I could have asked for.

With huge thanks to everyone involved, here now is the segment as seen live on KPHO in Phoenix, Arizona at about three minutes after 5 a.m.