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Interview With Author Kelli Lawrence

Today we have a book author with us to share a bit about the experience. Anyone who is starting out or thinking about writing a book can benefit from reading this interview–and if you like skating, you’ll really enjoy reading this book!

Please welcome author Kelli Lawrence…

Lawrence_skating_cover_pic1. Tell readers a bit about your book.

Skating on Air basically traces a symbiotic relationship between figure skating—long known to be one of the biggest draws at any Winter Olympic Games—and the media, particularly television. Skating became popular in the U.S. thanks in large part to Sonja Henie’s film career and incessant touring in the 1930s and 40s, and really came to be appreciated as a sport (not just a source of entertainment) when the Olympics found its way to TV in the 60s. Then the “figures” part of skating faded, and popularity grew and grew till it exploded with the infamous Tonya/Nancy incident in 1994… then remained as mainstream-popular as its ever been for the next decade or so, but got into a backlash situation of sorts with the pairs judging scandal at the 2002 Olympics. All of these things in skating’s narrative (and much more) were perpetuated by its visibility on TV, and I wanted to tell that story.

So, 30+ interviews, countless YouTube videos, and dozens of photos later, here I am. The interviews are with skaters, skater/ broadcasters, commentators, and many behind-the-scenes broadcasters (directors, programming execs, etc.), and the lion’s share of photos come from the personal collections of folks at ABC and CBS that snapped shots while a major skating event. 244 pages in all, including 5 separate appendices, bibliography, and a very detailed index!  Whew!

2. What writing experience did you have prior to writing this? Continue reading Interview With Author Kelli Lawrence