Jodi Compton, author of "Hailey's War," talks about how a woman in the US Military Academy quickly finds herself back in her old gang life in Los Angeles to help a friend from high school. The full interview from a 2010 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts. Photo: jodicompton.com…

Larry Colton, author of "No Ordinary Joes: The Extraordinary True Story of Four Submariners in World War II," talks about the true story of four members of the crew of the USS Grenadier as they tried to save their submarine and themselves after a Japanese torpedo hit it in 1943. The full interview from a 2010 episode of "Conversations On The Coast …

George Howe Colt, author of "Brothers: On His Brothers and Brothers in History," talks about how siblings play a big part in who they become as people despite trying to differentiate themselves from one another as they grow up. The full interview from a 2013 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get y…

Michael Collins, author of "Lost Souls," talks about how the characters in the book illustrate the failures we all experience and live through in various way, both economically and psychologically. The full interview from a 2004 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts. Photo: michaelco…

Meg Waite Clayton, author of "The Wednesday Daughters," talks about the second wave of the women's movement as illustrated in the book with the daughters trying to live their own lives while at the same time keeping in mind the expectations of their mothers. The full interview from a 2013 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can …

Kate Christensen, author of "The Great Man," talks about the beauty that can still reside in women over 65 and the misconception about how older women perceive themselves. The full interview from a 2007 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.…

Gennifer Choldenko, author of "Chasing Secrets," reads an excerpt from her novel as spoken by the main character, a thirteen-year-old named Lizzie, illustrating the courageous nature of kids and how change for the better is always possible. The full interview from a 2015 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now where…

Lee Child, author of "The Hard Way: A Jack Reacher Novel," talks about how the main character is kind of a mythical character and why he is continually re-invented over thousands of years throughout history. The full interview from a 2006 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.…

Pauline W. Chen, transplant surgeon and author of "Final Exam: A Surgeon's Reflections on Mortality," talks about an experience she had in medical school that transformed her. The full interview from a 2007 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.…

Michael Castleman, author of "A Killing in Real Estate," talks about the main plot of the novel which explores real estate development in San Francisco, and also discusses how many developers use Monopoly names for their shell corporations. The full interview from a 2011 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now where…

On this special episode, host and producer Jim Foster speaks with technical producer Robert Costa about how "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" became a long-running program airing on various radio stations in the San Francisco Bay Area for several decades, and also speaks about how the book publishing world has changed over the years, whe…

In "The Whole World Over," author Julia Glass writes a novel about all the little accidents in life that come together to determine our choices in love and connections to others in the world. This second discussion about the book took place on a 2007 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in San Francisco, California. P…

In "Perfidia," author James Ellroy writes a historical novel and the first volume of his second L.A. Quartet series, set in Los Angeles in 1941 that follows the story of several very different people who come together to investigate the murder of a Japanese family as America is at the brink of World War II. This discussion with the author took plac…

In "The Death of Innocents: An Eyewitness Account of Wrongful Executions," author Sister Helen Prejean talks about her first-hand experiences witnessing the execution of Dobie Gillis Williams in 1999 and Joseph Roger O'Dell in 1997, how poor people are primarily affected by wrongful executions, and why the execution of Michael Morales was postponed…

In "Dorchester Terrace: A Charlotte and Thomas Pitt Novel," the late author Anne Perry writes the next novel in a series in which Thomas Pitt is now the head of Britain's Special Branch, and follows the story of him and his wife trying to get information from two women in order to prevent an international catastrophe. This conversation took place o…

In "Her Wild Oats," the late author Kathi Kamen Goldmark writes a novel about two people at very different points in their lives who develop an unlikely friendship, a thirteen-year-old boy who plays the harmonica, and a young woman who recently discovered her husband was having an affair. In this discussion, the late author's husband Sam Barry talk…

In "And the Dark Sacred Night," author Julia Glass writes a novel about a man's quest to find his biological father and what he discovered along the journey about himself and the world. This discussion took place on a 2014 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" originating in San Francisco, California. Photo: Robert Costa.…

In this episode, Jim Foster shares his thoughts on the publishing scandal surrounding James Frey's memoir "A Million Little Pieces" and why a memoir by Heather King entitled "Parched" is more meaningful surrounding the subject of alcoholism and addiction, especially considering the fact that many things written as personal experiences in Frey's mem…