Marie Lawson Fiala, author of "Letters from a Distant Shore," talks about how a prayer group was formed organically after all medical solutions had been exhausted in an effort to help her young son Jeremy recover from a sudden medical event.  The full interview from a 2010 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts. 

Julia Glass, author of "And the Dark Sacred Night," reads an excerpt from the novel that gives context from the perspective of the main character's single teenage mother as he tries later in life to search for the identity of his biological father.  The full interview from a 2014 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.  Photo: Robert Costa.

Jane Laura Goldsmith, author of the novel "Indian Winter," reads an excerpt from the book when a surprising discovery is revealed, and also talks about the unique relationship between the main character, fourteen-year-old Winona, and a Native American named Bell whom she finds herself attracted to.  The full interview from a 2013 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.

Robin Preiss Glasser, illustrator of "Tea for Ruby," talks about what happens when the main character, Ruby, visits grandma's house to learn how to transform from the person she is to the person she hopes to be.  The book was written by Sarah Ferguson The Duchess of York, and the full interview from a 2008 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.

T.J. English, author of "Havana Nocturne: How the Mob Owned Cuba and Then Lost It to the Revolution," talks about the entertainment scene in 1950s Cuba and the revolution that destroyed it toward the end of the decade.  The full interview from a 2008 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.  Photo: tj-english.com.

Alan Furst, author of "Dark Voyage," talks about what it meant for those aboard a Dutch ship who suddenly found themselves aboard a "tramp freighter" when it was taken over by Britain on the eve of World War 2.  The full interview from a 2004 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.

Harold Evans, the late author of "They Made America: From the Steam Engine to the Search Engine: Two Centuries of Innovators," talks about how A.P. Giannini helped change the banking industry by expanding services to the middle-class, and also speaks on what he did for the San Francisco Bay Area.  The full interview from a 2004 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.  

Dr. Joan A. Friedman, psychotherapist, twin, and author of "The Same but Different: How Twins Can Live, Love, and Learn to Be Individuals," talks about how it is possible that love and resentment can happen at the same time between twins.  The full interview from a 2015 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.  Photo: joanafriedmanphd.com.  

James Ellroy, author of "Blood's a Rover," talks about what makes the way he writes about American History so unique.  The full interview from a 2009 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.  Photo: jamesellroy.net.

Jared Farmer, author of "Trees in Paradise: A California History," talks about why eucalyptus and palm trees became such a large part of the California landscape and what has changed in recent decades.  The full interview from a 2013 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.  Photo: Robert Costa.

Linda Gordon, American Historian and Author of "Dorothea Lange: A Life Beyond Limits," talks about how photographer Dorothea Lange helped show that documentary photography could also be art and about Lange's unique ability to capture her subject's natural state.  The full interview from a 2009 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.

Nora Gallagher, author of "Changing Light," talks about her love of New Mexico and the wide variety of cultures who lived in Los Alamos during the creation of the first atomic bomb.  The full interview from a 2007 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.  Photo: noragallagher.org.

James Fallows, author of "China Airborne," talks about who the Klapmeier brothers are and how China came to own their revolutionary aircraft manufacturing company.  The full interview from a 2012 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.  

Paul Goldstein, law professor and author of the novel "Errors and Omissions," talks about the struggle that the main character has with alcohol and about the twist in the book where Wall Street was behind the Hollywood blacklisting era.  The full interview from a 2006 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.

Allegra Goodman, author of the novel "Intuition," talks about the pressure that scientists in the book face in order to fund their important research projects at their independent science labs.  The full interview from a 2006 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.  Photo: allegragoodman.com.

Barry Eisler, author of "Fault Line," talks about how two brothers who don't get along find a way to come together and rely upon each other anyway.  The full interview from a 2009 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.  Photo: Douglas Sonders/barryeisler.com.

Jennifer Egan, author of "The Keep," reads an excerpt from the novel and gives her answer to the question "Can the imagined become the reality?"  The full interview from a 2006 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.  Photo: jenniferegan.com/Pieter M. van Hattem

Kathi Kamen Goldmark, author of the novel "And My Shoes Keep Walking Back to You," talks about what it was like to finish her first novel and the challenges of writing books while keeping other steady work at the same time.  The full interview from a 2006 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.

Elizabeth Gilbert, author of "Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia," talks about the importance of pleasure and devotion in life and the need for a steady balance to keep them strong.  The full interview from a 2007 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.  Photo: elizabethgilbert.com.

Jamie Ford, author of "Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet," reads a short excerpt from his book which illustrates the horror that took place in Seattle for Japanese-American citizens during World War 2.  The full interview from a 2009 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.  Photo: Robert Costa.

Joseph J. Ellis, author of "American Creation: Triumphs and Tragedies in the Founding of the Republic," talks about why John Adams wanted more credit for writing the Declaration of Independence.  The full interview from a 2007 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.  Photo: josephellishistorian.com.

Gillian Flynn, author of "Dark Places," talks about why she thought it was important to write about a different type of woman than the ones often portrayed on many novels.  The full interview from a 2009 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.  Photo: gillian-flynn.com.

Tom Franklin, author of "Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter," reads an excerpt from the book when one of the main characters finds a body in land where he used to walk as a kid growing up.  The full interview from a 2011 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts. 

Gretel Ehrlich, author of "Facing The Wave," talks about how she went about learning the truth of what happened when a tsunami hit Japan in 2011, with the help of her interpreter guides, and the aftermath for the many people affected by the natural disaster.  The full interview from a 2013 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.  Photo: gretelehrlich.com

Carol Gilligan, psychologist and author of the novel "Kyra," talks about how the main character in the novel redefines the 'structure' in her therapy in order to get to the real truth behind events in her life.  The full interview from a 2008 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.