Author Interview

Thirty centuries of Samoan tattooing have been chronicled in a new book 'Tatau' released earlier this month. Audio

Sixteen years ago Shaun Bythell took over the The Bookshop in Wigtown in western Scotland. It's one of the largest second-hand book shops in Scotland and has over 100,000 books on its shelves. Audio

In 1977, in her twenties, Robyn Davidson decided to undertake a journey half way across Australia with just a dog and four camels. It wasn't her intention to tell anyone about it, let alone the whole… Audio

Business confidence is down, small business owners say they're isolated, and many worry they may not be able to retire. Yesterday the Prime Minister announced the establishment of a new advisory panel… Audio

Fifty years ago, in December 1968, the US launched its Apollo 8 mission to the Moon. Commander Frank Borman, command module pilot James Lovell, and lunar module pilot Bill Anders flew 230,000 miles… Audio, Gallery

In a world bursting with information - and misinformation- how can we cut through to what is real? Dr Jess Berentson-Shaw is a research associate at the Public Policy Institute at The University of… Audio

Glasgow writer Denise Mina's latest book is The Long Drop - a semi-fictionalised account of the case of Peter Manuel, who killed eight people in Lanarkshire, Scotland, between 1956 and 1958. The story… Audio

Amber Rose says her love of food stems from her childhood - growing up near the Northland town of Kaiwaka, where she roamed free, milked the cows, made bread, grew vegetables and foraged honey and… Audio

A passion for singing took Wellingtonian Lisa Nimmo from her job as a from sales rep to achieving a dream. She opened for Elton John as half of the pop duo Pearl. Her memoir, Blame it on Abba tells of… Video, Audio

Psychoactive substances are experiencing a scientific resurgence with evidence showing their value in treating depression and addiction, author Michael Pollan says, but they also pose risks. Audio

Kite-surfing lets water-loving daredevils soar up to 20 metres above the ocean. The author of the new book The Leading Edge Tom Crosse, joins us Audio, Gallery

Whiti Hereaka is a playwright, novelist and screenwriter. Her latest book is Legacy, is a timeslip YA novel about a teenager from 2015 who is hit by a bus and finds himself in WW1, in 1915 serving as… Audio

For centuries humans have looked up into the night sky and wondered, are we alone? Why would we be? After all, there are hundreds of billions of plants and stars in the galaxy. That conundrum is known… Audio

How technology can enhance the reading experience for children. Alejandro Davila from Conical Interactive Studios wrote children's book The Green Fairy - which can simply be read as a book, or you can… Video, Audio, Gallery

Two different sides of the same story: overcoming a meth addiction, from the real life perspectives of a Hawke's Bay mother and daughter. Valeria Tokoar has written a memoir called Rehabilitated… Audio

When it comes to eating right, willpower will only get you so far. That's because most of us eat without any thought. If a bag of potato chips is on the counter, they're gone before we even have time… Audio

We are a product of our environment and right now, we're facing a crisis of human habitat. That's the view of author Murray Rae in his book Architecture and Theology: The Art of Place.  Audio

Happiness means such different things to different people - that's what writer Mary McCallum riffs on in her first poetry collection XYZ of Happiness. Mary's tells Lynn Freeman she's happiest when… Audio

Silicon Valley writer and feminist Lauren Shields has written a book called "The Beauty Suit: How My Year of Religious Modesty Made Me a Better Feminist". It chronicles a nine-month experiment that… Audio

Glenn Shorrock was a founding member of the Little River Band and is still a household name. He's recently released his autobiography which reveals a lot we didn't know about the 74-year-old… Audio