♪♪ >> Eric: OUR NEXT GUEST IS ONE OF OUR ABSOLUTE FAVORITES, PERHAPS BECAUSE SHE'S BEEN POKING FUN AT ME FOR ECADES NOW.

BACK IN 2001, A LOCAL CHILDREN'S AUTHOR NAMED KATE DICAMILLO WON THE NEWBERY AWARD.

WE TRACKED HER DOWN AND INVITED HER TO JOIN US THAT FRIDAY NIGHT.

THE REST, AS THEY SAY, IS HISTORY.

NOT ONLY IS KATE HERE TO CELEBRATE WITH US, SHE'S GOT A NEW BOOK OUT, "THE HOTEL BALZAAR," SECOND IN THE NORENDY TALES SERIES.

WELCOME BACK, KATE.

ON THIS NEW BOOK -- GLAD YOU'RE HERE.

>> THANK YOU.

>> Eric: THERE IS A PARROT THAT USED TO BE A GENERAL, A KING WITH INSOMNIA, A KID SINGER WHOSE VOICE CHANGES AND -- >> DO YOU WANT ME TO -- DO YOU WANT ME TO EXPLAIN MYSELF?

>> Eric: WELL, I COULD -- >> YOU KNOW WHAT, WE WERE HAVING AN EXCHANGE UP HERE JUST A FEW MINUTES AGO WHEN THE CAMERA WASN'T ON.

>> Eric: YEAH.

>> AND, UM, ERIC ASKED ME HOW FAR I HAD GONE IN SCHOOL.

I SAID, OH, I JUST GOT A BACHELOR'S.

HE SAID, OH, YOU GOT A DEGREE?

AND I'M LIKE YOU WASTED THAT.

YOU SHOULD HAVE DONE IT ON AIR, YEAH.

>> Eric: I NEED TO LEARN HOW TO WORK THIS.

>> Cathy: DID HE GET THE STORY RIGHT?

>> DID HE GET THE STORY RIGHT ABOUT THAT STORY?

>> Cathy: YES.

>> THAT'S ALL TRUE, THAT'S ALL IN THE BOOK, YEAH.

IT'S GREAT BECAUSE THIS IS THE BEAUTIFUL THING ABOUT WRITING FICTION IS YOU CAN -- ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE.

>> Eric: LIFE ALWAYS WINS, WAR DESTROYS EVERYTHING.

NOTHING TRULY ENDS.

QUIET LIGHT AND PEACE IS WHAT I'VE GOTTEN OUT OF YOUR BOOK.

>> WOW, THAT MAKES ME SOUND REALLY PROFOUND.

>> Eric: YEAH.

>> I MEAN THAT'S NICE OF YOU TO MAKE ME SOUND PROFOUND.

>> Eric: TRYING TO BOOST YOU UP.

>> YEAH, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

AND I WAS DOING AN EVENT ONCE WHERE A KID RAISED HIS HAND AND SAID, WHY IS IT THAT YOU PUT ALL THESE BIG IMPORTANT QUESTIONS IN BOOKS FOR KIDS?

AROUND I SAID BECAUSE KIDS ARE THE ONES WHO AREN'T AFRAID TO ASK THOSE QUESTIONS.

THE OLDER YOU GET, THE MORE AFRAID YOU GET THE MORE YOU ARE AFRAID TO ASK.

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SAY ABOUT THAT, CATHY?

>> Cathy: KIDS ASK REALLY GOOD QUESTIONS.

>> AND THEY'RE NOT AFRAID TO ASK QUESTIONS, AND WE GET AFRAID.

MAYBE YOU DON'T GET AFRAID BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO ASK HARD QUESTIONS AT YOUR JOB.

>> Cathy: THAT'S TRUE.

>> WHAT'S THE HARD QUESTION?

>> Cathy: I DON'T HAVE A HARD QUESTION BUT I WANT TO TALK ABOUT YOUR STORY-TELLING.

I LOVE THE QUOTE YOU HAD, WE TELL EACH OTHER STORIES TO FEEL SAFE.

>> YEAH.

>> Cathy: DO YOU FEEL SEEN IN THE STORIES YOU TELL?

>> DO I FEEL SEEN?

IT'S ODD BECAUSE SOMETIMES I'LL SAY THIS TO KIDS WHEN I'M DOING AN EVEN N PERSON WITH THEM, THAT THERE IS A CONNECTION BETWEEN ME AND THE READER EVEN IF I NEVER MEET THEM AND I CAN FEEL THAT ENERGY AND THAT CONNECTION THROUGH STORY, AND SO, YEAH, IT MAKES ME FEEL SEEN.

AND I ALSO FEEL SEEN WHEN I'M READING A BOOK AND I FIND MYSELF IN A BOOK, AND ALSO I CAN SEE OTHER PEOPLE AND UNDERSTAND OTHER PEOPLE, EVEN LIKE SOMEBODY LIKE ERIC.

REMEMBER THAT BIT THAT Y'ALL DID WHERE YOU WERE CAUGHT BACKSTAGE READING DESPERO.

THAT WAS FUNNY.

THAT'S A CLIP WE SHOULD SHOW.

>> Eric: RAPID ATTENTION.

>> YEAH, YOU WERE BACK IN LIKE THE GREEN ROOM.

>> Eric: HOW MUCH OF YOUR LIFE -- WAS THIS A BIG PLAN THAT YOU HAD OR DID THIS JUST HAPPEN SERENDIPITOUSLY OR -- >> WHAT?

>> A LONG WAY FROM THE RED BALLOON BOOK STORE.

>> WAS THIS A PLAN?

NO, WHO WOULD HAVE PLANNED FOR SOMETHING THIS WONDERFUL TO HAPPEN.

MY GREAT DREAM WAS THAT I COULD SELL ENOUGH BOOKS THAT I COULD, LIKE, THEN WORK 30 HOURS A WEEK INSTEAD OF 40 HOURS A WEEK.

SO THAT WAS THE BIG, BIG PLAN, AND, YOU KNOW, I KNEW WITH -- BECAUSE WINN DIXIE, WHICH WAS THE FIRST BOOK THAT IF I SOLD 5,000 COPIES, I MIGHT