This is the sixth part in a series, so if you have not already done so, you might want to read Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, and Part V before continuing.
“After the break, we’ll be talking to Dana Nestor, author of the magazine article that inspired the blockbuster, The Moral of the Story, so stay tuned.”
“Are you sure you’re not going to throw up?” Kiara asked.
Dana nodded. She didn’t want to admit she had eaten so many CBD gummies that she was, not only relaxed, but high as a kite.
“Last chance.”
“I appreciate it, but really, I’m good.”
Kiara squinted at her. “Have you been smoking?”
“Nooo.” It was technically the truth, but Dana was so bad at lying (and even worse when she was high) that it sounded like a lie. It probably didn’t help that she avoided making eye contact with Kiara.
Kiara leaned in to smell Dana’s breath, but since Dana hadn’t been smoking anything, she couldn’t smell anything. Dana remembered this and smiled as Kiara leaned back and looked at her with skepticism.
Then Kiara grabbed her chin and looked in both Dana’s eyes. “How much CBD did you take?”
“Not that much.”
“How much?”
“Like … a handful.”
“A handful? Dana, you were supposed to take two.”
“Two handfuls?” She grinned the grin of the very high and Kiara swore.
But once Dana was ushered on set and seated in front of her interviewer, it was like another person took over her body. Maybe it was the bright lights shining on her, or the audience cheering her appearance, but she sobered up real quick. Or, at least she was able to give the impression of someone who was sober, but also calm.
“Dana, thank you so much for coming out here.”
“Thank you so much for having me. I’m delighted to be here.”
“Well, we just had to have you come on the show when we realized that our new favorite movie is based on a true story. And it’s a story that you brought to light, isn’t that right?”
Dana waggled her head from side to side and said, “Sort of. Let’s just say the movie took a lot of liberties with the details, but in terms of the basis for the story, yes, that’s all true.”
“Of course, Hollywood always changes things, don’t they?”
“Hey, if it makes more people aware of this issue, I’m not going to complain.”
“How did you become aware of this issue?”
“I actually thought about it while I was reading memoirs from previous centuries. They all ended with such obvious morals that it was clear they had been required by the publisher. At first I was glad we no longer have that requirement, but then I started thinking, What if we do?”
“And how did you go about investigating?”
“I started by just looking at some of our most prominent memoirs from today, and not only reading them, but then reaching out to the authors and asking if they’d be willing to meet with me and talk about their experiences writing their memoirs. Fortunately, as a journalist, I didn’t have too much trouble digging up their contact information or convincing them it would be a good idea to talk to me.”
“But not all of them wanted you to share their names.”
“That’s correct. I did use fake names for about half of the writers I mentioned in the book.”
“Why didn’t they want their names associated with such an important story?”
“Many of them still have active contracts with the publishers who published their books, so they wanted to maintain that relationship.”
“And I understand your wife works in publishing, is that correct?”
“It is.”
“Was she any help in getting any of the information you needed to put this story together?”
“Not in terms of information, no. She was responsible for keeping me supplied with a steady stream of cheese puffs and beer while I was working.”
The interviewer laughed. “Cheese puffs and beer? That sounds like quite the combination.”
“Don’t knock it ‘til you try it.” “I’ll take your word for it.” Then the interviewer turned and faced the camera to remind people where they could read Dana’s article or watch the movie.
To be continued…