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

John Dunning, the late author of "The Bookman's Promise," talks about the differences between a bookman and antiquarian, and how the bookman in the novel begins his own search for a book and a killer.  The full interview from a 2005 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.

Cassandra Dunn, author of "The Art of Adapting," reads an excerpt from her novel that illustrates how women dealing with a personal crisis sometimes delve into taking care of other people rather than focusing on their own problems.  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: cassandradunn.com.

Sarah Dunant, author of "Sacred Hearts," reads an excerpt from her novel in which the young main character, Serafina, starts to find her voice within the confines of an Italian convent in the year 1570 and makes her plans to escape.  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: sarahdunant.com

Robert Dugoni, former Civil Litigator and author of "The Conviction: A David Sloane Novel," talks about the downside of the privatizing of the criminal justice system in the world, and how he illustrated the issue in his novel.  The full interview from a 2012 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.  Photo: robertdugonibooks.com.

Jennifer DuBois, author of "Cartwheel," talks about how people can reach different conclusions about an event with the same set of facts, and the similarities her novel has to the real life case of Amanda Knox.  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: jennifer-dubois.com.

Ken Dornstein, author of "The Boy Who Fell Out of the Sky: A True Story," talks about the last letter his brother wrote before his tragic death on Pan Am Flight 103, and Ken's reply to him many years later.  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: theboywhofelloutofthesky.com

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, author of "The Palace of Illusions," talks about how a woman named Panchaali becomes powerful in a world where few women do, and how she handles the unusual responsibility of having five husbands.  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: https://www.chitradivakaruni.com/

Vanessa Diffenbaugh, author of "The Language of Flowers," talks about the adjustment parents and children often go through when the children are ultimately adopted. The full interview from a 2011 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.

Matthew Diffee, editor of "The Rejection Collection Vol. 2: The Cream of the Crap," talks about what questions cartoonists said they would ask of The New Yorker editor Bob Mankoff if they could ask him just one, while Jim offers why he thinks some of the rejected cartoons shouldn't have been. The full interview from a 2007 episode of "Conversations On The Coast with Jim Foster" can be heard now wherever you get your podcasts.