The last time I had my heart broken? When Brian Lamb, the founder and CEO of C-SPAN, decided back in 2004 to put an end to Booknotes after 16 years on the air. Sunday nights found Lamb spending an hour (an hour!) with a non-fiction writer (usually a historian, journalist or biographer), peppering them with questions about their latest book and providing viewers with background and insight into their subject and origins. Unlike most interviewers, Lamb appeared to have actually read the book. And his deadpan interview style became legendary, as familiar and welcome as his ability to remain quiet while the writer spoke. Plus, about three quarters into the interview, Lamb would switch gears and ask the writer the nuts-and-bolts questions about his or her writing process: how and where do you write? When do you write? As a reader, I enjoyed the answers, and continued enjoying them until Lamb cruelly yanked the rug out from under all of us bookish types around the country. Heartbreaking.

Enter WETA. With a new blog, Author Author, WETA and blogger Bethanne Patrick appear to be trying to fill the void left by Booknotes, and perhaps repair my broken heart.

Granted, Author Author is no Booknotes. Obviously, it's not a television show, and the nature of online video limits Patrick to only relatively short interviews (7-10 minutes per video, though she does get a chance to double up on some writers). But so far, the roster of names who have agreed to appear on her blog are pretty impressive, especially since it's only been around for a few weeks. Consider: Patrick has already talked to Naomi Wolf, Frank Warren, the founder of PostSecret and author of A Lifetime of Secrets; Geoffrey Ward, historian and co-author of the companion book to PBS' The War; and most recently, Richard Russo, whose latest book is Bridge of Sighs, and whose Straight Man is the funniest university satire since Kingsley Amis' Lucky Jim (which, in this writer's humble opinion, is clearly the funniest book ever written).

As Russo's inclusion makes clear, Patrick's scope on Author Author is wider than Booknotes', since she includes both novelists and non-fiction writers. And her interview style is a lot like Lamb's: unobtrusive yet incisive, asking questions that not only relate to the book but also attempt to gain an author's personal perspective on writing and on the world. Indeed, like Lamb, Patrick herself promises to be intrepid and new every time out, explaining on the site that she'll "ask every author different questions, and I always, always read the book (so that those questions are relevant). I'll also guarantee that every author we feature is someone (like those above) who intrigues me - and I hope their interviews will intrigue you, too."

Intriguing, to be sure. I can feel my heart mending, and promise a donation during WETA's next pledge drive. In the meantime, I'm awaiting my tote bag, and looking forward to meeting new authors via Author Author.