The 15th season of "North Carolina Bookwatch" will premiere on July 6 with an interview Western Carolina University professor and New York Times bestselling author Ron Rash.

Rash's latest book, "The Cove," is set in North Carolina during the last days of World War I.

Some of the other big names of Southern writing sitting down with host D.G. Martin this season are Ann Ross, author of the "Miss Julia" novel series, mystery writer Margaret Maron, and acclaimed writer Ben Fountain, a Chapel Hill native currently living in Texas.

The full schedule for the upcoming season is below. "North Carolina Bookwatch" airs on Fridays at 9:30 p.m. with repeats on Sundays at 5 p.m.

In light of the recent passing of renowned North Carolina author Reynolds Price, "NC Bookwatch" will rebroadcast their 2009 interview with the writer this Saturday.

Price appeared in an October 2009 episode discussing his third memoir, "Ardent Spirits: Leaving Home, Coming Back," in which he covered the time of his life spent at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar and the years leading up to the publication of his first novel, "A Long and Happy Life."

Here's what the UNC-TV press release said about the book and the interview back in 2009:

Season 13 of "NC Bookwatch" premieres on UNC-TV tonight with a special interview with celebrated North Carolina author Lee Smith.

Smith appears on the interview show to talk to "Bookwatch" host DG Martin about her latest collection of new and selected stories, "Mrs. Darcy and the Blue-Eyed Stranger."

In addition to her latest work, Smith is the author of twelve novels and three short story collections, and is a New York Times bestseller. Smith lives in Hillsborough.

"NC Bookwatch" will air each Friday night at 9:30pm through October 29, with encore episodes on Sundays at 5pm.

"NC Bookwatch" host DG Martin sits down with former John Edwards assistant/confidant Andrew Young tonight to talk about Young's scandalous tell-all, "The Politician."

It's a special prime-time edition of Martin's show, which normally airs on Sunday afternoons on UNC-TV. Coincidentally, Martin was Edwards' opponent in the Democratic primary when Edwards ran for US Senate in 1998.

UNC basketball coach Roy Williams will be the featured guest on the "NC Bookwatch" season finale today.

Williams will be interviewed about his new book, "Hard Work: My Life On and Off the Court."

In addition to recounting his professional successes, Williams' book tells the story of his turbulent family life as a child. In the interview with host DG Martin, Williams speaks candidly about his past, his inspirations, and his coaching philosophy. Williams also talks about the perseverance that took him from his modest upbringing in the mountains of North Carolina to his coaching triumphs.

Chapel Hill author Kate Betterton will discuss her novel "Where the Lake Becomes the River" today on "NC Bookwatch" on UNC-TV.

Betterton's book is about an artist in Mississippi who passes up college to care for her mother, and finds herself taking a chance that lands her in the middle of the Civil Rights movement and in the middle of an unexpected romance.

Betterton won the 2008 Novello Literary Award for "Where the Lake Becomes the River." 

"NC Bookwatch" airs at 5pm on UNC-TV. 

Raleigh author Alexandra Sokoloff will discuss her new thriller "The Unseen" this afternoon on "NC Bookwatch" on UNC-TV

The heroine of Sokoloff's book is a Duke University psych professor who is shaken by a precognitive dream and becomes obsessed with files from the famous Rhine parapsychology experiments, which took place at Duke and attempted to prove the legitimacy of ESP.

Along with another Duke professor and a pair of Duke students, the protagonist moves into an abandoned mansion to replicate the investigation, unaware that the last group of scientists to do so ended up either insane or dead.

John Kessel, acclaimed science fiction author and the co-director of NC State's creative writing program, will appear on "NC Bookwatch" today to discuss his new book, "The Baum Plan for Financial Independence and Other Stories."

The book is a collection of fourteen stories that intersect with "Pride and Prejudice," "Frankenstein," "The Wizard of Oz," and "Flannery O’Connor."

Kessel's stories have won the Nebula, Sturgeon, Locus, and Tiptree Awards. His other books include "Good News from Outer Space," "Corrupting Dr. Nice," and collections "The Pure Product" and "Meeting in Infinity" (a New York Times Notable Book).

"NC Bookwatch" airs today at 5pm on UNC-TV.

For the first time in its 12-year history, UNC-TV's "NC Bookwatch" show will tape onstage in front of a live audience.

The taping will take place this Friday, October 9, at 7pm at Lenoir Rhyne College's PE Monroe Auditorium in Hickory.

The show's host DG Martin will interview acclaimed author Marisha Pessl about her 2006 novel, "Special Topics in Calamity Physics."

The event is free and open to the public, with general admission seating available on a first-come, first-served basis.

"Special Topics in Calamity Physics" was named a New York Times Notable Book of the Year and also received the distinction of being an
Editor's Choice.

Best-selling novelist and Durham native John Hart will appear on "NC Bookwatch" with DG Martin today at 5pm.

Hart's debut book, "King of Lies," was a New York Times Bestseller and he won the 2008 Edgar Award with his next thriller, "Down River."

Hart will discuss those books and his latest work, "The Last Child." The episode will air again on UNC-TV on September 16 at 1:30am, and then several times on September 17 on UNC-NC beginning at 8am. Check UNC-TV's schedule for times.