Back in 2011, I was early in my career of interviewing celebrities at comic cons. Being a novice, I didn’t even know to try to set up interviews ahead of time. Such was the case when I interviewed Patricia Kara,  then recently coming off the first run of the television phenomenon known as Deal or No Deal.

Kara was appearing at Wizard World in Rosemont, Illinois, just outside of Chicago. Having made no prior contact, I approached Kara and asked for an interview. She graciously accepted and gave me a solid interview.

I have learned a lot since then. I now know it is always better to introduce yourself and request an interview ahead of time if possible. I used that lesson when I recently contacted Kara for an update interview. Kara was just as gracious and actually very excited.

My request was to talk a bit of travel and her new book, Dream On…Now Deliver. She responded with, “Travel is my favorite topic!” At that point, I knew it was going to be a fun interview.

The day of the interview was a frigid Chicago day. When Kara appeared on the Zoom, I was surprised to hear she was actually in town, staying with her city for a while. Of course, I started the interview asking her why travel is her favorite topic. From there it was like two old friends chatting. A fellow Chicagoan (although now living on the west coast), Kara and I swapped Chicago-area dining recommendations. Naturally, Kara named a few Greek restaurants, but also some other cool spots. She even joked that her nephew (who moved here from Greece) is now giving her restaurant suggestions. Then Kara turned the tables on me, asking for my choices. I named a few pizza spots, which happen to be near Kara’s sister.

After talking about travel and food, I asked about her experience on DoND. Kara has fond memories of her time on the show. Kara and Howie Mandel are the only two folks who appeared on all versions of the show.

Lastly, we finished by discussing her book. Wanting to give back, Kara wrote Dream On…Now Deliver, as a guide to navigate show business. Kara gives advice, lessons she learned and other interesting info. The book is available now and she is preparing to do a book-signing tour.