Palin buzz grows in advance of memoir

Sarah Palin was ridiculed as the Republican vice presidential nominee, pilloried after she quit in the middle of her term as Alaska governor, and has been tabloid fodder because of her daughter, a single teenage mom, and her former beau.

Despite all that -- or maybe because of it -- she remains a figure of endless fascination for much of the political and media world. Just witness the hyperventilating over her memoir "Going Rogue" that will be published next week already as a best-seller.

Palin was interviewed by Oprah Winfrey -- it is to air Monday, the day before publication -- and accounts of the interview are already becoming public.

"We talked about inside the campaign, what it felt like when she was first asked to be vice president. We talked about Bristol, the pregnancy. We talked about Trig, her baby. We talked about Levi Johnston. We talked about her marriage…there's nothing we didn't talk about," Winfrey boasted in a video posted on her website.

Palin, for her part, wrote on her Facebook page: " Willow, Piper, and I are in Chicago and just wanted to let you know that I had a great conversation with Oprah today. We taped the show for Monday, November 16th, and enjoyed it so much that we went way over on time. The rest will air on Oprah.com. Oprah was very hospitable and gracious, and her audience was full of warm, energized and (no doubt) curious viewers."

UPDATE: In excerpts of the interview released today by Winfrey's production company, Palin says she still cares about Levi Johnston, her almost son-in-law, who has been all over talk shows trashing Palin and threatening to do more, as well as planning to bare all in Playgirl magazine.

She said she still considers him part of the family, adding, "I think he needs to know that he is loved and he has the most beautiful child, and this can all work out for good. It really can. We don't have to keep going down this road of controversy and drama all the time. We're not really into the drama. We don't really like that. We're more productive."

Speaking of the book, Time magazine's Mark Halperin says he has some exclusive advance details.

"Based on discussions with various sources who have seen or been briefed on the book's contents, here's what you can expect from 'Going Rogue,' he writes.

"Just five chapters—but they are very, very long; some score settling with McCain aides she believes ill-served her (names will be named); a hearty bashing of the national media; an account of how her upbringing shaped her maverick sensibilities; a testimonial to the importance of faith in her life; a warm and personal tone, written in Palin's own voice, despite the involvement of a collaborator."