Washington (CNN) -- When Sarah Palin got a surprise phone call from the McCain campaign one August afternoon, asking whether she'd like to be on the Republican presidential ticket, the then-Alaska governor didn't doubt for a moment she was ready for the challenge. "When I got the call, it was not such a shocking call to me," Palin told talk-show host Oprah Winfrey in a highly anticipated interview that aired Monday. "I felt quite confident in my abilities and my executive experience and I knew that this is an executive administrative job. I was happy to get in there and contribute."
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Palin says she thought a bad grade years ago would be extent of controversy
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Palin's interview with Oprah Winfrey comes a day before her book hits
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The way campaign handled Bristol's pregnancy was first in string of frustrations for Palin
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Ticket lost because economy changed under GOP administration, Palin says
In what was her initial introduction to the high stakes of presidential campaigning, Palin was blindsided by the fact that McCain aides knew that her then-17-year-old daughter @placeholder was pregnant, a fact that Palin had yet to disclose back in Alaska.
But the ultimate showdown with McCain aides came on election night, Palin said, when she was prevented from delivering a concession speech before @placeholder took the stage.