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
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And I thought that was going to be the extent of the controversy in @placeholder's life."
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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.
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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.
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But since the campaign came to end one year ago -- and with it McCain advisers' influence over @placeholder -- she has become more controversial, especially after she abruptly resigned as Alaska's governor over the summer.