Publish + publicity = publishity. No wait, that doesn’t sound right…

In preparation for the release of my new book (See it over there on the right? Isn’t it pretty? Don’t you just want to click it?), I’ve been swept up in the publicity machinery. In this case, the machinery is one of those wind-up baby chicks you get around Easter that are undeniably adorable but hold your attention for only the scantest time. Let’s just say it doesn’t take much for me to be swept up.

So far I’ve done one interview to promote the book, and the interviewer was a friend of mine, so it was really more of a conversation than a grilling. Nonetheless, after the interview, having talked about myself for an hour, I felt all covered in douchiness. Not only did I feel like a fraud but I felt I hadn’t even done a good job articulating my fraudulence, which led to me firing off follow-up emails like, “You realize when I said ‘gastric secretions,’ I was using it as a metaphor, right?”

As you might gather, I’m somewhat conflicted about promoting myself. I find it really difficult to say outright, “Buy my book! It’s funny as hell!” — although it occurs to me that I’ve done just that right now. Well, sure, it’s easy here! None of you people are real!

So how does a chronic self-deprecator promote himself?

Enter the daughter…

For my latest CBC piece I decided to interview… myself. And to help differentiate myself the interviewer from myself the interviewee, I had Abby, age 11, play the latter. And don’t be going all “Exploiter!” on me. We had a lot of fun doing it.

Have a listen below, or click over at CBC “Breakaway” where this first aired on April 23, 2013.

How adorable, right? And Abby’s not too shabby either.