So this was pretty fun. For the past 18 months, I’ve been running around talking about my book. Tonight, at Salem College in Winston-Salem, I helped another author pitch his own book. Not just any author. Best-selling author John Hodgman – the PC in the Mac/PC commercials, the Resident Expert on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Hodgman was out promoting his new (and second) book of fabricated facts, an almanac of sorts called More Information Than You Require.

We sat side by side on stage with a coffee table between us as I moderated a 90-minute discussion that was, not surprisingly, funny, witty, informative, amusing, and sometimes serious. Hodgeman is a genuinely nice fellow — a bright guy who seems to know that he’s gotten a few lucky breaks in a brutally competitive industry (books and show business) and he’s intent on making the most of it. He certainly did tonight. And the hundreds that stood in line afterward to have their books signed would surely agree.

The event was sponsored by Bookmarks, the Winston-Salem group that puts on a wonderful book festival each September with authors from near and far.