Why GMA gave me a bloody nose

For the past two weeks, I've known that I would be appearing on Good Morning America. Last Friday I spent two hours on the phone with a GMA writer, who collected anecdotes and information about possible photographs that would be shown on air. The writer followed up with a couple of additional phone calls and e-mails the last couple of days. So although the pending appearance on a national TV show made me a bit nervous, it was a welcome relief to know that there was some preparation on the part of the show. 

Chris Cuomo interviewed me for GMA at the ABC studio in the Pepsi Center here in Denver, where the Democratic National Convention is being held. 

Cuomo made me feel welcome, and in the moments before the interview started, made sure he knew how to pronounce my last name. 

"Any relation?" he asked, presumably meaning to John Philip Sousa, the famed bandleader (who spells his name with a second "S" and not a "Z".) 

"He's my great, great grand nothing," I replied. Cuomo laughed and that seemed to relax me even more.

The interview itself was a blur. Several people called and e-mailed to say I had done a great job.

Who knows.

When I got back to my hotel, my nose was a bit stuffy and when I blew into a tissue, blood came pouring out. Probably a combination of the high altitude, a very dry hotel room, and the nerves of being on a national TV show. 

Click here to watch the segment.

Interviewed on MSNBC

I was interviewed this afternoon by Contessa Brewer on MSNBC. 

Click here to see the very brief (2 minutes or so) interview.

Patti insisted I wear dress shoes instead of my Keens. "They're only to go show me from the waist up," was my argument. Nonetheless, I wore the damn dress shoes anyway.

MSNBC sent a car service to pick me up in Arlington. The driver proceeded to nearly get in two accidents en route to the studio, one where another driver in a large SUV didn't yield (or even slow down) onto the GW Parkway, and another where my driver blew through a red light near American University.

Once at the NBC studios, I was escorted to make-up, where I was plastered with, well, make-up. Then I was ushered to a closet-like room with a chair, a small desk, an unmanned TV camera, and a back-drop showing a Washington scene. I was outfitted with an ear plug for the audio.

A producer's voice soon boomed through my right ear, "Can you hear us okay?" And a couple of minutes later, the interviewer, Contessa Brewer, began firing questions.

It's a little disconcerting when all you see is a TV camera in front of you and a voice coming from somewhere (New York?) asking you questions about your book, which obviously she hadn't looked at very long, if at all. And certainly she hadn't read the text. And though they were projecting images on the screen, I didn't know which ones.

She also called me "Peter" the entire interview, which only my mother calls me. 

After a couple of minutes (I think between 2-3), the interview was over. Back in the car, I turned my Iphone back on, and saw two e-mails already from friends who happened to be watching MSNBC. And I checked on Amazon, and the book ranking had risen dramatically.