The National Post books blog, The Afterword, featured a piece by Doug on his experience being Hugh MacLennan for Canada Reads this year.
It all began with a very tentative email from a nice woman at CBC Radio in November. She explained that the five books that would be finalists for Canada Reads had been selected. The publicity leading up to the week of on-air debates in February would begin soon, involving not only the advocate for the book on the jury, but also the author.
But they had a problem. One of the books was Two Solitudes, by Hugh MacLennan. And Hugh had passed away in 1990 (a sad fact that I knew all too well, since I had spoken at his funeral). Would I, just possibly, she wondered, be willing to step in to speak on Hugh’s behalf, if that wouldn’t be too much trouble?
Read the rest on The Afterword.
Douglas Gibson 
Hi, Doug. I enjoyed reading your post today. Sounds like you have your hands full to overflowing, as it should be. Sometimes it is harder for us to do those things for ourselves that we do so easily for others. You can do it! I am really excited today, can hardly keep my feet on the ground. I have a great lead on a publisher for my book about my three children who had Cystic Fibrosis. Just today opportunity landed in my lap. The Kinsmen and Kinettes are among the biggest Service Clubs Canada-wide and right now, just because of something I said about my children on FB, I may be doing some travelling to be a guest speaker very soon. Looking forward to it! Guess I better get that last chapter finished ASAP! I also need to reread your “Excerpt: What happens After My Book Is Published?” Good luck to you with your own projects. Seems like you have your hands full, which is a very good thing. Sorry we didn’t get a chance to talk more at “The Al Purdy Show”.