Quoted in new book about Elizabeth Montgomery!

My friend and author Herbie J. Pilato just released his biography of Elizabeth Montgomery called Twitch Upon a Star: The Bewitched Life and Career of Elizabeth Montgomery (Taylor Trade Publishing). He was just the guy to do so as he was one of the only people Liz allowed to interview her, and at her house!

Herbie J and I have been friends for about a decade now and he asked for my opinion on Liz's different interpretations of Samantha when playing against both Dick York and Dick Sargent. He included my quote in his book!

Not only that, but at the end of the book there is a suggested reading section and aside from his own The Bewitched Book and Bewitched Forever, my book was the only other one devoted to the show that he listed! I thank him very much for that and congratulate him on publishing the only book about Liz worthy of her.

Also, take note of what Amazon.com shows as "Frequently Bought Together":

So awesome!

What are you waiting for? Pop on over to Amazon.com and purchase both today!

Fangoria magazine reviewed my book! (?!!)

On August 26, 2012 I decided to Google The Bewitched History Book and was shocked to find that Fangoria magazine-which is devoted to the horror genre of films and television- had review my book! That is a national magazine...true, I've never read it, but I've always seen it on the shelves.

They weren't too thrilled with the book...but what can you expect from people that want to be scared and see something horrific? The only thing horrific about Bewitched was Samantha's hair in Season Seven's "Money Happy Returns."

They gave the book two and a half skulls out of four. However they did say:

...if you’re a fan of BEWITCHED looking for a comprehensive episode guide, this book is indispensable.
 

You hear that? INDISPENSABLE!! Which I would think would deserve more skulls.

Anyway, you can read their entire review here:

Fangoria's review of The Bewitched History Book

Apparently, though, the review was only online as I looked through their print magazine in the two months that followed and didn't see it. THAT would've been awesome!

The Deep Dish "Bewitched History Book" giveaway!

The Deep Dish: Groovy Gay Pop Culture blog is giving away a free copy of The Bewitched History Book this week in honor of the premiere of the show 48 years ago on September 17!

The Deep Dish: Groovy Gay Pop Culture

Please be aware that there may be adult related content on the blog that is only suitable for adults.

But thank you Deep Dish for featuring my book!

Interview in the Salt Lake Tribune/RIP William Asher

I really should've posted this when it happened, but I'm really bad at keeping up on the blog because I'm always just updating the Facebook page (www.facebook.com/bewitchedhistorybook).

However, my interview with Scott Pierce of the Salt Lake Tribune was published July 17, 2012, which also happened to be the same day that William Asher, the director of the show and Elizabeth Montgomery's third husband and father of her children, passed away.

You can still read it in the Salt Lake Tribune archives:

Utah Man "Bewitched" By Classic TV Sitcom by Scott D. Pierce

And RIP William Asher, seen here with me in 2008 at the Bewitched Fan Fare in Los Angeles. Such an honor to have met him!

BACK TO SCHOOL CONTEST!

As it's back to school time I thought I would have a test...well, really a CON-TEST (without any actual cons)!!

This is mainly for you readers who have read at least some of The Bewitched History Book, enough to at least have any idea of how and what I wrote. Please pick up your #2 pencils, and then lay them down to get on your computer and pop on over to Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and/or BearManorMedia.com and write at least a two sentence review of the book! Once you have done so please either post a link to the review at www.facebook.com/bewitchedhistorybook or email it to bewitchedhistorybook@gmail.com. You will be entered to win every school kid's dream of a lunchbox, the 2001 Vandor Bewitched dome lunchbox! This metal beauty features graphics from the opening cartoon of the show, as well as a beautiful picture of Elizabeth Montgomery as Samantha on one side! Great for taking your sandwich, chips, and cookies in to school!

The official rules are over at www.facebook.com/bewitchedhistorybook in the notes. The contest ends September 17, 2012 11 PM MST.

What Do People Think of the Book?

Since it's release on April 30, 2012, The Bewitched History Book has garnered only FIVE star reviews on Amazon.com!! Eleven are on the page for the soft-cover book and one is for the Kindle edition. You can read them in their entirety over there but here are excerpts from each review:

From Storywriter on the Kindle edition:

"It became the perfect companion as I'd watch an episode then read about it in the book. Although a fan, the author doesn't view the show through rose tinted glasses, he gives a very balanced review and doesn't shy away from pointing out the shows faults. (I'd find myself agreeing with him on many points.) At first I was a little irked by the fact he kept referring to Dick York/Sargents character as 'Durwood', however by the time I'd watched the the fourth season, 'Durwood' was probably the mildest name I could think to call him!!"

From Melanie:

"This book is a great addition to any classic TV fan's collection. It's written by a knowledgeable fan for other fans to enjoy. Pierce is a keen observer and very funny, which makes this book a quick read--even at a whopping 729 pages."

From Aye Robot:

"Don't be intimidated by its size. Whether you go from cover to cover, or skip around to your favorites, the accessible, almost conversational tone draws you in, and Pierce's humour and wit make it an easy read."

From Bryan W. Alaspa (author of Dust and The Ballad of the Blue Denim Gang):

"My fiancee is actually the fan of Bewitched, but when I saw this book, I was amazed. Anyone who loves a show this much and puts this much love into the book is someone who needs to be admired. What a great book for any fan of the show and for any fan of television history. This is a must-have for any pop culture and Bewitched fan."

From Jan Wright "Jan W":

"There are just so many great things about this book that it would take forever to write about all the reasons I love it. I'm a pop culture fan, especially of TV shows from that era. I've read and have books on numerous television shows and "The Omni-Directional Three-Dimensional Vectoring Paper Printed Omnibus for Bewitched Analysis a.k.a. The Bewitched History Book" (whew!) by David Pierce is the best, in this reader's opinion."

From Forrestcars:

"A super comprehensive book with lots of interesting trivia...!A great additional for all Bewitched fans! An amazing amount of work went into this ~"

From Kate Engberg "ProudJew":

"All in all it is a book I have enjoyed and have used has a companion while my daughter (13, and a new generation of Bewitched fan) and I watched the series from start to finish. Love it!"

From J. Smith "jaime":

"This is a book that is fun to read straight through but I can see how it would be fun to also watch each episode and then follow through with reading about that episode. If there was a class/course on Bewitched this would be your textbook! How fun would that class be! I would give this book more than 5 stars if I could and say that this is a MUST for all bewitched fans! It is now what I refer to as the Bewitched bible/dictionary/history book. You have to buy this book and become bewitched with Bewitched all over again!"

From Yeti in NYC:

"If you want to know anything about "Bewitched" This is the Book for you. Episode by Episode, David Pierce has amassed so much information and also gives us a window into what was going on in America whilst the show was on the Air! Great Job!!!"

From Adam Gerace:

"A really enjoyable aspect of David Pierce's book is that he gives his opinions. He has such a love for the show, but isn't afraid to discuss episodes he may not like, or characters that didn't gel with him. He isn't confined to providing `just the facts'. I had a lot of fun comparing my opinions to his, because he never provides his own in an authoritarian way."

From Peter Alachi (author of Salem's Summer of Sam and Bewitched and the Man at the Wheel):

"David has written the ultimate Bewitched reference book that no Bewitched or 60's TV fan can do without. David has managed to somehow compile every bit of information about Bewitched-the good, bad and the ug...pretty (after all Samantha was no ugly crone!)and put them in one, well, concise yet huge book...His book is to be savored in small bites for a few weeks! You will be enchanted, surprised, delighted, angry, sad, and amused but no matter what your reaction is, you will certainly enjoy it! BUY IT!!!"

From Alfred and Margot "AAM":

"Wow!! So much work has gone into producing this wonderful book, which every Bewitched fan ought to have. Gives you a great insight into each episode, the author gives his opinion about each episode (not always positive!).

if you want to become an expert in everything 'Bewitched', then this book is for you!!"

And, one review I'd love, but can never have is from Elizabeth Montgomery herself. I commissioned my brother Pibby to create this:

Iff'n you have all ready purchased the book and read it, I would LOVE you to review it on Amazon.com!

Book Signing = SUCCESS!

This past Tuesday, July 10 was the Local Author Showcase at the King's English. I have to say, the night before was much like Christmas Eve. I had to work during the day and the weather was over 100 degrees around the time of the event which was supposed to be outside on their patio.

When I finally got to King's English my roomie, Jenn, was there as she had miscalculated how long it would take to get there. When we went in, we found out that the event would be held in the children's section of the store. Two of the other authors were in the room next to that one talking and it was good meeting them. The other is a very reserved guy that was all ready sitting at the table where we were all to sit for the reading and Q & A. I was also very pleased to see Kimberly Daniels and Kristine Memmott (sisters) whom I had worked with at JC Penney's accounting eight years ago. They were sitting up front.

Soon 7 PM rolled up but about three minutes before that Jenny Lyons, the event coordinator, started by introducting us. My family came right then. I was shocked that Paul showed up. Mayson was also with them and he was so excited. There was hardly anybody there for the other authors, but in addition to my family there was Irene, Greg, Lisa, Evelyn, Bert, Tyra, Jeanette, Kathrin, and Carol and Tracey. Becky Ray with her son, Charlie, was there. I know Becky through Michelle, and I was quite pleased she showed up. Unfortunately, Michelle had schedule an appointment with a client an hour before the event and the client was late so Michelle and Michael didn't show up, which was disappointing, but crap happens. Gena from Verizon, Stephanie from the post office with her date, Lauren from my current job with Nikohl, her mother and friend Teresa, Janene and her daughter Olivia and friend and Sister Silver from my parent's ward were all there. And so was Elder Jacobs from my mission which was a pleasant surprise!

The other authors each introduced themselves and spoke about how their books came about and then it was my turn. We had been told that we would be reading five minutes from our books so in the weeks preceding I had been reading certain episodes to time them. I had decided it would be nice for the audience to know where I got the extensive name for my book from so I settled on "Sam's Psychic Pslip" which had clocked in at 6 minutes 59 seconds when read aloud. I briefly described how I got to the published book and then began reading. My mouth was very dry and I didn't want to stop for water. I began getting nervous knowing that people were listening to me probably wanting me to shut the hell up, so in my review, after I got to the part about how funny I thought Dr. Bombay's machine was, I stopped reading and every clapped. After that Jenny asked if there were any questions and Gena asked what my next book would be. I said I was co-writing with my friend Judy an I Dream of Jeannie History Book where we would have interviews and then the other authors said what they were working on.

After that we started signing. But the best part was I was signing long after the other authors had finished. At one point Jenny asked me if I had brought any extra copies aside from the original ten. I hadn't so she said she is going to order some more. The other authors were left with three or four copies of their books which they signed and were to be put on the shelves. It made me feel really happy that I had all that support.

Vote for the book and we all win!

My publisher BearManor Media is having a contest to vote for your favorite book of theirs. Of course, yours would be The Bewitched History Book. You can vote at www.bearmanormedia.com only once during the month of July. When you do vote, you will receive a coupon for 50% off any of their titles! And if my book gets the most votes, I will win $500! Please vote and share with your friends and family!

My First Book Signing!

I'm sorry I haven't updated in such a long time! But, really, I focus all my news updates on the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/bewitchedhistorybook. However, this is worthy of posting.

I am going to be part of the Local Author Showcase at the King's English Bookshop here in Salt Lake City! Here is the official release statement:

Local Author Showcase

Start: Jul 10 2012 7:00 pm

Location:

Street:

1511 South 1500 East

City:

Salt Lake City

,

Province:

Utah

Postal Code:

84105

Country:

United States

Tuesday, July 10, 7 p.m.

Join us for the Local Author Showcase!

These quarterly events give us the opportunity to turn the spotlight on Utah writers with first books or new books and to recognize their talent and hard work.

This showcase will feature: Aaron Bryant, A Synchronous Memoir of Addiction and Recovery; Megan Dietz, Scarlet River; Michael Ochinero, Mind Over Medicine: A Common Man's Guide To Managing Bipolar Holistically; David Pierce, The Bewitched History Book.

A bit more about our authors this month:
Aaron Bryant details his journey from homeless meth addict to drug counselor and social worker in his book.

Scarlet River is the first of many stories Megan Dietz has written that she decided to publish as a novel.

Michael Ochinero was diagnosed with bipolar disorder nearly eight years ago and was dissatisfied with tradtional with counseling and medication, and so sought his own remedy.

David Pierce's book about the history of televison's beloved show, Bewitched, includes episode reiterations, trivia, and reviews as well as historical events surrounding those episodes.

I think it's hilarious that my book is grouped with these more serious real world books! But, please do what you can to come out and support The Bewitched History Book! Would love to meet you plus you can get a signed copy!

And the official release date is....

...April 30, 2012! Less than a month away!

Since my last post, several things have happened.

I went around the Salt Lake valley to the various book stores asking about them selling my book. Most of them said they would like to, however, they needed to wait until it was actually available through Ingram (the reseller) to commit. There were two stores that said they would love to do a book signing!!

Last week, I sent out requests to The Salt Lake Tribune, City Weekly, and Salt Lake City Magazine for interviews. Scott Pierce (no relation) of the Tribune got back with me and said that he would love to do an interview and he said he would have time this week, however, when I responded with my schedule he never replied. The City Weekly said they would love to review the book and I could drop off a review copy. I have yet to hear from the magazine.

This past week The Bewitched History Book was selected as Book of the Week by my publisher's blog!

http://www.bearmanorblog.blogspot.com/2012/04/book-of-week.html

And just this past Wednesday, on my daily visit to Amazon.com to see if maybe the book was on there yet, I was pleasantly surprised to find it on there! And I found it on barnesandnoble.com as well. It's so cool seeing MY book on those sites with me listed as author! That was also the day I found out about the April 30 release date, which has been a sad day in Bewitched history up to this point as it was the day in 1974 that Agnes Moorehead (Endora) passed away from cancer. However, from now on, it'll be a joyous day! And it's so appropriate that it's in April as David White (Larry), Dick Sargent (Durwood), Gary Richard (Fisherman's Memorial statue stand in), and Elizabeth Montgomery (Samantha) all have birth days.

I also have set up an interview with my favorite morning radio show, The Morning Zoo on 97.1ZHT for the morning of April 23 at 8:30 AM. If you are in the United States, but not in Utah, you can still listen live on www.iheartradio.com or you can download the IHeart app to your smartphone.

I have to say that this whole experience is very much like a dream! In fact, like a day dream, literally! For many years now, on many nights before falling asleep, I've envisioned what it would be like to have a book I wrote be out on the market and how it would be to talk about it on the radio or TV. I hope to soon have interviews with the TV news stations.

Officially announced by BearManor Media!

Today BearManor Media (publisher) released the official press release about the book! Following the release will be information about how you can get an autographed copy!


Albany, GA –
BearManor Media proudly announces the release of its new book, The Bewitched
History Book.

For almost fifty years the beloved 1960s sitcom Bewitched has been enchanting television audiences. Created at a turbulent time in American history, Bewitched offered a brief respite from the worries of the day. Before now, there has never been a book written that ties in the events of the times with each episode. But more important, there has never been a book about the show which breaks down each episode in depth. There is now. Within these pages you will
learn everything about America’s favorite witch, Samantha Stephens, her dreary mortal husband, Durwood, er, Darrin, and the grand host of witches, warlocks, and marvelous mortals who accompanied them on their journey from newlyweds to the parents of a little witch and warlock of their own. Each of the 254 episodes are described in humorous detail and reviewed by one of the biggest fans of the show, David Pierce (otherwise known as Dr. Bombay), from the
premiere Bewitched website www.harpiesbizarre.com, based on his popular “40 Years Ago…” weekly posts. Rare trivia and photos accompany the episodes as you learn which witch went which way along with what mortal madness materialized in the swinging 60s of suburbia!

To learn about this or other BearManor Media titles, please visit our website at www.bearmanormedia.com.

Format: Softcover; 6” x 9”; 732 pages ISBN: 1-59393-691-4
Available through Ingram and amazon.com Price: $49.95

About the author
David Pierce should have gotten a Master's Degree in Bewitched, but, instead, got an
Associates in Science, majoring in Commercial Art. He currently works as a customer service operations agent in the health care profession and lives in Holladay, Utah.

About BearManor Media
BearManor Media is a small press that publishes BIG books. They pride themselves on
publishing quality entertainment biographies, so they often put out the first book on unique subjects. BearManor Media specializes in books with nostalgic themes like Fess Parker: TV’s Frontier Hero, A Disney Childhood, Ghosts of Gone With the Wind, and Raised Eyebrows (Groucho Marx).

***************************************************
I am going to be taking pre-orders at bewitchedhistorybook@gmail.com for those who want an autographed copy. I will ONLY be taking preorders at that email, do not post your requests on this page as it will NOT be accepted. Include your name, who you would like it signed to, and your mailing address. As the book is higher priced (because it's 700+ pages), I will offer a discount if you order through me. It will be $40 + postage. Please remember this is PRE-ORDER only. There has not been an official release date yet. Payment will not be due until the book prints and will be accepted via Paypal or international money order. I WILL accept international orders, but remember you will be responsible for paying postage. The book will not be shipped until I receive your payment. I also reserve the right to discontinue taking orders personally. The book will also be available on amazon.com in a couple weeks.

No more edits and a cover!

This past week I finished with all the edits to be done and created an index which was a most grueling process! I wish I had known to create it as I went along, however, this is a learning experience.

Just tonight I created the copy for the back cover of the book and sent that off so, for reals now, as soon as that's approved it's going to print!!!

And I just revealed the cover on the facebook page so here it is for anybody here that might be reading this blog:

New Facebook/Blog Cover photo!

So I finished editing the typesetter's manuscript of my book and sent it back and received it back tonight to give it the once-more-over. And pretty much that means that any day now it's going to the press!!

And, I also enlisted my brother Pibby to help me create the cover photo for Facebook which I also just posted at the top of this blog. Isn't it awesome?! Thanks Pibby!

And, now, just to see who is paying attention I got some BIG news...along with the finished version of the insides of my book I got the preliminary version of the COVER of the book!! And it is awesome!! The designer is named Brian Pearce and he did a fantastic job! I'm going to wait awhile before I reveal it because there are just a few things that need to be tweaked, but it's awesome.

I can't believe how close it's getting to have an actual book I wrote in PRINT!

One Step Closer!

Tonight I received from BearManor Media in .pdf format what amounts to the finished insides of my book, all formatted and stylized. It is AWESOME!! There isn't a Table of Contents or index yet, however, there is a copyright page which makes it look all the more official including an ISBN! The photos are part of the body of the book which is really cool as well.

Now I just need to go through it, make sure everything looks like I want and add anything missing and send it back.

I'm having a dilemma, though, about something that I find humorous but maybe my readers, for the most part, won't. That is, I refer to Samantha's husband throughout 99% of the book in the same manner Endora would - Durwood. I've never liked the character of Darrin and so for all the witches and warlocks to get his name wrong I find humorous.

What do you think? Should I keep it as Durwood or refer to him as his boring mortal name, well, really, his "birth" name, Darrin?

The book announced by BearManor!

This morning I received BearManor Media's monthly e-mail newsletter that showcases the new releases and author interviews as well as a section titled "Books coming soon." This is what this mornings list looked like:

TELEVISION'S FIRE & EMS SHOW
SHENRY DARROW: LIGHTNING IN A BOTTLE
ERROL FLYNN
BOGIE: THE FINAL CHAPTER
A DISNEY CHILDHOOD
JOE ESTEVEZ: Wiping Off the Sheen
THE BEWITCHED HISTORY BOOK
WILD, WILD WESTERNERS by Tom Weaver
HARRY LANGDON
HOLLYWOOD CANTEEN (8x10 size)
KATE SMITH SPEAKS
and more!

My book is amongst their number! It's awesome that the publisher's readers are aware of my upcoming book!

No News is Good News!

So I just wanted to remind everyone of the old adage - no news is good news.

I will post anything more I hear or see about the book (i.e. the cover, actual publish date, book signings) here when I know.

In the mean time, thank you for your support and keep spreading the word!

"Everybody's a critic!"

So ever since I went public with the publishing of my book, I've experienced nothing but positivity and joy. It's been awesome, but on the back burner of my mind, I've known that eventually I'm going to have to face some critics and harsh words.

Eventually has arrived.

Apparently someone I used to converse with a lot, whom I haven't spoken to in years, has decided to "review" my book (but really review myself) without having ever read it in it's full form. I'm sure he had read my posts on Harpies Bizarre (or elsewhere as I understand someone had copied them and posted to another site of less than stellar reputation) and thinks the book will be just that. Let's forget that it's been through many revisions and additions...anyway, apparently my "book is just his opinions of each Bewitched episode with said opinion's being of less then sound mind and body."

I love it!

It reminds me of this awesome quote by Teddy Roosevelt:

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."

Now, I'm not saying writing the book was done in sweat and blood, but it was many, many hours of writing as well as research, and it was all done with great enthusiasm and devotion. So what if my book is not a best seller? If it's not so perfect, so what? Quite frankly, I wrote it specifically for myself and it's just a bonus that there were other people who also enjoyed it enough to ask that I would get my writings published.

I'm not going to say anything derisive about my first critic, as really he's not criticizing the book so much as he's making an uniformed personal attack on myself, I shall just quote Endora when Durwood's mother asked her not to criticize Durwood:

"Durwood needs no criticism from me...what's wrong with him is for the whole world to see!" Bewitched, Episode #103: "It's Wishcraft"

Over 100 fans and counting!

The Facebook fan page for the book has reached over 100 fans (at this moment in time it is at 109)!! I'm so excited for all the interest in the book!

Hopefully soon I'll be able to see what the cover will look like so I can share it with you all (I get final approval) but I thank you for all your support! And please share this page and the Facebook page with everyone!

Paula Abdul's connection to Bewitched

My book would not be in the process of being published had it not been for pop princess and X Factor judge, Paula Abdul. It was she who pushed all her fans to work on their goals in the Fall of 2010 which is why I decided to give the book a go and submit it.

It may be that I go looking for it, but Paula has some pretty strong ties to the show which I'd like to present here.

Her second album was entitled Spellbound, a term often used in reference to witchcraft. But even more so, on the cover, Paula looked very much like Samantha's sexy cousin, Serena with short raven hair and a feather boa. In fact, as part of the publicity for the album, Paula did a photo shoot where she looks just like Serena in "Darrin Goes Ape."

One of the chart topping singles from Spellbound was "Blowing Kisses in the Wind." On Bewitched, Serena writes a song entitled "I'll Blow You a Kiss in the Wind" from "Serena Stops the Show."

Just as several celebrities (i.e. Willie Mays, Steve McQueen) were warlocks on Bewitched, Paula "proved" her witch-hood during her Under My Spell tour when she would fly up from the stage. A little later, during a benefit concert for the Pediatric AIDS Foundation (Elizabeth Montgomery was a big champion for AIDS education) called For Our Children, Paula magically appeared on the stage.

In the mid part of the last decade Paula released an exercise DVD program called Cardio-Cheer which was filmed at the Warner Brothers Studio Ranch out in the park and in the street. This was the same place that the outdoor scenes of Bewitched were filmed and there are times you can see the Bewitched house, like you can in this screen cap behind her.

Just recently Paula had an estate sale and Erin Murphy attended it and Tweeted that she was surprised to find that she and Paula wear the same size, so now Tabitha is wearing some of Paula's clothes!

I'll be forever grateful to her for being so inspiring, especially inspiring me to go after my dreams. You can follow Paula on Twitter @PaulaAbdul.

Do You Like Us, Really Like Us?

And by "us" I mean the book....

...there is a Facebook fan page set up at http://tinyurl.com/7gty9gm where you can interact with other fans of the book and also keep up on the progress of the book.

We are at 76 fans as of tonight and I'm really hoping to get to 100 before the end of the weekend. So please pop on over to Facebook and join the page!

Where can the book be purchased?

A fan from Australia posed this question, which tickled me as we're still possibly four months away from the release, but it is a great question!

Anyway, for those that are curious, I do know that one place will be bearmanormedia.com, however, that will only work for you fans in the United States.

But don't fear, those of you in places as far away as Oz, according to BearManor Media, you will be able to order the book on Amazon.com!

Stay tuned, as the minute I see a link up for a pre-order, it will definitely be announced here!

I'm also going to see about having it available in brick and mortar stores but I will have more information about that later.

And thank you all for your support!

Officially official!

Today I got a letter in the mail from BearManor which gave me butterflies before I opened it as I struggle with always thinking the worst is going to happen.

However it was GOOD NEWS!

I got my copy of the signed contract back which means I have evidence that it really is going to happen!! WOO-HOO!!

In the Beginning...

In my previous post, I mentioned some books that BearManor has published and it got me to thinking about the book that was very pivotal in fostering my knowledge and love of Bewitched even more.

That book is The Bewitched Book (1992) by Herbie J. Pilato.

I've always watched the show as long as I can remember and it really wasn't until I was close to junior high school age that I started realizing that there were actual real people that played Samantha, Endora, and all the rest. When I would look up information about Bewitched at the library (this was way before the days of Google or anything like it), I would only come up with books about T.V. that had maybe a page or two devoted to the show, but nothing more. Anytime I would go into a book store I would always head to the Film & Television section in the hopes of finding something about the show considering there were so many about I Love Lucy or Star Trek but my hopes were always dashed...that is, until the evening of my 16th birthday.

My dad had taken me downtown shopping and I'm sure I intended to go to the Disney Store but then we ended up at the book store as my dad always loves going to the book store and it was right by the entrance. I made my usual way down to the Film & Television section and about fainted when I saw the familiar title of my show emblazened on a blue book cover with the cartoon witch! I couldn't believe it! My dad bought it for me and I insisted my birthday shopping trip was over, that I needed to get home to start devouring this awesome book!

We got home around 9:30 PM and I headed to my room and began reading from cover to cover, blown away by the interviews with Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York, Dick Sargent, and a few other stars of the show. There were pics of them now days and most importantly there was an episode guide which blew my mind as there were 254 episodes!! And of those, 74 of them were in black and white, which up to that point I had only ever seen about three because of a trip that summer to my cousin's house where they had Nick-at-Nite. Anyway, I finished reading the book at 5:30 AM. I was overjoyed!

Over the years that book has been released in different editions and renamed Bewitched Forever, which is quite appropriate as any of us that are big fans of the show will remain bewitched forever.

Around the time the book was published the stars began to pass away and so the interviews they gave are quite precious.

Now, if you all ready have that book, why would you want to get my book? Quite simply, mine gives more detailed descriptions of the episodes, my own personal and entertaining reviews of the episodes, bits of trivia some of which hasn't been discussed before, and trivia about the times and events that were happening when Bewitched was airing to help keep the show in context. I think both mine and Herbie J's books will work well together and I thank him for providing such an invaluable piece to the literary history of Bewitched.

I should mention that Herbie J has several books published by BearManor Media as well about the 80s TV series Life Goes On, the 70s series The Bionic Man and The Bionic Woman and a book about his time as a page at NBC.

A Bit about BearManor Media

You may not be familiar with BearManor Media, the publisher of my book, so I thought I would share why I chose them.

BearManor has been around since 2001 when author Ben Ohmart found that he liked the publishing aspect better than writing which lead him to create his own publishing company. They have focused on media-related biographies and recently have broke into TV series-related books.

The first book I purchased from BearManor was I Love the Illusion: The Life and Career of Agnes Moorehead (Endora on Bewitched), written by Charles Tranberg. It quite honestly is one of the best, if not THE best biographies, I have ever read. It was very thoroughly researched and included many pictures not seen before.

Another book I have from BearManor is by actor and all around GREAT guy, Ron Masak entitled I've Met All My Heroes from A to Z. This was a fun little book, not so much biography, but really an encyclopedia of everyone that has had such a great influence on his life.

There are many other books from BearManor that I haven't acquired yet, but of course, the one I'm looking forward to the most is The Omni-Directional Three-Dimensional Vectoring Paper-Printed Omnibus for Bewitched Analysis a.k.a The Bewitched History Book by ME!

Please check out the great selection of books available from BearManor at http://www.bearmanormedia.com/.

The book mentioned on 97.1ZHT Morning Zoo!:)

971ZHT Morning Zoo 1-4-12 Part 1:

Click on the link above, and you'll hear the mention at about 36:00.

I have had a long time relationship with the Zoo which started in 2008 when they had the topic of stuff you collect that other people don't get. Of course, I mentioned my Bewitched memorabilia collection in an email and I was asked to call into the show. Later on I went in-studio with some of my stuff and had a really good time. Anytime anything Bewitched related happens in the Hollywood Sleaze, I'm mentioned. It's awesome when your friends tell you they heard me being spoken about on the radio.

Thanks Frankie, DB, and Jessica!

The Bewitched Stars Are Excited!

Mere hours after I had spread the word about the book then I started receiving messages from Bewitched alumni! How awesome that these people, some of which had very minor roles on the show, are excited about it!

Gary Richard was a 19 year old student in Salem, MA in 1970 when the cast and crew of the show went to film some episodes. He was chosen to play Dick Sargent and Robert Brown's stand-in as the Fisherman Memorial statue. Here is what he said:

"Hey David...of course I need to ask if the Salem episodes and yours truly are in it, lol!!! Congrats!"

I replied, "Gary, you silly statue, of course you're in it! Finding you was one of the biggest events in recent Bewitched history" to which he responded, "Awesome! I look forward to getting a signed copy, please let me know if there is anything that I can do to help :-)"

Heather Woodruff Perry was in three episodes in the Third Season as Durwood's secretary Betty and I met her in 2008 at the Bewitched Fanfare. She is truly a wonderful person and I'm so blessed to know her. Here's what she said:

"David, I'm soooo PROUD of YOU!......I am also working this year on the 427 page, Agnes Moorehead book, which I will also be Producing and Acting......Yea BEWITCHED! xx"

And, last, but not least, Erin Murphy who played witch baby Tabitha for six seasons just told me today on Twitter: "Congratulations! EM"

This is all so cool!

Tentative Publishing Date!

In speaking with the Publisher about the timeline of how things will go from here on out, she said that she has scheduled a tentative publish date for May 2012!! And, if things go very well at the printer, it could be earlier!

Keep your fingers crossed!

Welcome to My Journey!

As you may know by now, I am about to become a published author! As of tonight, I have signed the contracts with BearManor Media (the Publisher) to get my first book published.

It will be called The Omni-Directional Three-Dimensional Vectoring Paper Printed Omnibus for Bewitched Analysis a.k.a. The Bewitched History Book. "The what?!" you may be asking. Well, for those of you not very familiar with Bewitched, let me explain....

In the Seventh Season episode "Sam's Psychic Pslip" Durwood a.k.a. Darrin calls on Dr. Bombay to find his witch wife Samantha as she's gone shopping and may be in trouble. Dr. Bombay zaps in a psychedelic one-handed clock-looking contraption which Durwood questions. He is told it is an omni-directional three-dimensional vectoring cadmium shielded computer for location analysis. "A what," Durwood asks. The witch doctor begins again to repeat the unusual name only for Durwood to interrupt him by asking what it does. ("It's a witch hunter. It tells you which witch went which way.") When I first saw this scene many years ago I couldn't stop laughing at how crazy the name was and how Bernard Fox (Dr. Bombay) could've remembered such an intricate name.

When I first submitted the idea to BearManor, I hadn't named the book yet and for some reason the witch hunter's name kept coming to mind. It then occured to me that my book was "omni-directional" in that I not only discussed Bewitched, but I also integrated world events that were happening at the time an episode aired. It was also "three-dimensional" considering it's a physical object; "vectoring" because of how I would tie in many points to one episode or idea; however, instead of "cadmium shielded" I realized my book was going to be "paper printed" and not so much a computer as an "omnibus"--a volume of works related in interest or theme--a very scientific sounding name like what Dr. Bombay would've used for his inventions; and not "for location analysis" but "for Bewitched analysis." It was perfect! Especially considering my online persona in the Bewitched fan community was Dr. Bombay.

Which brings me to the origin of the book...back in 2004 the show was coming up on it's 40th anniversary since the premiere and shockingly no media outlet was celebrating it, though shows like I Love Lucy and the Brady Bunch received TV specials and books, etc. I was a frequent contributor to the message board at HarpiesBizarre.com (named after a witch's magazine on the show) and so on September 17, 2004, the actual 40th anniversary date, I posted about how 40 years ago we would've turned into ABC-TV's newest show and been introduced to the beautiful witch Samantha, her mortal husband Darrin, and her indominable mother Endora. I decided to keep honoring the show each week after on the next episode's anniversary and so it went.

In 2005, to coincide with the release of the Bewitched movie, Sony released the First Season of the show on DVD and my good friend and huge Bewitched fan, Sharon, decided we should have Bewitched club which is very much like a book club but instead of reading we would be watching and discussing every episode. This was quite interesting as there were things about the episodes which I had never noticed that she may have or vice versa. As the 40 Years Ago posts continued I also decided it was interesting to note what would've been happening that evening as the show took place during a very active time in American history.

A couple years ago several of my readers asked if I had plans to print my posts in a book, which I had never thought of. I said I would look into it but I brushed it aside as it seemed a very far shot.

In the fall of 2010, X-Factor mentor and pop star Paula Abdul, whom I love more than I love Bewitched, encouraged us fans to set goals and go after our dreams, no matter how big. I decided that maybe publishing the book would be the way to go as my readers still kept inquiring about it and I have always wanted to have a book published just to have the thrill of seeing it on the book shelves. I began the process of collecting all my postings, and having to rewrite the first two seasons as I stupidly hadn't kept those. In January 2011 I decided to submit my idea to BearManor Media who focuses on old TV shows and movies and mainly radio stars. I was shocked beyond belief when Ben Ohmart, the president of the company, said it sounded interesting and he wanted to get feedback from an unknown Bewitched fan. Shortly thereafter he said we should go for it and so began the process of editing the huge manuscript.

Of course, regular life had to interrupt and so it took almost a year, but just last month I sent the finished manuscript to the type-setter and just signed the contracts tonight to send tomorrow.

I do not know a publication date as of yet, however, that's why I decided to start a blog about the book, to keep you all updated as to it's progress so you'll be the first to know.

I'm very excited about all this as it's a brand new experience! And it feels so good to be achieving a dream!