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.