Yes. It’s Here. Really.
May 8th, 2006
It was twenty-five years in the making.
On May 8th, 1981 I found myself watching Saturday morning cartoons and had just finished eating three bowls of Lucky Charms. My bladder was full and so I went into the bathroom to take care of some business. While there, I slipped and fell on a puddle, slamming my head into the sink fixture and blacking out. When I came to, I was overwhelmed with an idea to invent a way for the world to communicate by words electronically. It would later be called an Internet weblog.
But since I never really followed through on that idea, my new book The Lost Blogs will have to do instead.
Today marks the official release of a book that started back in early 2005 when I sold the idea to Warner Books. After five months of writing the book and completing 200 entries (which would later be trimmed to 175) in September of ’05, I would hand the book over to the editors, fact checkers, cover-makers, legal analysts, foreign-affairs technicians and typesetting heroes.
Needless to say, time has really flown by.
Over the weekend I had the opportunity to swing by some of my local bookstores (Barnes & Noble, Bookstar, Borders and Tower Video/Books) and there’s just nothing like gazing upon a table and seeing your glossy product sitting there on the table. Of course, it’s even better when someone picks it up while you’re standing there so you can say something like, “Oh hey, that looks like a funny book. I should get that for my good friend!” Mind you, I don’t say it TO them. I just say it loud enough so they can HEAR it. I mean really. If you had your choice between the paperback version of The DaVinci Code and The Lost Blogs I think I know what you should choose.
That being said, I have dubbed this week the Lost Blogs Release Week. During this week you’ll be able to do any of the following:
- Read the book and feel a wave of stress release.
- Read the book while being released from prison. (The pardon process does take many hours, by the way.)
- Release a weak (or ‘week’, which is the Finnish spelling of the word) animal into the wild, thus giving the animal and the animal’s family a well-needed reunion.
- Win a copy of The Lost Blogs (If You Haven’t Already Won One)
Today, I’ll be giving a signed copy of the book away to the person who best photoshops themselves into a picture with Abraham Lincoln. That’s right. Honest ‘ol Abe. Send your submissions to “paul at paul davidson dot net” and you’ll have until midnight tonight (PST) to submit them. I’ll throw up the submissions and the winner sometime before tomorrow AM.
As always, you can keep up to date on the press surrounding the book at The Lost Blogs Press Page over at the Official Site. Over the weekend it was updated with some radio interviews and scans of the latest articles about the book.
And as always, thank you for your support.
Congratulations on the launch of your book this week. I was turned on to your blog by a fellow blogger Mikey, who did well in your lost blogger contest, and have enjoyed reading you ever since. I am gonna mention the launch in my own blog today, I am new and not a lot of traffic yet, but I hope it steers more readers to the local B/N and Borders. Keep up the great work……GG
Comment by The Gay Guru — May 8, 2006 @ 8:51 am
congratulations paul!
Comment by ms. sizzle — May 8, 2006 @ 8:51 am
Today is a very big day, indeed. Congratulations, Paul!
Comment by Nicole — May 8, 2006 @ 8:59 am
Yay! Congratulations Paul.
Comment by Hilary — May 8, 2006 @ 9:11 am
Thanks guys. And gals.
Although technically, doesn’t guys refer to a non-gender group anyway? I sort of think it does.
Comment by Pauly D — May 8, 2006 @ 9:21 am
A big huge whoppin’ congrats on the book release. I’m halfway through it now and loving it. So you’ll have a review up on FWDT soon. And glowing, I’m sure (unless the second half just sucks horribly).
So, did you also conceive of the Flux Capacitor on that fateful day in 1981? Should you be suing Robert Zemeckis?
Comment by Kevin — May 8, 2006 @ 9:33 am
Like I said before…yippy skippy! I don’t know how to photoshop, sadly. Guess I’ll have to win my copy the old-fashioned way: trade in some green and white paper for a free copy of the book.
Comment by annabel lee — May 8, 2006 @ 9:36 am
Kevin – My lawyer has instructed me to not comment on your comment for reasons I am not able to discuss.
AL – Green & white paper? Confetti?
Comment by Pauly D — May 8, 2006 @ 9:39 am
I think that would be funny if you were standing there at the table with someone and told them to buy the book and then they turned to the last page and saw your picture and realized you were the famous Paul Davidson.
I think I may do the photshop thing just for fun even though I got my copy!!!
Comment by Jacquie — May 8, 2006 @ 9:58 am
Congrats!
Signed,
The first person to say “congrats” ever.
Comment by JM — May 8, 2006 @ 10:55 am
Wheeeeee!!!! So exciting! How can you stand it? Having a book published – it must be like giving birth, without all the gore, pain and lifelong responsibility. Okay, so it’s not like giving birth.
Comment by Susan — May 8, 2006 @ 11:12 am
That’s so weird, I ate Lucky Charms in 1981 also! I would SO TOTALLY stand by the table at the bookstore (in diguise, of course) and “recommend” the book “casually” to any and all passersby. Good luck Pauly!
Comment by Susan — May 8, 2006 @ 11:15 am
I know you are doing a signing in Santa Monica this weekend. I ordered a book through Amazon and it hasn’t shown up yet. If I go to the signing, will you sign your name on my chest instead?
Comment by Neil — May 8, 2006 @ 11:59 am
Neil – If you wax first, I sure will.
Comment by Pauly D — May 8, 2006 @ 12:00 pm
Today is the first day of the rest of your life Pauly.
Sincerely? So best! Congratulations and I can’t wait to get my copy!!!
I plucked…is that okay? Not enough on my chest to wax. Yet.
Ew, that was gross. Anyway, Oh Happy Day!
Comment by Melina — May 8, 2006 @ 1:49 pm
You must feel like a slightly better version of yourself now that you have a book release; I know I would. Congrats. for real.
Comment by Lauren — May 8, 2006 @ 2:46 pm
That’s VERY exciting
Does it count that I released the neighborhood dog back out into the wild this weekend after she stopped by for a biscut and some water?
Comment by Bre — May 8, 2006 @ 2:51 pm
Since I ended up with some extra copies of LOST BLOGS, I should have my own Photoshop contest for signed copies!
Is there any special pen I should use when signing copies of your book? I’d hate for my signature to go all smudgy or something…
Comment by Dave2 — May 8, 2006 @ 2:57 pm
I bet I know what your mom is getting for Mother’s Day!
Comment by Rabbit — May 8, 2006 @ 3:55 pm
I think I’m going to head to Borders in the next week or so and talk loudly — perhaps in an accent — about just how wonderful the book looks.
Comment by sandra — May 8, 2006 @ 4:10 pm
Such excitement! Congrats Pauly! I’ll pick up a copy later this week.
If anyone wants to buy it after I read it, my eBay ID is…kidding!
Comment by purpletwinkie — May 8, 2006 @ 5:27 pm
Huge Day! Congratulations Pauly D!
xoxo
C
Comment by Thoughtsgalore — May 8, 2006 @ 5:48 pm
how exciting! I’ll have to check it out ASAP.
Comment by kristin — May 8, 2006 @ 7:14 pm
If you had your choice between the paperback version of The DaVinci Code and The Lost Blogs I think I know what you should choose.
Clearly, I’d choose The Lost Blogs, and not just because I already read The DaVinci Code. In several sittings at Barnes & Noble. For free, which is the only I wouldn’t feel like I spent too much on another overwritten blockbuster.
I’m betting your book is a ton better. Congrats on the release.
Comment by MarkDM — May 8, 2006 @ 7:28 pm
Paul, congratulations on the official release. I’m enjoying it so far, very clever stuff. Looking forward to seeing these photoshopped Abe pics.
Comment by Karl in the Dark — May 8, 2006 @ 10:57 pm
Way to go my friend. The Malones are proud of you.
Comment by T. Malone — May 8, 2006 @ 11:21 pm
Hi Paul,
Congratulation for your book release. What the book is about.
I hope the other day you came out from the bathroom in one piece only. lol
Cheers
Nidhi
Comment by Nidhi — May 8, 2006 @ 11:31 pm
Aw, I visited too late! I probably would have tried your contest had I visited yesterday. Oh well.
Comment by Anne — May 9, 2006 @ 6:54 am
yea you! hopefully, several million will find those lost blogs
Comment by Kathleen — May 9, 2006 @ 9:01 pm
Congrats!!!
Comment by Nanette — May 9, 2006 @ 11:26 pm