Today would have been Holmes' 64th birthday.

Neither Nelson nor Sugar had any connection to the adult industry prior to writing the book. For Nelson, her curiosity was piqued after watching the 2003 movie Wonderland, starring Val Kilmer in the part of John Holmes.

“Part of my fascination was due to the fact that I had relatively zero knowledge about the adult film industry,” Nelson told XFANZ in a previous interview. “Prior to watching the movie — and like many other mainstream people — I had preconceived notions about the industry and the people in it.”

The co-authors researched Holmes’ life story through extensive interviews with family, friends and contemporaries of Holmes, including Laurie Holmes, Bill Amerson, Bob Chinn, Julia St. Vincent, Detective Tom Lange, Detective Frank Tomlinson, Paul Thomas, Ron Jeremy, Seka, Jamie Gillis, Marilyn Chambers, Candida Royalle, Rhonda Jo Petty, Sharon Mitchell and Bill Margold, among others.

“According to our research and the people we've spoken with, John Holmes was a chameleon; he had the ability to be whatever people wanted him to be at any given time,” Nelson said. “He could be very crafty, and he was street-smart, but he was also bright, funny and as most people know, he had the ability to fabricate and tell entertaining stories that would go beyond the realm of believability.

The signing is shaping up into an event of its own, with several of the interview subjects scheduled to speak including Holmes’ widow Laurie Holmes, classic director Bob Chinn, veteran industry figure Bill Margold and Cass Paley, who directed a video biography of Holmes.

Also slated to appear are veteran performers Ron Jeremy and Rhonda Jo Petty, as well as several behind-the-scenes personalities including cameraman Mark Novick, and photographers Joel Sussman and Kenji.

The event is sponsored by intrepid sibling website XBIZ.com, and a special cake will be created for the event by Cake and Art.

Book Soup, arguably the best bookstore in town — which I have been patronizing since it opened in the mid-'70s and I worked at the Licorice Pizza record store a few doors down at Sunset and San Vicente — is located at 8818 Sunset Blvd. in West Hollywood. For more information, visit the Book Soup website.

After the signing, there will be a free screening of Eruption, starring Holmes, at the Silent Movie Theatre at 611 N. Fairfax Ave. at midnight.