The Lady Writer - Hard at Work

Here's me. Hard at work. Really.
Yes, I'm finally getting back in the groove after a long bout of Writer's block.

And it's all because of Cindi Loftus.
I wish I could get her to send me a picture of herself. I guess she's shy. I wanted everyone to see the paragon who made me finished my book and who's been responsible for more sales of it than anyone.

Anyway - I'll not wait longer to post this bit of news.
She's got me doing a column. Sort of.
First installment can be found at
http://www.ladieznight.com
I hope to get some pithy comments - on the site and/or by email. All questions will be answered, even if it's with a heartfelt "I donno."
Yes. Yes. Yes. I'm working on book two, Goin' Down in Flames. Not going to make my Christmas deadline, but then, I missed my deadline on The Devil Made Me Do It by two years. Gimme a break. I'm retired. I was tired when I left the skin trade in '79. Now I'm retired. But still having fun.
Oh, BTW, everyone keeps asking me how I keep in such good shape at my age - which I'm proud to reveal is 73. Here's a video of the workout regimen I follow. It really works.

Oh HORRORS - Where will it end?

If you're into sex film history, tune in to Jackalope 105 FM for a Halloween treat.






42nd Street Pete called me and we chatted for hours. One hour's worth of our remicences will air Saturday, October 31st at 7pm PDT and will repeat Monday, November 2nd - same time. Here's the link to his site for more info and where you can click and listen from any computer that has even the most primitive sound card - like mine.
http://www.jackalope105fm.com/








In other news, two of the contributors to David Sterry's HIGHLY ACCLAIMED (even made the cover of the New York freakin Times Book Review by gosh) anthology, Hos, Hookers, Call Girls, and Rent Boys, have a forum called Three Naked Ladies where sex workers and other interested parties exchange histories and opinions. Yours truly joins the conversation on November 4 at http://dirtygirldiaries.com and http://laurishaw.com.


In spite of having made nearly a hundred hard-core sex films, I knew zilch about the real world of sex-for-money - until I read this book - and then got to meet some of the other contributors at the readings we did here in LA. These ladies ROCK.

Flash for the CIA: Want to get information out of a suspected terrorist? Forget water boarding, snarly mastiffs, or other primitive torture. Tie 'em up in a US Airways coach seat and make 'em sit there until they talk. It won't take long. I've ALMOST recovered from my flights to and from San Francisco last month. Another week of physical therapy should do it. Can't sit too long at the computer yet, though, so, for now, th-th-th-th---that's all folks.


HAVE A HAPPY HALOWEENIE

Good Vibes gets Gooder

Ahhhhhhh good old Good Vibes
How I love that store - and the great folks who keep the flame there.
They hosted me for another sign and schmooze session Sept. 16th






There I met David Sternberg who just sent me these pictures. Email www.davidsteinberg.us





Here's me with Aunt Peg (Juliet Anderson).



She gave me a copy of her dvd, Ageless Desire. It is a beautiful tribute to the undying fascination of - as dear Dr. Ruth would phrase it - GOOD SEX.










And I met Ruby Violence,



















And Liz Earls - she's the tall one. Meeting her for lunch this coming Friday.




















Carol Queen is a most gracious hostess. We had a great Italian dinner between bookstore and theater gigs.

Howie and Jeremy Gordon put me up for the night and - bless him - Howie ferried me to and from the airport. What a guy.














I've been remiss (again) in filing this report as the US Airways flights left me with so much back pain, I just haven't been able to sit at the computer since I got home. Thank GAWD for the gym. I'm ambulatory again, anyway.

Book Soup Revisited

Hos, Hookers, Call Girls, and Rent Boys
a collection of stories from the bordellos, streets, strip clubs, porno sets, and posh hotels of the seamier side of life has been launched and has achieved orbit.

Seven of the contributing authors met with our guru and book mavin, David Henry Sterry and his co-conspirator, Richard Martin, at the ever glorious, valiant and victorious Book Soup last evening, September 3rd.

A goodly crowd attended and could not have been more encouraging as we each read from our essays. This book has "taken off like a snapped g-string," per David, who nurtured us fledgling writers and got our stories into print. Considering how difficult it is to get anything published on actual real paper, this is not a meager accomplishment. I'm sure all of those whose work was chosen to be included are as grateful and amazed as I.

In case you missed us at Book Soup, do not despair. We're doing another reading session at Hustlers Hollywood Wednesday, September 9th at 8pm.

Two Firefighters Die

The stark headline slammed down on my front porch two minutes ago. How could I possibly have compared this real life horror surrounding us to a movie?

New Book, New Bookings

Vacation's Over
Back to work. Thursday, September 7th - YIKES - that's this week!!!
READING at BOOK SOUP.

No no no - not yet another reading of my memoir, The Devil Made Me Do It - though I will be doing more of that in San Francisco September 16th at Good Old Good Vibes Erotic Emporium. The one on Polk Street. That's from 5 to 7pm - preceding a screening of The Devil in Miss Jones at the Lumiere Theater. All part of the Good Vibrations FOURTH ANNUAL Independent Erotic Film Festival.

No. This is a new book, Hos, Hookers, Call Girls, and Rent Boys.
I contributed a big fat six page essay.

You may have seen the Great Review it got in (be still my heart) the New York Freakin Times?!
Front page of the book section. I'm still breathing hard.
Whoops - just tried that and it seems old snooty NYT makes you join to read their stuff.

David Sterry (co-collector of these stories) just sent me these links to other reviews, and you don't have to join anything to read 'em. Some of them even mention me.

http://therumpus.net/2009/08/hos-hookers-call-girls-and-rent-boys-professionals-writing-on-life-love-money-and-sex/
http://tigerbeatdown.com/?p=448#more-448
http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6667888.html?
http://www.nypress.com/article-20211-the-happy-hook-book.html

It's hot, the air smells like an old ashtray, and we're watching the fires on TV as they're being fought by our heroes. Who needs adventure movies when you live in LA?

The Amazing Mr. Crisp

If you don't know who Quentin Crisp is - read Naked Civil Servent - or see the film. I loved the book too much to see the film, but I've heard it's quite wonderful.
An avant guarde film maker, David Nahmod, hired me to protray the mother of a man who dies of AIDS in a poignant "small" film called Red Ribbons. To my great delight, I learned that the "Effin Ineffible" Mr. Crisp would be in the cast! I rushed out to buy an additional copy of the above-mentioned signature memoir in order to have my very own SIGNED copy of it. We were shooting in New York, and my copy was back home in L.A. On the first day of the shoot, I tremulously approached Mr. Crisp and asked for his autograph on the fly leaf. "Why, how sweet of you. And you must give me yours, as well," he graciously replied, whipping out the call sheet for the shoot for me to sign. David had the still photographer on the set snap a quick shot of "his guest celebrities" and this is the result.
And here is a slef-portrait done on the spot and sent to me by the owner, Steve Lopez. Check out HIS art here.