Mr. Skin Interview: “Inches” Second Edition and “Golden Goddesses

Mr. Skin talks to author Jill C. Nelson about the new expanded edition of John Holmes’ Biography and her forthcoming book project, “Golden Goddesses” here: Mr. Skin

Nelson’s next book is due late fall of 2012 and will feature 25 Legendary Women of the Golden Era of Erotic Cinema

Authors Jennifer Sugar and Jill Nelson will be host Christy Canyon’s special guests along with Ms. Laurie Holmes, on “Legends of Porn” at (Playboy) Spice Radio: Sirius 103 XM.   During the designated hour segment, the authors will discuss the legendary John Holmes, in conjunction with their first and definitive biography “John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches” published in August 2008.   We invite you to tune in as Nelson and Sugar continue to celebrate the 3rd anniversary of the book’s publication with a forthcoming 2nd Edition of “Inches” (including 28 additional photos and more) and a soon-to-be released audio version of the bio.

Today marks the 3rd anniversary of the release of John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches.  It is also the 67th birthday of John Holmes.  Authors Jennifer Sugar and Jill Nelson have completed assembling all of the updates, and photo selections for the forthcoming 2nd edition of their biography, to be released by BearManor Media this fall.   With 28 new, and some never-before-seen pictures added, Sugar and Nelson promise that the 2nd edition of their popular book will contain surprises for all fans of the genre, and also for discerning readers.  Jennifer and Jill would like to thank everyone who has purchased the biography, for favorable reviews and comments, and for the continued support of “Inches”.

Kindle News: The upcoming 2nd edition of “Inches” will be reformatted to ensure that the bio is easily transferable to all kindle readers and alternative e-reader devices, putting to rest any issues that some consumers might have experienced with the download to current kindle devices.

Audiobook News: John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches on audio is forthcoming.  Authors Jennifer Sugar and Jill Nelson have been consulting with the audio producer regarding the narrator and selected music that will be utilized to emphasize certain dramatic, humorous and poignant aspects of the book.  We greatly appreciate your patience and promise that the professional completed product soon to be made available for the public, will ensure first rate quality and guaranteed entertainment and production value.

‘Co-authors Jill Nelson and Jennifer Sugar leave no stone unturned with their biography John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches, a well-researched and comprehensive novel documenting the life and times of the well-endowed porn legend.

Featuring comments from over 60 people who knew and/or worked with Holmes, Inches chronicles the captivating, albeit tumultuous life of the King of Porn, from his troubled upbringing, ascension to the top of the adult industry with the Johnny Wadd film series and unusual relationship with underage girlfriend Dawn Schiller to Holmes’ alleged involvement in the 1981 Wonderland Murders and subsequent return to the business that made him famous.

Perhaps the most compelling facet of Inches is the illustration of Holmes’ essentially lonely death in 1988 after becoming infected with a then-relatively new virus known as AIDS, conveyed by both John’s widow Laurie and the man himself from interview excerpts during the latter months of his life.

In addition to Laurie Holmes, those contributing their memories, opinions and stories of John to the book (in both original interviews and statements derived from previous projects) include Schiller, Holmes’ first wife Sharon, Wadd creator Bob Chinn, industry historian Bill Margold, L.A.P.D. homicide detectives Tom Lange and Frank Tomlinson, renowned adult performer and producer Bill Amerson, director Julia St. Vincent and a plethora of porn actors and actresses from the “Golden Era” of XXX such as Gloria Leonard, Ron Jeremy, Juliet Anderson, Ginger Lynn, Sharon Mitchell, Paul Thomas and Buck Adams.

Also included in Inches are author reviews of 200 loops and movies featuring John Holmes, as well as an extensive filmography of titles the actor appeared in during his legendary run as a member of the adult entertainment world.

Overall, John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches is unquestionably the most in-depth look at the life and career of arguably the most iconic figure in the annals of adult cinema.  A highly recommended read for both fans of John Holmes or those interested in the history of porn.’

The Margaret Herrick library (cited as the World’s Preeminent Cinema Research Facility) is located at the Fairbanks Centre for Motion Picture Study in Beverly Hills, and contains a “non-circulating collection, all relating to some aspect of the motion picture industry from its earliest days to the present, includes over 30,000 books and pamphlets, 2400 periodical titles, 80,000 screenplays; hundreds of thousands of production, biography and subject clipping files; 38,000 posters, 10 million photographs and nearly 1500 special collections.”  The facility is designed for archivists, researchers, film students and/or serious film buffs.

Thirty years ago when director Julia St. Vincent interviewed Holmes for Exhausted, she asked where he imagined his films would be in the future.  John responded: “I kind of hope I’m on the  Late, Late Show.  Seriously, like Bogart. Bogart never hit prime ’till way past dead”.  This is a tremendous and exciting honor for the book and for its authors who are pleased that ‘A Life Measured in Inches’, along with its filmography and film/loops reviews, has the distinction of being officially recognized as a reference book for the prestigious and acclaimed Academy Film Library.

Inches on kindle – The biography has been reformatted and returned to kindle this month.  Please also be sure to visit the following amazon link for information about obtaining the paperback copy of John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches that includes all photos, a complete filmography and film reviews: John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches

Inches on Audio - John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches in audio format is still in production in Southern California Studios.  Once again, the finished product promises to be an engaging audio experience (presented by vocal artists) for those who are new to John Holmes’ life and career, and also for readers who already own the paperback and/or kindle versions.   The release date will be announced here as soon as the production is finalized. 

Flesh of the Lotus – We are pleased to announce that Bob Chinn’s first novel, based upon the Johnny Wadd film series, is now available at all major online book retailers including Amazon.com.  To purchase your copy, please visit the following link for more information: Flesh of the Lotus: A Johnny Wadd Novel  Please also visit Bob Chinn’s blog for Flesh of the Lotus here to read book reviews and interviews: Flesh of the Lotus -blog  Cover design and back cover painting is by Denise LaFrance.

When John and Bob Chinn travelled to the beautiful tropical Hawaiian island of Kauai in 1980 for a working vacation, they filmed scenes for two films: Prisoner of Paradise (1980) and Waikiki Wadd, a Hawaiian inspired Johnny Wadd adventure that was never completed.  Chinn has said that John immediately fell in love with the charm of the island and its tranquil calm as he had not visited Kauai before.  Bob had spent many of his childhood years on Kauai and felt it would be an optimum locale for some R&R after he and John finished filming two movies back to back in San Francisco.  Chinn noted that during their two week vacation, John became disinterested in cocaine and instead, revelled in the work by taking care of the production details and cutting paths in the thicket with his machete.  John had also enjoyed his lazy social time on the island and met up with some German tourists.  While standing together on the beach watching the sunset one evening, John told Bob that if he ever disappeared, he could be found on the island of Kauai.  In 2007, Bob revisited the same beach where he and John had walked, and remarked about it during his closing reflective comments in A Life Measured in Inches in the final chapter Remembering John.  “I did manage to go to that beach where John and I had stood those many years ago.  It was twilight and against the beautiful Kauai sunset, I recalled those past times and I thought, ‘Well John, I’m here — so where are you?’  As I turned to leave, a gust of wind blew unexpectedly, sending a sudden chill up my spine, but the breeze slowly died down and everything was quiet again, except the sound of the waves breaking in the distance before they rolled in and washed up on the shore.” – Bob Chinn 

Kauai is known to hold great spiritual power and is a place of enlightenment.  The native Hawaiians believe that certain points on the beach: the Anahola and the Polihale, are symbolic portals for birth, and for departure.  Perhaps Chinn did indeed sense John’s restless spirit stir that day in 2007 while he stood listening to the reasonating sound of the tides.  ~ RIP John