IVY LEAGUE STRIPPER WITH BREAST CANCER BARES BODY AND SOUL IN PROVOCATIVE NEW MEMOIR

Congratulations, sisters! Dame Rocket Press, sister imprint to Three Muses Press, has recently acquired an exciting new title, Magic Gardens: The Memoirs of Viva Las Vegas. Welcome to the family, Viva!

This book is “Pure Viva,” says filmmaker Gus Van Sant. Author Katherine Dunn (Geek Love) says, “Magic Gardens is no mere memoir—all snap, verve, and eloquence, it is the how-to manifesto of a Diva of the Demimonde, and a love song to life on the shady side.”
Here’s the lowdown:

A Midwest preacher’s daughter with a fabulous academic pedigree, Viva could have chosen any career, but chose to become a naked girl. This personalized tour of her milieu offers a unique perspective on a thriving industry that is largely condemned or ignored, while painting portraits of women who are passionate, smart, and entrepreneurial. With language that is at turns gritty and glorious, she preaches new paradigms regarding the sex industry and the women who work in it. Part coming-of-age story, part Portland (Oregon) love letter, and filled with sexy strippers, Magic Gardens appeals to diverse audiences worldwide. It’s a magical tale that makes a valiant case for following one’s dreams, whatever they may be.

Read more about Viva Las Vegas and her fight with breast cancer in Portland Monthly Magazine article, “The Last Days of My Left Breast,” in which she says, “I’m a stripper, rocker, bartender, and writer. I had a lot of plans last year, but none of them involved breast cancer. The disease sidetracked my livelihood, threatened my life, and forced me to reinvent my chest. So far, I’ve lived to tell the tale.”

Magic Gardens is slated for a fall 2009 release. Publicity will be handled by Constance E. Kirk, Publicity Services, in conjunction with Jen Weaver-Neist, Dame Rocket’s publisher. jen@damerocketpress.com.