"The Ritz Hotel was grand, sophisticated, and established, unlike me. The only thing we had in common was fa?ade. Mine may not have been as ornate but it was equally phony. I was presenting myself as an escort; I advertised as one, negotiated like one on the phone, and I identified as one to whoever was interested. I even simulated sex for escort rates."

— Aiden Shaw, Sordid Truths: Selling My Innocence for a Taste of Stardom 🌸

"...no matter how frequently we came, when we arrived, they acted as if we had been away one hundred years. [His grandparents' greeting.]"

— James Vescovi, Eat Now; Talk Later: 52 True Tales of Family, Feasting, and the American Dream 🌸

"Maybe he'd never come acrross anybody as well versed at objectifying body parts as I was. In my defense, this was an occupational hazard; one of the tricks of my trade was the ability to work with whatever was at hand. Over the years I'd learned to pinpoint my focus to the width of a pubic hair if there was nothing else to work with."

— Aiden Shaw, Sordid Truths: Selling My Innocence for a Taste of Stardom 🌸

"Maybe he'd never come acrross anybody as well versed at objectifying body parts as I was. In my defense, this was an occupational hazard; one of the tricks of my trade was the ability to work with whatever was at hand. Over the years I'd learned to pinpoint my focus to the width of a pubic hair if there was nothing else to work with. (...) Before my eyes -or, more precisely, in my mind- Rasher became Lovely Bum Man."

— Aiden Shaw, Sordid Truths: Selling My Innocence for a Taste of Stardom 🌸

"She had privacy, and the privilege of walking up and down the same battlements as the sentries."

— John Peter Nettl, Rosa Luxemburg 🌸

"Desolina and Tony had attended one-room schoolhouses until the third grade. ... According to Tony, there were hardly enough pencils and sober teachers to go around. [Author's grandparents educational background.]"

— James Vescovi, Eat Now; Talk Later: 52 True Tales of Family, Feasting, and the American Dream 🌸

"The art stream is filled with snags and has no volume so it has no support. If you finally choose art, no amount of reason or common sense can discourage you. You must selfishly carry on."

— Theresa Sjoquist, Yvonne Rust: Maverick Spirit 🌸

"I don't know enough to have any regrets"

— Vince Grabin 🌸