Prostitution 
Like it or not, the exchange of hard cash for sexual favors is the world's oldest profession. It may be humanity's most widespread business pursuit as well. Studies indicate there are more prostitutes in the world today than there have been at any time in history, and their numbers are not shrinking. As a case in point, an estimated half a million persons were selling sex in Thailand alone in the mid-1980's. More recently, that figure has grown to two million.
Although many books and movies have addressed this subject in the past, the majority misportray what goes on down those lamp-lit streets behind the locked doors and shuttered windows. Some have trivialized the role of sex-providers, casting them as carefree and even humorous (The Happy Hooker?... Sweet Charity?). Others have glossed over the hardships of prostitution, making "the life" seem romantic (The World of Suzie Wong?... Erma la Douce?), or else errored too far in the opposite direction, painting it as a thoroughly sordid vice. The flesh trade has its intrigues as well as its horrors. It also contains tremendous complexity within the simple premise which is the title of my book: Sex for Money. I thought it was time to focus on the reality of this thriving business which polite society ignores. And it is a business, no matter what ethical standards or moral values one seeks to measure it by.
I chose for the main character not a woman but a man, because -- if you think about it -- there are several times more men engaged in prostitution than there are women. Very few prostitutes are able to earn a living off a single client. I also selected an unconventional, episodic structure for the book, because "the acts" are essentially isolated events, related only in the mind of that character who "collects" sexual experiences rather like a philatelist might collect stamps, as a hobby. The incidents can be viewed individually or as a group, chronologically or even out of sequence. The traditional concept of plot, therefore, does not apply to this story, which is a night-long dialogue taking place in a New York hotel room. But the reader will see character development as the collector passes from relative naiveté to outright debauchery and eventually a level of insight. And there is, most definitely, a beginning, middle, and surprise ending to the novel.
Many of my friends have asked me, jokingly, if the book was written from personal experience. All I can say is that the characters and episodes are fictional, but they are based upon real people and events. I had a great deal of help from others in the research and drafts, relying considerably upon the expertise of a former call girl who, for obvious reasons, is claiming no part of the authorship. When the book is published, I intend to give a portion of the sales proceeds to shelters and groups who help women escape and recover from "the life."