John Holmes - the book!

Second Edition of "Inches" Now Available on Kindle

2011-12-20T07:05:00.000-08:00

Jennifer and I would like to share that the revised and updated Second Edition of John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches is now available at Amazon.com as a kindle e-reader. The new version includes over 25 new photos added (with nudes) and also updates. For more information on how to order "Inches" for a kindle device or for a personal computer please visit the following link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006NZS2RO

We would also like to take this time to wish everyone a very Happy Holiday Season and all our best for the coming year.

Mr. Skin Interview "Inches" & "Goddesses"

2011-11-19T11:16:00.000-08:00

The following is an interview I did recently with Mr. Skin about the second edition of John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches" and also about my forthcoming release, Golden Goddesses: 25 Legendary Women of Erotic Cinema (1968-1985) ~ Jill

Jill C. Nelson: The Mr. Skin Skinterview

John Holmes Bio - 2nd Edition now available!

2011-10-27T08:14:00.000-07:00

In the few months since we last communicated here at our blog and at our website: http://www.johnholmesinches.com/ Jennifer and I, along with our publisher BearManor Media, have been busy putting the finishing touches on the additions for the updated editon of "Inches". We are proud to announce that on Monday October 31st, 2011, the 2nd (600 page) edition that contains over 25 "new" photos (some never-before-seen) is slated for availability at all major online retailers including Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/John-Holmes-Measured-Inches-Second/dp/1593936745/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1320406766&sr=1-3

On a related note, we are excited to inform readers that in the coming weeks John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches will also be available in hard cover at Cover Out: http://coverout.com/index.php?route=product/product&filter_name=John%20Holmes&product_id=217

For consumers interested in owning a personally signed copy of the book (soft or hard cover) please contact us through our publisher: books@benohmart.com. We hope the new edition and hardcover copies will further enhance your enjoyment of our original publication. For those of you who are new to the book, we encourage you to journey through the life and times of the world's most legendary icon in the history of the erotic film industry.

Once more, we'd like to thank to all readers who have supported us and our book over the past three plus years. It's been an exhilarating ride.

Enjoy!

~Jill & Jennifer~

"Legends" Spice Radio Interview: August 27th, 2011

2011-08-19T21:08:00.000-07:00

Jennifer and I would like to announce that we will be special guests on "Legends of Porn" with host, Christy Canyon, next Saturday August 27th at 2:30pm Eastern on (Playboy) Spice Radio: Sirius 103 XM. We will discuss erotic film legend John Holmes, in conjunction with our first and definitive biography, "John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches". Ms. Laurie Holmes will be joining us for the designated hour interview segment. We hope you'll tune in as we continue to celebrate the third anniversary of our book's publication with a forthcoming 2nd Edition of "Inches" (including 28 additional photos and more!), along with a soon-to-be released audio format.

Please also visit us at http://www.johnholmesinches.com/

August 8, 2011 - "Inches" 2nd Edition Coming Soon!

2011-08-08T12:38:00.000-07:00

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. Jennifer and I have been working for the past month assembling all of the updates, and photo selections for the forthcoming 2nd edition of our biography, to be released by BearManor Media this fall. With 28 new, and some never-before-seen pictures added, we can promise that the new edition of the popular book will contain surprises for all fans of the genre, and also for discerning readers. Stay tuned for news of the re-release! Thank you for your continued support of our book and for all positive feedback. It is greatly appreciated!

For book excerpts, reviews, articles, and more, please be sure to also visit us at: http://www.johnholmesinches.com/

John Holmes Biography Updates

2011-07-14T10:52:00.000-07:00

Paperback News: We are pleased to announce that BearManor Media will be releasing a 2nd edition copy of John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches at a date soon to be determined. The new edition product that will also be available on kindle and other e-readers will contain over 25 new photos, critics’ praise and additional tidbits.

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. Jennifer and I 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.

New Book Review!

2011-06-23T09:46:00.000-07:00

With the third year anniversary of “INCHES” just on the horizon in August, and the book awaiting its debut in audio format, it is gratifying for Jennnifer and I to continue to receive great press for our collaborative achievement. Recently, Adam Wilcox of XXX Wasteland reviewed John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches and posted his comments and a new author interview at his blog: http://xxxwasteland.wordpress.com/2011/06/22/xxx-wasteland-exclusive-interview-jill-nelson/ The following excerpt contains the review portion of the piece:

‘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.’

Thanks, Adam.

An Honour for John Holmes Biography

2011-05-21T12:41:00.000-07:00

John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches was recently added to the renowned Margaret Herrick Film Research Library collection at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills. The Academy’s extensive library of material on films was named after Margaret Herrick, formerly, the Academy’s first librarian.

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 us. We 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.

John Curtis Holmes: 1944-1988

2011-03-13T08:10:00.000-07:00

Prisoner of Paradise:

Today, March 13th, marks the official passing of John Curtis Holmes, although John actually passed away on March 12th, 1988. Because the coroner didn’t arrive until the 13th, it is the 13th of March that has always been on record. When John and Bob Chinn visted the beautiful Hawaiian tropical 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. Bob noted that during their two weeks 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 had 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. “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

Book Updates

2011-03-01T08:15:00.000-08:00

*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.

*Inches on kindle – The biography has been reformatted and returned to kindle this past week including all photos, filmography and film reviews.

*Please also be sure to visit amazon.com 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: http://www.amazon.com/John-Holmes-Life-Measured-Inches/dp/1593933029/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_t

*Flesh of the Lotus: A Johnny Wadd Novel – 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: http://www.amazon.com/Flesh-Lotus-Bob-Chinn/dp/1593933606/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1299090814&sr=1-1

*Please also visit the official website for all information about the first and definitive John Holmes biography at: http://www.johnholmesinches.com/

Kindle book update

2011-01-26T09:16:00.000-08:00

The kindle book version of John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches is temporarily absent from the Amazon.com website. Due to a glitch in the table of contents, it is currently being reformatted and will be promptly be available again for purchase. Please check back soon for another update. We apologize for any inconvenience!

Jill & Jennifer

John Holmes A Life Measured in Inches - Audio

2011-01-16T12:33:00.001-08:00

The John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches biography for audio format is presently in the hands of a production team based in Southern California. The recent decision was made to use professional voice actors to read the parts of all of the players including the narrative. After listening to a sample, it is our pleasure to share the news that the product is of high quality and promises to be an engaging experience for all listeners. It is thrilling to hear the words of John Holmes and the people in his life - along with our written narrative, interpreted by various talented actors committed to making this a tremendous auditory experience.

The finished product will be ready in early 2011 and available for mp3/ipod, and other devices through Amazon.com and additional online book retailers -- to be announced. We greatly appreciate your patience.

http://www.johnholmesinches.com/

RIP John Leslie

2010-12-08T09:11:00.000-08:00

On Sunday December 5th, 2010, Adult Industry Legend, John Leslie, passed away from Cardiac Arrest at his home in Marin County, California at age 65. Leslie who is a highly regarded thespian, director, musician, artist and gourmet chef, is the second legendary male performer to have passed away this year; Jamie Gillis died in February. John Leslie was one of a significant core group of Golden Era male stars who was inducted into the XRCO Hall of Fame after John Holmes on February 14th, 1985. Leslie and Holmes appeared together in Swedish Erotica Loops and several feature films including The Erotic Adventures of Candy, Lust at First Bite, and Insatiable. A Life Measured in Inches contains interview material with the late Mr. Leslie.

http://www.johnholmesinches.com/

New Book Review

2010-11-11T11:23:00.001-08:00

Although her website is specific to novels focusing on old school romance, Terri, from Bodice Ripper Novels.com recently requested a copy of John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches for review on her website and blog. She gave the book a 4 1/2 star rating out of 5. On November 10th, Terri posted her comments. To read her thoughts, please visit: http://bodicerippernovels.wordpress.com/

More 'Johnny Wadd' News

2010-11-01T19:39:00.000-07:00

There is more exciting news for Johnny Wadd creator and director, Bob Chinn. In addition to the forthcoming release of his first novel, Flesh of the Lotus, published by BearManor Fiction and based upon the second film of the nine-part adult detective series, Bob Chinn will also be the subject of a new Hollywood feature biopic that will center on his 10 year professional relationship with John Holmes. Producers have already started casting for the film. For more information, please read this item posted at Adult Video News: http://business.avn.com/articles/Bob-Chinn-Pens-Series-of-Novels-Based-on-Johnny-Wadd-Films-416760.html Congratulations, Bob!
http://www.johnholmesinches.com/

About Johnny Wadd

2010-10-25T19:44:00.000-07:00

The film noir character, private detective Johnny Wadd, made famous by John Holmes, was created by Bob Chinn in 1970. Chinn was a UCLA film school graduate who had started directing adult pictures by default, in order to raise his young family when he was unable to find suitable employment on mainstream Hollywood sets. During his studies, Chinn became friendly with a couple of students (Jim Morrison and Ray Manzarek) who would later become famous as the two main attractions in the renowned musical group, The Doors in the late 1960s. The irony of having known two of the most notable individuals in pop culture, Jim Morrison and John Holmes, is not lost on Bob Chinn.

To commemorate the publication of Bob Chinn's debut novel, Flesh of the Lotus (the first of a six part series), is a special Johnny Wadd page (derived from A Life Measured in Inches) now available at johnholmesinches.com as a tie-in with the book's release.

John Holmes, Johnny Wadd

2010-09-13T13:53:00.000-07:00

Related Book News:

Flesh of the Lotus: A Johnny Wadd Novel by Bob Chinn

For fans of the erotic film noir ‘Johnny Wadd’ detective series, Jennifer and I are excited to announce the news that our friend, Bob Chinn (Johnny Wadd creator and director), has written his first complete novel, Flesh of the Lotus: A Johnny Wadd Novel, to be released by BearManor Fiction toward the end of 2010. Chinn has proven in his debut as an author to be a talented crime novelist who will pen six books based upon the JW series, including the unfinished, Waikiki Wadd. A special “Johnny Wadd” page derived from A Life Measured in Inches will be forthcoming to http://www.johnholmesinches.com/ as a tie-in with the release of Flesh of the Lotus. Bob Chinn’s personal comments below are excerpted from the book’s Introduction:

“I had always wanted to make a film with a sort of film noir type theme so I thought that this might be a good time to try this out. John would play a private dick with a big dick. I dashed off a quick script on the back of a legal-sized envelope. I was still having trouble coming up with a name for the private detective. We had been talking about the girls we were going to cast in the film and then the conversation came around to how much we disliked shooting those pull out and visibly shoot it all over climax scenes that theater owners insisted on, and then we were discussing the guy we had just hired and Alain casually remarked, “God, the wad that guy must be able to shoot with a cock like that,” and then I knew that we had it. “Johnny Wadd,” I said. “With two d’s – we’ll call him Johnny Wadd.”

In this book I have tried to depict the character as more or less as I had originally envisioned him and would have liked him to be, and the story is set in the very era in which he was created. It was the era of the Vietnam War when both our country and our society were in the beginning stages of undergoing a radical transformation.

Johnny Wadd, the private detective character that I have depicted in this book was a part of that revolutionary era and he should not be confused with John Holmes the man, even though somehow they seem to have become almost inextricably linked by history into a single person.” - Bob Chinn

"INCHES" Celebrates 2nd Anniversary!

2010-08-08T09:26:00.000-07:00

Today marks the second Anniversary of the publication and launch of John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches hosted by Book Soup in Hollywood, California. It is also the 66th birthday of our book's legendary and infamous subject - John Curtis Holmes. To commemorate this occasion, Jennifer and I look forward to the fall release of our bio in an audio version that will initially be available as an mp3/download. (We recorded the book over a week at my home in Southern Ontario, in July.) This will be the book's third format, in addition to paperback and kindle available at http://www.amazon.com/John-Holmes-Life-Measured-Inches/dp/1593933029

We would also like to remind readers that for those interested in an autographed softcover of the biography signed by both authors, we have three available copies. For more information, you may contact us through our webmaster at: info@johnholmesinches.com or our personal e-mail address at: sugar.and.nelson@gmail.com

Leo birthday Trivia:

Under the Zodiac, John Holmes was born a Leo and often referred to himself as a "Triple Leo". Here are some rather interesting and entertaining characteristics that constitute people who are born under the Leo sign. Many of these same characteristics would describe my late father-in-law, who was born on August 9th. :)

The Leo type is the most dominant, spontaneously creative and extrovert of all the zodiacal characters. In grandeur of manner, splendor of bearing and magnanimity of personality, they are the monarch's among humans as the lion is king of beasts. They are ambitious, courageous, dominant, strong willed, positive, independent and self-confident.

In his or her relations with others the Leo type is open, sincere, genuine and trusting. They are outgoing, spontaneously warm hearted and plain spoken, though never lacking in kindliness.

Leonians think and act bigger than others would normally dare; the ambitiousness of their schemes and idealism sometimes daunt their followers. If Leonians meet with setbacks they thrive on the adversity.

Their faults can be as large in scale as their virtues, and an excessively negative Leonian can be one of the most unpleasant human beings imaginable, displaying extreme arrogance, autocratic pride, haughtiness, and excessive hastiness of temper.

Leo's have a strong sex drive and are so attracted to the opposite sex that they find it hard to be constant; they can be so intensely sexual as to become dissolute. They may have numerous love affairs for their love of pleasure and beauty is liable to drive them from one attractive partner to another. They are very much inclined to deceive. Their marriages may fail for the same reason, yet they are sincere and generous to their lovers while love lasts...

Add to them a passion for luxury, a lust for power and emotional indulgence. If artistic, Leos can become stars of stage or screen.

- RIP John

http://www.johnholmesinches.com/

Exxxstacy Show Update!

2010-07-23T12:26:00.001-07:00

The Exxxstacy Show 2010 in Rosemont, Chicago, July 16th-18th, was a tremendous success! Although Jennifer had recently returned from visiting Chicago just prior to her trip to my home and wasn't able to attend, she and I signed several copies of "Inches" during her stay which almost sold out at the show!

During the three day convention, I conversed with many inquisitive and wonderful people and I was invited to be a guest on Christy Canyon's Sirius Satellite Playboy radio broadcast, live from the Donald E. Stephen's Centre. (Two summers ago, Jennifer, Laurie Holmes and I were Christy Canyon and Vanessa Blue's guests on Playboy Radio's 'Nightcalls' during 'Legends' week, on the eve of our book launch in Hollywood, California.) I was also pleased to meet one of the Golden Age's most prestigious stars, Ginger Lynn Allen, during our three day stay in the Windy city. This past winter I interviewed Ginger via telephone for a forthcoming book project, so I was very happy to finally make her acquaintance in person.

I was honoured to be asked to be interviewed on-camera by filmmaker, Valerie Gobos, for an upcoming documentary on the legendary Ms. Marilyn Chambers; we conducted one of the final interviews with Chambers for our bio two years prior to her untimely death in 2009. At the top of this blog, I am pictured along with Valerie Gobos, and "Chicago" Joe Rubin, an astute adult film historian who is integral to the Marilyn Chambers documentary.

Thanks so much to everyone who came out and stopped by our booth! It was an absolute pleasure to meet you all during my short but very enjoyable trip to Chi-Town!

** In other news, Jennifer and I are thrilled to announce that we successfully completed recording our book for the upcoming audio format. It was a challenging process, but also an extremely fun endeavor. Please stay tuned for news on availability later this year.

http://www.johnholmesinches.com/

Chicago Adult Show - July 2010

2010-07-12T20:02:00.000-07:00

The adult Exxxstacy show will be held at the Donald E. Stevens Convention Centre in Chicago, Illinois on July 16th, 17th & 18th, sponsored by Taboo Productions. (The Centre is located just five minutes from O’Hare airport.)

I will be available with signed copies of A Life Measured in Inches (by both Jennifer and myself) for sale, and look forward to meeting Golden Age fans!

John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches is also available for purchase on kindle; the upcoming audiobook and mp3/download formats will be available later this year. (Jennifer and I are currently recording “Inches” at my home in Ontario, Canada.)

For members of the media interested in an interview during the three day engagement, please write to: info@johnholmesinches.com or mailto:sugar.and.nelson@gmail.com

Please also visit the Official Event website for more information and to learn how to purchase tickets: Exxxstacy Show – entertainment

http://www.johnholmesinches.com/

INCHES Filmography - Reference Guide

2010-06-30T07:01:00.000-07:00

John Holmes’ vast loop and film work is unrivaled today by any adult star. In addition to being the definitive biography on the adult film world’s biggest icon, A Life Measured in Inches' 21 page filmography has widely been credited as an excellent reference guide. Holmes is one of the very few actors to have worked over three decades, performing in all facets of adult entertainment including: nude modeling, nudist shorts, black and white loops, mail order, simulated sex, softcore and hardcore erotic scenes and feature movies.

He is the first actor to have portrayed a recurring character in an adult series (spanning almost 10 years) as private detective Johnny Wadd. John Holmes is the very first X-Rated performer to have been inducted in the XRCO (X-Rated Critics Organization) Hall of Fame in 1985, and he is the profession’s first International star. Due to continued avid interest in Holmes’ legend and male superstar status, a substantial portion of Holmes’ film library has been carefully restored, digitalized and transferred from the masters, making some of his work available for purveyers for the first time.

The best selection of John Holmes early loops and feature films reviewed by Jennifer and myself for the book can be immediately accessed and enjoyed through VOD at: John Holmes.com

www.johnholmesinches.com

John Holmes Biography is on Kindle

2010-06-13T08:30:00.000-07:00

Jennifer and I are excited to announce that John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches has been published by BearManor Media as an Amazon kindle e-reader book on June 10, 2010. The kindle version of “Inches” is immediately available at Amazon.com for $13.95. Please visit this link for purchasing information: Inches on Kindle

Note: The audio format of John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches will be available later on this year.

Size Matters - Book Review by Rob Hardy

2010-05-21T15:08:00.001-07:00

Rob Hardy is a book reviewer for The Commercial Dispatch in Columbus, Mississippi. He is also a practicing psychiatrist for Community Counseling Services in Columbus. Mr. Hardy is a top reviewer for Amazon.com, where a condensed version of this review can also be found. The following review is for The Dispatch.

Size Matters - Book Review by Rob Hardy

"John Holmes had an enormous penis. It would be unfair to say that this fact is the only interesting thing about him, but it really was the only remarkable thing. It was also the thing that determined how his life was going to go. It was what got him into pornography and made him a nationally-recognized star, and that in turn got him involved in drugs and crime and AIDS. If there were nothing to his life besides his record-breaking anatomy, Jennifer Sugar and Jill C. Nelson would not have had much to compile in their book _John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches_ (BearManor Media). They have, however, dug so deeply into what was written about the man during his career and what people remembered afterwards that this surely will be the definitive biography. It is almost 600 pages long, although that includes 150 pages of filmography at the end of the book, a list of all the known loops and films Holmes was in, along with a list of reviews of his more famous movies. The text of the book is not a traditional biography. It consists of quotations from many articles, books, and documentary films, as well as from interviews the authors conducted themselves. These are arranged chronologically, and if there is a lack of analysis in this biography, it is made up by the immediacy of the words from Holmes himself, his costars, directors, business partners, prosecutors, wives, and godchildren.

Well, first things first. The book’s subtitle makes plain that inches were the measurement of the man. How big was it? Well, big. No one who has seen a Holmes film will deny that; even his costar and competitor Ron Jeremy admitted himself to be second best in the size department. The problem with penis measurement is that even the anatomists have not come up with a foolproof, standardized way to measure a penis, and then there are all sorts of variables like temperature and degree of tumescence. There are no films of Holmes close to a ruler, but there are reports that he approached the fourteen inch mark, and such reports will not be incredible to those familiar with his films. In the films, too, it is obvious that Holmes’s erections were different from those of other men, and not just by size. His erection would not point upward; that’s just a matter of gravity. But also, his erection didn’t have the sort of firmness that typifies a tumescent penis of ordinary size. There was a standing joke that Holmes never got a full erection, because it would take so much blood he would lose consciousness. Annette Haven starred with him in several features, and found that Holmes’s erection collapsed down; it was “kind of squishy when erect, so actually it wasn’t that uncomfortable... it was like doing it with a big, soft loofah...” However, Ginger Lynn, who was lowered onto Holmes while hanging from a bar in the film _The Grafenberg Spot_, said that being in labor and having a child was easier than getting Holmes inside her.

Holmes, however, is given accolades for being a gentle lover. One star after another (girlfriends and wives, too) say that he knew he might cause some discomfort, and was always solicitous, saying things like “Is it okay? Do you want to stop?” Unlike many well-endowed men, he realized that there was a great deal more to lovemaking than just presenting a large package, and he is praised in these pages for his skill at different forms of foreplay. (He is also praised for an unusual skill which was useful for the directors he worked with: he was able to have an orgasm on cue. Annette Haven said, “He was a professional; got it up, got it off, and got the hell out of your hair.”) Many people make remarks on how nice a guy he was, consistently affable and helpful at least before the drug years started. A male costar remembers, “He would help carry equipment in from the truck and help set it up. He was almost an extension of the crew. You’d never see that today.” He enjoyed being a star, and was gracious with fans and fellow performers. Costar Richard Pacheco had his picture taken with Holmes and had Holmes sign it; the inscription shows some of Holmes’s graciousness and humor: “To Richard Pacheco, who taught me everything I know.” A surprising source of praise comes from the children of Bill Amerson, an adult talent agent and film producer. Sean and Denise Amerson were made Holmes’s godchildren, and Holmes was caring to both of them even during his bad years. Sean here tells a hilarious story of when he was called to the principal’s office, and since his father was not available, Holmes was called. The principal asked Sean beforehand, “That’s not _The_ John Holmes, is it?” and got confirmation. Holmes was serious about Sean’s infraction, discussed recompense and punishment sensibly, and everyone walked away satisfied. “Incidentally,” says Sean, “I was famous in high school from that day on.”

Holmes had two downfalls. One was cocaine, which he started using in the mid-seventies. He had been a Scotch drinker and casual pot smoker, but cocaine, often freebased, took over. Some of his most famous movies are from this time, before the cocaine began to be a problem, but eventually he was stealing props from his sets and selling them, or stealing from fellow actors, breaking into cars, or ripping off luggage at the airport. It isn’t a unique pattern, but it was grim. He worked for a drug supply gang, and stole drugs and money from them. His involvement led to his presence at the horrific revenge murder of the Wonderland Gang in 1981. Holmes was eventually charged with the four murders, but he was acquitted. He thereupon went relatively straight, and any use of drugs became just a recreation, not an obsession. He was able to make a happy comeback into his industry. He had been married, almost secretly, for nineteen years, when his first wife had had enough and sought divorce in 1983, but he formed a strong and supportive second marriage with his comeback costar “Misty Dawn”, a.k.a. Laurie Holmes. He was doing well until he contracted AIDS, the second downfall. It is not clear how he got it, but the knowledge that he had the disease propelled him back to using drugs. He also had unprotected sex with other performers during his final years, including the Italian actress (and member-to-be of the Italian parliament) Cicciolina in 1986, but there are no indications that he passed the disease to anyone. He made public appearances and autograph stops thereafter, but his physical appearance and abilities deteriorated. He died in 1988, aged 43.

Sugar and Nelson have not just given an account of Holmes’s unique life, although they have done that in astonishing detail. They have not been obsequious in praise of “The King,” nor have they neglected to detail his many flaws without excusing the questionable morality of some of Holmes’s off-screen actions (whatever you think of his on-screen ones). This is a look at a time when pornographic movies were going mainstream, an epoch before straight-to-video movies and before the internet. The time included not only Holmes’s first film (1970) in the famous _Johnny Wadd_ series, filmed in one day for $750; but also films with close-to-mainstream production values like the final in the series, The Return of _Johnny Wadd (1986). It’s the period of time covered by the wonderful Holmes-inspired movie, _Boogie Nights_, and any fan of that movie, of adult films, or of Holmes himself will be impressed by the thoroughness of this volume and its, uh, size."

Please also visit http://www.johnholmesinches.com/ for regular updates and news. The 1986 audio interview with John Holmes is now available for access from the home page and also, under the "Goodies" header marked "audiofile".

John Holmes: Upcoming 1986 Audio Interview

2010-05-14T15:16:00.000-07:00

With special thanks to Ms. Laurie Holmes and The Official John Holmes website at: http://www.johnholmes.com/ portions of a rare audio interview with John will soon be available as an audiofile at the newly revamped http://www.johnholmesinches.com/

After his acquittal for first degree murder charges and up until the final year of his life, John made personal recordings and participated in audio interviews that he planned to use to write his memoirs (Porn King, published posthumously in 1998). A portion of these tapes were also utilized as resource material for John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches. In the upcoming featured segment, taped in 1986, John discusses The Return of Johnny Wadd (produced by Penguin, the adult company that he founded with business partner, Bill Amerson) and his insights on the adult genre, in general. Please stay tuned.

In other news, preparations for Exxxstacy Show Chicago 2010 in July are underway!

Chicago Exxxstacy Show - July 2010

2010-04-27T09:43:00.000-07:00

Jennifer and I have been invited to be exhibitors at this summer's Adult "Exxxstacy Show" in Chicago, during July 16th, 17th and 18th! The three day special engagement, sponsored by Taboo Productions, will be held at the Donald E. Stevens Conference Centre located on 5555 North River Rd., in Rosedale, Illinois - five miles from O'Hare airport. We will discuss and sign copies of A Life Measured in Inches while promoting the audiobook and mp3/download formats of our biography, due out later this year. This will be an exciting opportunity to meet with the public and members of the media in the Chicago area and outskirts. Also planned are special tributes to John Holmes and the legendary Marilyn Chambers, with details to follow later.

For members of the media interested in speaking with us during the convention, please write to: info@johnholmesinches.com or sugar.and.nelson@gmail.com

Please also visit the Official Event website for more information about star appearances and to learn how to purchase tickets: Exxxstacy Show – entertainment

The Definitive Johnny Wadd

2010-04-01T14:26:00.000-07:00

In March, I was Chip Rowe's guest on his radio program, "The Playboy Advisor" at Sirius Satellite Radio. Rowe graciously praised our biography:

"John Holmes is probably best known for his role as private detective Johnny Wadd. Jennifer Sugar and Jill C. Nelson have written the definitive biography of John Holmes based largely on interviews they did with everyone involved in his life. It’s a very fascinating book and has a lot of different voices in it.” – Chip Rowe

In his April 2010 online column, "The Daily Advisor" for Playboy Magazine, Rowe summarizes our book in his piece, The Definitive Johnny Wadd, along with an edited version of our conversation.

To listen to the full radio interview that aired on March 24th, please click on the link below and highlight - Playboy Advisor Interview: http://www.johnholmesinches.com/goodies/audio

To listen to the full radio interview vingette at you tube, please click on the link below and highlight - Playboy Advisor Interview: http://www.johnholmesinches.com/goodies/392

The Playboy Advisor - March 24th, 2010

2010-03-21T10:47:00.001-07:00

The Playboy Advisor radio segment with Playboy Magazine's Senior Editor, Chip Rowe, taped on March 4th will air on Wednesday March 24th at 1:00pm Eastern (10:00am PST) and repeat at 6:00pm (3:00pm PST) Eastern. The Playboy Advisor can be located at Sirius/XM Satellite Ch. 99. For those who don’t have Sirius/XM, you can listen online free for the first 30 days after registration. Please see: The Daily Advisor article for more details.

The interview will also be available soon at http://www.johnholmesinches.com/. Enjoy!

March 13th 2010 - In Review

2010-03-12T20:26:00.000-08:00

John Curtis Holmes passed away 22 years ago from AIDS-related complications; he was in his 44th year. During the last few years of his life, John decided to record portions of his life story on audio-tape. The back cover of our book has a partial quote from John that illustrates his idea of how we might perceive one another after we pass over to the other side. John's conception became a piece that he eventually put into words when recording thoughts for his memoirs. He titled it, 'The Monkey Tree': “The tree of life represents the roots of man. The branches are the different directions a man can take, live or exist. When you’re dead, those that you leave behind will put you in a part of that tree. It represents what was, what is and what will be. It’s eternal.” — John Holmes ~ RIP John

In January 2009, Jennifer and I attended the Adult Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas. During the course of our stay, we met with several media members and participated in discussions about our book. Mike (Snowman), from 'Raincoat Reviews', recently uploaded our interview to his website. Please listen here: http://snowman.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=590352

The Playboy Advisor with Chip Rowe

2010-03-01T07:25:00.000-08:00

Writer, Senior Editor of Playboy Magazine and Advisor to Playboy Magazine since 1994, Chip Rowe, has invited us to join him as his special guests on his new radio program, 'The Playboy Advisor' to discuss John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches. The 15 minute interview segment will tape this Thursday, March 4th. (Stay posted for air date.) The Playboy Advisor airs on Wednesdays at Sirius XM Satellite Ch. 99. (Check website link below for schedule.) The interview will also be available as a podcast for those who do not have Satellite Radio access.

Mr. Rowe will also be reviewing the critically acclaimed, A Life Measured in Inches for Playboy Magazine's online column. For more information about The Playboy Advisor, please visit: http://www.playboy.com/articles/playboy-radio-the-daily-advisor-chip-rowe/index.html

John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches is available for purchase in soft cover and as an e-book at http://www.johnholmesinches.com/ and all major online retailers. We'd like to remind visitors that the biography will be available as an audiobook and mp3/download in the fall of 2010.

RIP Jamie Gillis

2010-02-22T10:59:00.001-08:00

From our myspace blog - posted by Jennifer on February 20th, 2010:

RIP Jamie Gillis

Jamie Gillis passed away at the age of 66, from cancer, yesterday in New York City. Jill interviewed Jamie Gillis for Inches and had this to say in fond rememberance of the gifted adult actor, director and porn entrepreneur:

"Jamie Gillis was the first interview I did for "Inches". Jennifer already had several interviews under her belt and she was quickly becoming a veteran in that regard, but in the winter of 2007, I was still a virgin so to speak, and needed to get my feet wet. One afternoon while still at work, I left a voice message at Jamie Gillis's residence in New York, requesting a somewhat rare interview for our book. When I got home a few hours later, he had already returned my call with a very warm greeting on my answering service - accepting my request for an interview. I had only seen a couple of his film appearances and wanted to ask him specifically about working with John in Lust at First Bite (aka Dracula Sucks). (For those who aren't familiar with it, guess who plays Dracula?) Because of his reputation on screen, it was a little surreal to hear that hypnotic and seductive voice in reply to my call. It is definitely distinct.

"When we did the interview about a week later, I found him to be an open (perhaps a little forgetful at times, particularly about some of the titles of his films and his co-stars, but who can blame him), thoughtful and charismatic person. He was extremely sensitive to our project and to John's memory. The two actors first met in 1973 when John picked Jamie up in Los Angeles on their way to a film shoot. Jamie was immediately struck by John's casual, easy going manner and although they were never close friends, they always respected one another. Jamie felt that John possessed a "Jimmy Stewart" quality that he appreciated and immediately liked. Jamie Gillis was not a fan of mind-altering substances and he spoke about how drugs sadly converted people into monsters, including John. He was deeply disturbed when he read about the Wonderland events and John's connection to the homicides - that was not the John he had known. Due to his fear of flying, Jamie did not attend John's memorial service, but he was one of the select invited guests. Upon learning of John's illness, Jamie had suggested to some of Holmes' other male contemporaries that it would be a thoughtful gesture to do something for John during his dying days, in the way of a visit, or otherwise. He was frustrated at the time because he couldn't get anyone motivated to do so, but he understood that people were afraid.

"Jamie said that he'd always wanted a copy of the movie poster from the film, Marathon, that advertises Holmes and Gillis as two of the film's sexual titans during a sequence that would become "The Battle of the Giants". A few weeks after our interview, I found the poster online and sent it to him. He was very appreciative and sent a thank-you note. Partly as a joke in reference to being anatomically smaller than John Holmes, he signed it, "Your little Giant". When our book was published, we sent him a copy, as we had done for most of the people we had interviewed. A few weeks later, Jamie wrote a nice note and offered a quote about our work for our website. He had expressed to me earlier that he had not been entirely happy with The Other Hollywood, so we were pleased and honoured when he praised our book and said he was very happy to be involved.

"It wouldn't surprise me if one day the eccentricities of Jamie Gillis's intriguing life and work are represented in a project of magnitude. He is deserving. RIP 'Little Giant.'"

John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches is now available as an e-book. Please visit our website at: http://www.johnholmesinches.com/ for details.

Chapters Books Ancaster - Valentine's Weekend

2010-02-10T04:52:00.000-08:00

Just a reminder that I will be at Chapters Book Store in Ancaster, Ontario this coming weekend to meet readers and sign copies of our book. For those of you searching for a unique Valentine's gift for that special person in your life, why not consider giving the gift of INCHES! :) Please read details below:

Chapters Book Store, located at the Meadowland Regional Centre, 737 Golf Links Road, Unit 1, Ancaster has invited co-author Jill C. Nelson, to sign her biography on Saturday February 13th, between 1-3:00pm. This is an opportunity for people living in the Hamilton-Niagara region to purchase a signed copy of the bio. Enter a draw to win two complimentary copies of “A Life Measured in Inches”. For more information, please call: (905) 648-7155 Chapters – Ancaster

Don't forget to check out our brand new website at: http://www.johnholmesinches.com/

Chapters Books in Oakville

2010-01-28T13:43:00.000-08:00

Saturday's book event was a lot of fun! In and amidst chatting with people, Chapters Book store graciously gave away two free copies of our bio during an in-store draw.

It is particularly interesting to observe that some women my age truly appreciate a little encouragement to select a biography about an adult film legend, as it is understandably a unique category for many readers. When I explain John's roots as a country boy from Ohio, and that despite many of his struggles, he had loved the outdoors, I immediately sense that something ignites within - the realization that we all share common ground. Deep inside we are all "regular folks".

For those of us who have experienced a good portion of life already, I sincerely believe that the next part of our journey is about giving ourselves permission to expand horizons, take the scenic route and embrace our mid-life awakening. It's all good.

I'll look forward to meeting readers at the next book event in Ancaster, Ontario. Thanks to everyone who came out!

New look for johnholmesinches.com & more!

2010-01-18T09:16:00.000-08:00

Authors Jennifer Sugar and Jill C. Nelson with

"Johnny Wadd" creator, Bob Chinn.

Hi everyone,

Jennifer and I are pleased to invite you all to visit us at our new home (same domain name) at http://www.johnholmesinches.com/ We are excited to offer a fresh face with easier nagivation and alternative purchasing options for our biography. (Special thanks to mybizdesigner.com for your creative guidance and excellent service!) We will continue to provide regular updates and add new material (and photos) to all categories. Please feel free to comment and/or provide feedback where applicable. We'd love to hear from you!

*On Tuesday January 12th, Jennifer and I were guests on the Blog Talk Radio show Literary Pizzazz, with host, Pam Osbey. The one hour interview is now available on-line. You may also download the show at this link:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/literarypizzazz/2010/01/13/literary-pizzazz-welcomes-jill-c-nelson-and-jennif

*In other news, I will be at Chapters Book Store at Oakville Town Centre, 310 North Service Rd. W., on Saturday, Jan. 23 from noon-3 p.m. to talk to consumers and sign copies of our book, John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches. Hope to see you there!

Literary Pizzazz

2010-01-10T12:01:00.000-08:00

We're starting the New Year off right with an exciting new guest appearance! Please tune in to the BTR show, Literary Pizzazz, with host, Pam Osbey, on Tuesday January 12th at 8:00pm Eastern. For details, read the show synopsis below:

"The authors of John Holmes, a Life Measured in Inches will discuss the complexity and the creativity of John Holmes, going beyond the thrusts and the thrills of a man who focused his career on the length of his phallus. The book takes a candid view at his life behind the stills, loops, and adult videos that marked a career filled with highs, lows, and many in between moments that defined one of adult industry's greatest stars." Call-in number is: (646) 478-5460

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/literarypizzazz/2010/01/13/literary-pizzazz-welcomes-jill-c-nelson-and-jennifer-sugar

A Sunny Christmas and Happy 2010!

2009-12-23T18:22:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning - 1984. Photo courtesy

of Laurie Holmes.

As 2009 comes to a close, Jennifer and I will ring in the New Year with two new radio interviews in January, two book events and plans for a refreshed and revised website. Our domain name: johnholmesinches.com will remain the same.

We are very proud and pleased to announce that our publisher, BearManor Media, will be releasing John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches as an audiobook in 2010 to accommodate blind consumers, commuters and multi-taskers, etc., who have a love for books of integrity and quality. Jennifer and I plan to put forth a creative and engaging audio presentation of our comprehensive biography.

Please stay posted for a follow-up on these news items and more!

In the meantime have a very Merry Christmas, a Happy Holiday Season and all the best in 2010.

Jill & Jennifer

"A good conscience is a continual Christmas."
Benjamin Franklin

New Interview with Lisa Hazelton

2009-12-13T06:31:00.000-08:00

Writer, reviewer and editior of fiction and non-fiction books, Lisa Hazelton, recently interviewed me about my collaboration with Jennifer, in addition to the birthing process and follow-up to the release of John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches. Please read excerpts below.

Lisa Hazelton's Reviews & Interviews

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Interview with Jill Nelson - biography co-author with Jennifer Sugar
[Note to readers: This interview contains adult content.]

Welcome, Jill Nelson, to Reviews and Interviews! What made you and co-author, Jennifer Sugar, decide to tackle the biography genre?

JN: This biography is a first book for both of us. The adult entertainment industry is a field that neither one of us knew anything about prior to embarking upon co-writing. It wasn’t something that I’d initially set out to do, or was even looking for, but when Jennifer extended me the offer to collaborate with her on this project, I jumped at the opportunity, partly because I knew that it would be a fascinating and engrossing world to explore. I also thought that there was a good likelihood we might even find a publisher.

Please tell us about John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches, published by Bear Manor Media.

JN: It is the first and definitive biography on the world’s most famous (and infamous) male porn legend and pop culture icon, John Curtis Holmes. Presented as an oral history with narrative segments interspersed throughout, our 584 page book is an in-depth, unbiased, and balanced look at the late John Holmes and his entire life. Inches includes interview quotes from over 60 people who knew John professionally and personally. In addition to a biography that details all facets of Holmes’ turbulent life, the book also contains three photos sections (including rare frontal nudes), a 21-page filmography, 114 feature film reviews and 86 loops synopses, all watched and written by Jennifer and myself. John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches highlights John’s difficult childhood in rural Ohio, John’s film career, his connection to one of the most gruesome multiple homicides in California history (dubbed, the “Wonderland” murders), his murder trial, his two marriages, his relationships with his many mistresses and girlfriends, his career comeback and finally, his death from AIDS.

Inches is an ideal choice for discriminating readers who enjoy biographies, true crime, retro, and erotica. It is also a chronological account of the history of the erotic film industry. Our book definitely has something for everyone, even if you are not necessarily interested in the adult film medium.

What inspired you and Jennifer to write this book?

JN: Jennifer had gone to the movie theater to watch a film in 2003, but it was sold out. The film Wonderland, starring Val Kilmer in the lead role of John Holmes, was also playing, so Jennifer decided to go and see it since she’d heard her local radio station make the joke, “Our sets are longer than John Holmes.” Understanding the intimation, she was intrigued to see the movie that actually entails a robbery that John had helped to orchestrate in 1981, which led to the brutal murders of four people. John was addicted to cocaine and freebase at this juncture in his life and career and he had fallen in with some unsavory characters. Wonderland is about that very dark period in his life. After having seen the film, Jennifer was surprised to discover that there wasn’t a biography about John, so she decided to write it herself. Both of us were interested to learn more about John, the man, in addition to finding out about the specifics of the “Wonderland” or Laurel Canyon murders.

Two years later, in 2005, my husband and I rented the film Wonderland and afterwards, I was also very curious about John, as a person, since the film didn’t shed much light on his personal life except that it revealed that John had been married for 19 years to a registered nurse, Sharon Holmes (played by Lisa Kudrow), and that he’d had a mistress at the time of the murders, Dawn Schiller (played by Kate Bosworth). The three seemed to be quite amicable so that really piqued my attention and interest. I began to do a little research about John online and discovered a forum for the film, Wonderland, where I first connected with Jennifer. We had not known one another previously. About a month after participating on the forum, Jennifer offered to send me some interview transcriptions she’d done that were derived from several audiotapes John had made a few years prior to his death in 1988. (He had been planning to write an autobiography but died before he had a chance to finish it. John’s widow, Laurie Holmes, later finished the book and Porn King was published in 1998.)

Jennifer disclosed that she was writing the first and complete book about John Holmes. We continued to communicate together through e-mail and it was about a year after that when Jennifer (a biology and math major studying at MSU at the time) realized that the project was a monumental task and asked me if I would become her co-author. From the time of the book’s official inception in August 2004, it took four years for us to complete.

Did you enjoy the research process? What did it entail?

JN: We very much enjoyed the research process as it enabled us to meet and interview many diverse and intriguing people -- mostly veterans of the adult entertainment industry such as Ron Jeremy; Johnny Wadd, creator and director; Bob Chinn; and also John’s widow, Laurie Holmes, to name only a few. Also, we interviewed two former L.A.P.D. homicide detectives, Tom Lange and Frank Tomlinson, who had been lead investigators on the Laurel Canyon murders and had actually arrested John in Florida in December of 1981, after he’d been on the lam for a period of about 5 months. Over a four year period, Jennifer and I eventually interviewed 35 people in person, over the phone, and via e-mail, who had known John in various capacities throughout his life and career.

We e-mailed our chapters, our film reviews, and our filmography data back and forth, editing one another’s work until we were satisfied and knew that everything was complete. We also required permission(s) to use additional material and images in the book that were not our own. That part was a little bit stressful and took some time, but we were relieved when it all came together for us. People were absolutely wonderful -- right down the line. We are very pleased and proud of the finished product in every respect.

What was the hardest part of writing your book?

JN: Probably the hardest part of writing the book was trying to separate fact from fiction, but we are confident that we were able to overcome this challenge to the best of our own or anyone else’s ability. John was notorious for spinning stories about his life and about his career and his stories generally involved numbers. He liked to embellish and inflate numbers, particularly when related to the size of his penis, the amount of films he’d made, and the number of women he’d slept with. We found that one of the key elements to creating a legend is that some stories improve with time and it isn’t always necessary or critical to try to corroborate each and every one of them, but we were pretty successful. In John’s case, he did, in fact, have an extremely large penis, he’d made over 1000 film appearances in a career that spanned 20 years, and he slept with thousands of women, so his legend has certainly outlived him and it will continue to do so for many years to come. He knew how to promote his asset by creating some of his own folklore, so it was a fun challenge to research some of the legendary tales and learn new ones along the way. We soon realized that John didn’t need to invent anything about his life, because it was already stranger and more incredible on many levels, than any fictional account could ever hope to portray.

Did you learn anything from writing your book? If so, what was it?

JN: I learned that John Holmes was a chameleon; he was a world class hustler, he was a ladies’ man and a gigolo, and he was a lot smarter than many people have probably given him credit. John was also talented artistically. He sculpted, he wrote beautiful poetry, and he liked to build and refinish furniture. He was a loving godfather to three children and he was a step-father to Laurie’s (his second wife and widow) son. He had many components to his character, but despite many of the negative things that John was involved in, mostly everyone we spoke to seemed to cherish some positive memories of John. He definitely touched and impacted several lives in his own way.

I also learned that it was a very positive experience to be a co-writer of a book of this nature - a biography - because it allowed Jennifer and I to bounce ideas off of one another and also, offer support to each other when things got to be a little overwhelming or hairy. That didn’t happen often, but there were a couple of occasions when we needed to sit back and take a deep breath because there was just so much information to sift through and assimilate.

The people we encountered throughout the process of working on this book were very helpful as they opened up their lives and memories to us. For many, their memories are bittersweet so we really appreciated their involvement and their encouragement of our project.

What can we expect to see from you in the future?

JN: We are currently working on interviews and research for a book that will showcase the ladies of the Golden Age of Adult films. While talking with people and conducting interviews for Inches, I had an idea that it would be interesting to learn more about the women who had decided to enter adult movies and perform in hardcore (real sex) scenes at a time when the XXX-rated industry was in its infancy stage, just after the onset of the sexual revolution during the 1960s.

What ways have you found effective for promoting your book(s)?

JN: I’d say that we have learned to embrace every avenue we can in order to promote our work because the media and book critics do not generally pursue published writers, unless the author is represented by a major publishing house. Then there are provisions in place for publicity and promotion built into their contracts.

We have been proactive in pursuing contacts/media/reviewers that will hopefully pay attention to our work. We have done live radio interviews, blog talk radio interviews, and online interviews. We’ve done several book events and even travelled to Las Vegas to attend the Adult Entertainment Expo in January 2009, where we were at a booth talking about our book to fans of the adult genre who were in attendance at the Expo.

We contact newspapers prior to our book events and request that they write a blurb, a piece or an article, and we have been fairly successful in that regard. We keep our website, our blog, our Myspace page(s) updated and also, we utilize Twitter and Facebook, to announce news and/or happenings.

If a person can afford to hire a publicist, that’s always another added benefit. It’s very important to maintain the book’s profile and particularly, if you are an author of a biography, you’ve already got a built-in fan base to tap into, draw from, and build upon.

Is there anything else that you would like to share with the audience?

JN: I’d like to thank anyone who has read John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches or who might consider purchasing our book after reading this interview. I’d also like to thank everyone who has favorably reviewed our bio so far – it is extremely gratifying. I’d like to give kudos to my (extremely busy) co-author, Jennifer, for providing me with an opportunity to share my hobby with readers, in tandem with her talent as a writer. This experience has added a wonderful new layer to my life as we move ahead with another book in the works. At 52 years of age, I’d say that I am in the midst of a mid-life awakening. It’s fantastic.

How can people to get in touch with you?

JN: People can get in touch with us at: sugar.and.nelson@gmail.com and through our website at: http://www.johnholmesinches.com/

Thank you for taking the time to answer my interview questions. I wish you the best with this book, and with your future projects.

Mississauga Chapters Recap & Into the Light

2009-12-01T12:31:00.001-08:00

Two avid readers and fans of John Holmes' work,

pose for a photo opportunity, as promised! Hope you enjoy the book, guys!

On Saturday November 28th, from 11-7pm, I had the good fortune of being the special guest author at this very busy Chapters location that borders Oakville, Ontario. The day passed quickly as I thoroughly enjoyed meeting everyone (including women!) who crossed paths with me to chat about John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches and its origins - thanks to Jennifer.

As always, people are curious to notice a 50-something woman talking with the public about the late porn star and they generally inquire as to what had inspired me to join Jennifer in telling this very in-depth story about one man's turbulent, but also fascinating, high voltage, and at times, heartbreaking life. It is my personal belief, especially since having our book published, that Jennifer and I were not only ideal candidates to take on such a monstrous amount of research and hard work, but that there was also a sense of destiny to our endeavor.

My husband had repeatedly questioned me when we were up to our eyeballs in interviews, narrative composition, and watching mountains of John Holmes' DVDs, VOD, and VHS tapes containing vintage, but grainy black and white loops, why a complete biography on John Holmes had not been written prior to 2008. I would always smile at him and answer, "Because Jennifer and I are supposed to write it." That wasn't arrogance on my part, it was a completely genuine response.

I'd like to take a moment to remind readers that John did attempt to document his life through audiotapes in the early to mid 1980s, but he passed away prior to its full completion. John's widow Laurie pieced together much of the information that John had imparted and published Porn King ten years after his death in 1998. She also wrote a beautiful epilogue in John's memory to conclude the book.

On Saturday, a significant connection occured that reinforced my intuition. A store customer and his wife stopped by to talk about the book and the motivation behind writing about a legendary and tragic figure like Holmes. They were both familiar with John Holmes, "porn star", but I was surprised to learn that they were also knowledgable of John's traumatic and abusive childhood. I was truly impressed as that component is as tangible a part of John's story as is his infamy as an adult film star, his connection to the Laurel Canyon murders and his death from AIDS.

After engaging in conversation for a while, the gentleman introduced himself as Richard Perry, Director of Operations for The Gatehouse, a Child Abuse Support Investigation Site located in Toronto, Ontario. I was not familiar with The Gatehouse, but I was very interested in hearing what Richard Perry and his wife had to say about this special home and the people there.

Perry's main area of interest is with the men's program called Into the Light. He works with male survivors of childhood physical and sexual abuse and he explained that there are not enough support programs available for male survivors. He also confirmed a fact that I had always suspected to be true: an alarming majority of males incarcerated in medium to maximum security prisons are victims of various forms of child brutality. Not surprisingly, many of these boys eventually act-out when they reach puberty and also adulthood, by perpetrating their self-loathing, hurt and anger against friends, co-workers, loved ones and ultimately society. After taking a self-guided tour of the former Alcatraz prison last July and becoming educated about the lives of some of its notorious inmates, I understood what Perry was saying.

At the conclusion of our enlightening discussion, Richard invited me to come out in the New Year to meet some of the men who are currently participating in the Into the Light program. I accepted his offer and was honoured and touched when he asked me if I would be interested in contemplating writing a book that would help male survivors share their stories.

Please check out this website link to Into the Light: http://www.thegatehouse.org/into-the-light

You never know where life will lead you, and at this point I seriously consider all opportunities. It's especially nice to have another idea on the back burner as we have already begun research and interviews for a new book that will highlight the women of the Golden Age of Erotic Films.

Thank you, Richard, and thanks to everyone else who stopped by (and bought books!) on Saturday. It was really great to meet you all.

P.S. To my very busy co-author, Jennifer... you were right beside me. :-)

Please also visit our website: www.johnholmesinches.com

Author Talks About Porn Star Book - Mississauga News

2009-11-25T09:40:00.000-08:00

Burlington author Jill Nelson will be at Chapters at the Erin Mills Power Centre on Saturday to speak about the book she co-wrote with American Jennifer Sugar called John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches. Photo supplied

Author talks about porn star book

Burlington author Jill Nelson will be in Mississauga this Saturday to sign copies of a book she co-wrote about a controversial and well-known porn star. Nelson will be at Chapters at the Erin Mills Power Centre, at 3040 Vega Blvd., between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. to speak about the book she co-wrote with American Jennifer Sugar called John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches. Published last year by Bear Manor Media, the book is a biography of Holmes, a pop culture figure who was arguably the first porn star to gain mainstream appeal. The 581-page book includes three photo sections (including rare nudes) and a 21-page filmography. cclay@mississauga.net

Please also visit: www.johnholmesinches.com

Video-clip from 2009 Book Event!

2009-11-13T09:46:00.000-08:00

We recently uploaded a 3 minute video-clip to youtube from one of our 2009 Canadian Book Signing Events that was covered by local news media. Unfortunately, Jennifer was unable to attend the engagement, but she was definitely there in spirit.

Every attainable goal is ignited with a defined curiosity that is sustained by energy, commitment and ferocity. Those integral ingredients enabled the book to be successfully completed and published more than four years after Jennifer's initial conception to compose the first and definite biography on the world's most famous (and infamous) adult film legend.

The cameraman who shot this footage had a great idea to film and zoom-in on specific photos that are included within our book.

Note: The year of publication for "Inches" that is mentioned at the end of the interview should be 2008. :)

Please click on this link to view: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucyjOoWF7Os

Please also visit: http://www.johnholmesinches.com/

John Holmes Book Review & "The First Crime Scene"

2009-11-02T10:05:00.000-08:00

The following book review is written by Bill Castanier, an award-wining weekly newspaper editor, advertising and public relations executive in his 40 year career. Castanier writes a weekly newspaper feature on Michigan authors and is on the Board of the Kerrytown BookFest and the Michigan Notable Book Awards. He has the only daily blog on Michigan literature. (Mittenlit)

New Book Co-authored by MSU Grad Takes An Intimate Look at Porn Star John C. Holmes

It’s time to boogie with big (584 pages) John C. Holmes Book

I remember my first “blue movie”. It made a big impression on me. For one, I learned you should take off your socks. I don’t remember the stars or the name and the plot is a little blurry. I think it was the classic door-to-door salesman routine and a pretty, but bored housewife. The movie was shown at what was called a “smoker” in a dusty basement on an 8mm projector. And I think it was projected on a bed sheet.

Porno movies have come a long way since then and we can thank John C. Holmes for a lot of the improvement. Holmes who was called the “King” for a variety of reasons did for the porno industry what Elvis did for rock. He elevated it.

Now, two authors, Jill Nelson of the Toronto area and Jennifer Sugar from Michigan and MSU graduate, have written the definitive biography of John C. Holmes titled, “John C. Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches”. Sugar decided on writing a book on Holmes after seeing the movie “Wonderland” starring Val Kilmer. The movie is an abbreviated look at the porn star, focusing mostly on a gruesome, drug-related, robbery-mass murder in which Holmes was involved in 1981.

From start to finish, this is the most comprehensive and really the only biography of the “King”. Holmes had authored the autobiography, “Porn King” before his 1988 death from AIDS.

In addition, to some of the most detailed looks at more than 200 Holmes’ video and loops, the two have written a remarkable piece of film history using oral histories of the participants to carry the narrative. For most readers, the first thing they do is turn to the photographs to see “it” and yes it’s there in all its glory. This is one of the first, if not the first mainstream books on the porno industry to include full-frontal nudity. Maybe Iggy Pops’ biography published last year covered new ground.

The only comment that I have heard which isn't even close to a criticism and actually may be the book’s strongest point is that the book is too detailed.

This book is perfect for anyone involved in the film industry “blue” or otherwise. It is destined to become a basic text for film classes across the country. In the meantime, for us amateurs it is a great read and a stimulating look at the growth of the porn industry.

I was curious where you would go to see all these videos and loops so I asked co-author Jill Nelson. It wasn’t easy. It’s not like the public library has them. She said they rented films (probably got some raised eyebrows after the fifth one); they bought some on e-bay and other porn-related websites; and used a pay as you go website www.naughtynostalgia.com In addition, numerous directors in the business loaned them copies of Holmes’ work.

One real coup was that their research was the impetus for the release on DVD of the first Johnny Wadd movie, filmed in 1970. According to Jill, it was only one of the nine-part series that hadn’t seen light of day or in this case, dimly lit rooms.

The two authors asked around the industry for the availability of the film and one director ("Johnny Wadd" creator Bob Chinn) had one in storage. It turned out to be pristine and once again Johnny was able to fill the screen. Jill says the film has broken all sales records for the distributorship.

You can bet this isn’t the last we’ll see or read of these two authors.

The following look at “Measured In Inches” appeared in the Lansing City Pulse: link to http://npaper-wehaa.com/citypulse;see-a47R6c6×1H2n6b2C#page-7;c-92660

News Item:

We would like to share the news that our friend and former LAPD homicide detective, Frank Tomlinson, is a published author of his first effort, "The First Crime Scene".

The book is based on a 1970s true crime story, when seasoned veterans relied upon gut instinct and leads during a time when there were "no computers, no DNA, no internet and no cell phones."

Along with fellow former L.A.P.D. homicide detective, Tom Lange, Tomlinson was responsible for tracking down and finally apprehending John Holmes in Florida, in December 1981, after he had been on the run for a period of five months. He was eventually turned over to the police by one of his girlfriends, Dawn Schiller. Tomlinson and Lange were interviewed extensively for "A Life Measured in Inches".

Frank Tomlinson is a man of integrity, faith and true grit. For what promises to be a riveting and engrossing read, check out his new book at Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1449537979

Please also visit our website for chapter excerpts, film excerpts, photo galleries and more!
www.johnholmesinches.

Fall/Winter Book Signing Events

2009-10-23T09:03:00.000-07:00

TWO NEW BOOK EVENTS!

We are pleased to announce two newly added book presentation/signing events in Southern Ontario. We look forward to meeting discriminating readers who are fans of biographies, true crime, retro and erotica, as "Inches" has something for everyone! (Stay tuned for the posting of a third date soon.)

** CHAPTERS BOOK STORE - MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO:

Chapters Book Store, located at the Erin Mills Power Center, 3050 Vega Blvd., in Mississauga (the GTA), will be hosting a "meet and greet" in-store signing event on Saturday November 28th from 11:00am-7:00pm. This special occasion will enable interested readers to chat with us about our work and learn what had motivated us to choose the legendary adult film superstar as the subject for our first collaborative effort.

Please call: (905) 820-9910 for details. Chapters - Erin Mills

** CHAPTERS BOOK STORE - ANCASTER, ONTARIO:

Chapters Book Store, located at the Meadowland Regional Centre, 737 Golf Links Road, Unit 1, Ancaster, has invited Jennifer and I to present and sign copies of our biography on Saturday February 13th between 1-3:00pm. This will be another opportunity for people living in the Golden Horseshoe area to attend a special presentation of "A Life Measured in Inches".

For more information, please call: (905) 648-7155 Chapters - Ancaster

** Note: Due to unexpected circumstances, the "Writer's Rally", that was scheduled for Sunday October 25th at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington, Ontario, has been postponed to a later date that will be announced.

** The image above was taken at the premiere for Girls on Fire in Hollywood on February 14, 1985. Two of John's godchildren stand in behind.

** Don't forget to check out our website for excerpted chapter content and film reviews at: http://www.johnholmesinches.com/

John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches - Excerpts

2009-10-09T19:53:00.001-07:00

While Jennifer and I plan and prepare for fall and winter book-related happenings, please visit the link below to our website in order to read excerpts from six chapters of our book. Soon, we will be adding additional excerpts, including some of the Wonderland/Laurel Canyon segments of the book, with a few other surprises in store.

The above photo is a still from a loop, circa 1970. John and his longtime girlfriend, auburn- haired Sandy Dempsey, appeared in several loops and features together. John also appeared in loops with girlfriend, Gilda Grant, during the early 1970s. Next to Ms. Dempsey, John and Seka were frequent on-screen partners.

Enjoy! http://johnholmes.bizland.com/id7.html

John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches - Critical Acclaim

2009-09-25T09:14:00.000-07:00

We are proud to announce that over the past 13 months, since our biography's debut, John Holmes: A Life Measured In Inches has accumulated respect and high praise from critics and also, from many of the subjects that we interviewed for our book. We would like to share some of these very positive notices that our book has received.

Please also visit our website at: http://www.johnholmesinches.com/

Critics

L.A. Times Film Critic comments: "I was impressed at how thorough and definitive it was." -- Kenneth Turan

Senior Editor of AVN magazine remarks: "John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches is packed with information that even the closest student of the porn legend’s life may not be aware of. Holmes’ life story, told primarily in the words of the interviewees, like an oral history, is endlessly fascinating. The book has some terrific extras: an amazingly thorough filmography (and loopography) as well as detailed reviews of the major movies. This is no small achievement." -- Jared Rutter

Film Threat described it this way: "Emotionally exhausting, but a truly compelling real-life story." -- Phil Hall

Widerscreenings.com writes: "John Holmes: a Life Measured in Inches is the first book by authors Jennifer Sugar and Jill C. Nelson and is a work of considerable scope, ambition and importance in its chosen field. Indeed Sugar and Nelson have taken a subject inherently problematic – the history and scholarship of the adult film – and rendered it lucidly accessible to all, whether fans of adult material or not and whether male or female." -- Robert Cettl

SKUNK Magazine sums up "Inches": John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches is to porn what the bible is to religion, the best detailed acccount of a king." -- MI

The author of the "Whatever became of?" series, had this to say about, "A Life Measured in Inches": "Long overdue, precisely researched and a breezy read." -- Richard Lamparski

Sex Herald.com provides an analysis of "Inches: "From the first recorded scene with “snowballing” to Holmes’ preference to brunettes, A Life Measured in Inches offers an incredible gamut of information. The book concludes with a consummate filmography of John’s works, along with selected feature film reviews and the delineation of 150 loops, 306 features, and 27 compilations.

The vicissitudes of Holmes’ life offer a thought-provoking view of a time past, of a life lived dangerously and passionately. A Life Measured in Inches is a must-have for any fan of John Holmes and anybody interested in the origins of the fastest growing and most internationally lucrative industry today." -- A. Nicaj

Mittenlit book review expresses: "Instead of unverified accounts given by outsiders with no obvious connection to Holmes, these authors included the personal accounts of many of his peers which allow readers an inside view into Johnny Wadd’s troubled life.

Jennifer Sugar and Jill Nelson provide the reader with hundreds of synopsis’ of Holmes’ films including little-known reels from the earliest days of pornography that conclude with brazenly poignant reviews such as “…John gets the girls prepped for a shared facial—a personal memento from Mr. Big.” -- Ben Castanier

Hustler (Canada) exclaims about "A Life Measured in Inches": "The end result is a captivating, heart-wrenching account of Holmes life related through intense interviews with his loved ones, colleagues, business associates and follow stars.

Rounded out with narrative links, previously-unreleased photos and a stunning index of every Holmes production throughout his career, John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches is a long overdue tribute to one of the adult industry's pioneers, let alone the industry itself." --Keith Carman

Purchaser for Chapters-Indigo book stores (Canada) states: "Exhaustive and impressive." -- Michael Nicholson

Editor of the Village Voice sexuality blog, "Naked City" summarizes: "Chocked full of primary sources... This book is an excellent piece of porn history. You learn a whole lot about John Holmes and also about porn in the 70s and 80s." -- Audacia Ray

The editor of Ottawa X-Press remarks: "An intimidating piece of literature. Comprehensive." -- Cormac Rea

AV Maniacs comments: "Holmes makes for a fascinating subject and the care and attention to detail put into this project, the obvious desire to paint an honest portrait of his life rather than to simply focus on the more sensationlist aspects of it, makes this a book very much worth reading." -- Ian Jane

America's "beloved porn journalist" observes: "Inches is an excellent companion piece to Cass Paley's and Rodger Jacobs' 1998 documentary Wadd: The Life And Times of John Holmes. Holmes is iconic in American and porn culture for many of the same reasons rock stars are: unchecked fame and ego, low self esteem and an addictive personality, a personal magnetism and, beneath it all, a gift that destroyed him in the end." -- Gram Ponante

Veteran writer for Adult FYI exclaims: "The book John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches is an oral history of the most famous and controversial porn star of all time... blizzard of quotes and assembly of porn junkie recollections and anecdotes... fascinating book by Jennifer Sugar and Jill C. Nelson..." -- Gene Ross

Mr. Skin Magazine concludes: "Since its publication this year, the book, which also serves as an oral history of the Golden Age of porn, has become regarded as the definitive biography of adult cinema’s most famous leading man." -- C.G. Hilliard

Cindi's Naked Truth author writes, "This book is the TEXT BOOK on John Holmes and his era of porn. There is so much detail! Currently rated 5 stars on Amazon.com, this is a must read for all porn history buffs." -- Cindi Loftus

Vice Magazine (Canada) writes: "A Life Measured In Inches serves up details on pretty much every aspect of Holmes’ life. It turns out to be a ridiculously well-researched, unbiased account of Holmes’ life. -- Mel C.

Bio Interviewees

John Holmes' godson shares a heartfelt sentiment: "[A Life Measured in Inches] paints a picture of someone who once meant everything to me, in a light that I can honestly say touched me. There was the good, the bad and the extremely ugly. There was so much of the real him in the book, of the John I knew. And not just in my stories, but in those told by others." -- Sean Amerson

Veteran film director, friend and creator of the Johnny Wadd series summed up the biography: "A comprehensive survey of a great tragedy." -- Bob Chinn

Holmes' premier leading lady, The Platinum Princess, herself, weighs in: "It has taken a long time but these two ladies got it dead spot on as far as it has to do with John C. Holmes." -- Seka

Former L.A.P.D. homicide detective and Laurel Canyon/Wonderland murders investigator writes: "A real insider's look into the life of John Holmes. The many quotes throughout the book give an interesting and insightful perspective to the Holmes story." -- Tom Lange

Holmes' friend and photographer states: "'A Life Measured in Inches' should be in every library. It is a historical piece." -- Joel Sussman

Former L.A.P.D. homicide detective - Laurel Canyon/Wonderland murders investigator and President of Hope Coming Ministries in Simi Valley writes: "I was impressed by the detective work you did." -- Frank Tomlinson

Well-respected actor and erotic film director claims: "It is a fine, sensitively written piece of work. I am very pleased and proud to be a part of it. It will always be the definitive work on Holmes and it's a great read. -- Jamie Gillis

The psychologist who counselled John Holmes and others at L.A. County Men's Jail, and author of the new book, Without Remorse writes: "Thank you for doing such a great job writing Inches. You put a lot of love and effort into the project. Whenever I even look at the cover I remember the 'Wadd'. I'm sure he would appreciate the book also. Great Job." -- Dr. Vonda L. Pelto, Ph.D.

Former Golden Age starlet, who did her first film with John Holmes shares her thoughts: "This is an amazing biography! By far, it is the best and most balanced account of John Holmes and the most truthful book about the adult film industry that has ever been written." -- Rhonda Jo Petty

Former Holmes comrade and fellow performer writes: "Thanks for quoting me word for word, unlike other interviews I have participated in." -- Don Fernando

Erotic movie legend, exclaims: "You did a fabulous job!" -- Marilyn Chambers.

A Hollywood scriptwriter says: "It tells the whole story about the man. It's the truth, not someone's fabricated tale of the life. It's a page turner and absolutely compelling. Kudos, ladies. You did an amazing job." -- Raven Touchstone

Porn's Ambassador reflects in the 02/09 SWANK piece, "John Holmes versus Ron Jeremy": "And in the final analysis [Sugar and Nelson] present a fair, balanced and complete look at "The King", John Curtis Holmes, without anti-porn hysteria on one hand, and without sugar-coating on the other -- just the good, the bad and the ugly of one man's life. May 'The King' rest in peace." -- Ron Jeremy

The director of Exhausted: John C. Holmes, The Real Story and John Holmes' former girlfriend is short but sweet: "Jennifer and Jill have done a very fine job." -- Julia St. Vincent

John Holmes' widow states: "After watching the film, Wonderland, Jennifer and Jill believed there was more to John Holmes. They have put a lot of research into this book and interviewed many people. I find the biography refreshing. I am proud of the book and I am proud of them." -- Laurie Holmes

September Interview Schedule

2009-09-11T09:51:00.000-07:00

Jennifer and I will be featured guests on four blog talk radio programs during the month of September. Please see schedule below for details.

SEPTEMBER INTERVIEWS:

- Monday September 14th from 6-7:00pm Eastern - Monday Madness & Mayhem with host, Jahzara.

www.blogtalkradio.com/Jahzara/2009/09/14/MONDAY-MADNESS

- Thursday September 17th from 10-11:00pm Eastern - The Odd Mind with host, Lesa Trapp.

www.blogtalkradio.com/TheOddMind/2009/09/18/Authors-Jill-Nelson-and-Jennifer-Sugar-with-John-Holmes-A-Life-Measured-In-Inches

- Saturday September 19th from 11-12:00pm Eastern - Chaklet Coffee Books with hosts, "Mimi" Jacobs and Gayle Johnson.

www.blogtalkradio.com/Chaklet-Coffee-Books

- Sunday September 20th from 5:30-6:30pm Eastern - Lit Media Reviews with host, Colleen.

www.blogtalkradio.com/literarymediaspot

"INCHES" AUTHORS ARE INVITED TO WRITERS RALLY

2009-09-05T11:30:00.000-07:00

Writers Rally:

Jennifer and I have been invited by special request to attend the very first Writers Rally, that will take place on Sunday October 25th from 10-5pm at the new Atrium, located at Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington, Ontario Canada.

Forty hand-selected authors from across Southern Ontario will showcase their inspiring literature and magazines to a seasoned crowd. We are very pleased and proud to be included among this prestigious celebration of artists.

Events throughout the day will include readings from the authors that have come to sell their works, live musical performances from local young talent and cooking demonstrations from the cook book being launched at RBGs own archivist, historian and author, Marie Minaker.

For more information, please contact:

Royal Botanical Gardens: (905) 527-1158 ext#222

680 Plains Road West

Burlington, Ontariowww.rbg.ca

Blog Talk Radio - Upcoming Interviews

2009-08-20T19:04:00.000-07:00

Jennifer and I continue to celebrate the one year anniversary of John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches as we post information about two forthcoming BTR shows in August, with more radio appearances (and other news) to follow in September. We are excited to participate on these programs!

** Inches" authors will be guests on the Blog Talk Radio show, 'Creative Soul' on Saturday August 22nd at 12:00pm Eastern. The program is one hour long and will be hosted by Mr. John R. Williams. Please tune into this link to listen live or to the archived podcast.:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/creativesoul/2009/08/22/Creative-Soul-Show-Guests-Authors-Jill-Nelson-and-Jennifer-Sugar

** Jennifer and I will make an appearance on'Chaklet Coffee Books' in September, as the slated August 29th interview will be rescheduled. The program is one hour long and will be hosted by "Mimi" Jacobs and Gayle Johnson. Please visit this link for details to listen:

http://blogtalkradio.com/chaklet-coffee-books

In the meantime, stay tuned for more news!

Inches Celebrates One Year!

2009-08-08T06:25:00.000-07:00

August 8, 2009

Today would have been John Holmes' 65th birthday and today, Jill and I are celebrating one year since the launch of A Life Measured in Inches at Book Soup in West Hollywood. The photos below are from that event.

Jennifer Sugar & Jill C. Nelson pose with Inches following the reading

Book-inspired birthday cake 8.8.08
(John's 64th birthday)

Jennifer and Jill sign copies of Inches for fans and VIPS

Johnny Wadd director, Bob Chinn and Jennifer

Former adult actress, Rhonda Jo Petty with Jill

John's widow, Laurie Holmes and Jennifer

P. S. We have also uploaded a live 3-part radio interview on youtube that we did on the eve of our book's release on Sirius Playboy Radio with hosts, Christy Canyon and Vanessa Blue. We are joined by Laurie Holmes. The interview can be found at this link:

http://johnholmes.bizland.com/id24.html

Jill & I will also be doing another BTR interview on August 22 at 11 a.m. (Eastern). We'll post details about the event as it approaches!

~Jennifer Sugar

Complete "Inches" Essay and Talk Radio Interview

2009-07-29T14:13:00.000-07:00

Book Review/Essay:

Last week, we posted a preview of the articulate new essay/review on John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches written by Australian writer and critic, Robert Cettl. The essay in its entirety has been published at widerscreenings.com and is now available to read at the following link: http://www.widerscreenings.com/bookreviewholmesinches.html

Talk Radio:

Tune in on Friday July 31st from 9:00-11:00pm Eastern, as Jennifer and I participate in a special 2 hour interview on KRRN Radio with host, D. J. Knightman. You don't have to be a member of this station to listen live. Please visit the following link for details: http://knightriderradionet.ning.com/xn/detail/2972090:Event:3362?xg_source=activity

widerscreenings.com Essay on INCHES

2009-07-21T16:06:00.000-07:00

Australian critic and writer, Robert Cettl, who maintains the website widerscreenings.com, recently wrote an in-depth review and essay in response to reading A Life Measured in Inches. His complete review will be posted at widerscreenings.com very soon, in the meantime, we wanted to share some excerpts from his very thoughtful piece.

"John Holmes: a Life Measured in Inches
(a book review by Robert Cettl)

John Holmes: a Life Measured in Inches is the first book by authors Jennifer Sugar and Jill C. Nelson and is a work of considerable scope, ambition and importance in its chosen field. Indeed Sugar and Nelson have taken a subject inherently problematic – the history and scholarship of the adult film – and rendered it lucidly accessible to all, whether fans of adult material or not and whether male or female.

Sugar and Nelson have researched their subject considerably and it is evident on every page – John Holmes: a Life Measured in Inches is the distinctive Holmes biography, sorting through Holmes’ tendency to fabricate the truth in his own accounts of his life with actual biographical fact and first-hand accounts of the man and his life presented uncut in the actual words of those who knew and interacted with him – from Sharon Holmes (the wife he kept secret to his adult industry business partners) to Bob Chinn (the Chinese-American UCLA graduate turned pornographer who in tandem with Holmes would birth West Coast US porn in the Johnny Wadd series of films, meticulously described in the comprehensive filmography which closes this remarkable book)."

BBS Radio Interview with Jennifer Sugar & More

2009-07-13T19:46:00.000-07:00

**The one hour popular exclusive interview Jennifer did for BBS Radio on June 28th with host Nancy Wallace is now available through the BBS website program archives. Please visit this link for listening options: http://www.bbsradio.com/host/nancysmetaphysicalworldandmore/archives/nancys_metaphysical_world_and_more_archive.php

**I would also like mention that during my recent trip to California, I had the opportunity to meet for a drink with freelance writer, Damon Brown, at Sugar Cafe in San Francisco. Brown is the author of the new book, "Porn and Pong: How Grand Theft Auto, Tomb Raider and other Sexy Games Changed Our Culture". This is a very interesting and fast-paced story about the marriage between sex and technology during the past 30 years.

I encourage you all to check out Brown's blog for more information: http://damonbrown.net/category/blog/

New Book Review - SKUNK Magazine

2009-07-06T08:03:00.000-07:00

This new book review can be found on page 90 of the latest (and first) sex issue of SKUNK Magazine: Volume 5, Issue 3 -- The Big O's - Outdoors, Orgasms & Organics.

SKUNK magazine is now available at all Borders, Barnes & Noble, and Chapters Book locations.

Media:

BOOK - John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches

Jennifer Sugar & Jill C. Nelson (Bear Manor Media)

"It's a long road from Ohio Country boy to legendary filmmaker. Making the trip to the top is even harder when the genre of film you specialize in is porn. This book allows you to be a fly on the wall and witness how John Curtis Holmes became Johnny Wadd Holmes, the greatest X-rated superstar of all time. Told in graphic detail by the people who were closest to him, you get to learn firsthand how the greatest (and possibly the largest) dick in adult entertainment fucked his way from the shadows of a budding billion-dollar industry to universal hardcore adult fame. John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches is to porn what the bible is to religion, the best detailed acccount of a king. Only, in this case, Holmes is the undisputed king of porn whose life swirled down the drain as he was consumed by drugs, bad choices and worse friends." MI

BBS Radio & Artist's Corner interviews!

2009-06-27T08:39:00.000-07:00

New Interviews

On Sunday June 28th, Jennifer will participate in a one hour exclusive (live) interview with host, Nancy Wallace (Nancy's Metaphysical World and More), heard on BBS Station 3 Radio. The program airs between 4-5:00pm Pacific Time (7:00pm Eastern) and can be located at this link: http://www.bbsradio.com/bbs_talk_radio_station1.php

On Tuesday June 30th, Jill Nelson will be a guest on Canada's Artist's Corner with host, Mona Marcobelli. The half hour pre-taped program airs at 6:00pm Eastern and can be located at this link: http://www.whistleradio.com/

Hustler Canada - Excerpts

2009-06-17T13:26:00.000-07:00

As Jennifer mentioned, the new Hustler Canada magazine - August 2009 edition, is now available for purchase. (This is our first cover!) Because this magazine can't be read online, we have provided you with some excerpts from the article/review/interview. Enjoy!

JOHN HOLMES BIOGRAPHY - Johnny Wadd... We Hardly Blew Ya!

By Keith Carman

"While his infamous Johnny Wadd is still omnipresent in pop culture some 20 years after his death and a few documentaries have struggled to peel back Holmes' personal layers posthumously, they were of minimal impact. Little was truly known about the true Holmes."

THAT IS, UNTIL NOW.

"Even two decades later, Holmes is an icon, making men jealous and women coo. From his portrayal as a ladykiller to his drug dependency, soft-heartedness and yearning for love, to ignoring his own mortality and endangering the lives of others after contracting AIDS, and his unusual involvement in the Wonderland Murders of the '80s, Holmes was--and is--an intriguing, beguiling figure."

"Therefore, it comes as little shock that the world's first authorized biography, John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches (Bear Manor Media) finds the most unusual of cohorts uniting to tell the in-depth tale of of Holmes' fascinating, albeit, troubled and dichotomous life: 20 something year-old MSU graduate, Jennifer Sugar, and 50-something hearing aid specialist/mother of two, Jill C. Nelson."

"And how, exactly do these two very opposing, very distant personalities find one another, let alone collaborate on their shared interest in Holmes, despite having absolutely no previous ties to the industry? Thank the internet. After participating on a message board for Wonderland, Nelson met Sugar who was already in the process of writing Holmes' biography."

Sugar: "I watched all of the documentaries, read John's autobiography and started watching his movies. I had so many questions; I wanted to read an in-depth biography and when I found that there wasn't one, available, I decided to write it."

Nelson: "I was blown away that a young woman of her age had taken on such a monumental task, particularly since [Jennifer] was only five years old when Holmes died from AIDS-related causes in 1988," Nelson relates with pride. "About a year after we'd started communicating, Jennifer invited me to be her collaborator."

"The end result is a captivating, heart-wrenching account of Holmes life related through intense interviews with his loved ones, colleagues, business associates and fellow stars. Rounded out with narrative links, previously-unreleased photos and a stunning index of every Holmes production throughout his career, John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches is a long-overdue tribute to one of the adult industry's pioneers, let alone the industry itself."

"Love him or loathe him," adds Sugar with finality, "John Holmes is a part of pop culture and American history."

Hustler Canada Review

2009-06-15T15:29:00.000-07:00

The August 2009 issue of Hustler Canada includes a 2 page spread with a review of the book and photos. Check it out.

New Book Review! SEX HERALD

2009-06-07T11:49:00.000-07:00

Books: Erotic Writing

John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches By Jennifer Sugar and Jill C. Nelson
Reviewer: A. Nicaj Sex Herald.com Vol 6, Issue 9

Rating: 4/5 stars

“Everything in life is an act; it’s the performance that counts.” -John Holmes

And John performed.

One can’t help but wonder where the life of the first true porn star, John Holmes, would have gone without the notoriety gained by his atypical physical endowment. Although the length of his penis is often contested, Ron Jeremy, an immensely popular male porn star, openly admits that Holmes “had me beat by about an inch—inch and a half.” But there was much more to John Holmes than his illustrious career in pornography, his drug abuse, and his involvement with one of the most notorious mass murders in Hollywood history.

Jennifer Sugar and Jill C. Nelson’s coauthored biography, John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches (2008), is as girthy as it is informative—nearly 440 pages of detailed first-person accounts from those who knew Holmes personally, as well as from the legend himself. The people interviewed and excerpted throughout the book become distinct through the tone and idiosyncrasies of their voices, providing intimate and multi-layered perspectives.

Sugar and Nelson have organized these accounts chronologically and rather seamlessly—the occasional pairing of certain statements regarding similar subjects help to reinforce each other. The differing perspectives of each account have an undeniable effectiveness in shedding light upon and conveying Holmes’ intriguing story. Holmes’ notorious propensity to lie discredits certain aspects of his posthumously published autobiography, Porn King (1998), since close friends have said that he began to believe his own lies.

Throughout A Life Measured in Inches, you will find that three black-and-white photo sections of John from early childhood onwards supplement most chapters. The reader learns the trivialities of Holmes’ wholesome Ohio upbringing during the late 1940s and his tendency to drink gallon(s) of milk per day. The paternal figures from his childhood and early adolescence devolve into abusive alcoholics and force the teenage Holmes to drop out of high school and enroll in the Signal Corps. Along with a few other odd jobs, Holmes also drove an ambulance and a forklift in a meatpacking plant before finally volunteering in a stag movie in 1964.

Sugar and Nelson provide the historical framework for Holmes’ story, detailing the infancy of the adult entertainment industry before the era of “free love” with Hugh Hefner’s first Playboy publication in 1953. The next few decades would transition from scantily clothed stills into the 8 mm and 16-mm film used for more explicit material during the “Golden Age” of pornography.
Holmes’ freelance acting granted him unprecedented flexibility with production companies.

Aware of the extensive demands of the porn industry, Holmes took on a variety of sexual roles to reach a wider audience by participating in gay scenes, masturbation loops, and sex with pregnant women. In a time where records were lost through the havoc of police raids and general disorganization, the nebulous facts regarding Holmes have contributed to the perpetuation of his legend. Although his prolific career includes two decades worth of adult loops and feature-length movies, the length of his penis (10-14 inches), the number of women he slept with (estimated at 4,000), and the age at which he lost his virginity (six and up), remain unverified, crafting an epic character with a tragic downfall.

The decadence of Holmes’ health from his drug abuse began damaging his career and triggered his involvement with the Wonderland Gang, a lethal group of cocaine dealers situated in LA during the early 80s. His association with this gang only increased his obsessive compulsion to sell stolen items to support his developing drug habit, further entrenching him in the drug exploits of Ed Nash, a high-profile crime figure.

The sections exploring the Wonderland murders and the ensuing trial immerse its readers into a fast-paced world of drugs and fatal deception. The dialogues exchanged between Julia St. Vincent, a romantic partner of John’s after having acted in Tell Them Johnny Wadd Is Here, and Dawn Schiller, John’s naïve teenage mistress and drug-using cohort, recall their involvement through vivid narrative. Following his sentencing of 119 days in jail for contempt, Sugar and Nelson end the chapter with a resonant distinction: “John was never a murderer; he was a drug addict!" (311)

From the first recorded scene with “snowballing” to Holmes’ preference to brunettes, A Life Measured in Inches offers an incredible gamut of information. The book concludes with a consummate filmography of John’s works, along with selected feature film reviews and the delineation of 150 loops, 306 features, and 27 compilations.

The vicissitudes of Holmes’ life offer a thought-provoking view of a time past, of a life lived dangerously and passionately. A Life Measured in Inches is a must-have for any fan of John Holmes and anybody interested in the origins of the fastest growing and most internationally lucrative industry today.
http://www.sexherald.com/erotic-literature/john_holmes-_a_life_measured_in_inches.html

Exclusive Interview with Roger T. Pipe

2009-05-28T20:15:00.000-07:00

Jennifer and I met adult writer and film critic, Roger Pipe, at the Adult Entertainment Expo in January. Recently, we participated in an exclusive interview for his website: http://www.rogreviews.com/news/read_article.asp?sku=4890

Jennifer Sugar and Jill Nelson have written a new book on John Holmes. It’s called John Holmes, a Life Measured in Inches and it’s a very compelling read. It is a comprehensive look at the life, career, downfall and eventual death of the biggest legend the adult industry has ever seen. I got to meet the authors of the book in Vegas at the AEE and they agreed to a an interview about their project. It is short and sweet, but I hope you find it interesting.

What are your backgrounds?

Jennifer Sugar: I am a graduate from Michigan State University with a background in math and biology. Besides my background in research, I didn't have any specific qualifications when I began writing the book.

Jill Nelson: I am a 51 year old married mother of two and a Hearing Instrument Specialist by profession. I have always enjoyed writing as a hobby, but never attempted to have anything published prior to working on this book.

What led you to do a book on the adult industry? / Why John Holmes as the central figure?

Jennifer Sugar: I had no affiliation with the adult industry and I didn't know enough about it to have an opinion, one way or the other. At that point, I had only seen a couple of porn movies, but none of Holmes'.

Of course, at 21 years old, I understood the intimation on the radio, "Our sets are longer than John Holmes," and I was naturally curious. One random day in October of 2003, I skipped class to see a movie. I guess it was fate, because Wonderland was the next thing playing, and I was instantly interested in seeing it when I heard it involved John Holmes -- sex, drugs and an unsolved multiple murder. Ironically, after I saw it, I remember saying to my husband, "I will never see a John Holmes movie!"

Over the course of the next few days, I became more curious about the murders, but also about John's entire life, being that he was a country boy from Ohio and I'm from Michigan. I watched my first two Holmes movies that weekend, California Gigolo and The Adventures of Dickman & Throbbin, I watched all of the documentaries and I read everything I could find, but was disappointed that there wasn't a biography dedicated solely to exploring John Holmes with the depth that I felt the subject required. It seemed unreal to me, so I decided to begin a comprehensive and definitive biography in 2004. That was the conception of Inches.

Jill Nelson: I became interested in John Holmes as a person after having rented the Hollywood film, Wonderland, in 2005. Afterwards, when I started to do my own research on John, I met Jennifer on a message board for the film Wonderland. Privately, she informed me that she had commenced to write the first and definitive book about Holmes and about a year later, when she became bogged down with school work and realized the sheer magnitude of the project, she invited me to become her collaborator.

John struck me as a multi-dimensional person, rather than the simpleton many people assumed that he was. Although not academically smart, John was a bright and enigmatic individual throughout his life and career. When Jennifer informed me that she had decided to write John's biography, I was impressed that it was her mandate to present a fair and unbiased look at his life. Holmes is a seminal figure who is an influential and important forefather of the X-rated adult entertainment industry, so it was challenging but also exciting to work through the process together in order to produce this very complete look at John's life. Part of my interest in the subject was due to the fact that I had no prior knowledge of the adult entertainment industry.

The book includes comprehensive interviews. How much did you do and how did you put the material together?

Jennifer Sugar: Between Jill and myself, we talked with a total of 35 people who knew or worked with John Holmes, and this includes several extensive interviews, which resulted in plenty of new material for the book. I began putting material together after doing the first couple of rounds of interviews (because of being a full-time college student and working to pay the bills, I was limited to working on the book during summers until the final year, when I took a year off after graduation). In the beginning, I experimented with several styles, but it was clear that the oral history format with some narrative was the best way because John's story is so complex. Throughout the process of writing, Jill and I endlessly reworked chapters because it was important, with the idea of creating something definitive, to remain as unbiased as possible.

Jill Nelson: Several of the people Jennifer and I interviewed for the biography had not gone on record before to speak in depth about John. People such as John's girlfriend and Exhausted director, Julia St. Vincent, Marilyn Chambers, Jamie Gillis, Seka, former L.A.P.D. homicide detectives, Tom Lange and Frank Tomlinson, and others, opened up to us about their interpersonal relationships, friendships and experiences with John. Because Jennifer and I reside in different countries, we sent our interview transcriptions, chapters, film/loops reviews and the filmography, back and forth via e-mail, once we had decided upon a format that worked.

How willing were people to talk about the various aspects of John’s life, career and issues?

Jennifer Sugar: Most people who had worked with John were very willing to share their experiences, although many of them were cautious at first and asked questions about our motives and how we planned on portraying John. It was important to us to be unbiased toward John, and also, not to take sides -- to be fair to everyone who was quoted in the book.

Jill Nelson: People were open and forthcoming in talking about the various aspects of John's life, career and issues. For some, their memories are bittersweet, but overall, they have been very supportive and are pleased with the finished product.

What was the most surprising thing you learned?

Jennifer Sugar: I think the most surprising thing was the many facets of John's character. I suspected that there had to be more to him than what had been shown before, but we showed everything -- the good, the bad, and the sometimes very ugly, but the result is that John was simply a human being, just like you and I, and we felt that was the central theme.

Jill Nelson: It was surprising to learn that John was an artistic person who indulged his creative side whenever he had an opportunity. He enjoyed woodworking, gardening, building, refinishing furniture, sketching, writing and sculpting. It was interesting to have an opportunity to flesh out these aspects of John's character since those elements had not really been focused upon in past projects about him. He definitely was a multi-tiered and flawed individual.

After all these years, why do you think the world is still fascinated by John Holmes?

Jennifer Sugar: I think the world will always be fascinated by John because of his massive size and the fact that he was the first world famous porn star, back when porn in America was new and illegal to make and sell. John was and always will be a figure of American pop culture from that alone, plus his name has been cemented in infamy, because of his association in the 1981 drug-related murders in Laurel Canyon and his 1988 death from AIDS. It's an unflinching look at a real person that will make you laugh and cry.

Jill Nelson: John was the very first adult film superstar and the first can never be replaced or replicated, which is why he is known to this day by his contemporaries as The King. At a time when it was illegal to produce and perform in hardcore films, John was a pioneer in his chosen field. I believe that our book reveals John as the complicated and conflicted person that he was, and because of the many contradictions that typify his life, John's story makes for a fascinating read. His is truly a tragic tale.

What do you think Holmes legacy is?

Jennifer Sugar: Like any other film star, John immortalized himself. His death from AIDS raised awareness of sexual health practices in the adult film industry, and John's is probably the best anti-drug story around.

Jill Nelson: To add to what Jennifer has said, I think John's legacy is also that he is porn's anti-hero in the minds of many who remember the Golden Age. Before the days of Viagra and augmentation, John had a screen presence that was natural, non-threatening, but also commanding. Men could identify with his average looks and because of his unique size, women found him to be desirable.

Do you have any other plans for books on the industry?

Jennifer Sugar: I would never say never, but it's not my plan. I would like to write more non-fiction, but my goal isn't to become an adult industry historian.

Jill Nelson: If I were to write another book about the industry, it would be about the women of the Golden Age. I am interested in their stories and I believe that they are worthy of being told. At the same time, it would be fun to explore other topics.

If you could ask John one question and be assured of a 100% honest answer what would you ask?

Jennifer Sugar: Because my initial interest in John's life story stemmed from my interest in the unsolved murders, I would want to ask him to tell me what happened from beginning to end. I'm not sure that I would ask that, though, because I believe that John already said what he wanted to about that topic in the tapes he made prior to his death. We printed his side of the story in the book, and it all fits surprisingly well with what the police believe happened. I'd probably ask him to explain how he became involved in the adult industry, since there is a lot of conjecture about that, and it appears that he first started as a nude model almost immediately after moving to California and meeting his first wife.

Jill Nelson: In his audiotapes, John joked when talking about writing his autobiography that he would like to dedicate his book "to the only woman I ever loved" and then leave people guessing as to who he had intimated. Jennifer and I were able to include some of John's primary relationships in the book, but it would be interesting to find out who he had truly loved. I would also like to ask John to list his five favourite leading ladies of his 20 year film career. Because he was a person who often did things contrary to what one might expect, I suspect that his answer would be quite different than what most people would predict.

Chapters in Ottawa and "Inches" on Youtube!

2009-05-25T09:51:00.000-07:00

Saturday May 23rd marked the second Canadian book event for John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches, when I appeared at the Chapters Rideau store to chat about "Inches", discuss and sign copies of the critically acclaimed biography. The event was covered by SNAP Ottawa Downtown -- photos and a synopsis will appear in the June publication of the magazine. Special thanks to Chantal from SNAP (kudos for the rulers!) and to Tony Trinh of Chapters for making this an enjoyable event! Piece and photo link from SNAP: http://www.snapottawadowntown.com/index.php?option=com_sngevents&id[]=96501

The CBC Radio interview with "Q" host Jian Ghomeshi (many Americans will recognize the name from the recent interview he did with Billy Bob Thornton) is now available on youtube. It is in two-parts and set to a montage of John Holmes photos. Please check out the link(s) below to listen and view:

Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkPxf7rkBuY

Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uj0lCdLkoUY

Chapters Ottawa and Wider Screenings

2009-05-18T05:07:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday May 19th and Wednesday May 20th, I will guest again on Ottawa Radio, CKCU.FM (see ckcu.fm.com), between 6-7 am. with host, "World Famous Dan Shields", to discuss John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches and promote the upcoming book signing event at Chapters Rideau store in Ottawa, Ontario, on Saturday May 23rd.

I am looking forward to having an opportunity to present and discuss the book at another Canadian venue! For those living in the Ottawa area, the store's contact number is: (613) 241-0073. Thanks to events co-ordinator, Tony Trinh.

In other news, Australian based writer, Robert Cettl, will be reviewing our biography this summer for his website at: http://www.widerscreenings.com/ This is especially exciting as widerscreenings prides itself on its stance for non-censorship, while providing enlightened and articulate critical perspectives on contemporary films and books. Please stay posted.

CHAPTERS Recap!

2009-04-26T06:33:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, April 18th, was our fourth Book Event since the publication of "Inches" last August. What made it a very special experience for me is that the event was held in my home town of Burlington, Ontario, at Chapters Book Store. I couldn't have been happier as it was truly wonderful to feel the warmth and support of friends, family and unfamiliar faces.

What made it interesting is that due to the nature of John Holmes' profession and the time of day (high noon) that the presentation began, Chapters politely requested that I write something specific (PG) for the event rather than reading directly from our book. I decided to write a brief synopsis of John's life story that touched on the highlights and lowlights, while putting a human face on the penis/porn star. It was exciting to compose and deliver the overview, but more importantly, I was reminded of how much I enjoy writing.

TV Cogeco did an outstanding job covering the event and hopefully, one day I will learn who the mystery female photographer happened to be! No matter, it was a lot of fun and a resounding success, followed by a reception at our house afterwards.

Unfortunately, the book's originator, my co-writer (and friend), Jennifer Sugar, was not able to make it this time, but her presence was felt as I read a note by her describing how she had commenced to write the definitive biography of John Holmes. Additionally, Jennifer was pictured in a photograph taken of the two of us last summer, at our book launch and first official event. The photo proved to be significant as the attentive audience was able to appreciate how a determined and creative young mind can accomplish what many people dream about, while inspiring others along the way.

Next month... Ottawa!

"The Source" Chapters Book Signing Event on TV Cogeco

2009-04-22T13:45:00.001-07:00

For those who reside in the Halton (Southern Ontario, Canada) region, TV Cogeco's "The Source" will begin to air a segment tonight at 6:30pm, covering the Chapters Book Signing event last Saturday, April 18th. It is 3-4 minutes long and will air every night over the next week.

The event was a resounding success! Photos to follow soon.

Another Chapters Book Signing Event and more!

2009-04-14T08:44:00.000-07:00

*** Chapters Rideau Book Store in Ottawa - For those of you who reside in the Ottawa region, Chapters Rideau Book store at 47 Rideau St. in the Byward Market area, will be hosting a book signing event on Saturday May 23rd, from 12-2:00pm. (613) 241-0073. Excerpts of "Inches" will be presented, followed by a Q&A and signing.

*** Chapters Book Store in Burlington - For those of you who live in the greater Toronto area, I'd like to extend an invitation to attend the presentation, Q&A and signing of John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches this Saturday, April 18th, at Chapters Book Store -- 3315 Fairview Avenue in Burlington. (905) 681-2410. The event is from 12-2:00pm and will be covered by TV Cogeco, for an upcoming segment of "The Source".

*** Blog Talk Radio -- Tune into "Webmistress" on Wednesday April 15th at 8:00pm Eastern with host Newoka, for an exclusive one hour discussion about John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches. The call-in number is: (646) 716-5072. http://www.blogtalkradio.com/WebMistress/2009/04/16/BIOGRAPHY-John-Holmes-A-Life-Measured-in-Inches

Colourful World of John Holmes & Booking It!

2009-03-28T05:52:00.000-07:00

First-time author focuses on life of late porn star - Colourful world of John Holmes turned into biography

By Melanie Cummings, Special To Burlington Post
Arts & Entertainment
Mar 27, 2009

Jill Nelson, 51, is an unlikely porn star biographer. Yet she is. The hearing aid specialist has also never tackled writing before, except in her high school days at Central. Yet she did. Chalk up her achievement in getting her first book about the well-endowed adult film actor John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches to sheer fascination mixed with unending, dogged determination.

Her partner in penning this 584-page story is also an unlikely match. At 26, Jennifer Sugar is a generation younger than Nelson and lives a country away, in Michigan.

The pair did have a seemingly unquenchable curiosity about Holmes after watching the movie Wonderland. Intrigued by the main character, the women met while chatting on an Internet website about the porn star, who was addicted to drugs and implicated in 1981 drug-related murders of four people in Los Angeles. “I’ve always been drawn to people on the fringe and their stories,” said Nelson. “(Holmes) wasn’t polished or well educated but he was charismatic.”

It took Nelson and Sugar four years to write Holmes’s biography and, after finding an agent, the book was appropriately launched on what would have been his 64th birthday, last Aug. 8. “A lot of things fell into place with this project,” said Nelson from her home in Aldershot.

She and Sugar made contact in the adult film world that led to the bevy of interviews with key people in his life such as Holmes’s widow, a long-time girlfriend (who hadn’t gone on record before), adult film directors he worked with in the industry’s golden age, two police officers who arrested him in Los Angeles (one was Tom Lange, made famous through the investigation into O. J. Simpson’s murder charge), friends, co-stars and co-workers.

“People entrusted us because we weren’t jaded media nor were we immersed in the porn world,” said Nelson. “It was a life-changing experience.”

The biography is told in a first person story-telling format with some narrative written by Nelson and Sugar, as well as the comprehensive filmography synopses. The pair watched about 114 full-length movies and another 86 loops (silent shorts that are light on plot and long on hard-core action) to put together the film review section.

Holmes’s life story seems to be one filled with contradiction, Nelson discovered. While porn films in his time were illegal to make, watching such films weren’t. Therefore, Holmes’s entire career in the 1970s and ’80s was against the law. Ironically, porn films were legalized in 1988, the year he died of AIDS at age 44.

He was also a man who wrote beautiful poems about love, yet had unprotected intercourse even though he knew he was HIV positive. “There’s no question he did despicable things,” said Nelson.

While he gained fame for his lengthy appendage (the book boldly includes a full frontal nudity photo of Holmes in all of his glory) his short life had good, bad and ugly in it too, added Nelson.

Before writing the book, Nelson would have deemed pornography immoral. But in the context of the time, the men and women in this industry were also part of the sexual revolution era of the 1960s. “They were educated people who wanted to buck the system and while I wouldn’t want my kids to be porn actors, or me, I don’t pass judgment on them,” said Nelson.

Online sales through amazon.com , chapters.com or johnholmesinches.com — currently the only way to buy John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches — have been steady to date.

The biography will also be sold locally on Saturday, April 18 at Chapters on Fairview Street from noon-2 p. m. Nelson and possibly Sugar will be on hand for book signings.
“It’ll be interesting to see who shows up,” said Nelson. http://www.burlingtonpost.com/arts_and_entertainment/article/244457

********************************************

Talk Radio: "Booking It"

Last evening, Jennifer and I participated in an hour long interview and discussed the book in depth on "Booking It" with host, Loie. To listen to a full podcast of the interview, or download the program, please click on this link: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/SeriousBusiness/2009/03/27/Booking-it-John-Holmes-a-Life-Measured-in-Inches

Talk Radio Tonight!

2009-03-25T06:50:00.000-07:00

This is a reminder about two scheduled Blog Talk Radio shows for March:

**Tonight, I will be a guest on Blog Talk Radio's "Author Show" with host Kim Smith at 8:30 pm Central (9:30 pm Eastern). The call in number is: (646) 478-0319. This program will be available as a podcast and is a 30 minute segment.

**Please also tune in Friday as we are invited guests on "Booking It!" with host, Loie, at 7:00 pm Eastern. The call in number is: (646) 716-9034. This is a 60 minute segment.

"Erotica in Print" & "Lengthy Credentials" - 21 Years Ago

2009-03-13T08:08:00.001-07:00

This past week, an online gay publication, XX Factor, reviewed John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches.

Today marks the 21st anniversary of the death of John Holmes.

Hot ... Off the Press: Erotica in Print
March 11 2009, by marq - XX Factor

John Holmes was the world's first porn star and the only straight male performer whose name had greater box office value than any female star.

When I was 22, Jack, a friend of mine, insisted we drive to New York City (we were living near New Haven at the time) to see a porno film starring some guy named "Johnny Wadd." I had never heard of Johnny Wadd", but neither had I ever seen hardcore porn in a public theater, so I was in. This friend was "straight," but he didn't have any problems with me being gay.

On the way home from the movie — I don't remember the title — Jack insisted we stop at a rest stop and jack off. I was pretty terrified to jack off in a public area with a straight friend, and I don't think I came, but Jack did. (Years later, I'd learn that the definition of straight could have as many curves as the trail left behind by a slalom skier.)

That was my introduction to John Holmes, a man whose legend has finally, and deservedly, eclipsed the size of his 14-inch penis.

John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches is a massive (600 oversized pages) biography and memoir of Holmes, as told by the people who participated in his life — his wives, lovers, friends and business partners. It is an unusual book in that its authors, Jennifer Sugar and Jill C. Nelson, do not so much write about Holmes as they collect and edit the words of others, including Holmes himself.

At first, this makes for frustrating reading. It is too episodic, playing in the mind's eye more like an extended script for an episode of television's This Is Your Life. But soon you realize that the commentary isn't going to segue into traditional biography, and you get used to it. Who, in fact, is more qualified to speak about John Holmes than the man himself and those who knew and loved (or hated) him?

Holmes' life is truly laid bare for the reader, with no details withheld about his marriages, his lovers, his movies, his involvement with the horrific so-called Wonderland Murders, his AIDS diagnosis in 1986 and his death less than a year later. John's few gay films are duly noted, as is the fact that, as a hustler, he accommodated gay clients.

My most serious criticism of John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches is that the authors do not step in at the end to provide a summary or overview of any kind. Holmes' life may have been measured in inches, as J. Alfred Prufrock's life was measured in coffee spoons, but a tome of such heft as this one seems obligated to provide a larger view of the Holmes legacy, rather than leaving that job up to the readers.

There are numerous black and white photographs interspersed with the text (some breasts and penises but nothing hardcore). There is also a "Film and Loop ography" of Holmes" more than 1,000 on camera appearances, and nearly 125 pages of selected reviews of Holmes' feature films.

John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches has the great good fortune that its authors were able to assemble their biography while the people best able to tell the story are still alive to speak. It merits the attention of any porn fan, regardless of gender or sexual orientation.

"Johnny Wadd" was a fictional detective that Holmes played in a number of different porn films, and many fans came to think of that as his name.
http://www.xxfactor.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=934

*** On Tuesday March 10th, we were invited guests on Internet Voices Radio with host, Lillian Cauldwell. Unfortunately, Jennifer was ill and unable to participate, but you can listen to a podcast of Lillian's 30 minute interview with me at this link: http://www.internetvoicesradio.com/Arch-Denise.htm (Scroll down to "Previous shows".)

For the first time on the air, I read an excerpt from our first chapter, Before Johnny Wadd. The excerpt is titled, Lengthy Credentials.

New Book Event and Review!

2009-03-09T10:38:00.000-07:00

Chapters-Indigo
Book Signing Event:

Saturday April 18th 2009 from 12:00-2:00pm.

Co-authors Jennifer Sugar and Jill Nelson been invited to this exclusive engagement presented by Chapters-Indigo Book Store in Burlington, Ontario Canada. The authors will discuss John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches, engage in a Q&A and sign copies of their book. Chapters book store is located at Woodview Place, 3315 Fairview Avenue, Burlington. (905) 681-2410. Stay posted for more details.

Review of John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches
March 9, 2009 by Christina @ AIPdaily.com.

There is only one word to describe John Curtis Holmes and that word is legend. I n this book from first time authors Jennifer Sugar and Jill C. Nelson (that’s right, they are both women), we get to hear first hand from the people that knew the man the best. Some contributors include such legends as Buck Adams (who unfortunately died in 2008), Dr. Sharon Mitchell, Marilyn Chambers, Mike Horner and Ron Jeremy.

This book is one of the most in depth biographies on John Holmes. It does focus mainly on his career in the adult industry, his trouble with the law and especially, his alleged involvement in one of the worst crimes in California history: The Wonderland Murders. More important than anything in the book is that the authors go beyond the stigma that John was just a porn star, arguably the most famous male porn star ever, maybe even the biggest porn star period. They delve into what the man was really like by interviewing friends and colleagues.

Some of the most interesting parts, I found anyway, were the sections about his heavy drug use. How he was still able to perform and how it ultimately caused his demise is quite fascinating. Of course, no book about the legend would be complete without talking about his death. I’m sure most of you reading this know already that John died due to complications from AIDS, due mostly to his reckless sex life off camera, as well as the practice of not using condoms in movies at that time.

His life was short lived, dying at the age of 44, but it was a life well lived, and the fact is he lived his life to the fullest. I obviously recommend this book to anyone that wants to know more about the man who played “Johnny Wadd” or for anyone that is interested in the adult industry. The book, on top of having many excerpts from interviews, also includes many photos from many stages of his life. Some are nudes, but I suspect if you are reading a book about John Holmes, you are ok with nudity. I would like to end this review with a quote from John himself. It is really quite deep and it shows you that not only was he physically gifted but he was gifted in thought, as well.

“The tree of life represents the roots of man. The branches are the different directions a man can take, live or exist. When you’re dead, those that you leave behind will put you in a part of that tree. It represents what was, what is and what will be. It’s eternal.” – John Holmes

You may be able to find this book at a book store if you want to check it out, but I do know that they have it at Amazon.
Christina http://aipdaily.com/review-of-john-holmes-a-life-measured-in-inches/#more-1958

Three New Podcast Interviews:

2009-03-02T10:03:00.001-08:00

* Reporter Bill Hennesey from Internet adult film database (iafd) interviewed myself and Laurie Holmes on January 8th, at the Adult Entertainment Expo 2009 about John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches. It is now available at: http://www.iafd.com/ Just highlight "IAFD Services" at the top of the page and click on "Interviews" to listen.

* Hamilton Ontario's 900 CMHL radio posted the podcast to a recent local interview with hosts, Shiona Thompson and Bob Bratina, at the following link: http://www.900chml.com/CHMLMorningNews.aspx Scroll down to "audio" to find the March 2nd interview with Jill Nelson.

* Listen to 2 hour podcast interview with host "Destiny" Debbie Kiley on March 4th at this link: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Destinydebbie

John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches -- in Canada!

2009-02-25T11:08:00.000-08:00

Hustler Canada: Due to interest generated from the Keith Valcourt piece about A Life Measured in Inches in the March 2009 edition of Hustler magazine, Toronto writer Keith Carman will review "Inches" and interview Jennifer and myself for an upcoming article in the Canadian edition of Hustler magazine.

More Talk Radio: I will be an in-studio guest on AM Radio 900 CHML on Monday March 2nd at 8:10 am Eastern, with host Shiona Thompson. This is a Hamilton, Ontario broadcast. To listen live, click on this link: http://www.900chml.com/Channels/Reg/HostBios/Story.aspx?ID=1000534 For those who are unable to listen live, the podcast will be made available.

Jennifer and I are invited to be Debra Kiley's guests on the "Destiny Debbie" program on Wednesday March 4th at 7:00pm Eastern. To listen live, please visit this link: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Destinydebbie

If you have questions, the call in number is: (646) 727-2591

We are scheduled to be guests on http://www.blogtalkradio.com/seriousbusiness with host, Loie on Friday March 27th at 7:00 pm Eastern. The call in number is: (646) 716-9034.

Chapters.Indigo online: For people interested in purchasing the book through Chapters.Indigo.ca., the book is back in stock. :-)

A Life Measured in Inches website: For a more in-depth look at the biography, please visit our website at:

http://www.johnholmesinches.com/ to read book excerpts, film review excerpts, critic reviews, peruse our photo gallery, read author bios and more! The website is updated on a regular basis. Also, check out our unique myspace page for "Inches" at the following link: http://www.myspace.com/johnholmesinches

Interactive Talk Radio Interviews - March '09

2009-02-19T11:04:00.000-08:00

Jennifer and I are scheduled to participate in two Internet Talk Radio interviews in March. Both radio shows provide a platform to showcase new authors and their work:

Tuesday March 10th - Passionate Internet Radio with host Lillian Cauldwell on Tuesday March 10th at 9:00 pm Eastern. Please click on link at: http://www.internetvoicesradio.com/ Stream is found on first page of website. Listeners are invited to call in to chat with the authors on this toll-free number: 734-827-9407 .

Wednesday March 25th - Blog Talk Radio's "Author Show" with host Kim Smith on Wednesday March 25th at 7:30 pm Central. For details, click on link at: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/kims Questions and feedback is welcome at the blogtalkradio website. This program will be available as a podcast.

Rising to the Occasion

2009-02-09T14:14:00.001-08:00

A short while ago, a local newspaper interested in Canadian authors interviewed me about our biography. The result of that interview appeared in the Saturday February 7th edition of The Hamilton Spectator.

Rising to the occasion - Burlington mom cowrites porn star's biography

Mary K. Nolan The Hamilton Spectator (Feb 7, 2009)

Reference is often made to "the longest serving member" of Parliament or Congress or city council. But the late John Holmes was as deserving of the title as any politician or statesman.
The legendary porn star, who died of AIDS in its early days, at the age of 43, was famous for his munificent endowment.

Thus the title of a new biography, John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches, written, surprisingly, by a respectable, middle-aged Burlington mom who sells hearing aids for a living.

Jill Nelson concedes that Holmes is a curious subject for her first book. Not only has he been dead for 21 years, but his only claim to fame beyond his prodigious appendage was his role in a gruesome mass killing in Los Angeles at the home of a notorious drug kingpin.

Nelson's interest in Holmes's short, sad, sleazy life was stimulated by the violent 2003 movie, Wonderland, which she and her husband rented one Saturday night from their local video store.
Starring Val Kilmer as Holmes, the movie chronicled what came to be known as the Wonderland Murders, a sordid tale of drug trafficking, addiction, the gang underworld, prostitution, pornography, money laundering, bribery, double-crossing, robbery and four murders that Holmes was charged with -- and eventually acquitted of -- committing.

Nelson was so intrigued by Holmes's tragic story that she began researching his life online, where she ran into a young Michigan student on a message board. Jennifer Sugar was only 21 but determined to write the definitive biography of Holmes, and she invited Nelson to be her collaborator.

"We wanted to write a fair and unbiased biography -- the good, the bad and the ugly." Nelson's 24-year-old son thought it was a bit of a kick, but her daughter, 19, was not entirely impressed. "She said 'Out of everything you could write about, why does it have to be a porn star?'" says Nelson. Her husband of 30 years worried about possible negative repercussions. "He cautioned me that I wasn't writing a book about birds," she laughs.

Between them, Nelson and Sugar interviewed 35 people, including Holmes's second wife, Laurie. They also watched as many of Holmes's films as they could find -- about 114 full-length movies and another 86 "loops," silent shorts that are light on plot and long on hard-core action. None would have merited any awards, not for the acting, at any rate.

"We wanted to get beyond the stigma," says Nelson. "We discovered that there was a real soft side to him, pardon the pun. We believe he was a good guy in the beginning, a big-hearted guy, but when he got into coke, all his demons came out."

Holmes, they discovered, was not just a sex addict, drug addict and accused murderer who endured a miserable childhood, ran with a bad crowd and had unprotected sex with his costars even after learning he had AIDS.

He was also a kind and charismatic man, a loving stepfather who loved gardening, building, poetry, woodworking, antiques and storytelling, says Nelson. His first marriage lasted 19 years, his second was in its fifth when he died.

"He'll always remain an enigma because that's the way he wanted it," says Nelson. "I do like him, despite some of the heinous things he did. If I'd ever met him, I'd probably have been sucked in by his charisma."
mnolan@thespec.com

HUSTLER MAGAZINE'S BOOK OF THE MONTH PICK!

2009-01-31T11:19:00.000-08:00

HUSTLER BOOK CLUB - HALL OF APPROVAL

The March 2009 Edition of Hustler magazine has selected John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches as their selected premier 'book of the month' pick, on page 24 of the "Bits and Pieces" section.

John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches

By Jennifer Sugar and Jill C. Nelson

"Porn Star John Holmes led a seedy and sordid life that included drug addiction, the notorious Wonderland Murders and AIDS -- all of which makes for a helluva read. The intricate and gory details of the master cocksman's existance are exposed in John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches. Whether or not, you were a fan of Mr. Wadd, you won't be able to put down this fascinating biography by Jennifer Sugar and Jill C. Nelson. (Available now.)" - by Keith Valcourt

SWANK Magazine Book Review Excerpts - 02/09

2009-01-16T09:48:00.000-08:00

Image from W-Pink TV 1985 - Courtesy of Paradise Visuals

The latest issue of SWANK magazine is now available and on the newstands until March 28/09. Included in the February '09 issue is a full two page article and review about our book, John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches - text by Ron Jeremy, in the column "XXX Reality Check - Ron and the King!" The article is appropriately titled, "John Holmes versus Ron Jeremy" and can be found on pages 42/43, including four images. Below are some selected excerpts:

"What brings about this column about the famous porn stud that died over 20 years ago? It's because of the release of a fascinating new book about Holmes, a biography titled John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches by Jennifer Sugar and Jill C. Nelson (http://www.johnholmesinches.com/) and released by Bear Manor Media (http://www.bearmanormedia.com/).

Holmes and I had a very, very friendly rivalry back in the late 1970s when I was starting to do a lot of the X-stuff, and he had become a big draw at the box-office. Back then of course, there was no internet, no DVDs, no VCRs, and porn-lovers who wanted to see an X-rater had to go to an actual movie theater, and in those days they went to see Holmes do his thing.

We co-starred in several features together and various loops as well... There were lots of them back then, I can hardly remember, but luckily in addition the book contains reviews of hundreds of Holmes' feature films and shorter clips as well as a very comprehensive filmography, to get you up to speed.

John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches is written in a very interesting and provocative style that I found very compelling. A chronology of Holmes' life as told through interview excerpts by the people who were with him at the time, and from things he had written himself, and recorded himself, as part of Holmes' own personal archives of documents and tapes. And then the authors intersperse their own observations and musings as the chapters lead the reader from Holmes' early life, up to his tragic death -- he turned out to be the first-ever real X-industry superstar, but the first known porn star to contract HIV and die from AIDS. Talk about irony?

As I told the book's authors through hours of interviews I gave them over a period of months, I'd always liked Holmes, he was a very nice personable guy, and always nice to me. But obviously, his drug problems led him to do a lot of things that can't be condoned. But, in general, I think you have to look at a person's entire life and and examine both the positives and the negatives if you want to be fair. And while John had a big downside later in life, and he paid the price for it, we can never forget the upside as well.

It is hard to know what to say in talking about John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches because so much of it is personal narrative, of the persons closest to Holmes telling their personal stories involving him. The tales and insights in the book are so human and intimate -- on all levels -- the only way to truly appreciate how the Holmes story is told is by reading it yourself. Just be prepared for a very long and touching, and disturbing journey.

And in the final analysis [Sugar and Nelson] present a fair, balanced and complete look at "The King", John Curtis Holmes, without anti-porn hysteria on one hand, and without sugar-coating on the other -- just the good, the bad and the ugly of one man's life. May "The King" rest in peace."

Las Vegas Recap & New Book Review

2009-01-13T10:56:00.000-08:00

Laurie Holmes, Bill Margold, Jill Nelson & Jennifer Sugar - AEE 2009

Jennifer Sugar, Jason Green (of Paradise Visuals) & Jill Nelson - Day 2

Vintage John Holmes film posters and memorabilia display at Erotic Heritage Museum - Las Vegas 10/01/09

The 2009 AEE Las Vegas convention was a tremendous success and busy! Jennifer and I had a great time chatting with event attendees and many members of the adult entertainment and mainstream media. We participated in various interviews that will be forthcoming, and posed for photos. Thursday and Friday evenings, we attended parties hosted by Jason Green of Paradise Visuals at Hard Rock Cafe, and also by Clinton Davison of the Erotic Heritage Museum.

On Saturday afternoon, after spending our final day at the convention, Jennifer and I, along with Laurie Holmes and adult film historian William Margold (who wrote our book's Foreward and crowned John Holmes with the title, "The King"), appeared at the Erotic Heritage Museum book signing where we read bio excerpts, engaged in a lengthy Q&A and posed for more photos. The people we encountered there were wonderful. For a limited time, signed copies of the bio by Jennifer, myself and Laurie Holmes will be available at the EHM gift store.

The Las Vegas experience was fun and exhilarating and we only wish we'd had more time to spend, but overall, it was a great opportunity to continue to spread the word about INCHES.

*******************

Book Review:

Ottawa X-Press January 8th, 2009 (Canada)

John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches

Inches?

by Geoffrey Brown

John Holmes: A Life Measured In Inches by Jennifer Sugar & Jill C. Nelson (BearManor Media) 584 pp John Holmes' uncut life

John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches is an almost ludicrously well-researched biography of the first true superstar of adult cinema, the legendary John Holmes (or Johnny Wadd as he was called in many of his films), renowned for being extremely - some might say grotesquely - well-endowed.

Jill Nelson, a hearing instrument specialist in Hamilton, says she was drawn to Holmes as a subject after watching Val Kilmer portray John Holmes in the movie Wonderland (which depicts the robbery of a notorious L.A. mobster, night club owner and drug lord by the name of Ed Nash, a man with whom Holmes had become affiliated through a mutual interest in freebase cocaine). "I found myself wanting to learn more," notes Nelson. "I couldn't fathom how an uncomplicated country boy from Ohio had somehow managed to be catapulted to the pinnacle of the erotic movie industry. I was interested to know what made Holmes tick, and in my spare time I began researching him on the Internet."

Nelson's co-writer, Jennifer Sugar (the two met on an entertainment message board), came to the subject in a similar manner. "She had watched Wonderland in 2004 and wanted to read a book about John, only to find that one did not exist. She decided to write it herself," says Nelson, "and about a year after she had commenced writing she invited me to assist her with the project and our collaboration began."

Nelson and Sugar's objective "was to provide an unbiased, balanced and unprecedented presentation of the events of Holmes' life, without resorting to a sensationalized account" (despite barely touching alcohol and completely abstaining from using illicit drugs at the beginning of his career, Holmes, in addition to eventually becoming addicted to cocaine, was also arrested for his part in the brutal "Wonderland murders" in 1981 and eventually died of AIDS). To that end, they conducted interviews with 35 people, including Holmes' ex-wife, Laurie, whom they interviewed at length and who "opened up to us and revealed new information about her personal life with John which was significant to the book, as she is generally guarded about talking to people about her late husband."

Perhaps the most impressive feature of the book is the very thoroughness of the research, especially the extremely detailed and comprehensive film and scene reviews at the back of the book. "We wrote all of the movie reviews and loops synopses ourselves. I'd say that our film reviews are more erotic in nature, while our loops are sexually explicit, since they are much shorter than the features (only 10 minutes in length, on average) and merely brief set-ups for sex. Jennifer and I indeed watched every single one of the 114 Holmes feature films," says Nelson, "and all 86 of the loops that are included in the reviews and loops sections of the book. It was definitely a herculean effort."

Las Vegas City Life News

2009-01-05T14:09:00.000-08:00

CityLife Picks

John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches

[Signing]

To say porn has gone mainstream would be a gross understatement. Jenna Jameson, famous almost exclusively from fucking, rose from porn a household name. Shit, she even has a wax statue of her own at Madame Tussaud’s. But 30 years ago, in a time where porno was still underground and illegal in some states, the biggest (ha) star of them all was a former meat-packer (ha ha) with a really large wang (ha ha ha). John Holmes, the first king of porn and famous for his gigantic tool, was a star in porno nearly overnight. But drugs, erratic behavior, his oddly large … ego, and alleged involvement in the horrific 1981 “Wonderland” drug murders in Hollywood took over the porn king’s legacy. And even though his death from complications from AIDS in 1988, he lived a crazy life.

Authors Jennifer Sugar and Jill C. Nelson’s new biography, John Holmes, A Life Measured in Inches — along with widow Laurie Holmes — plan to tell you all about it at the Erotic Heritage Museum, and where better to celebrate the man’s career than during the Adult Video News Network’s annual convention? There, everything from the murders to speculation of the actual length of Holmes’s famous ego (OK, I’ll stop) can be discussed with the best of them.

Also, if you’re not busy the night before, Ginger Lynn, widely considered one of the first famous porn stars, also MCs a night of art, live music, autographs and, of course, live S&M demo, also to be held at the Museum. It’s a whole lot of debauched fun, and seriously, how often can you celebrate the proto-years of porn with other members of the adult entertainment community outside of your own bedroom? Aaron Thompson, athompson@lvcitylife.com.

Last updated on Monday, January 5, 2009 at 1:05 pm

John Holmes, a Life Measured in Inches book signing, with Jill C. Nelson, Jennifer Sugar and Laurie Holmes Sat., Dec. 10, 4 p.m.-6 p.m.Erotic Heritage Museum

3275 Industrial Road 369-6442 Free

http://www.lasvegascitylife.com/articles/2009/01/05/ae/picks/doc496267220c7c0659314986.txt

BEST BOOK PICK OF 2008!

2008-12-31T11:00:00.000-08:00

Respected critic, Gram Ponante, has chosen John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches as one of his five best book selections of 2008.

See 2008 - in review: http://www.gramponante.com/labels/john%20holmes.html

Ponante has also crowned John Holmes, the Comeback Kid of the Year, due to the publication of "A Life Measured in Inches", in conjunction with the re-release of the original Johnny Wadd - the first of the nine-part "Johnny Wadd" series directed by Bob Chinn, and The Return of Johnny Wadd, produced by John and partner Bill Amerson's company, Penguin Films. Additionally, Johnny Wadd, Eruption and The Return of Johnny Wadd have all been nominated in the 'Best Classic Film' category in the upcoming 2009 AVN awards.

Twenty years after his death, 2008 was indeed a stellar year for John C. Holmes. http://www.gramponante.com/2008/12/2008-in-review-comeback-of-year.html

BOOK SIGNING AT EROTIC HERITAGE MUSEUM!

2008-12-19T09:23:00.000-08:00

Erotic Heritage Museum Book Signing!

In addition to our four day appearance at the Adult Entertainment Expo, Jennifer and I have been invited by special request to do a book signing at the Erotic Heritage Museum in Las Vegas on Saturday January 10th, from 4-6 pm. We will be joined by Ms. Laurie Holmes to meet and greet fans, sign copies of our book and pose for photos. Copies of the biography will be available for purchase in the gift shop. Please be sure to arrive early.

Newly added: Sugar and Nelson will take the stage at 6:00pm to read excerpts from their book, followed by a brief Q&A session. All event attendees are invited to stay for this segment.
Link to Erotic Heritage Museum Book Event:

NEW BOOK REVIEW/AUTHOR INTERVIEW!

2008-12-13T08:56:00.000-08:00

--Friday, December 12, 2008--

John Holmes book also measured in inches - Written by Gram Ponante - gramponante.com

John Holmes single-schlongedly embodied the American narrative of success, downfall, and redemption in its porn context, which means something different from any other context. And his story as told in a new book by Jennifer Sugar and Jill Nelson, John Holmes, a Life Measured in Inches, unfolds that story as comprehensibly as possible. I say "as possible" because Holmes seemed pathologically incapable of telling the same story to everyone. And it wasn't just bullshit and bravado - he would add and drop entire skill sets depending on the group he was with.

Even though he worked under his own name, Holmes' best friends didn't know who he was. It wasn't until his death in 1988, for example, that most of the porn community found out that Holmes had been married for the entirety of his adult career. Not only that, but prior to the drugs, that marriage to Sharon Holmes had been sexless but happy.

If any single figure in the adult industry past or present deserves a book, it is John Holmes. Then Larry Flynt. Maybe Nina Hartley, but is a story really interesting if someone just keeps getting better?

Holmes' success roughly parallels the so-called Golden Age of Porn, in which the money was piled as high as the cocaine and "porno chic," a term that arose from the fame of Deep Throat, made legitimate celebrities of performers long before anyone bothered creating a Jenna Jameson Crossover Star of the Year Award. Holmes was a boner-fide star.

And he was complex. While his wife of 19 years, Sharon, said Holmes could hardly boil water and wouldn't approach the kitchen, friends in the adult industry remember Holmes cooking feasts (director Roy Karch, who was the production manager for 1979's Dracula Sucks, starring Holmes, Jamie Gillis, Serena, and Paul Thomas, told me that one late night during the weeklong shoot he walked into the kitchen of the Palmdale-area castle to find Holmes, cooking stew for 50 people for the next day.)

Not only that, but Holmes was also a cop magnet. Years before his use of drugs sidelined his career and landed him at the scene of 1981's Wonderland Murders, Holmes was an informant for the L.A.P.D.'s anti-porn unit, escaping jail time by providing info on other porn sets.

But drugs were Holmes' downfall, inasmuch as it was he who chose to take them. According to the book, this casual Scotch drinker and pot smoker devolved quickly into a basehead, stealing from fellow performers, ripping off luggage from the airport, and breaking into cars to steal for his habit.

All the while Holmes could be a loving boyfriend to various women (who knew nothing of each other) and a father-figure to the children of Bill Amerson, a longtime producer and his partner in Penguin Video.

Inches provides an extended study of Holmes' involvement in the robbery of club-owner and drug dealer Ed Nash and the murders of the Wonderland Gang two days later, as well as Holmes's imprisonment for contempt, flight across the country, and his eventual, if reluctant, exoneration.

But it is the aftermath of Holmes' release from jail in 1982, up to the point when he contracted AIDS around 1986, that I found fascinating. Because it was in this time that he seemed to make the best use of this window for redemption. A ccepting a divorce from Sharon (she had had enough, finally) and dumped by longtime girlfriend Dawn Schiller (she had had enough, finally), Holmes began a strong relationship with Misty Dawn on the set of his comeback movie. He eventually married her and she became Laurie Holmes.

But it all slid backward when he contracted AIDS, perhaps from a gay actor in a big-budget gay-for-pay movie. Knowing he had the disease, Holmes hit the drugs as hard as he could. He also knowingly worked with other performers during this time, including the Italian actress (and future member of the Italian parliament) Cicciolina. It is believed that Holmes did not pass on the disease to anyone else.

Inches is an oral and text history, meaning that Sugar and Nelson pored over existing interviews and added dozens of their own, quoting dozens of subjects in full paragraphs.

I talked with Sugar and Nelson from their homes in Michigan and Ontario, respectively.

Jennifer Sugar: I was five years old when John Holmes died, and so I had no idea who he was until I was 21, when I saw the movie Wonderland. After seeing the movie, I was interested in the details about John's life story. After reading and watching everything about John Holmes that I could get my hands on, I learned that there wasn't already a biography about him, so I decided to write A Life Measured in Inches.

A couple of years into the project, between juggling college classes and my part time job, I "met" Jill on an internet message board related to Wonderland. We corresponded by e-mail for a period of time and I could tell that she had some of the same questions about John's life that I had and that she was genuinely interested in Inches, so I invited her to co-author the book.

Jill C. Nelson: When we first started communicating, I was impressed that Jennifer had decided to take the high road in her desire to author John's bio, rather than resorting to sensational traps. John was involved in some despicable acts, but I believe it is easier (and tempting, in many cases) to write a scathing book about a person's life, rather than to dig and find the diamonds in the rough. When she invited me to assist her with this project, I was honored, in part, because of her intention to write a fair and balanced biography.

Gram: How did you decide on the oral history model?

Sugar: In the beginning of my writing process, I was intimidated with the volume of material and I was having difficulty presenting all of the information from various interviews. A few people suggested that I try the oral history format, so I read some examples of this (The Other Hollywood: The Uncensored Oral History of the Porn Film Industry and Live From New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live, as Told By Its Stars, Writers and Guests).

It took a lot of experimentation before Jill and I found what worked best -- our goal was to present "whole" quotes that weren't choppy or taken out of context and to present as unbiased view of John as possible. The main reason I think the oral history format is the best way to tell Holmes' story is because he is such a multi-faceted man. More often than not, there is more than one side to these stories and a juxtaposed presentation of the actual quotes from our interviewees allows the reader room to make interpretations.

Nelson: Some of the people we interviewed were displeased by the way in which the information they had imparted had been misconstrued in previous projects relating to the adult entertainment industry, as a whole. They very much appreciated the fact that we'd quoted them verbatim, utilizing the oral history format.

Gram: How long did the book take to complete and how would you describe the logistics of your collaboration? For example, did you write over e-mail or across a table?

Sugar: The book took a total of four years to complete, beginning in August 2004 to when the book was released in August 2008. When Jill and I started working together, we sent files back and forth over e-mail and talked over more complex issues by phone. The first time that we met in person was in July 2007, when we both went to California to do in-person interviews for the book. We only worked together in person one other time before the book was published, when I went to Jill's house for several days to work together on the photo sections.

Gram: Did you encounter any resistance to your questions of the LAPD or the adult community?

Sugar: Not really. Once or twice, there were a couple of questions people would not answer or not want "on the record," but it was very rare.

Nelson: The people within the adult community felt that our approach was refreshing, and I believe they took a leap of faith because of the fact that we weren't a part of the adult entertainment industry.

The same is true for the two former L.A.P.D. homicide detectives, Tom Lange and Frank Tomlinson. They trusted us and viewed our book as a welcome opportunity to tell their side of the story, since neither one had really spoken (in depth) publicly, about the Laurel Canyon case before.

Gram: Aside from learning the facts of the Wonderland case and the those of Holmes' life, did anything surprise you? If so, what?

Sugar: It was surprising to learn more about John as a father figure to Bill Amerson's children and Laurie Holmes' son. Up until A Life Measured in Inches, John's role in these childrens' lives hadn't been discussed in detail.

Nelson: I found it enlightening to gain information about John's artistic side. By many accounts, he truly enjoyed working in various capacities within the art medium -- whether it was building, writing, drawing or sculpting. And he loved music.

Gram: As so much of Holmes' story was of his own fabrication, did you ever find yourself in the middle of conflicting accounts between eyewitnesses? Particularly I'm thinking of Laurie Holmes, Dawn Schiller, Sharon Holmes, and Julia St. Vincent, who seem to be the main women in the story.

Sugar: We weren't able to interview Sharon and Dawn, but we were granted permission by Hustler to use their quotes from the WADD interview transcripts. It was disappointing that we did not get to ask them our own questions, but using the other transcripts, we were able to fill in their stories. There did not seem to be conflicting accounts. For example, Dawn's version of the time that she and Julia confronted John together was very similar to what Julia had told me. It all seemed to fit together very nicely.

Nelson: John was a chameleon and displayed different sides of himself to everyone he encountered, including the various women in his personal life. Julia commented that she experienced more of the flashier side of John, whereas, Dawn was more accustomed to John's artistic side. Laurie spoke of him being a homebody, and because Sharon had known John longer than any of the other women, she remembered him when he was a "regular" guy, prior to his foray into the adult genre and his troubles that later resulted because of his addiction. It was interesting that because of their unique experiences with John, there really weren't contrary accounts.

Gram: Based on your research and your immersion in this story, what do you think happened on 1 July, 1981, the morning of the Wonderland Murders?

Sugar: I think that Ed Nash found out that John set up the robbery at Nash's on June 29th, and so he forced John to lead the killers to the Wonderland house -- or else. John chose to lead the killers to the house and to let them in or leave the door unlocked, like he had done at Nash's. My gut feeling is that the killers forced John to watch the murders. I will always wonder why John wasn't also killed, but Nash seemed to have liked John and for whatever reason, he didn't want to kill John, but still wanted to make sure that he fully understood, "Don't f***" with Ed Nash.

Nelson: I have to go along with the evidence (or lack thereof) presented in the trial. Because there wasn't anything concrete to support the proposal put forth by the prosecution that John had actually participated in the murders, I believe that John's involvement in the murders was as a spectator, and that he was forced to watch under duress.

Gram: Beyond calling Holmes complex, do you believe you would like him if you met him? My own jury is out on this, but I have a feeling that if I knew him as a contemporary, I'd like him.

Sugar: I hate to admit it, but I probably would have liked John if I had met him. He had "it," whether it was, his blue eyes, his big heart, or his big penis -- most people who met John were entranced by him and many of them still have fond memories of John, despite the bad (and often reprehensible) decisions he made in life.

Nelson: John's charismatic nature was potent, which is why people found him hard to resist. Despite his "bad boy" tendencies, I do believe that he possessed redeeming qualities, so I most likely would have liked him, had I met him. According to those we talked to, John's poor choices were (mostly) a result of his addiction to cocaine and freebase. That isn't an excuse, but it is a way to try to comprehend what might have motivated him to be hurtful to other people, in his insatiable quest for drugs. Bob Chinn told us that the "old" John was the greatest person you'd ever want to meet.

I learned many things about Holmes and the history of the adult industry from this book. As Sugar says, the differing viewpoints let the reader come to his own conclusions about Holmes' life.

My only complaint about the book is that the authors sometimes let their interviewees ramble past the point of usefulness and relevance, and the oral history aspect sometimes means that key events in Holmes' life get presented more casually than one might expect. I don't always want to have to come to my own conclusions.

Like Holmes himself, Inches is a massive and compelling book. Just don't drop it on your feet.

ADULT ENTERTAINMENT EXPO 2009 + MORE!

2008-12-02T12:34:00.000-08:00

It's happening in Vegas...

ADULT ENTERTAINMENT EXPO 2009 - JANUARY 8-11TH!

Jennifer and I will be at the Adult Entertainment Expo Show 2009, at the Protecting Adult Welfare (PAW) booth, hosted by William Margold. We will be available throughout the entire event to meet with convention attendees, sign copies of our biography and take book orders. Special guest, Ms. Laurie Holmes, will join us to mingle and reminisce with Golden Age fans.

And In other news...

New CBC radio interview!

Jill Nelson was a recent guest on Canada's CBC radio show, "Q", hosted by Jian Ghomeshi on Wednesday December 10th. Please click on link to listen to podcast:
http://www.cbc.ca/podcasting/pastpodcasts.html?42#ref42

Watch for new book reviews!

AVN Magazine - December 2008 -- By Jared Rutter.
Ottawa X-Press - December/January -- By Geoffrey Brown.
SWANK - January '09 edition -- on stands December 23rd.
HUSTLER - March '09 edition -- on stands January '09.

Michigan Mittenlit Book Review & Podcast interview!

2008-11-14T14:49:00.000-08:00

A New Biography of the Top Gun in the Porno Industry

This past week the two authors of a new biography on John C. Holmes did a book signing and discussion in Lansing. It was their first mainstream appearance. Here’s a look at this controversial new book.
Pornography, drugs, and murder; who wouldn’t want to read a biography that is absolutely saturated in sex, cocaine, and a mass murder? From Mark Wahlberg’s portrayal as Dirk Diggler, a physically talented but drug addled porn-star in “Boogie Nights,” to Val Kilmer’s graphic yet stunningly vivid and accurate characterization in “Wonderland” John C. Holmes legend has grown in proportion to his legendary appendage.

In “John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches,” authors Jennifer Sugar of Michigan and Jill C. Nelson of Canada provide the first and more than likely the most detailed biography ever of porn superstar John Curtis Estes, aka John C. Holmes, aka Johnny Wadd.

John C. Holmes became an instant celebrity during the 1970s after the American culture had undergone an extended sexual revolution which allowed pornography to sneak right into the mainstream and the living rooms of millions of Americans.

To be completely honest, John C. Holmes’s rise to celebrity status was primarily because of his un-naturally large penis which according to John himself was, “…14 inches long and as round as my forearm, six inches above the wrist,” After years of starring in hundreds of films and hiding his marriage to a conservative girl, Holmes eventually began his downward spiral of excessive drug use that plagued so many celebrities and average Joe’s in the 1970s-80s. After leading a substance-abuse free life for numerous years (Holmes even abstained from tobacco and alcohol), Holmes jumped into the life of cocaine with such intensity that his string of hit porn movies would soon come to an end, not to mention his freedom.

After befriending Los Angeles drug kingpin Ed Nash, John became entwined with nefarious characters that eventually led to quadruple homicide charges against him that would become embedded into the history of Hollywood and soon on the big screen as the “Wonderland murders”. John would emerge a free man, but no way whatsoever vindicated. After contracting HIV, Holmes with, knowledge of his illness, continued to film porno movies and possibly exposed many female co-stars to the disease. He succumbed to AIDS in 1988 leaving behind a legacy with enough unanswered questions to make many wonder who was this man?

In a book that utilizes years of research including hundreds of hours of interviews with friends, family, co-stars, police officers (essentially those who knew Holmes at his most intimate moments), John C. Holmes’ life before, during and after porn is described and chronicled with painfully hard memories.

These two first-time authors (one actually went to a filming of a XXX movie to interview a director who was extremely close to Holmes during his extended run in the pornography game) put together a 582 page biography that reads like a college textbook on speed with a side of steroids. In addition, to pages upon pages that recount a fascinating life that coincided with the criminalization and then legitimization of pornography, Jennifer Sugar and Jill Nelson provide the reader with hundreds of synopsis’ of Holmes’ films including little-known reels from the earliest days of pornography that conclude with brazenly poignant reviews such as “…John gets the girls prepped for a shared facial—a personal memento from Mr. Big.”

“John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches,” is a narrative similar to other star biographies with one major exception; the pages and pages of quotes and personal accounts of nearly every major figure in John’s life. Instead of unverified accounts given by outsiders with no obvious connection to Holmes, these authors included the personal accounts of many of his peers which allow readers an inside view into Johnny Wadd’s troubled life.

Throughout the book the reader is given objective information combined with subjective accounts from many former friends, lovers, wives, co-stars, etc. The reader essentially is allowed to come to their own verdict on whether this man was bigger than life or was he just a degenerate and sexual deviant who orchestrated the murder of four fellow druggies.

*******************************************

http://impact89fm.org/podcast/citypulselive/impact_city_pulse_live_2008_10_29.mp3

Click on link to listen to podcast interview with "Inches" biographer Jennifer Sugar - on Impact 89FM:

"John Holmes is Back" by Jared Rutter

2008-11-06T08:39:00.000-08:00

Upon returning home from a terrific presentation of the book, followed by a spirited Q&A on Monday evening at Schuler's Books, Music and Cafe in Michigan (thanks again to Events co-ordinator, Whitney Spotts!) we have another great review to post!

John Holmes Is Back

20 years after his death, the porn icon is spotlighted in new bio, DVD reissues
By: Jared Rutter http://www.avn.com/video/articles/33155.html

Posted: 10/31/2008 CHATSWORTH, Calif. – Twenty years after his death, porn icon John Holmes is back in the spotlight thanks to the re-release of two of his landmark movies and the publication of his first full-length biography.

The re-releases, Johnny Wadd, (1970) from VCX, and The Return of Johnny Wadd (1986), from Adam & Eve, neatly bookend the star’s career. They were his first and last incarnations of the private eye character who became his on-screen alter ego.

Johnny Wadd was made in 1970 in the porn industry’s fledgling years. Director Bob Chinn made it in one day for $500 from a script he wrote on the back of an envelope. It was the first of many Wadd movies with Chinn at the helm. The director recently unearthed a pristine first-run answer print from which VCX made its DVD. Extras include an interview and commentary with him.

The Return of Johnny Wadd was one of Holmes’ last features, produced by his friend Bill Amerson for Penguin Productions. Written by Raven Touchstone and directed by Patti Rhodes, it co-stars Kimberly Carson, Sheri St. Clair, Mai Lin and Billy Dee.

According to Jennifer Sugar and Jill C. Nelson in their biography John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches, The Return of Johnny Wadd was made after Holmes' release from jail (in connection with the drug-related Wonderland murders) but before he tested positive for HIV. The actor was 41 and had not made a Wadd movie for eight years. He wanted to revive the franchise and got permission from Chinn, then living in Hawaii, to give it a try.

Touchstone says in the book that she thought her script would be the first of a new Wadd series, but it turned out to be the last. Not long after its release in early 1986, Holmes came down with the first symptoms of the AIDS-related illness that would kill him two years later.

Fans of the original should be alerted that Adam & Eve’s version starts off with a wholly unrelated sex scene that appears to have been incorporated into the movie some years after the movie’s initial release. It features an unidentified woman and a young Tony Tedeschi, who did not enter the business until the early 1990s. Otherwise, the movie plays just as it did when shot on video 22 years ago.

John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches is packed with information that even the closest student of the porn legend’s life may not be aware of. It’s the work of two non-professional writers who developed an interest in the late stud bordering on obsession and tracked down just about everyone who ever knew him. Holmes’ life story, told primarily in the words of the interviewees, like an oral history, is endlessly fascinating.

The book has some terrific extras: an amazingly thorough filmography (and loopography) as well as detailed reviews of the major movies. This is no small achievement. Video stores would be well advised to stock it in their Classics section. Copies can be ordered from http://www.bearmanormedia.com/ or from http://www.johnholmesinches.com/.

****Copies can also be ordered at Amazon.com., Borders.com, Barnes and Noble.com and Chapters.indigo.ca

Review by Ian Jane at AV Maniacs and "Inches" contest!

2008-11-02T19:37:00.001-08:00

Clocking in at a whopping 581 pages and including many photos from throughout Holmes’ life and career, this ridiculously well researched book features interviews with Holmes’ family and friends such as Sharon Holmes and Dawn Schiller as well as co-workers like Bob Chinn, Jamie Gillis, Bill Margold, Annette Haven and many, many, many more. Careful not to choose sides over the various controversial aspects of Holmes’ life, the book starts with a look at Holmes’ early years and follows him throughout the early days of his adult career in the sixties through to his rise to stardom as porndom’s main marquee star in the seventies with the advent of the Johnny Wadd films. From there we learn of his struggles with substance abuse which lead to the controversial ‘Wonderland Murders’ and his subsequent legal troubles. Of course, from there we learn of his comeback and ultimately his battle with HIV.

The book manages to paint a portrait of a man both troubled and proud. At times sincerely nice and kind, and at other times completely full of shit, Holmes makes for a fascinating subject and the care and attention to detail put into this project, the obvious desire to paint an honest portrait of his life rather than to simply focus on the more sensationlist aspects of it, makes this a book very much worth reading.

Anyone with a passing interest in the adult film industry or who just enjoys a good biography in and of itself owes it to themselves to check out this meticulous and fascinating study of one of the most infamous and recognizeable adult film icons of all time.
-Ian

For details to win your free copy of the book at AVManiacs, please click on this link:

http://www.avmaniacs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38886

Lansing News!

2008-10-31T16:24:00.000-07:00

MSU grad writes porn legend's bio

Film prompts look into John Holmes' life

NOISE by Emily Caswell

http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008810290338

Jennifer Sugar swears she's a wholesome girl. Married and living on the west side of the state, Sugar, a Michigan State University alumni is probably not the kind of person you'd imagine writing a biography of a porn star. But she did. Along with co-author Jill C. Nelson, Sugar, 26, put together a biography of John Holmes, one of the first porn actors who was well-known for being well-endowed.

Sugar became interested in Holmes after seeing the motion picture "Wonderland," saying she had a feeling "there (was) a lot more to be told." And so she started her research. First, by watching many of Holmes' films. "Some of them were really funny," said Sugar. "The more I watched them, the more I liked them. ... Then they got repetitive."

Second, she took a trip to Hollywood in August of '04 to attend a birthday party thrown in Holmes' honor. He died in 1988.

There she met up with Bill Margold. Considered to be the world's foremost adult film historian, he worked with Holmes throughout the '70s and '80s, Margold took Sugar to the party. From there, she got some contacts and started working on the book. NOISE talked with Sugar about the bio, her time with Margold and more.

So why John Holmes?

I was curious really because he was a boy from Ohio who went out to Hollywood and became a porn star ... It just seemed like he was an important person. ... A pop culture icon ... I wanted to see him as more than just a penis.

How did you get people in the industry to trust you as an outsider?

Some people were skeptical. They asked me a lot of questions.

What was it like hanging out with Margold?

That was kind of crazy. ... He's very bombastic. ... Bill, he just looked out for me ... He'd say "so and so, he just wants to get into your pants." (laughs).

What was the most surprising thing you learned about Holmes?

He was such a paradox. ... There were a lot of stories about John doing positive things.

Did you set out to write the bio to find those positive parts of him?

I was looking to write something that would be unbiased. ... I wanted to present an even view.

How did you get hooked up with Jill?

I met Jill on a message board related to John Holmes...I just got to know her.

What did your parents think of the book?

My dad, of course, was a little bit surprised. My mom, she was really curious.

How did you find time to work on the book while in college?

I didn't let it take over...My college stuff came first. (I) mostly (worked on it) over summer.

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LANSING CITY PULSE

Thursday, October 30,2008 By Bill Castanier

http://citypulse.wehaa-server4.com/lansing/articles.sec-234-1-arts-and-culture.html

Literary Endowment

The story of how two women came to write a biography of the unquestionable "King” of Porn," John C. Holmes, is almost as fascinating as their subject. Almost.

Recent Michigan State University graduate Jennifer Sugar, of Michigan, and Jill Nelson, a businesswoman from Toronto, have written a fascinating account of Holmes’ rise to fame and dramatic fall in their 581-page book “John Holmes: A Life Measured In Inches.”

Most know of Holmes for his extraordinary endowment, which helped make him the star of thousands of pornographic movies during the “golden era” of porn. His most notable achievement was the “Johnny Wadd” series, in which he played a detective or, as it’s known in the trade, a private dick.

Those less familiar with his work know about Holmes from the movie “Wonderland,” which not only details his life in the industry, but also his decline and fall, which led to cocaine addiction, his entanglement in a drug robbery and murder and his ultimate death from AIDS in 1988.
Sugar became fascinated with Holmes’ life after watching “Wonderland” as an MSU student in 2003. “I hadn’t watched a John Holmes movie, and (after watching “Wonderland”) I said I’ll never watch a John Holmes movie,” Sugar said.

The promise to look away was short lived. “I was most interested in the murders at first,” Sugar said. Sugar watched documentaries on Holmes and read everything she could find. One thing she could not find was a biography of the porn star. Undaunted and naive about how hard it would be, Sugar decided to write it herself. “I just thought it would be kind of fun to try,” she said. In August 2004, Sugar who calls her self “shy,” went to Hollywood alone for the “Fit For a King” event, a celebration of Holmes’ life. She returned to California over the next three summers to conduct more than 35 interviews with Holmes’ co-stars, directors and the police officers involved in the investigation of the robbery-murders.

One major player who helped make contacts for Sugar was Holmes’ widow and former porn star, Laurie Holmes, who also gave her and her writing partner access to audiotapes from Holmes’ autobiography, “Porn King.” “I think my age and not having any experience as a journalist or author let them open up to me,” Sugar said. By the time Sugar interviewed director Paul Thomas while on a shoot, she was quite familiar with the industry. “What was shocking was that I wasn’t shocked,” she said.

Later, she and Nelson shared the responsibility of watching 114 feature films and another 86 loops starring Holmes to complete the section on Holmes’ filmography.

Sugar met Nelson online in a chatroom about “Wonderland.” They corresponded through e-mail for more than a year before Sugar asked for help with the book. “As I got to trust her, I told her it was too much for one person,” Sugar said.

Nelson said her initial interest in Holmes stemmed from her fascination with Val Kilmer, who played him in “Wonderland.” “I knew about John Holmes, but other than knowing he was well endowed, I wanted to see how Val Kilmer would portray him,” she said.

Her interest grew, and Nelson found herself wanting to know more. “I wanted to find out how a country kid from Ohio could get caught up in pornography and be catapulted into stardom,” she said. Nelson also brought a different perspective, since she was twice Sugar’s age.
“I knew the ‘70s,” she said. “I lived through them.” Nelson said sifting through all the material was a lot of work. Much had been written about Holmes, but there was no complete biography, and that was the authors’ goal. They wanted to know what went on behind the scenes and who the man was. They each conducted interviews and reviewed movies. “We both respected each other’s opinions,” Nelson said. “I think that’s the reason it works. We’re both determined and perfectionists, and we’re both meticulous.”

Each woman is proud of her accomplishment, which is the best look to date at a porn star who helped redefine a film genre, bringing it from seedy art house to a new life at video stores. The book is also the first mainstream biography of a porn star to feature full frontal nudity. Both authors agree it had to be included, and it’s the first thing readers turn to.

Now the authors are on the circuit to promote the book, making appearances everywhere from mainstream bookstores to the Adult Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas in January.
For the record, Sugar’s “favorite” Holmes’ movie is “Eruption,” and Nelson favors “Jade Pussycat.” Neither would elaborate, but Sugar did recently see “Eruption” on a large 35 mm screen. Perfect to watch John C. Holmes.

Jennifer Sugar & Jill Nelson Authors of “John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches” 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 3 Schuler Books & Music, 2820 Towne Center Blvd., LansingFREE

(517) 316-7495 www.schulerbooks.com

Schulers' Books & Music & New Author Interview!

2008-10-28T13:18:00.000-07:00

It is less than a week now before our book signing at Schulers' Books & Music and tomorrow, October 29th, Sugar will be a special guest on The Impact, at 88.9 at 7:00 pm!

This is from Schulers' website:

http://www.schulerbooks.com/

A Look Behind the Lens of the Life of Pop-Culture Icon John Holmes, Monday. November 3. 7:30 p.m. Meet MSU alumnus Jennifer Sugar and Jill Nelson, co-authors of the definitive biography of John Holmes, the undisputed King of the adult film industry, whose devastating downward spiral contributed to one of the most gruesome, unsolved, multiple-murders in Hollywood history. The grave consequences of his cocaine addiction, his association with the Wonderland murders, and his AIDS-related death made him an infamous figure in pop culture. Now John Holmes: A Life Measured In Inches looks beyond the stigmas and rumors to reveal the man behind the myth, and the cultural implications of the birth of the adult film industry.

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New author interview at Cindi's Naked Truth! http://www.xcitement.com/blog/

John Holmes- Exclusive Interview with the authors of “A Life Measured In Inches”October 28th, 2008

This book is PACKED with info on John Holmes, from his child hood until his death, it also gives details on what was happening all around him in the adult industry throughout his life. Thorough is not a strong enough word. We also have reviews of many of John’s movies and a bunch of pictures of him throughout his life. Excellent tome. I did an interview with the two writers who made this happen, Jill Nelson & Jennifer Sugar. Here is what they had to say-

1) Without having any prior interest or knowledge of the adult film industry, what was your inspiration for writing a book about John Holmes?

Jennifer: I had heard on the radio, “Our sets are longer than John Holmes,” and I was disappointed after I saw Wonderland because I wanted to really be able to see what that meant. I had never seen one of his movies until about four years ago. It was ironic because after I saw Wonderland when I was 21, I thought, “I’ll never watch a John Holmes movie!” and now, four years later, I’ve co-authored the only comprehensive biography of John Holmes, which includes 200 film reviews. I don’t think there’s much left for me to see that would shock me!

Jill: I had heard of John Holmes back in the 70’s when I was still a teenager and I knew him by his reputation. That is, I was aware of the fact that he was extremely well endowed, but I’d never watched any of his movies. In some ways, it was liberating to be presented with a legitimate opportunity, not only to explore an erotic film star’s life, but also to vicariously explore the taboo world of sexuality, beyond the realm of what is acceptable by today’s society. Not many men are built like John was, so there was definitely a curiosity factor for me. I soon discovered that John’s genitals don’t resemble your typical turkey neck and giblets, like many males’ tend to do, so I guess you could say that John’s famous member provided inspiration for the bio – on some levels.

2) How did people react upon learning of your project?

Jennifer: People were positive. My dad said, “I better not see you in any movies,” my mom said, “Maybe you can recommend some movies,” and my sister said, “How can I get in a movie?”

Jill: My husband has been supportive, but, at first, my teenaged daughter who was 17 at the time was a little uncomfortable with the idea of the book. On the other hand, my son (who is now 24) begged me to let him add Ron Jeremy’s cell phone number to his speed dial, just to impress his buddies! In my circle, people have been polarized, but I’ve reminded a few that ”A Life Measured in Inches” is a serious and comprehensive biography about an erotic film legend –Jennifer and I are not porn stars. Not that there’s anything wrong with that! But, there is a definite difference.

3) As first time authors venturing into unchartered waters, did you ever feel that undertaking a biography about John Holmes was overwhelming?

Jennifer: At times, I felt overwhelmed because there was so much to do – we had lists of phone numbers and e-mails, interviews to transcribe, movies to watch and review — and that was really just the beginning. I’d write a list of the next five things to do on an XL condom and pop it with a big pin when they were done. Many condoms were popped during the making of this book.

Jill: It is interesting, because our book was written electronically, by e-mailing our interview transcriptions, individual chapters and film reviews back and forth. We actually met in person for the first time in July of 2007, when we travelled to L.A. to do a round of interviews together. In April of this year, Jennifer (who resides in Michigan) stayed at my house in Ontario, Canada, for few days so we that could write captions for the 3 photos sections we had selected. Some of the pictures are rare nudes that really showcase John’s “inches”. It would get late and we’d be bleary-eyed sitting on my livingroom couch, fixated on John’s humungous pretzel and on impulse, we’d toss off all sorts of hilarious captions. The next day we’d generally tone it down a notch, but it was pretty funny.

4) Were you porn fans ahead of time? How were you accepted by the adult community?

Jennifer: Prior to reviewing John’s films and other Golden Age classics, I’d only seen a couple or porn movies and wasn’t a fan, but I was curious…

I would say that I was accepted warmly, but professionally by the adult community. People always ask if anyone ever asked me to be in a movie. No one ever did, although Cass Paley recently told me that the reason why he and Roy Karch approached me at “Fit for a King” — which recognized what would have been John’s 60th birthday — was because Roy was going to ask me to be in an adult movie. I don’t think there is anything wrong with a responsible, adult who decides to work in adult movies, but it’s not for me and I don’t do anything that would suggest otherwise.

In interviews with people who had worked within the adult community, I found that they were open after we earned their trust and shared our vision for how Inches would portray John Holmes.

Jill: I can honestly tell you that at age 50, no one offered me a part in a movie, not even as a MILF! We found that because we were both virgins, so to speak, it eventually worked to our benefit in gaining the trust of the adult community, because it was refreshing. Jennifer is a pretty and intelligent young woman, so people naturally gravitated toward her and they were very intrigued when she’d originated this project 4 years ago. I didn’t come on board until almost two years ago. As co-authors, we make an unique partnership because we are a generation apart; I’m a mother and I have been married for 30 years. Jennifer is a newlywed and a recent university graduate, so we are at opposite ends of the spectrum. Because of the nature of the book, we have talked about many things that I would never discuss with my own daughter because I’d be too embarrassed!

5) You both watched and reviewed over 200 Holmes’ films and loops for this project. What was your reaction when you saw John’s legendary penis for the first time?

Jennifer: I’ve seen it so many times now, I honestly can’t remember what I thought when I first saw it. But I will say this — there was a short-term effect to watching so many John Holmes films in such a short period of time; a regular-sized penis looked half as big as it should!

Jill: The first time I saw John’s penis was in a scene from The Jade Pussycat, where Johnny Wadd is “auditioning” a new secretary played by Christian Sarver. I distinctly remember exclaiming out loud, “HOLY SHIT!”. It almost rendered me speechless, which is very rare for me! The very first Johnny Wadd film adeptly demonstrates just how intimidating John’s size could be. At 25 years old, he was, as they say, young and hung, as the camera highlights his erect penis, swinging partway down toward his knee. It is thick and curved, almost like a boomerang. John had long skinny legs, so it is really quite incredible and impressive. The brunette actress who was working with John in that scene, Andie Bellamy, seemed to think so, too, judging by her vocal expressions and body language.

6) What are some of your favourite memories while writing the biography?

Jennifer: I interviewed Paul Thomas on the set of an adult video he was directing. After P.T. and his staff agreed on “Tits” for the location of the impending cum shot, he excused himself from our interview and joined the crew, who had snapped to attention to film the climax. When the cameras were turned off, the actress (who had done a convincing job during the scene), held her hands away from her body with her fingers pointed down. And in a statement that I think many women can empthasize with, she said, “I need a paper towel.”

Jill: Many stories shared with us throughout our interviews are memorable. Marilyn Chambers said when she’d first met John, he told her he had owned a sheep farm. I knew through Jennifer that Rhonda Jo Petty had said John told her he and his (first) wife Sharon had owned a goat farm. I laughed because it just struck me as the type of tale that John might have thought was funny. There are some stories that didn’t make it into the book, either because we were close to our deadline with our publisher, or we couldn’t verify them at all. Someone told me a story about a business card that John used to hand out in the 80s that read: “Romantic Problems? Call John Holmes” and it listed the telephone number of his answering service on Santa Monica Blvd.

The experience of co-writing this book has definitely been a lot of hard and meticulous work, but it has also been enlightening and fun.

Michigan Book Signing, Cindi's Naked Truth & More!

2008-10-09T15:05:00.000-07:00

Book Signing:

Watch and listen for 'up and coming' media coverage for our Monday, November 3rd signing event at Schuler's Book Store in Lansing, Michigan!

Jennifer Sugar will be interviewed by Emily Smith at Lansing NOISE a few days prior to our event. The interview will appear in their October 29th publication. Lansing City Pulse will be publishing a joint interview with Sugar and Nelson later on this month. In addition, Sugar is scheduled to be a special guest on Lansing radio: 88.9 The Impact with Bill Castanier on October 29th. The interview will air on the same day at 7:00 pm. Eastern.

Cindi's Naked Truth:

Check out Cindi's glowing comments about our biography:

"I am reading John Holmes, A Life Measured in Inches. This book is the TEXT BOOK on John Holmes and his era of porn. There is so much detail, I feel like I am studying for a quiz when I am reading, but that’s not a bad thing! Currently rated 5 stars on Amazon.com, this is a must read for all porn history buffs. Thanks to the authors for my autographed copy! :) More on the book when I get further along…." http://www.xcitement.com/blog/

Cindi also writes for luke is back at: http://www.lukeisback.com/

In Related News:

Adult Film Historian, William Margold, has requested that John Holmes' (and other legendary stars) famous hand and footprints outside of the former Pussycat Theatre on Santa Monica Blvd. be moved to the Hustler store, located in Hollywood on Sunset Blvd. An article about the historic landmark by David Cotner appeared in L.A. Weekly last week and has been picked up by adult fan websites - X-Biz and P.S. Babylon.

Trivia:

John Holmes left lasting impressions in front of the Pussycat Theatre at the lavish, red carpet premiere of Girls on Fire on February 7th, 1985 - almost 20 years after entering the adult business. He was 40 years old. Just one week later, on February 14th, Holmes was the first erotic film star to be inducted into the XRCO Hall of Fame.

From XBiz:

The Studs Theater on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood, once the flagship theater of the Pussycat chain that showed “Deep Throat” when it first came to Los Angeles, has cement handprints and signatures of adult industry stars including Linda Lovelace, John C. Holmes and Harry Reems on the sidewalk outside the theater.

Adult industry veteran Bill Margold has been asking Larry Flynt to buy the imprints — particularly those of Holmes and Lovelace, who are now deceased — and move them to the Hustler Hollywood store on the Sunset Strip.

“I think they’d be a lot happier over there,” Margold told XBIZ. “Santa Monica Boulevard is still thought of as the boulevard of hookers, whereas Sunset is the boulevard of entertainment.”Margold went to see Holmes’ imprint with the writers of the John Holmes biography, “A Life Measured in Inches.”

“I’m sad at how ill-treated the footprints are [at Studs] and how well-treated they are at Hustler Hollywood. Flynt could buy the whole theater if he wanted to. I could run it as a historical theater if he did that. We could show the old movies on a regular basis.”

The Hustler Hollywood store in West Hollywood, Calif., has handprints of adult personalities in its entranceway, including Screw magazine publisher Al Goldstein, director Paul Thomas, and performers Herschel Savage and Christy Canyon.

Schuler's Book Signing & 'Film Threat' Review/Interview with the Authors

2008-09-10T09:14:00.000-07:00

MONDAY, November 3, 2008 at 7:30 p.m. -- Authors Jennifer Sugar and Jill Nelson will read and sign John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches at Schuler Bookstore in Lansing, MI (at Eastwood Towne Center). This event begins at 7:30 p.m.

http://www.filmthreat.com/

THE LONG, HARD LIFE OF JOHN HOLMES
by Phil Hall (2008-09-11)

So, who was the biggest male star in movie history? Those with a flippantly dirty mind can produce the obvious answer: John Holmes.

Most people know John Holmes from the publicity surrounding his extraordinary endowment. And for those who enjoyed 1970s-era porn, Holmes’ on-screen persona as tough guy detective Johnny Wadd left a memorable impression.

Yet beyond the scintillating on-screen fun was a life that spiraled wildly out of control. A cocaine addiction wrecked his personal and professional life, and his involvement in setting up the robbery that resulted in the 1981 Wonderland Murders should have finished Holmes completely. Remarkably, he was able to regain career momentum and enjoy personal stability. But his recovery was too brief, and his 1988 AIDS-related death sealed his reputation as one of the most bizarre life stories in the entertainment world.

In the new book “John Holmes - A Life Measured in Inches,” authors Jennifer Sugar and Jill C. Nelson separate legend from fact and piece together Holmes’ strange and often tragic story. The result is an emotionally exhausting yet truly compelling real-life adventure. Published by BearManor Media, “John Holmes - A Life Measured in Inches” is the first biography on the late porn star and an invaluable history on the rise of the 1970s porno business.

Film Threat recently chatted with Jennifer Sugar and Jill C. Nelson on their new book.

What inspired you to write a book about John Holmes?

Jennifer: It's interesting because neither Jill or I have any affiliation with the adult industry and neither of us were fans of adult films going into this project. We both became interested in knowing more about John as a person after seeing Wonderland and Wadd. After I saw “Wonderland” in 2003, I watched all of the available documentaries about John and read everything I could find about him. But I sensed there was still a lot more to the story and was shocked to learn that there wasn't already an in-depth biography covering John's life the way that our book, “John Holmes - A Life Measured in Inches,” does. So, I decided to write one and my first step toward that goal was to attend "Fit for a King," the celebration recognizing what would have been his 60th birthday, where I did my first interviews.

Jill: I was also intrigued by the connection between John and his first wife Sharon and his mistress Dawn, that paralleled the story of the Wonderland murders and was depicted in the 2003 movie. I wondered how it was possible that a man could be an adult film icon, yet, he was married to a straight-laced Registered Nurse and also had a girlfriend. On the outside, the three seemed to share an amicable relationship and that interested me. I don't think Jennifer or I ever imagined ourselves writing a book about a so-called porn star, but we have come to believe that this project chose us.

For the record, just what were John Holmes, uh, measurements?

Jennifer: As the title implies, there was more to John than could be measured in inches. His penis may have been what initially made him a star, but John's abilities as an actor really improved with experience and his life was very complex. That being said, there isn't an official measurement - John's length varied with his level of excitement, but he will always be remembered as one of the biggest stars!

Jill: John knew how to expertly prepare his partners for his unique size and deep penetration. He engaged in foreplay with his leading ladies as much as time would allow for it, by giving them massages before a scene, or by reassuring them throughout a specific shoot. His partners greatly appreciated his gentle technique. John considered himself to be a sexual professional and he was - in every sense of the word.

For those who never saw any of his films, which were his best films and why?

Jennifer: I think it is essential for people to see the nine part Johnny Wadd series directed by Bob Chinn because it is what made John a household name during the 1970s. It was a very different time from now, since making and appearing in pornography films was illegal, but at the same time, they were also being shown - and enjoyed - at adult theaters around the country. To add to that, I'd like to mention that the original film, “Johnny Wadd,” will be released on DVD in September - and this 1970 film was previously unavailable. As the first of the series, it is quite significant and it will be fun for viewers to see the progression of the series as John became a better actor and the films were allowed a bigger budget corresponding to the immense growth in their popularity. I'm also a big fan of Holmes' work in sex comedies, such as “Hot 'n' Saucy Pizza Girls” (also directed by Bob Chinn), “The Spirit of Seventy-Sex” (directed by Stu Segall), and “Hot Nurses” (directed by Roberta Findlay). These campy films illustrate the carefree nature of making adult films during the Golden Era.

Jill: Other recommended highlights from Holmes' film repertoire would include “Prisoner of Paradise,” co-starring one of his popular leading ladies, Seka. “Eruption,” which is a parody of the mainstream classic, “Double Indemnity,” demonstrates John's agility as he performs various stunts and proves that he had credible ability as an actor. “John Holmes Superstar” is a terrific psuedo-documentary. Although “The Return of Johnny Wadd” is not part of the original series created by Bob Chinn (it is produced by Penguin Productions. John and partner Bill Amerson's own company) the film has merit with a quality script and decent acting, particularly on the part of Holmes and Kimberly Carson.

What effect did John's involvement in the Wonderland murders have on his career?

Jennifer: Actually, none. Sure, at first some directors and producers were reluctant to hire John, but John bounced back with his comeback film, “Marathon,” in 1983. In fact, on that set, John met and charmed Laurie (aka former adult actress, Misty Dawn), who became his second wife. This just goes to show that John came back, ever the ladies' man, and he went on to appear in many movies and videos throughout the next three years - business as usual. From his appearance in them, it appeared The King was thrilled to be back!

Jill: In all likelihood, John's infamy in association with the Laurel Canyon murders helped to bolster his film career when he made his successful comeback after his acquittal. John enjoyed his return to adult films and he helped to usher in a new round of young, leading ladies like Ginger Lynn and Amber Lynn, who became sweethearts of the video-age. Like the women who preceeded them, the newcomers loved working with Holmes. In many ways, Holmes acted as a mentor to the young burgeoning stars and his reputation for being a gentleman on the set remained.

Why is John Holmes relevant to today's movie audiences?

Jennifer: Without John Holmes, many people believe the industry would have not achieved the popularity that it enjoyed throughout the 1970s and 80s. John as Johnny Wadd kicked open the door for other adult performers.

Jill: Holmes is considered to be the forefather of erotic movies. He is the Babe Ruth of hardcore.

Overview of "A Life Measured in Inches" by Gene Ross - Adult FYI

2008-09-07T09:22:00.000-07:00

http://www.adultfyi.com/read.php?ID=30008

9/5/2008
14:12 PM PST

Paul Thomas: The Fact that John Holmes Got AIDS and Died from It was Perfect

--Gene Ross

Porn was really cool back in the Eighties. Then when John Holmes died of AIDS in 1988, all of a sudden, it wasn’t as cool any more. The book John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches is an oral history of the most famous and controversial porn star of all time. Holmes had the mythical monster cock and the party personality to go with it. But when Holmes died, it was the effect of someone turning the lights on the party and calling the cops. And the spirited Free Love movement which began in the Sixties and proceeded pretty much undisturbed over two decades all of a sudden had its rude awakenings, repercussions and finger-pointings.

In the blizzard of quotes and assembly of porn junkie recollections and anecdotes, one comment in this fascinating book by Jennifer Sugar and Jill C. Nelson really leaps off the page. Paul Thomas offers his thoughts upon hearing of Holmes’ death.

“When I found out he had AIDS,” says Thomas, “I was in denial because then I was scared that I had it. I wouldn’t test. It seemed the proper ending for Holmes, or anyone else in this business. It seemed not surprising at all, in fact, it was surprising that we all didn’t have it. That was amazing: not that he had it, but that we all didn’t have it. I’d crossed swords with him many times. He was with a girl and three seconds later, I was with her, so it was surprising that we all didn’t get it. The fact that he got it and died from it was perfect. Tragic, but perfect.” By the way, Holmes knew he had AIDS and continued to perform.

What people are saying about: A Life Measured in Inches

2008-09-01T12:33:00.000-07:00

Below is a compilation of quotes about the bio by various people who were interviewed for the book, among others:

- L.A. Times Critic comments: "I was impressed at how thorough and definitive it was." -- Kenneth Turan

- Editor of the Village Voice sexuality blog, "Naked City" summarized "Inches" this way: "Chocked full of primary sources... This book is an excellent piece of porn history. You learn a whole lot about John Holmes and also about porn in the 70s and 80s." -- Audacia Ray

- The author of the "Whatever became of?" series, had this to say about, "A Life Measured in Inches": "Long overdue, precisely researched and a breezy read." -- Richard Lamparski

- A former L.A.P.D. homicide detective writes: "A real insider's look into the life of John Holmes. The many quotes throughout the book give an interesting and insightful perspective to the Holmes story." -- Tom Lange

- Veteran film director and creator of the Johnny Wadd series recently summed up the biography: "A comprehensive survey of a great tragedy." -- Bob Chinn

- Former Golden Age starlet, who did her first film with John Holmes shares her thoughts: "This is an amazing biography! By far, it is the best and most balanced account of John Holmes and the most truthful book about the adult film industry that has ever been written." -- Rhonda Jo Petty

- Holmes' friend and still photographer states: "'A Life Measured in Inches' should be in every library. It is a historical piece." -- Joel Sussman

- Well respected actor and erotic film director claims: "It is a fine, sensitively written piece of work. I am very pleased and proud to be a part of it. It will always be the definitive work on Holmes and it's a great read.-- Jamie Gillis

- Former Holmes' comrade and fellow performer writes: "Thanks for quoting me word for word, unlike other interviews I have participated in." -- Don Fernando

- A Hollywood scriptwriter says: "It tells the whole story about the man. It's the truth, not someone's fabricated tale of the life. It's a page turner and absolutely compelling. Kudos, ladies. You did an amazing job." -- Raven Touchstone

- John Holmes' widow states: "After watching the film, Wonderland, Jennifer and Jill believed there was more to John Holmes. I find the biography refreshing." -- Laurie Holmes

"Inches" & Beyond

2008-08-26T15:07:00.000-07:00

Presently, Jennifer and I are moving forward at a good pace with respect to publicity and promotion of the book as our primary focal point. The comprehensive biography is now available at all major online outlets like: Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com, Borders.com, Chapters.Indigo.ca, etc., and also at our own website: www.johnholmesinches.com

Please visit our myspace page at: John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches.

Watch for upcoming reviews, interviews and mentions of the book in various newspaper, magazine publications, and websites such as: Film Threat, HUSTLER, SWANK, L.A. Weekly, P.S. Babylon, Gay Porn Times, Luke is Back, the Toronto Star, AVN, www.Tod-Hunter.net, Adult Industry News, and more!

We are currently working toward making the biography available at store locations throughout the U.S. and Canada!

In related news: In September, VCX will be releasing Johnny Wadd, the very first film of the famous nine part series. (The entire Johnny Wadd collection is reviewed in our book.) This 1970 film, co-starring Holmes' real-life girlfriend, Sandy Dempsey (distinguished by her infamous butterfly tattoo on her right thigh), has not been available since it made its theatrical debut in the early 70s. Additionally, never-before-seen footage from various John Holmes' 1980s feature films, is now available as VOD at http://www.johnholmes.com/ - "John Holmes Basement tapes", Volumes 1-4.

Excerpt from Chapter 14 ~

REMEMBERING JOHN:

Bob Chinn: People are always going to be curious about somebody that is endowed like he. So there's that curiosity factor that got a shot in the arm with Boogie Nights. And with Boogie Nights, they reached a whole new mass audience that had never been aware of it before.

Laurie Holmes: The way he's been portrayed has been wrong and people have this perception already in their mind. There's nothing you can ever do that's going to change it. It's better sometimes that they just don't know.

Sean Amerson: In short, I don't really care about his drug abuse, the adult industry or the mass murders. None of that affected my relationship with him. That's not who I knew. I miss him, and the kindness and bond between a scared, abused little boy and a man no one understood was a human being.

Author Interview: Naked City

2008-08-22T18:40:00.000-07:00

Audacia Ray at Naked City recently interviewed Jennifer Sugar about "Inches"!

http://www.nakedcity.com/2008/08/author_interview_john_holmes_a_life_measured_in_in.php

For the last few years, writer Jennifer Sugar has been on a mission to bring porn legend John Holmes' life into print in a definitive biography. She added co-author Jill C. Nelson to the mix last year and the final product, John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches hits the stands today. The duo interviewed 35 people, reviewed 200of Holmes' films, and did a whole lot of leg work to produce this book.

Naked City editor Audacia Ray emailed with Jennifer and asked about the process of doing the research for the book and what they found out along the way.

[Also, trivia fact - August 8th would have been John Holmes' 64th birthday had he not died of AIDS]

Audacia Ray: What drew you to the life of John Holmes and made you decide to write a book about it?

Jennifer Sugar: I was 21 when I saw the film Wonderland and at that time, I didn't know who John Holmes was. In fact, I'd arrived at the theater at the wrong time to see a different movie, but Wonderland was playing next, so I decided to see it. The movie depicts about one week in John's 44 years - when he was in the depths of his addiction to freebase cocaine and was working as a drug mule between several people, including the so-called "Wonderland Gang" and Ed Nash, a notorious L.A. nightclub owner. As the movie shows, John orchestrated a robbery by the Wonderland people at the home of Ed Nash, which police believe precipitated the gruesome, unsolved multiple homicide at the Wonderland Avenue home less than 48 hours later. Holmes was implicated when his palm print was found on the bed rail above one of the victim's bashed-in heads. Although there wasn't evidence to prove that John had participated in murdering anyone (he was eventually acquitted of the related murder charges), Wonderland shows John taking part in swinging a pipe.

When I left the theater, I felt like I hated John Holmes and I remember saying that I would never see a John Holmes film. However, within a week, my curiosity had grown and I saw two of his films. I also wondered how a boy from Ohio could become the world's first and most famous porn star, before becoming addicted to drugs and being involved with the murders. I wanted to read a book about it, but found there wasn't one devoted solely to John's life, so I decided to write the definitive biography.

AR: How did you conduct your research about John Holmes?

JS: First, I watched all of the documentaries about John and read his autobiography, Porn King, plus all of the news and magazine articles that I could find. In August 2004, I went to Hollywood for the "Fit for a King" celebration, which recognized what would have been John's 60th birthday. There, I conducted my first interviews, and I met Bill Margold (a.k.a. Porn's Renaissance Man) and Cass Paley (who directed the best documentary about Holmes, WADD: The Life and Times of John C. Holmes). Bill and Cass were both very helpful in providing me with research material and contact information to do other interviews. I also began to watch and review Holmes' films. In 2007 I invited a Canadian, Jill Nelson, to co-author the book with me. Together, we completed 35 interviews with people who knew John Holmes, including Bob Chinn, Laurie Holmes, Detective Frank Tomlinson and Detective Tom Lange. Between the two of us, we watched and reviewed a total of 200 Holmes' films, including the entire nine-part Johnny Wadd series. The book includes all 200 reviews, a filmography that is not available online, and three photo sections (that include nude photos of John from the early days of his career), in addition to 14 chapters that chronicle all aspects of Holmes' life.

AR: What was the most surprising thing you learned about Holmes in the course of your research?

JS: Given my introduction to John Holmes with Wonderland, I was surprised to learn that John was a "normal guy," and he meant the world to some people. Although it's indisputable that John did some very bad things associated with his drug addiction, it was heartwarming to learn that he was a very devoted godfather to the children of his best friend and manager, Bill Amerson. Amerson's son summed this up best when he told Jill and I, "The John Holmes I knew was not the monster often summoned up in people's imaginations. He made sure I had new clothes, money for lunch. ...[He] always took a general interest in me and my life when no one else did."

With sentiments such as Sean Amerson's, Jill and I were able to present not only the most complete, but the most balanced look at John Holmes available to date. It truly is a fresh look at The King of Porn.

AR: Of the people you interviewed for the book, who was the toughest nut to crack?

JS: Everyone we interviewed was very kind and helpful in sharing their memories about John, but in answer to the question, John's widow, Laurie Holmes, was probably the toughest person with whom we secured an interview. After Jill called Laurie for the first time, Laurie checked in with Bill Margold to ask about us before she agreed to do the interview. She is very protective over John's estate and her memories of him. So, we were very happy to get a chance to interview her about her five year relationship with John and ask questions about John as a stepfather to her son. Laurie kindly granted us permission to use quotes from John's audiotapes and Porn King, which worked beautifully within our book. Readers of Inches will be pleasantly surprised that John - who was well known for his ability to spin a good yarn - was remarkably candid at times in many of these quotes that we chose. We couldn't be more pleased with the help from everyone who made John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches possible!

Gala Photos

2008-08-17T20:29:00.001-07:00

Ron Jeremy & Bill Margold

Cutting the cake

Mark Novick

Jill with Joel Sussman & Bob Chinn

Laurie Holmes & Don Fernando

Jill with Rhonda Jo Petty

I Love L.A. - Part Two

2008-08-14T20:08:00.000-07:00

Laurie Holmes & Bob Chinn

Yes, Jennifer and I truly experienced lasting memories during our L.A. sojourn. The live Playboy Radio interaction was a lot of fun as it gave us an opportunity to warm up our chops before our appearance at Book Soup on Friday evening. It was really wonderful to be surrounded by so many terrific people who remembered good times with John, as the gala signified a celebration of the birth of the book, and John's 64th birthday.

One of the evening's highlights occured when Jennifer read a heartfelt letter contributed by Seka, that was designated for John, with a special inclusion for Laurie Holmes. Jennifer's articulate and moving presentation brought tears to Laurie's eyes, just prior to her introduction, where she expressed sincere praise for us and our work. Bob Chinn, in his humble but genuine manner, told the audience how it all began for John, when Chinn and Holmes combined their efforts to create the legendary playboy of the blue screen -- detective Johnny Wadd.

WADD documentary director, Cass Paley, recalled how four years ago, he had warned Jennifer just how challenging it would be to attempt to write a book about Holmes, and Bill Margold was in good form as he regaled the audience with stories of the "old" days when porn was illegal and its participants were considered outlaws.

Jennifer and I took turns reading select excerpts while the full house listened attentively, before we made our way toward the back of the store to personalize copies of the book for fans and friends.

Many guests attended the event, such as the lovely, Rhonda Jo Petty, and Porn's Ambassador, Ron Jeremy, along with still photographers, Joel Sussman and Kenji, former L.A.P.D. detective, Frank Tomlinson, psychologist and (now) author, Vonda L. Pelto, and former director of early Holmes loops, Mark Novick. Jennifer and I were also supported by our spouses and family, and my good friends, Lyn and Terry, flew all the way from Southern, Ontario to be with us at the signing! The evening was a resounding success as we posed proudly with our book, while our guests ate cake sporting the cover of the biography, that was specially crafted for the event.

Afterwards, a group of us hooked up for refreshments at the Rainbow before heading down North Fairfax Avenue to catch the midnight screening of one of Holmes' best, "Eruption", presented on 16 mm by "Chicago Joe".

No, we certainly couldn't have tailor-made a more spectacular event. To borrow a line from Mr. Holmes: "If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't change a stroke." It was a blast!

Back from L.A.!

2008-08-12T07:20:00.000-07:00

Jill and I just got back from Los Angeles! The Playboy Radio event last Thursday night was a lot of fun with hosts Christy Canyon and Vanessa Blue, plus we were joined by John's widow, Laurie Holmes, who helped us a lot since this was our first public speaking experience related to the book! The following evening, we were joined by guest speakers Bill Margold, Cass Paley, Bob Chinn, and Laurie Holmes, prior to doing a reading from Inches and signing the book, which was officially released that day. It was a great evening -- a wonderful tribute to the late John Holmes and also a great book launch! Both of us are catching up and adjusting back to Eastern Time, but we will post more details about our week in L.A. soon!

~ Jennifer Sugar

"Legends" week on Playboy Radio - Update

2008-07-31T19:28:00.001-07:00

Playboy Sirius Radio announced that they will be devoting the entire three hour program to the legendary John Holmes on Thursday August 7th. Laurie Holmes will join Jennifer and I during the first segment, while Seka and Tom Byron will share the balance of the program. We will be available for the duration of the show to accept calls, so we encourage you to phone Night Calls from 4-7 PM with questions and comments, as this will be a tremendous program!

Call line: 1(877)205-9796

Please see this AVN insider link for more details:

http://www.avn.com/performer/articles/31517.html

THE BOOK!

2008-07-27T07:46:00.000-07:00

While sharing in a special celebration this weekend, Jennifer and I are now in possession of our very own copies of the book! It really looks great with a full image of John's face on the cover, that actually has a "Mona Lisa" effect when you place it upon a shelf. His eyes penetrate! The spine design is very similar with blue eyes staring out while the back cover shows images of Holmes at key stages in his career. The vibrant pictures are supported by a short summary of the book and quotes by John and William Margold, with praise for the bio by Richard Freeman.

More importantly, it is a real thrill to flip through the 584 page bio and catch snippets of quotes, narrative, photos, the filmography and our film reviews - all essential to this compelling story.

Only two more weeks to go!

Less than three weeks 'til "Inches"

2008-07-20T09:39:00.000-07:00

An alternative cover image for "Inches" before deciding upon the finished product.

John Holmes - the book!

Second Edition of "Inches" Now Available on Kindle

Mr. Skin Interview "Inches" & "Goddesses"

John Holmes Bio - 2nd Edition now available!

"Legends" Spice Radio Interview: August 27th, 2011

August 8, 2011 - "Inches" 2nd Edition Coming Soon!

John Holmes Biography Updates

New Book Review!

An Honour for John Holmes Biography

John Curtis Holmes: 1944-1988

Book Updates

Kindle book update

John Holmes A Life Measured in Inches - Audio

RIP John Leslie

New Book Review

More 'Johnny Wadd' News

About Johnny Wadd

John Holmes, Johnny Wadd

"INCHES" Celebrates 2nd Anniversary!

Exxxstacy Show Update!

Chicago Adult Show - July 2010

INCHES Filmography - Reference Guide

John Holmes Biography is on Kindle

Size Matters - Book Review by Rob Hardy

John Holmes: Upcoming 1986 Audio Interview

Chicago Exxxstacy Show - July 2010

The Definitive Johnny Wadd

The Playboy Advisor - March 24th, 2010

March 13th 2010 - In Review

The Playboy Advisor with Chip Rowe

RIP Jamie Gillis

Chapters Books Ancaster - Valentine's Weekend

Chapters Books in Oakville

New look for johnholmesinches.com & more!

Literary Pizzazz

A Sunny Christmas and Happy 2010!

New Interview with Lisa Hazelton

Mississauga Chapters Recap & Into the Light

Author Talks About Porn Star Book - Mississauga News

Video-clip from 2009 Book Event!

John Holmes Book Review & "The First Crime Scene"

Fall/Winter Book Signing Events

John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches - Excerpts

John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches - Critical Acclaim

September Interview Schedule

"INCHES" AUTHORS ARE INVITED TO WRITERS RALLY

Blog Talk Radio - Upcoming Interviews

Inches Celebrates One Year!

Complete "Inches" Essay and Talk Radio Interview

widerscreenings.com Essay on INCHES

BBS Radio Interview with Jennifer Sugar & More

New Book Review - SKUNK Magazine

BBS Radio & Artist's Corner interviews!

Hustler Canada - Excerpts

Hustler Canada Review

New Book Review! SEX HERALD

Exclusive Interview with Roger T. Pipe

Chapters in Ottawa and "Inches" on Youtube!

Chapters Ottawa and Wider Screenings

More Canadian Content:

CHAPTERS Recap!

"The Source" Chapters Book Signing Event on TV Cogeco

Another Chapters Book Signing Event and more!

Colourful World of John Holmes & Booking It!

Talk Radio Tonight!

"Erotica in Print" & "Lengthy Credentials" - 21 Years Ago

New Book Event and Review!

Three New Podcast Interviews:

John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches -- in Canada!

Interactive Talk Radio Interviews - March '09

Rising to the Occasion

HUSTLER MAGAZINE'S BOOK OF THE MONTH PICK!

SWANK Magazine Book Review Excerpts - 02/09

Las Vegas Recap & New Book Review

Las Vegas City Life News

BEST BOOK PICK OF 2008!

BOOK SIGNING AT EROTIC HERITAGE MUSEUM!

NEW BOOK REVIEW/AUTHOR INTERVIEW!

ADULT ENTERTAINMENT EXPO 2009 + MORE!

Michigan Mittenlit Book Review & Podcast interview!