Monday, August 01, 2016

Chicken Ranch anniversary: On this date...

On this date in 1973, the infamous Chicken Ranch brothel of La Grange, Texas, closed its doors for good. The closure followed a week (give or take--it's been tough to pin down exact dates) of broadcasts by Houston TV station KTRK's consumer affairs reporter Marvin Zindler, accusing the brothel of corruption and conspiracy. The Chicken Ranch had survived attempts to close it before, but the white-hot media spotlight proved too much for it. Today marks the 43rd anniversary of its closure.

On this date in 2016, however, another milestone is reached, with the official release of Inside the Texas Chicken Ranch: The Definitive Account of the Best Little Whorehouse. It's been a long time coming, and I'll admit there were times where I despaired of it ever seeing print. The trade edition is a handsome book, sharply designed with high-quality, slick, heavy weight paper and excellent image quality. But there's also a Kindle e-book edition, one that includes everything in the print version--images an all. It's hard to believe that it was just February of last year that I forced myself to walk away from a terrible contract offered by another publisher. Looking at the ultimate outcome of that decision, I'm very glad I did. I hope when you, good readers, hold my book in your hands and flip through its pages, you will agree that I made the right call.

Now Playing: Pink Floyd Atom Heart Mother
Chicken Ranch Central

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