This October, Skyhorse Publishing will release Absolute Mayhem, the hot, juicy, tell-all autobiography of adult porn star Monica Mayhem.
Monica’s new autobiography might raise a few eyebrows at home, but she’s ready to set the record straight on how a sports-mad teenager (she still won’t reveal her real name!) from a small town in Australia became one of America’s most celebrated porn stars… and gotten filthy rich doing it
Interesting issues addressed in the book:
Chapter One: "Mother Dearest," which is about Monica’s abusive mother and so far the most powerful chapter that resonates with many people I’ve talked to who have read the book.
Chapter Seven: "Compilations and Violations," which is a real insider’s view of the adult film industry, something that you don’t tend to read every day and won’t get from anyone who isn’t really a ten-year veteran of the business.
Chapter Ten: "A Perfect Circle," which offers a rare perspective about spiritual practice, from someone who is a real-life witch!
Monica also discusses how the porn industry has changed because of the recession.
Monica Mayhem quotes:
“I’ve never been insecure about my body and it was easy to get naked”
“My dream was to become an actress.” She currently writes songs, performs burlesque shows throughout the US, and dreams or a record contract.
On doing porn: “Ironically, I found it easier to do it in front of cameras than when I was dancing in clubs. It’s hard to explain, but it’s less personal somehow. Even so, it took me a good six months – and a lot of scenes – to feel really confident.”
On being a sex symbol: “I was called ugly at school and, growing up with my Mum (who was abusive and an alcoholic), I never had much confidence or self-esteem. But going on set and being told that you look beautiful really boosts your confidence!”
On breast implants: “I got them for me, not the business. I’ve wanted them since I was 16 and I feel amazing with them.”
On shunning media in the past: “I’ve hidden from the media in the past out of concern for my family.” (Monica’s mother, an alcoholic, died of cirrhosis of the liver in 2005) “I’ve turned down 20/20 and Howard Stern… my career would have been bigger if I had done media.” But nowadays, even though her father “doesn’t exactly approve,” Monica finally has the confidence to run her own life. “It’s time to stop hiding”
On drug use: “I can’t give you an amount” she says of money she spent on drugs “I wasn’t exactly planning my finances – I was in party mode… but I regret drugs,” she says, clean since early 2007, “I got sick of waking up and feeling like hell and not achieving anything for two days.”
Monica discusses the serious occupational hazard of HIV and STDs: “I get scared every time I’m tested because there’s always something you can catch even with the precautions and testing. That’s why… I don’t shoot many scenes anymore. Even if I do one for my website, I’m worried.”
Monica to young girls trying to break into the business “get an education, so you have something to fall back on later. Your name and image are going to be out there for the rest of your life. Think about the future, and your relationships with your friends and family.”
Monica married her sometime co-star on a whim in Las Vegas in 2001. On relationships: “personal relationships are hard in this industry and it was stressful because guys get insecure. They want me to quit but I’m like “are you going to take care of me? Because I can’t exactly get a normal job now.”
On being her own harshest critic: “I watch all my own films… with a critical eye because it makes you a better performer.”
On fetish films: One had her sneezing into a tissue for two hours (Sneezing Beauties) “easiest money I ever made!” and another one had her kicking a Japanese man in the testicles until his eyes watered “It’s a fetish called Tamakeri and I had to think about it for three months before I said yes. I am a kick boxer after all!”