Welcome world to Celia Capace's blog about her experiences while writing her novel, Madam Is Not A Four Letter Word. In the menu above, you will find a link to the blog and chapters of the book.
From the Editor
Celia (CeeCee) is one of the most entertaining people I have ever met. My first introduction to CeeCee, as I now warmly refer to her, consisted of watching her throw safe keys into a safe and then close the door of said safe. “Hi, I'm Eliza and you've just locked the safe keys in the safe, haven't you” (or words to that effect), were my first utterances to her. I knew then that this was someone to watch closely. She'll tell you she feels the same way about me.
Having shared experiences of the brothel industry is only one facet of our similarities. Over the years we have developed a friendship based on honesty, respect and mutual shared interests in psychology and sociology. Even though our educations are vastly different our experiences have led us to many similar conclusions. It is now not uncommon for either of us to contact the other looking for clarification on human behaviour. During one of these philosophical debates the opportunity to support CeeCee in her desire to write a memoir of her time as a manager in the sex industry and her unique observations of society because of these experiences presented itself. Of course, knowing CeeCee and of some of her experiences, I immediately began encouraging her to commence writing. What was to come in time I couldn't have expected.
In this short novella CeeCee has been capable of capturing experiences of the sex worker and the brothel manager in Australia. Her good nature and compassion are evident as she successfully navigates the culture and politics of working in brothels as a manager. She accurately depicts trials and tribulations which come from involvement with the industry and its players without resorting to blow-by-blow accounts of sexual acts to maintain reader interest and attention. CeeCee also manages to shine a light on the ordeals of those who suffer chronic illnesses due to both their illnesses and social stigmatisation in the workplace through her own experience of suffering Crohns Disease. This is a no-holes-barred story which should remind readers of the realities of life for some people and the choices we all make, either good or bad, according to our needs. This novella prefaces a larger volume of work CeeCee is currently working on which offers a greater insight into a world often thought of as seedy and mysterious and exposes these and many other untruths.
Where CeeCee lacked the confidence to start on this adventure she is now aware that she does have a story worth telling (she has many). More importantly, this is a story worth knowing. Given the esteemed opportunity to edit the original novella manuscript I am acutely aware of its content and implore society to recognise this work as a much-needed insight into both the sex industry and working with a chronic illness.
“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars”
Oscar Wilde, 1893