Pleasant Gehman's
ESCAPE FROM HOUDINI MOUNTAIN,
Manic D. Press, is an outrageous collection of short stories.

The off-beat, often hilarious vignettes range from compassionate observations on human nature to convoluted tales of rock 'n' roll debauchery, Hollywood hedonism, queer love affairs and bad judgment, to wistful recollections of times past.

Among them: "Beauty From Within," a true-confessions-style piece about actually eating cosmetics and beauty products, to "Mondo Connie," a lesbian love triangle with a twist, to "A Cross To Bare," a tale of a relationship with a drag queen who turned into a Pentecostal evangelist minister.

USA TODAY called Gehman's writing, "Magic…A wildly fascinating walk on the wild side from a skilled writer who embraces the world without being overcome by it."

Author/Performer Lydia Lunch proclaimed, "Escape From Houdini Mountain should be read on a hot summer night under soiled sheets."

Author Mark Lindquist described Escape as "Bridget Jones' Diary meets Less Than Zero."

YOU HAVE TO READ IT TO BELIEVE IT!

CLICK HERE for information about upcoming readings.

Purchase 'ESCAPE FROM HOUDINI MOUNTAIN' from Amazon.com - click here

The Underground Guide to Los Angeles

Purchase 'The Underground
Guide to Los Angeles'
from Amazon.com - click here

Princess of Hollywood

"Her writing is mostly about hope in the face of despair, with L.A. as the constant backdrop - peopled by whores, bag-ladies, transvestites and street people, by teenage hookers and yuppies in love with drug addicts … a dizzy binge of candid observations."
- Poetry Flash

"To say that Pleasant has 'been there' would be an understatement. She throws a chain around your neck, and drags you through an underworld of California Heavens."
- Small Press Review

"There is no high or low culture in her work, just a whirlwind of interesting things to see. It's as if by looking at the pretty things she can remain optimistic about the looming chaos they sprung from. Her writing style itself is like a glamour tour of wacky scenes narrated by a tart with tatts who gives a wink and a smile after every punchline."
- Next Magazine

"Gehman's poems and stories are equally unflinching, though they border on artistic contradiction. She doesn't follow normal poetic rules, but her pieces are pure poetry, full of vivid imagery and open emotion."
- HUH

Purchase 'Princess of Hollywood' now from amazon.com - click here

Señorita Sin

A child of the synthetic fabric of the 70s and the cynical debauche of the 80s, Pleasant Gehman personifies "better living through chemistry." She remembers more details than most of us have ever thought to forget. Trashy yet noble, her work is proof that, with a little eyeliner, this is indeed the best of all possible worlds. - Lisa Buscani

"Smart, funny, and literate." - Austin Chronicle

"She writes like a woman possessed with passion for her subjects and a truly remarkable memory for the funny, sick, sad, bizarre stuff she's seen in her varied career." - Libby Molyneaux, LA Weekly

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