Madam: Chronicles of a Nevada Cathouse

You'll read about Mary Clair, the nun turned prostitute; Ellen the errant wife; Coral and Millie, the happy-hooker tag team; and Alice, the pro with the heart of gold; as well as the turn outs, part-timers, sex addicts, and adventure-seekers, and other ladies of the house.

You'll also meet the cathouse clientele: Lester the rodeo rider, who liked to warm up by playing horsey; Mr. Yamaura, who paid thousands for three minutes of pleasure; and Golf Guy, who employed Sheri's girls to help him perfect his stroke; as well as the hunks, nerds, pimps, cheapos, professional athletes, and other customers who ring the brothel doorbell at all hours.

Madam's piercing character studies and poignant sketches of day-to-day life in a legal brothel strip bare the myths about the world's oldest profession, revealing the hearts and soul of the women who sell sex-and the men who buy it.

Before moving to Pahrump, Nevada, and taking a job at Sheri's Ranch as a full-time madam, Lora Shaner worked as a civilian public information officer for the Department of Defense in El Paso and San Francisco. Now retired from the brothel life, Shaner owns and operates a small public relations and advertising business.