Bold, brave and darkly funny, COME is the extraordinary story of Melbourne sex worker Rita Therese and the love, sex and death she has experienced in her life so far.
You catch your eyes at your reflection in the mirror on the wall, in the lap-dance room. You see a face look back at you as you bring your arms around their shoulders, press the pink sequined fabric around your chest into their face. Who is that woman in the reflection? Two selves intertwine and it leaves you, in the dance room, making a decision that winged liner is now just for work. Because you don't know which self you are looking at right now, which person you are. The song stops and you break out of your trance and ask if he'd like to extend.
Rita is an escort, one of the best in Australia. It all began on a whim at 18, after she rang the number on a sign looking for nude models. Estranged from her parents and always the outsider, she quickly learns the sex industry is comprised of many other people just like her. Rita becomes immersed in this world-the drugs, the late nights, the glamour, being an outcast, the attention and validation from men and, like a sponge, she soaks it all up. Mostly she thrives on how taboo her life has become. Her only stable relationships are with her two older siblings and when they both suicide, within eight months of each other, her life spirals.
In this achingly honest memoir, Rita learns that death and trauma do not always bring grand transformative experiences. Sometimes in order to go forward, we have to write our own stories and choose to keep living. With its unflinching, compelling and darkly funny narrative, Come announces a fearless new talent in Australian writing.
Author bio:
Rita Therese is a 25-year-old sex worker, artist and writer based in Melbourne, Australia. She entered the sex industry at age 18, and has worked as a stripper, porn and as an escort. She currently works as an escort under the alias Gia James.
She has written for magazines like Frankie, Vice and Penthouse Australia, and had a monthly sex and dating column for Sneaky magazine.
She had her first solo photographic exhibition "Gemini" in 2016 at Goodspace Gallery in Sydney. The exhibit played on the juxtaposition of light and dark, and was centered around themes of sexuality, kink, femininity and fantasy.
She is also the author of 4 self published zines - Zero Vol. 1 + 2, Heartbreaker and Fantasy. The zines focus on short stories about her life as a sex worker and discuss relationships, love, grief, mental health and sex. She distributes the zines through her Instagram and website.
Rita is currently undertaking her Bachelor of Philosophy and working towards a career as an academic, specializing in the field of Gender Studies with a focus on sex work.