Move over, Magic Mike: There's a new magician in town, and he even shares your name off-camera. Meet Billy Knight—a strapping, twentysomething hustler-turned-porn star whose journey to stardom was borne of an unlikely encounter with a drag queen in 1980s Los Angeles.
Better known as Sasha Zahore to her many adoring fans at the Lucky Pony, Dale meets eyes with Mike during a performance of Cher's "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves" on a routine night as the queen of the house. Captivated by Mike's hard jaw; brown hair; and lean, muscular body, Sasha plants a kiss on Mike during her last act of the evening in hopes of chatting him up later. For the middle-aged drag queen, he was yet another cool drink of water in the crowd. But when they swig back tequila shots later that night, mere small talk forms what would become a lasting bond—one that would perhaps rescue Mike from years of poverty and abuse while turning tricks. Sasha's porn-directing aspirations meet Mike's XXX dreams. Even then, Sasha secretly yearns to be much more than Mike's camera coach.
In his literary debut, Ty Jacob's The End of Billy Knight takes readers on a rocky tale of unrequited desire; desperate quests for fulfillment; and everyday struggles for people working in nightlife and porn. Jacob, who spent the mid-1990s in Chicago studying for his masters at the University of Illinois at Chicago, said his time spent in city infuses much of the book, even though it's set in L.A. "Berlin on Belmont Ave. was the first place I ever saw a go-go boy, and I was fascinated by the strippers at The Lucky Horseshoe on Halsted," said Jacob, who noted that Chicago bars inspired locations and characters in the novel.
Regarding Billy and Sasha, they share a loving bond, but on completely different wavelengths. Sasha grows weary that her attachment and lust for Billy is returned with his adoration and respect, as a son would have for his mother. And when Billy ventures to discover lasting romance, Sasha burns with jealousy.
It's a mutual, yet incompatible bond—and a palpable tension that smolders as they travel along, even sparking into career success for the duo as they navigate the porn industry. But what makes it worth following goes beyond the steamy sex scenes and carnal gazes Jacob pens in vivid detail. At the heart of the novel lies an empathy with people typically seen as shallow, cold and unlovable.
"These worlds are real, and the people in them are real," Jacob said, "They deserve our respect and attention as much as anybody else."
Within the first two weeks of its March 30 release, The End of Billy Knight hit number 14 on Amazon's list for Gay and Lesbian Literary Fiction. The book is available electronically and can be purchased at amazon.com .
