California Screaming, Signed by Doug Guinan
[Signed] Guinan, Doug. California Screaming. First Edition. 1998. Book and dust jacket are both in very good condition—pages are clean but show mild yellowing due to age; an "autographed copy" sticker is adhered to the front cover. Book is signed “Doug Guinan” on the title page.
Written in the laid-back 1990s, just before smart phones and social media changed everything, the narcissistic protagonist of this fun and dishy gay novel seems hopelessly naive by today’s standards. The action mostly takes place in and around West Hollywood and centers upon the romantic travails of a staggeringly handsome New York-transplant, who, except for his meticulous gym routine and devotion to skin care, drifts through life, not so much getting by on his looks, as treading water with them. That changes after a Christmas Day meet-cute, when a David Geffen-like entertainment mogul becomes smitten. Anyone familiar with West Hollywood from that era, will recognize the milieu (Friday happy hours at Muse, cruising at the Athletic Connection, late nights at Spike, shopping for bargains at the Barneys warehouse sale, etc.).
“Like many youngish people in LA, they could not imagine buying a house, but a forty-dollar bottle of hair conditioner did not seem unreasonable. It seemed, in fact, absolutely right.”
--Doug Guinan