Holden's journey leads her from a sheltered life in her loving family home to a world of sex for money - a seedy netherworld of back lanes, backseats and brothels.

More than just a fearless and compelling narrative, In My Skin is a triumphant announcement of a major new literary talent.

"Gives you a tantalising peek into a world we all hope never to experience."
Glamour

"Quite simply in a class of its own ... the work of a stunningly talented writer."
Joanna Briscoe, Guardian

"A compelling story of love and squalor that retains humanity and sympathy."
Stephanie Merritt, Observer

"Searing intellectual and emotional honesty sets In My Skin apart from most other my-substance-abuse-in-hell memoirs."
Independent on Sunday

I made money I'd never imagined and I wore velvet dresses and shone in lamplight. I walked tall in crowds, knowing
myself to be desired. I told people I was a prostitute, and smiled as I said it, and dared them to turn their gaze . . .
The smile that I give when I talk about it now is, I can feel, nostalgic, provocative. A brightness comes into my eyes.
And, I'm told, a hard look too.

In My Skin describes an extraordinary journey through an often hidden world of heroin and prostitution. Kate's story is one of survival and resourcefulness, and an unflinching look at the consequences of addiction.

I watched the glaze of headlights, the windscreens of oncoming cars: a series of trapezoids with the silhouette of a single male driver. One pulled up in front of me; I reached over and opened the door, slid in. The smell of an unfamiliar car. A middle-aged man looking at me. 'Hi,' I said. 'How are you'.

Kate Holden is accustomed to being summed up at a glance: arts graduate, history buff, middle-class daughter, dreamer, innocent. But she is a young woman who understands better than most the secrets that people keep hidden.

In My Skin follows her journey from her reputation as a 'good girl' in the safe and leafy suburbs of Melbourne to the all-consuming attractions of heroin and the sex industry.

This is a story of survival and resourcefulness; an unflinching look at the consequences of addiction. Holden's journey leads her from a sheltered life in her loving family home to a world of sex for money - a seedy netherworld of back lanes, backseats and brothels.

More than just a fearless and compelling narrative, In My Skin is a triumphant announcement of a major new literary talent.