‘Erotica‘ – the new collection of stories by Brian Centrone – is being released as an e-book today (paper version to come.) It’s a special thrill to see a work that combines words and images. Having been bombarded with gay porn and videos since the advent of the internet, it’s a welcome throwback to something that’s somehow more engaging, more meaningful, and in many ways more of a turn-on. There is nothing sexier than one’s own imagination, and that’s exactly what comes into play when words are involved.
Published by New Lit Salon Press, this is a compilation of gay erotic short stories penned by Mr. Centrone. The seven scintillating tales, one for every deadly sin, are accompanied by artwork from Terry Blas, luke kurtis, Rob Ordonez, and the name-sake for this very blog. As amazing as the work of my fellow art contributors is (and it is pretty damn amazing, handily putting my photos to slight shame,) it has always been the words that resonate most deeply, as noted in the press release:
Brian Centrone has been publishing erotic literary fiction since 2007. “Mates,” “Lost,” and “Team Player” are the three works Centrone published with Alyson Books. “These three stories were the start of my writing career,” claims Centrone. “They were my first major published pieces of fiction, and my first paid writing gig.” Erotica also features the previously published “Making the Grade,” Centrone’s only story with Cleis Press, and the online-only story, “Boracay,” which was featured in the now defunct THIS Literary Magazine. Rounding out this collection are two new stories, never before published: “Getting What He Wants” and “Chubstr.”
Beyond the sexy stories, Centrone’s works showcase that erotica can be literary. These stories are written with the same attention to detail, construction, and quality which readers have come to expect from traditional short stories. Centrone is a writer at heart, and whether he’s writing about a religious zealot who decides to run for small town political office (“The Life and Times of Biddy Schumacher,” I Voted for Biddy Schumacher: Mismatched Tales from the Mind of Brian Centrone) or a young man seeking to mend his broken heart and broken sex life all the way around the world (“Boracay,” Erotica), he does so with such honesty, depth, and understanding that every reader can appreciate and relate.
New Lit Salon Press is an independent publisher that subscribes to the belief that Words and Art can and should coexist. NLSP injects new life into an old-world ideal by publishing essays, stories, poems, novels and art in digital format.
‘Erotica’ by Brian Centrone is available in e-book form starting today, with a hard copy version being release at a later date. Mr. Centrone has a website, and can be found on FaceBook and Twitter as well.
