Show me the books he loves and I shall know the man far better than through mortal friends - Silas Weir Mitchell
I have already said it in the past, Eric Arvin was probably one of the first authors that pushed me to search books outside my usually hunting grounds. I read a collection of short stories by him and one of that stories hinted to a novel, SubSurdity, that at the time Eric Arvin had self-published with a small indipendent imprint. I bought a strange type of .pdf file that, once I changed laptop, it didn't work (lucky me Eric sent me another copy). Anyway, all of this to let you understand how good that story was. So, enjoy Eric Arvin's Inside Reader list.
1) In a Shallow Grave by James Purdy. I saw a film version of this years ago starring Michael Biehn (who I had a massive crush on) and Patrick Dempsey, and sought out the book it was based on. In doing so, I stumbled upon my favorite writer. Purdy, more than any other writer, echoes in my more serious work. This is surreal, Southern Gothic writing at its best. Moody, romantic, and eerie. The romance at the heart of the tale between a disfigured war vet and a hired hand is one of the most aching ever novelized, gay or straight. Paperback: 140 pages
Publisher: City Lights Publishers (January 1, 2001)
Publisher Link:
http://www.citylights.com/book/?GCOI=87286100443320 ISBN-10: 0872862348
ISBN-13: 978-0872862340
Amazon:
In a Shallow Grave
"Purdy does not celebrate the wonders of our lives; he digs under the flesh, deals with the howling of our nighttime existence, the rough arithmetic of our dreams. He is also a very funny writer, one who captures the particular idiom of women and men talking in their sleep. It's when we apply our mundane logic to Purdy that we fail to read him. We want to stuff him in our clothes closets, make him familiar, have him entertain us like a dancing bear, but Purdy won't dance in the usual way. If we take the time to listen and are willing to leap out of our comfortable skin, we will discover some of the most startling fiction that has been written over the past thirty years." – Jerome Charyn
( books from 2 to 10 ) About Eric Arvin: Eric Arvin resides in the same sleepy Indiana river town where he grew up. He graduated from Hanover College with a bachelor’s degree in history and has lived, for brief periods, in Italy and Australia. He’s survived brain surgery and his own loud-mouthed personal demons.
Visit his blog at
http://daventryblue.blogspot.com/ 
Suburbilicious by Eric Arvin
Paperback: 236 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (September 18, 2009)
Publisher Link:
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=55_59&products_id=1545 ISBN-10: 1615810439
ISBN-13: 978-1615810437
Amazon:
Suburbilicious: Vignettes from Jasper Lane
Blurb: Take another turn down Jasper Lane, the well-off neighborhood where gay porn parties, fresh cheesecake, and friendly busybodies welcome newcomers while a dog named Gayhound helps with the landscaping. Cassie Bloom is thrilled her son Jason is home, but she's worried about the secrets buried around the house, especially when a scary-looking stranger starts spying on her! Rick and James are basking in the blush of love—or is it the flush of jealousy as Rick's rugby teammate starts hanging around?—and the flamboyantly gay Terrence is off bonding with his newly discovered son, Christian. Melinda, divorced from her stuffy husband, is looking to dip her toe in the dating pool, but she's got one problem: her potential date's embarrassing last name. Steve and Sandy Jones are now proud parents, but Sandy's got to find something to do with herself, and running for office in the Gay Porn Wives Club may be just the ticket. And remember, it's a do-unto-others mentality on Jasper Lane, so when lesbian couple Asha and Keiko move in and Sandy helps Keiko get a directing job at Steve's gay porn film company, it's par for the course!