Jim McDonough doesn’t look or seem like the kind of guy who would have such success writing sexually explicit stories. He has a shy, sweet demeanor and an infectious laugh. He loves movies and all things Italian. He blushes easily.

In fact, McDonough’s face gets red just thinking about his appearance at the Pride Factory Saturday, May 17, when he will read his story “Act of Contrition,” about a former parishioner who has a sexual encounter with a priest inside a confessional.

The story is part of a new anthology, Saints & Sinners, available at the Pride Factory. “I hadn’t looked at it in years, and I started reading it and thought, ‘Oh my God, what was I thinking?’” McDonough says.

Although McDonough has had more than 65 erotic stories published in anthologies and magazines in the past 10 years, his foray into the world of erotica happened by accident. The Boston native was working on his novel when he wrote a sex scene that didn’t quite fit into the rest of the book. “I got carried away,” McDonough says. “It read like something I’d read in dirty magazines.” He sent it to an erotic magazine as a short story, and the piece was published.

“When that happened, I thought, ‘Hmm, maybe there’s something to this,’” McDonough says. “Then I tried to write one on purpose.” McDonough began letting his imagination run wild and writing more erotica. He was soon published internationally, in the United States, Canada and the Netherlands.

While McDonough says he’s had a fairly easy time getting things published, “Act of Contrition” ended up taking an interesting path to publication, stirring controversy along the way.

McDonough, who was raised Catholic, was living in San Francisco and had just returned from Italy when he ran into an old friend who was editing for the SM leather magazine Drummer. The editor asked McDonough to write a story for Drummer. With all his visits to Italian churches fresh in his head, McDonough penned “Act of Contrition.”

His friend accepted the story, but later left his position. A year later, the new editor rejected the story. McDonough submitted it to another magazine, and received what he calls “the best rejection letter of my writing career.” The letter stated that while everyone in the office loved the story and thought it was hot, the publisher wouldn’t go near it because he was a devout Catholic. The story was accepted for publication by a different magazine, but when the issue went to press, the printer refused to print the book as long as it contained McDonough’s story. The publisher had to remove “Act of Contrition.” At that point, McDonough gave up hope for having the story published.

Then about a year ago, he saw a call for submissions for a new anthology called Saints & Sinners. McDonough sent in “Act of Contrition” and the story was accepted. It is now part of the new anthology, which is on sale at the Pride Factory.

McDonough attributes his success as a published author to perseverance and developing relationships with editors. When one editor turned down a bunch of his stories, McDonough retaliated. “I wrote a story about a writer who screws his editor,” he says. “That came back accepted in three days.”

In addition to his career as a writer, McDonough is the webmaster for a local Internet company. He also runs his own website called QueerWriters.com, a resource for GLBT writers. The website posts calls for submissions to magazines and anthologies, news of interest to the gay community, a calendar of literary events and readings by gay authors around the country, and links to publisher websites, writing organizations and other resources for writers.     

McDonough is also active in the local writing community. He is a board member of the newly formed group Lavender Writes, which supports gay and lesbian writers and provides a forum to share their work. He participates in local readings at libraries and bookstores. He attends Karen Dale Wolman’s weekly critique group to help improve his non-erotic fiction and took part in last year’s writing classes presented by the Stonewall Library and Archives.

He also just returned from Saints and Sinners, a literary conference for gay and lesbian writers in New Orleans, where he was invited to read at the Keltso Club, a nightspot owned by Gennifer Flowers.

While McDonough is not getting rich off his writing, he says his career has other rewards. “I still get a kick out of getting something published,” he says.

His writing also lets him explore his fantasies. “Everything I put down is a fantasy,” McDonough says. “I call a lot of my stories ‘the boys that got away stories’ because I’ll be inspired by someone I saw at the gym, on the street or at the café. If someone gets my imagination going, they might be starring in one of my stories, and they won’t even know it.”

Jim McDonough will read his short erotic story, “Act of Contrition” Saturday, May 17, 5pm, at the Pride Factory, 845 N. Federal Hwy., Fort Lauderdale. McDonough will also answer questions from the audience and autograph books. For more information, call 954.463.6600.