Behind the Beauty of a Tropical Paradise is a World Seldom Seen…

Step into the world of Encore! Encore! as it unveils the captivating tapestry of Santo Domingo in the early 1980s—a place where tropical allure meets the struggles of a developing nation. In the heart of this evocative tale lies the Hotel Cristóbal, a clandestine stage for the “biz” of sex work. As the story unfolds like a play, characters on this compelling stage, both johns and hustlers, embody their roles.

Meet Luis and Richard, two audacious young sex workers, and their patrons, Paul and Antonio. The novel paints an insightful account of their lives, as dreams and aspirations converge amid monetary negotiations. Will Luis’s fantasy of becoming a superstar singer-songwriter steer him away from tragedy?

Beneath the theatrics, a timeless theme emerges—the profound power of friendship, which becomes the saving grace in the performances of life. Witness the enduring but strained bond between Paul and Antonio, and the unbreakable connection shared by Richard and Luis, an unspoken love that is their beacon of hope and strength.

In Encore! Encore!, passion, camaraderie, and self-discovery intertwine to create a story that will linger in your mind long after the final act. This daring and beautifully crafted novel will leave you spellbound, pondering the intricacies of the human heart and the resilience of the human spirit.

Praise for Encore! Encore!

“Part novel, part drama, all poetry, Encore! Encore! hooks the reader and doesn’t let go. Readers will travel to a world rarely on center stage—the male sex tourism industry—and depart unable to see the Caribbean the same way ever again. Lyrical, intertextual, and haunting, this novel will have readers repeating, Encore! Encore!”
—Ylce Irizarry, Ph.D., author of Chicana/o and Latina/o Fiction: The New Memory of  Latinidad

“Deftly pushing on the parameters of Latinx sexuality, Elías Miguel Muñoz weaves together a series of actors in the queer sex tourist industry of Santo Domingo. The characters’ sexual and dialogic exchanges ripple into spheres of family, history, and speculative imagination in this dynamic production.”
—Kristy Ulibarri, Ph.D., author of Visible Borders, Invisible Economies: Living Death in Latinx Narratives

“Muñoz weaves a complex and poignant network of relationships, all connected by a shared exploration of how different types of love shape our personal worlds. Through its ensembles and agile tunes, this book recalls the fluid fabric of a contemporary musical.”
—Leo Cabranes-Grant, Ph.D., Award Winning Professor and Playwright, University of California, Santa Barbara

About the Author

Elías Miguel Muñoz is proud to have contributed to forging the Latinx literary canon. He has published seven novels and two poetry collections that explore his Cuban immigrant roots and themes of exile, sexuality, and friendship. Muñoz’s critically acclaimed books include En estas tierras / In This Land (1989), The Greatest Performance (1991), Brand New Memory (1998), Vida mía (2006), and Diary of Fire (2016). His theatrical work has been produced off-Broadway, and his writing has appeared in numerous anthologies: Best Gay Stories 2012 (2012), Ambientes: New Queer Latino Writing (2011), The Scribner Writers Series: Latino and Latina Writers (2004), Herencia: The Anthology of Hispanic Literature of the United States (2002), The Encyclopedia of American Literature (1999), and W.W. Norton’s New Worlds of Literature (1994) among others.

Muñoz envisions Encore! Encore! as his first novel in a series featuring the histories and cultures of Hispanic Caribbean countries. He is presently developing a science-fiction project that delves into three pivotal time periods of the Caribbean region. Muñoz resides in California and welcomes visitors at eliasmiguelmunoz.com.