Anne Rice to rerelease 1980s erotica trilogy

Anne Rice

/ Penguin Group USA/Plume

(CBS News) "If you liked 50 Shades of Grey, you'll love the Sleeping Beauty trilogy."

That phrase will be printed on every book jacket of Anne Rice's "Sleeping Beauty" series, which will see a rerelease this week.

E.L. James' runaway hit "50 Shades of Grey" has sparked Rice's publisher to roll out the 1980s' erotic book series, previously published under the name A. N. Roquelaure. The first novel arrived in 1983 and two others followed in 1984 and 1985.

According to The New York Times, Rice, who is best known  for  her vampire novels,  has written a new preface for the books, which will now feature her name as author, along with: "writing as A. N. Roquelaure."

Interest in the series has grown in recent months, a spokesperson for publisher Plume told the Times.

The online book description notes that Rice "retells the Beauty story and probes the unspoken implications of this lush, suggestive tale by exploring its undeniable connection to sexual desire."

Rice mentioned the trilogy on her Facebook page, noting that she wrote the erotica books many years ago because she "could not find an authentic erotica in bookstores."

Rice's trilogy, "The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty," "Beauty's Release" and "Beauty's Punishment," will go on sale Thursday.