Recently published: ‘Hypnotist’ (short story)

A few months ago, I reviewed several old writings, short stories and essays I’d written in the late 1990s through early 2000s. I set aside several pieces I decided weren’t worthy of further work at this time, and focused on revising or rewriting a few that I thought might find a home in some literary journal. One of them is a 1,500-word short story called “Hypnotist.” I dusted it off, submitted it to five or six journals, and when a brand new student-run journal called Red String contacted me with a request to publish it, I happily and readily agreed. They published the story here a few weeks ago. I’m posting it below as well so that I have it in my archives and to correct the spelling of “Cobain,” which was misspelled in the published version.

Trigger warning: the story is rather dark. Proceed with caution.

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Friday Five: Q&A with short story writer Doug Brown, author of ‘My Bohemian Baptism and Then Some’

Doug Brown, author of My Bohemian Baptism and Then Some

I discovered the short stories of Doug Brown thanks to an interview of him a couple of months ago on the podcast Short Story Today (which I highly recommend), and I have since delved into his collection of short stories, My Bohemian Baptism and Then Some (Serif Press, 2023). What immediately struck me about Doug during the interview was his background, which is similar to mine. After a 40-year career in marketing and management, he is focusing on his passion for writing fiction. He also describes his formative years as a “feral youth,” which is a fitting description of my early years. Follow Doug on X/Twitter at @DougBrownFables.

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