This was a beautiful fun read. :)

We pair each story with a Story Track that complements the theme. I paired Bob Johnson’s story with John Prine’s “Angel From Montgomery” because of the similarities between the two narrators. Both women long for something they can’t quite name. “If dreams were lightning and thunder were desire…”

for anyone not watching football, here's a review of Bob Johnson's latest short story, "The Train to Union Station," published in the new lit journal @brownhoundpress.bsky.social. The review along with a link to Bob's story: read-short-stories.com

Who of us hasn’t, like the narrator in “The Train to Union Station”, experienced the feeling that life may not be turning out the way we’d planned it? Read the story at www.brownhoundpress.com/stories/bob-....

One of the best parts about this new venture is picking the music pairing.

My new literary magazine @brownhoundpress.bsky.social launched yesterday with our first short story. If you like reading good stories, you should check it out and follow. www.brownhoundpress.com/stories/bob-...

Our first story is up today from PEN/Bingham nominee Bob Johnson. www.brownhoundpress.com/stories/bob-...

It’s a time of terrible things, but if you go sign up at @brownhoundpress.bsky.social right now, you’ll get the very first weekly short story tomorrow morning! Do itttttt! www.brownhoundpress.com

10 is today's magic number. That's how many stories we have lined up. Ten weeks of reading pleasure. And it all starts with a PEN/Bingham longlisted author on February 5th. #litmag #shortstories #author #fiction #writing

fyi for all short story writers! #writer #amwritering

One week until our first story goes up. Next Thursday. Hint: the author is currently longlisted for the 2026 PEN/Bingham Prize!

Updates happening at brownhoundpress.com! We have real pages now. First story coming next week.

“Read those authors who write the way you hope to write, those who think the way you would like to think. But also read those who do not think as you think or write as you want to write, and so be stimulated in directions you might not take for many years.” - Bradbury in Zen in the Art of Writing

Subscribe, y’all! This is going to be 🤩

We have a launch date! Our first story goes live on February 5th. One story a week after that. Subscribe and we’ll send them directly to your email. For free. brownhoundpress.com

We’ve been working on the website that will be Brown Hound’s new home at launch. It’s so good. We plan to drop the first story on February 5th!

Y’all. One of our favorite writers submitted a story yesterday. That was acceptance number 3. Can’t wait to share it with you in February.

Submissions open at brownhoundpress.com. #callforsubmissions #shortstories

On our first day of submissions a great story landed in our inbox from @libbycudmore.bsky.social. We bought it. Obviously. Who’s next? brownhoundpress.com

Psst...have a cool short story you don't have a home for that fits this description? Submit it!

Wow, we certainly did not expect to pick up 200 followers and receive dozens of submissions on day one. Love it! Feeling excited about this new venture. #smallpress #submissionsopen #mysteryfiction #southerngothic

Guess what? We are open for business! Short story submissions now welcome at brownhoundpress.com.

This Ray Bradbury challenge (poem, essay, story a day) has me reading some great stuff I wouldn’t have found otherwise. Standouts so far: Essays - Any Kind of Leaving by Jillian Barnett - Bidders of the Din by Eric Borsuk Short Stories - The Arrow by Gina Chung - That Girl by Addie Citchens

I am OBSESSED with this book. The narrator is absolute perfection. Lucky agents, look alive!

Hound wandering in the woods.

The first queries for CUPID IN BLOOM just went out. I have a good feeling about this one.

Saturday = new year's newsletter! Read/subscribe on... Substack: gwendabond.substack.com/p/typing-int... OR Patreon: www.patreon.com/posts/typing...

Do you know about this Ray Bradbury 3/1/52 writing challenge? I saw it in Writer’s Digest this month. Anyway, I started it today. Read a poem, a short story, and an essay. And I wrote 900 words of story one.

This is one of my favorite posts each year. In 2025, I read 70 books. My favorite book of 2025 was The Continental Divide by Bob Johnson.

The face of a dog who got a pig ear on Christmas morning and then, while everyone was opening presents, found the pig ear bag and helped herself to a second one. Merry Christmas!

Regarding the earlier post about my agent search, the one bright spot is the next novel, CUPID IN BLOOM, is almost ready to go. I'll start querying for it in January.

Oh, did I mention I started the next novel? This is my sixth. So far it seems to be set in the desert of southern Nevada. #amwriting

I have to remind myself that early in a novel I may only get 200 words in a day. It’s slow until I start to see the big picture and know the characters. #amwriting

I bet some of you will be interested in this information. After six months of trying to find an agent for my southern gothic mystery THIS VIOLET NIGHT I have some stats to share. - 122 queries sent - 6 full requests (2 full requests still pending) - 61 passes - 55 no response #writing #queryhell

I just finished reading this and DAMN, y'all. You're gonna love this one.

My best-of-the-year list is up this morning at the NYTBR, books I found to be the “pinnacle of pleasure” in crime fiction reading:

I get all my DVDs from the public library!

Exciting news. My fifth novel finally has a title! I've never wrestled with names like I have for this book. It comes from the main character and plays on several themes in the book. I officially love it. Thank you to @gwenda.bsky.social for the help. Drumroll... CUPID IN BLOOM.

My fifth novel is finished! As you can see, it still has no title. @gwenda.bsky.social and I have been describing it as What’s Eating Gilbert Grape meets Bonnie & Clyde. Heading to beta readers next. I have high hopes for this novel—I think you’re going to love it.

I took a week's vacation from my day job so I could finish the second draft of my new novel. Done with a day to spare! Still no title, but I'm telling right now, this book is good. I'm proud of it. More soon.

Noir in the Bar was an absolute blast last night in Richmond, Kentucky with a sold out crowd. Heard some great stories and made some new friends.

This’ll be a good time. I am honored to be part of it. I’ll be reading from my new novel. Come on out and see us this weekend. #noiratthebar

Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness came out 30 years ago. I remember opening that double CD case.

“Invention does not consist in creating out of void, but out of chaos.” Mary Shelley, in the author’s introduction to Frankenstein #writing

First draft of the new novel is FINISHED! 95,000 words. @gwenda.bsky.social and I have been describing it as "Bonnie & Clyde meets What's Eating Gilbert Grape". 😂 Stay tuned... #writing

SUBS OPEN NOW THRU NOV. 22! We want stories that detail life at the bottom or at the margins of human society. Make it sad. Make it dark. Make it the tiniest bit hopeful. More info here: bit.ly/4onmEBw

Halloween fun with @joshaboldt.bsky.social — who am I? Answers within 18.207.115.111

Working on the climax of my latest novel now. 91,000 words. Maybe another 5k left to finish the novel. I love this book, y'all. #writing

When’s the last time you wrote a scene that made you cry?

Yesterday @joshaboldt.bsky.social and I went on a spirits and spooks walk at Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill after a whole day of rain — maybe your Monday needs the magical rainbow we saw at the very end.