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New Short Story Collection from FLP: Hair Brush with Fame by Lisa Johnson Mitchell

On SALE now: https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/hair-brush-with-fame-by-lisa-johnson-mitchell/

Hair Brush with Fame chronicles the #celebrity #encounters of Lisa Johnson Mitchell, who grew up surrounded by big hair, gossip, and Final Net in her father’s beauty shop in the Park Cities, the Beverly Hills of Dallas. In her formative years, she rubbed elbows in his salon with the movers and shakers of Big D, which primed her—propelled her—into the full embrace of even bigger stars in Manhattan and beyond: Russell Crowe, John Malkovich, and Prince Albert of Monaco. #Funny, ungainly, and you-can’t-make-this-stuff-up real, Johnson Mitchell’s tales are a oh-so delicious romp you won’t long forget. #shortstories #shortstory #funny #celebrities #celebrity

Lisa Johnson Mitchell‘s work has appeared in X-R-A-Y, Fictive Dream, and Cleaver, among others. One of her pieces was a Finalist in the 2022 London Independent Story Prize Competition. Another received First Place in the 2021 Button Eye Review Summer Contest and placed in the Top 10 of the 2020 Columbia Journal Short Fiction Contest. Other works have been honored by Glimmer Train, ScreenCraft, and PEN Women. She was a resident at the Vermont Studio Center and holds an MFA from Bennington College.

PRAISE FOR Hair Brush with Fame by Lisa Johnson Mitchell

Hair Brush with Fame is a quick-witted, spritely, and hilarious romp of a book. Growing up in Dallas, Texas, with a hairdresser father catering to local and national movers and shakers, Lisa Johnson Mitchell develops an instinct and aptitude for connecting with celebrities. This adroitness serves her well when she moves to Manhattan and drops into the wild 80’s advertising and club scene, where celebrities and the powerful are tantalizingly close-at-hand. These are the takes and tales of her encounters. And yes, there will be hair!

–Steve Adams, Pushcart Award-winning author of Remember This

Lisa Johnson Mitchell’s Hair Brush With Fame is a collection of true stories about the author’s run-ins with the famous. Humorous in a real and candid way, even those who’ve never had a celebrity close call will find her tales relatable on many levels. From Prince Albert to the lead vocalist of Devo, each of the varied experiences has something to teach us about humans being human.

–Natalie Musgrave Dossett, Laramie Book Awards, Grand Prize-winning author of Sarita

Please share/please repost #flpauthor #preorder #AwesomeCoverArt #prose #fiction #shortstories #shortstory #stories #read

FLP SHORT STORIES BOOK OF THE DAY: So as Not to Die Alone by Lisa Johnson Mitchell

On SALE now! Pre-order Price Guarantee: : https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/so-as-not-to-die-alone-by-lisa-johnson-mitchell/

So as Not to Die Alone is a song about the ache of living. In this glistening collection, themes include sexual fluidity, loss of a parent, shattered dreams, addiction, and teen pregnancy, to name a few, all of which expose the fragility, desperation, and gravitas of #life and #relationships. Narratives feature a wide swath of humanity: a male belly dancer who’s versed in Chinese astrology. A grumpy, retired elevator repair man with bad feet. And a mother and son who crash a Bat Mitzvah. All the stories pulse with pain—cry out for mercy—yet contain dashes of hope.

Lisa Johnson Mitchell‘s work has appeared in X-R-A-Y, Fictive Dream, and Cleaver, among others. One of her pieces was a Finalist in the 2022 London Independent Story Prize Competition. Another placed in the Top 10 of the 2020 Columbia Journal Short Fiction Contest. She holds an MFA from Bennington College. #shortstory #shortstories #fiction #book

PRAISE FOR So as Not to Die Alone by Lisa Johnson Mitchell

“Lisa Johnson Mitchell has the remarkable ability to craft entire characters –all their beauty and all their flaws –in a single, perfect sentence. These sentences then come together to make stories that are heartbreaking, tragic, sometimes absurd, and often hopeful. In the end, this sharp collection presents a brutally honest snapshot of both the anxieties and optimism of modern American life.”

–Samantha Mabry, National Book Award nominated author of All the Wind in the World and Tigers, Not Daughters

“The heroes and heroines in Lisa Johnson Mitchell’s debut story collection, So as Not to Die Alone, reach for connection even through their own jadedness and the static around them. Mitchell is a comic acrobat, her details startling yet perfect, her language playful and inventive, whether ships are sinking or somehow making their way back to the surface. A thoroughly rewarding debut.”

–Steve Adams, Pushcart Award-winning of Remember This.

“Lisa Johnson Mitchell‘s collection is a thought-provoking and emotionally charged journey that delves deep into the complexities of human experience. Through a diverse cast of characters, Mitchell expertly explores themes of sexual fluidity, loss, shattered dreams, addiction, and teen pregnancy with raw honesty and vulnerability. Each story is a masterful blend of pain and hope, leaving a lasting impact on the reader—a must-read for anyone looking for a powerful and moving literary experience. Lucia Berlin and Flannery O’Connor fans will relish this collection, stamped with a profound understanding of human nature. Mitchell’s writing is reminiscent of these literary greats and is sure to leave readers feeling deeply moved.”

–BlakeKimzey, author of Families Among Us

“The eight stories in So As Not to Die Alone, Lisa Johnson Mitchell’s debut collection, introduce us to intricately chiseled worlds where women feel unseen, children are tasked with caring for ailing and aged parents, and romances bud and take center stage. But in Mitchell’s inventive hands, these stories go places you’d never expect, pivoting into a territory of the heart on whose emotional bedrock we can all find sure footing. Often humorous, always heart-wrenching, these flash and short stories introduce a singular, bold voice that will have you laughing out loud even as you wipe away tears. Mitchell knows how to write sizzlingly hot dialogue and exquisite sentences (consider this one-two punch: “After therapy, he claimed to forgive Sheila, but she could see his lingering resentment like an aura.”). And while her characters aren’t afraid to wear their hearts on their sleeves, let it be known they suffer no fools. You’ll admire them, just as you’ll admire this new, gorgeous collection.”

–DS Levy, Award-winning author of A Binary Heart.

Please share/please repost #flpauthor #preorder #AwesomeCoverArt #prose #Shortstories #read

FLP SHORT STORIES BOOK OF THE DAY: So as Not to Die Alone by Lisa Johnson Mitchell

On SALE now! Pre-order Price Guarantee: : https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/so-as-not-to-die-alone-by-lisa-johnson-mitchell/

So as Not to Die Alone is a song about the ache of living. In this glistening collection, themes include sexual fluidity, loss of a parent, shattered dreams, addiction, and teen pregnancy, to name a few, all of which expose the fragility, desperation, and gravitas of #life and #relationships. Narratives feature a wide swath of humanity: a male belly dancer who’s versed in Chinese astrology. A grumpy, retired elevator repair man with bad feet. And a mother and son who crash a Bat Mitzvah. All the stories pulse with pain—cry out for mercy—yet contain dashes of hope.

Lisa Johnson Mitchell‘s work has appeared in X-R-A-Y, Fictive Dream, and Cleaver, among others. One of her pieces was a Finalist in the 2022 London Independent Story Prize Competition. Another placed in the Top 10 of the 2020 Columbia Journal Short Fiction Contest. She holds an MFA from Bennington College. #shortstory #shortstories #fiction #book

PRAISE FOR So as Not to Die Alone by Lisa Johnson Mitchell

“Lisa Johnson Mitchell has the remarkable ability to craft entire characters –all their beauty and all their flaws –in a single, perfect sentence. These sentences then come together to make stories that are heartbreaking, tragic, sometimes absurd, and often hopeful. In the end, this sharp collection presents a brutally honest snapshot of both the anxieties and optimism of modern American life.”

–Samantha Mabry, National Book Award nominated author of All the Wind in the World and Tigers, Not Daughters

“The heroes and heroines in Lisa Johnson Mitchell’s debut story collection, So as Not to Die Alone, reach for connection even through their own jadedness and the static around them. Mitchell is a comic acrobat, her details startling yet perfect, her language playful and inventive, whether ships are sinking or somehow making their way back to the surface. A thoroughly rewarding debut.”

–Steve Adams, Pushcart Award-winning of Remember This.

“Lisa Johnson Mitchell‘s collection is a thought-provoking and emotionally charged journey that delves deep into the complexities of human experience. Through a diverse cast of characters, Mitchell expertly explores themes of sexual fluidity, loss, shattered dreams, addiction, and teen pregnancy with raw honesty and vulnerability. Each story is a masterful blend of pain and hope, leaving a lasting impact on the reader—a must-read for anyone looking for a powerful and moving literary experience. Lucia Berlin and Flannery O’Connor fans will relish this collection, stamped with a profound understanding of human nature. Mitchell’s writing is reminiscent of these literary greats and is sure to leave readers feeling deeply moved.”

–BlakeKimzey, author of Families Among Us

“The eight stories in So As Not to Die Alone, Lisa Johnson Mitchell’s debut collection, introduce us to intricately chiseled worlds where women feel unseen, children are tasked with caring for ailing and aged parents, and romances bud and take center stage. But in Mitchell’s inventive hands, these stories go places you’d never expect, pivoting into a territory of the heart on whose emotional bedrock we can all find sure footing. Often humorous, always heart-wrenching, these flash and short stories introduce a singular, bold voice that will have you laughing out loud even as you wipe away tears. Mitchell knows how to write sizzlingly hot dialogue and exquisite sentences (consider this one-two punch: “After therapy, he claimed to forgive Sheila, but she could see his lingering resentment like an aura.”). And while her characters aren’t afraid to wear their hearts on their sleeves, let it be known they suffer no fools. You’ll admire them, just as you’ll admire this new, gorgeous collection.”

–DS Levy, Award-winning author of A Binary Heart.

Please share/please repost #flpauthor #preorder #AwesomeCoverArt #prose #Shortstories #read

Daniel Keyes, Flowers for Algernon

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J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

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