Brown Hound Press & The Last Detail

The Last Detail is the title of a short story, written by me and recently published by Brown Hound Press. A new online publisher, Brown Hound is a small press based in Lexington, Kentucky that publishes offbeat mystery, dark humor, southern gothic, and literary fiction.

Brown Hound Press plans to publish one short story a week, with no repeat authors for the first 52 weeks. (Which means, any authors reading this, that Brown Hound might be a market for you to research. And yes, there is prompt payment to the author.)

Go to the home page of the Brown Hound website to subscribe and receive a new short story every Thursday.

The Beginning 

It started with the grass clippings.

I’d just finished mowing the front yard. True, the rows lacked the zigzag symmetry of the adjacent lawns, and the edges were a bit on the shaggy side—I hadn’t yet invested in one of those trimmer gizmos—but I was nonetheless pleased with my accomplishment.

Not that I had a choice. I could barely afford the rent on this place, let alone a lawn service, my finances depleted by a long, drawn-out divorce and a litany of legal fees. In hindsight, it would have been fiscally prudent to accept our lawyers’ proposed division of assets from the get-go. To settle things in an amicable manner. But it’s hard to be gracious when your husband’s former administrative assistant derails your thirty-five years of marriage. Last I heard, the bulimic bride and geriatric groom were honeymooning in Bermuda, may her bleached blonde bob turn green from the hotel’s chlorinated pool.

But I digress.

To read the rest of The Last Detail, click here.

The Inspiration

You’ll have to read The Last Detail, but suffice it to say that I have actually experienced a grass clipping incident similar to the one described in the story. Of course, the revenge exacted by both parties is a complete figment of my all-too-vivid imagination (as is the cheating scumbag of an ex-husband and the bulimic bride with the bleached blonde bob). But gosh it was fun to write! And oh-so-cathartic.

The Brown Hound Submission Process

I submitted the story using Brown Hound’s online portal and heard back within a few days. The editor, Josh, loved the story, thought it was funny, but didn’t buy the ending. Would I revise it?

The chance to revise and resubmit is a generous gesture and not one that happens often, so of course I said yes.

Besides, as it happened, I’d already written an alternate ending and hadn’t been able to decide which one worked better. I resubmitted it with the new/old ending and voila! Acceptance.

And that, my Stiletto Gang friends, is one story with a happy ending.

To read previously published stories by Brown Hound Press, click here. 

The past Chair of Crime Writers of Canada and a former journalist and magazine editor, Judy Penz Sheluk is the multiple award-winning author of seven bestselling mystery novels, two books on publishing, and several short stories. She is also the editor/publisher of five Superior Shores Anthologies, including the 2025 Derringer- and Silver Falchion- nominated Larceny & Last Chances, and the 2026 Derringer-nominated Midnight Schemers & Daydream Believers. Find her at www.judypenzsheluk.com