Author Invites Readers to Participate in Project

The video says it all. My book is available in ebook, hardback, and paperback. Just ask for Traumatized by Alexander S. Brown.

www.traumatizedsouls.com

10 Facts You Did Not Know About Traumatized by Alexander S. Brown

1. Each story has a moral to it.

2. The story "Live Through This" isn't about bashing homosexuality, it is about homophobia.

3. The story "House by the River" was written when Alexander S. Brown was in high school and it changed very little before publishing.

4. "The God Complex" is inspired by The Westboro Baptist Church.

5. The image on the cover of Traumatized is inspired by the story "Althea's Last Dance" it is a butterfly from Hell.

6. "The God Complex" once caused Traumatized to be banned from the location that the author was to sign at.

7. Although the last story "Zoe's Swansong" is the most gruesome of his tales, it is the story that is most loved by females.

8. The story "Bliss Hill" has the exact same property layout as the author's birth home property.

9. The stories "Two Miles" and "Live Through This" were censored before they were allowed to be published.

10. Traumatized was rejected by mainstream literary agents as they said that it did not focus on romantic vampires.

You can order your copy of Traumatized online in hardback, paperback and ebook.  Traumatized is also available for order at any Barnes and Noble location.  The following link provides you with a free story.

www.traumatizedsouls.com

Book Signing for Traumatized by Alexander S. Brown in Southaven, MS

March 27, 2011
M.R. Davis Public Library
8554 Northwest Drive
Southaven, MS 38671-2411
662-342-0102

Horror author, Alexander S. Brown will sign copies of his book, Traumatized, at this event from 2PM-5:00PM. Fee for signed paperbacks are $20.00 ea. This will be a multi-author event, featuring authors Allan Wildmon and Greg Overman.

For free stories, videos, and more, please visit:

http://www.traumatizedalexandersbrown.webs.com/

Book Signing for Alexander S. Brown in Pearl, MS at the Grand Opening of Java Ink

March 12, 2011

Java Ink Grand Opening
420 Roberts Street
Pearl, MS
601-397-6292
Located at Bright Center Mall, Highway 80. Behind the Trustmark Bank.

From 10AM-6PM horror author, Alexander S. Brown will sign copies of his book, Traumatized for $20.00. Also, this event will cater to off beat art and other collectibles such as comics and curiosities in a sci-fi/horror setting.

Buy Traumatized in advance at: http://www.traumatizedsouls.com/
Learn more at: http://www.traumatizedalexandersbrown.webs.com/
Befriend Java Ink on Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/pages/Java-Ink/166211846751518
Befriend Alexander S. Brown on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Alexander-S-Brown/47904064687#!/pages/Alexander-S-Brown/47904064687#!/event.php?eid=131889186875396

Polly Rigormortis Reviews Traumatized by Alexander S. Brown

'TRAUMATIZED' a short story collection by Alexander S. Brown - a review - by POLLY RIGORMORTIS (aka; R. Phillip Roberts)

I just love Halloween, as it is always one of the busiest nights in the ER. Perfect time for harvesting all those organs I discreetly sell on the black market, too. And this past Halloween was no different.

There I was, just minding my own business, taking in a little reading in the staff lounge. I was really getting into a particularly nasty little tale, the last one of the fifteen in the book, actually, when they paged me.

"Nurse Polly! You're wanted in emergency! Nurse Polly! Please report to emergency!" the female voice squelched amidst the sporadic feedback coming through the hospital intercom system.

Upon hearing this voice, anyone in near vicinity to one of the hundreds of speakers strategically situated throughout the hospital, usually cringes at what sounds much like someone slowly raking their nails across a chalkboard.

Generally, it never bothers me, but since I was immersed in my book, it startled me and made me flinch. Dammit! Not now! I'm in the middle of a really good story, for chrissake! And I want to know what happens! I think to myself, just as the voice begins to crackle over the PA system once more.

"Attention! Nurse Polly! Get your ass to the emergency ward, STAT! Dr. Hardwood has a special case for you! Yoo-hoo! Polly Rigormortis, where are you? Do I have to send the dogs out after you... again?"

"Oh no! Not the dogs!" I muttered aloud, followed with a hearty little chuckle.

With an audible sigh, I marked my place in the book, setting it on the coffee table, then reluctantly rose up from the leather sofa. I straightened the plain white standard issue uniform I am forced to wear, as I made my way to the lavatory and the mirror above the sink inside. I fixed my hair, making sure every long lock of blondeness was just right, then slipped a hand into my hip pocket and pulled out my trademark red lipstick, applying a liberal amount to my lips. "Ah! Perfection!" I said, blowing a kiss at my own reflection.

As I made to exit the lounge, I glanced over at the coffee table one more time, disappointed that I could not finish reading the last twisted tale within. I think, Well, at least it will be waiting for me when I get back, then headed down to the ER and whatever trauma case awaited. I let out a little laugh, seeing as the title of said book was actually called, Traumatized, written by a little known horror hack by the name of Alexander S. Brown.

Seeing as I was in no hurry to get down to the ER and save another pathetic dying soul, I nonchalantly strolled down the hall toward the elevator. My mind wandered back to the fourteen stories I had already finished, as well as the one I had yet to get all the way through.

I found each one of the macabre little tales to be quite enjoyable, even a little creepy. Chock full of monsters, ghosts, and even voodoo dolls, the stories reminded me of some of my favorite authors, such as Stephen King and H.P. Lovecraft. Some of them even had that Rod Serling's Twilight Zone feel to them. All good tales, indeed. And all from the same author.

This book was no anthology full of various unknowns, either, which usually only hold a few stand out stories at best. This was a real page turner, and very hard to put down, once you get started. And the stories are the kind that cling to you, much like the smell of death does, no matter how hard you try to get rid of it.

Pretty soon I found myself scrubbing up and about to enter the ER operating room, when Dr. Hardwood came out. I could tell by the way he walked hunched over and all quiet like, that things had not gone well. He was completely splattered with blood and gore, as well as were the others who had been on Dr. Hardwood's emergency surgical team.

Each of those men and women had a strange look in their eyes, as if they had seen something the likes of which none had ever seen before. No doubt, that whatever had happened in there had scared the whole lot of them.

"Another casualty, doctor?" I asked, grinning from ear to ear behind my surgical mask.

Dr. Hardwood looked at me with faraway eyes, then pulled his mask off. "Yes, Nurse Polly! Would you mind cleaning things up for me? None of us seem to be feeling very well at the moment, it seems."

"Sure, Dr. Harwood!" I said, then headed into the surgery room, leaving the doctor and his staff to their thoughts, as they made to remove their soiled and contaminated surgical gowns to begin the laborous task of scrubbing down.

I entered the surgery room unprepared for what awaited me. Now I'm not one to get freaked out by anything, and I mean anything. But this was unlike any post-surgery mis-hap I had ever seen in all my days as a nurse. There was quite literally a mass of blood and gore everywhere.

As I walked toward the body on the gurney, prepared to begin the removal of its vital organs, I almost vomited from the smell that assaulted my senses. It seemed to permeate the air and somehow managed to seep through the mask covering my mouth and nose. It reeked worse than an outhouse full of urine and excrement on a hot summer day.

I approached the body anyways, intent on getting my organs before hauling the remains of the corpse off to the morgue. The chest cavity was wide open, making my job a little easier than usual, and so I stuck my hands inside and began to feel around. As I felt for the heart, my hand came across something that should not be in there.

I extracted the foreign object that was all covered in slimy red goo. I held it up and was surprised to see that it was the book I had been reading in the lounge. In fact, it even had my bookmark, suggesting that it was indeed the very same book.


Astonished, I watched as the gooey gore began to crystalize and fall away, leaving in my hands a pristine and untainted book.

The letters of the title, Traumatized, began to glow and I almost dropped it and ran. But instead, I opened the book to where I had marked it and began to read.

By the time I had finished the last story, which I had begun a little earlier that evening, I had forgotten all about harvesting the organs from the cadaver upon the table. And since my shift was almost over, I slipped the book into the hip pocket of my apron and began cleaning up the emergency OR.

When I arrived home later that night, I took the book out and examined it. It showed no signs of ever having been submerged within the innards of a dead corpse, and it no longer glowed. Shrugging it off, I tossed it on the kitchen counter and went to bed.

I had some serious nightmares that woke me up. I believe that I even screamed. When I switched on the light, I almost screamed again, because there on the pillow next to me was the book, the title on the cover glowing once again.

It was at that moment that I knew I would never be able to stop reading the stories contained within, over and over and over again. I highly recommend this book. And I gaurantee that you will not be able to stop reading it. In fact, I doubt you will ever be able to get rid of it, just as I cannot seem to be able to. I have tried, and it just keeps coming back to haunt me.

*Polly Rigormortis gives this book her highest rating of two (count 'em).. two "in-your-face" fist-pumping middle fingers (oh yeah... it's a good thing).

Review found on: http://eve-l-dewer.angelfire.com/read001.html

Buy Traumatized at: www.traumatizedsouls.com

New Review Up for Traumatized by Alexander S. Brown

I don’t know about you, but over here at anythinghorror.com I’ve made a few New Year’s resolutions. I’m not shooting for the moon and making unrealistic goals for myself, but there are definitely some things I need to work on in 2011. For one, I need to get my ass back in the gym and get back into shape … I’m no Harry Knowles over here, but I’m also not a Spring chicken!! My other main realistic resolution is that I have a stack of (hopefully) kick ass books that I’ve accumulated in 2010 and I wanna get through them all and post more horror book reviews on the website. Well I’m off to a great start with Alexander S. Brown’s TRAUMATIZED.

Personally I’ve always found short story collection difficult to get into. Just when you start getting into the characters and the plot BAM … the story ends and you need to start all over again with new characters and a different plot. I don’t know if Brown intentionally tried to overcome this problem but he does by not giving us too much useless info in the beginning of each story. For the majority of his stories he dives right into the story and doesn’t waste a lot of time “setting the stage” with unimportant details.

As the back cover of the book explains, TRAUMATIZED (a collection of 15 stories)exposes the depths of human depravity and the dank realms of [the] macabre.” With each story Brown intends to essentially “traumatize” his readers through examining various horrors in the world and the pure depravity some human’s can sink too. This is an ambitious goal and whereas the majority of Brown’s stories are captivating I don’t know if any of them actually left me traumatized (but then again I am pretty desensitized to violence and gore). Brown’s stories run the gamut. His stories include vicious creatures of the night, serial killers, voodoo curses, haunted houses, and religious freaks. Without detailing each story (there’s 15 of them) I can say that overall Brown presents excellent characterizations and plots that move along at a fast pace.

There are times, though, when Brown gets a little wordy and too descriptive. The first story, “Bloodlines,” is actually my least favorite in the collection. Its the story of people gathered together at an old Southern mansion in order to find the hidden treasure buried within it’s walls. In “Bloodlines” I felt Brown drags down the pace of the story with too much description and I found it very difficult to get into the story. This is also the longest in the collection (clocking in at 48 pages) which would have benefited from some editing to tighten up the narrative and speed along the action.

But my concerns after reading “Bloodlines” quickly vanished after reading the other stories. The next two entrees “April” and “The God Complex” were tight, fast-paced stories that grabbed my right from the opening lines. “April” gives us a nice, dark twist about a girl who is experiencing black-outs every night and it seems the black-outs are becoming more and more dangerous to both herself and others. “The God Complex” is a really chilling story about how religious belief can cross into the realm of blind fanaticism. Both were very well written and “The God Complex” ends with us questioning everything that we just read in the story.

I enjoyed the majority of Brown’s stories in the collection and only found a few instances where his style felt amateurish, but I attributed this to him being, most likely, a new writer who was still finding his voice. There’s no info in TRAUMATIZED about when each story was written, but I would guess that the stories that weren’t my favorite were probably his earlier efforts. Some of my favorites are “The Acquired Taste,” which delves into the dangers of eating sushi; “Live Through This,” which puts a very creepy and disturbing twist on the story of a man obsessed with another person; “Two Miles,” the story of a mob boss who finds himself alone in a desert reliving parts of his life (Brown gives us an extraordinary characterization here); “Althea’s Last Dance,” in which a modern-day Jack the Ripper comes face to face with the supernatural; “Bliss Hill,” the best of his vicious creature stories; and “Zoe’s Swan Song,” about a rising Hollywood starlet whose external beauty ends up matching her inner beauty. This last story has, without a doubt, the best and deepest characterization with Zoe, and it’s also the goriest in the collection. We really get a sense of where she came from, who she is presently, and where she wants to be. Brown does a fantastic job with Zoe’s character.

If you’re looking for a solid collection of stories that are well written (let’s face it, statistically you’re gonna get a few in a collection of 15 that’ll leave you feeling “meh”), then pick up a copy of TRAUMATIZED. I’m not sure if Alexander S. Brown has published anything since, but I for one would love to read some of his newer writings to see how he has matured. Check this one out … you won’t be disappointed.

My Summary:
Author: Alexandre S. Brown
Plot: 4 out of 5 stars (for the overall collection)
Gore: 5 out of 10 skulls (for the overall collection; 7 out of 10 for the story “Zoe’s Swan Song”)
Reviewed by Scott Shoyer

Reviewed by:

http://anythinghorror.com/2011/01/05/horror-book-review-traumatized-2008/

Buy Traumatized:

http://www.traumatizedsouls.com/

Best Wishes,

Alexander S. Brown

http://www.traumatizedalexandersbrown.webs.com/

Multi Author Book Signing at Two Roads Cafe in Lebanon, TN

The following will be a fantastic event filled with authors and publishers for those who are interested in reading and writing.

April 16, 2011

Two Roads Cafe
200 Maddox Simpson Parkway
Lebanon, TN 37090
2P - 6P
615-547-1670

Attending

Alexander S. Brown (Horror Author) http://www.traumatizedsouls.com/
Andy Childress (Graphic Novelist) http://www.bubbaworldcomix.com/
A Christopher Drown (Fantasy Author)
Allan Gilbreath (Publisher)http://www.kerlakpublishing.com/
Stephanie Osborn (Sci-fi Author)
Kimberly Richardson (Steampunk Author)http://www.redroom.com/author/kimberly-richardson


Best Wishes,
Alexander S. Brown
http://www.traumatizedsouls.com/
http://www.traumatizedalexandersbrown.webs.com/
http://www.imagicopter.com/

Book Signing for Alexander S. Brown at the Willie Morris Library in Jackson, MS

Horror author, Alexander S. Brown will speak and sign copies of his book, Traumatized at this event from 10AM-4:30PM. Fee for signed paperbacks are $20.00 ea. Information regarding signing is as follows.

April 2, 2011
The Willie Morris Library
4912 Old Canton Road
Jackson, MS 39211
601-987-8181



Best Wishes,
Alexander S. Brown
http://www.traumatizedsouls.com/

Book Signing for Alexander S. Brown at the Beverly J. Brown Library in Byram, MS

Shortly following the February Fright Fest on Feb11-12th at the Eudora Welty Commons in Jackson, MS Alexander S. Brown will sign at the Beverly J. Brown Library.

February 26, 2011

Beverly J Brown Library
7395 Siwell Road
Byram/Jackson, MS 39212
601-372-0954

Copies of Alexander S. Brown's Traumatized will be for sale at this event from 10AM-1:30PM. Fee for signed paperbacks are $20.00 ea.

Best Wishes,

Alexander S. Brown

http://www.traumatizedsouls.com/

The February Fright Fest of Jackson, MS at The Eudora Welty Commons

February 11th- February 12th 2011

February Fright Fest
The Commons at Eudora Welty’s Birth Place
719 North Congress Street (off of Fortification St)
Jackson, MS 39201
601-352-3399

The February Fright Fest, all lovers of horror are welcomed to indulge in the frightening festivities that will begin at 8PM February 11th with the Black Hearts Ball, staring Mississippi belly dancing legends, Missihippy.

February 12th, from noon till 8PM, come indulge in tons of terrifying excitement with horror authors, artist, independent movies, graphic novels and more. Featuring the works of non-fiction paranormal author, Dr. Alan Brown, Alexander S. Brown, Andy Childers, Chuck Jett, and Shane Sullivan.

Special appearances by The Mississippi Society of Paranormal Investigation and The Natchez Paranormal Society, featuring a skilled speaker on the subject of demonology.

Also, this will be the first venue where Alexander S. Brown has displayed and sold his photography.

Link to Dr. Allen Brown

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zl-0G4LDtaM

Link to Missihippi:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncWnFi8EhPM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPouL2hRPrA&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aA_A_SDx958&feature=related

Link to Alexander S. Brown

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwwTUdUczpg

Natchez Paranormal Society:

http://www.paranormalsocieties.com/view_society.cfm?id=1602

Link to Andy Childress:

http://www.bubbaworldcomix.com/

Link to Imagicopter:

http://www.imagicopter.com/

Best Wishes,

Alexander S. Brown

http://www.traumatizedsouls.com/

http://www.traumatizedalexandersbrown.webs.com/

Best Wishes,

Alexander S. Brown

Book Signing for Alexander S. Brown at The Eudora Welty Library in Jackson, MS

Hello Everyone,


I hope you had a great New Year. The first signing for 2011 will be as follows.





January 27, 2011

Eudora Welty Library
300 North State Street
Jackson, MS 39201
601-968-5811
12:00PM- Until

At this event, Alexander S. Brown will host panels with other authors, meet the public, and sell copies of Traumatized for $20.00 each.





Best Wishes,


Alexander S. Brown


http://www.traumatizedsouls.com/


http://www.traumatizedalexandersbrown.webs.com/

Imagicopter's Annual Zombie Dance for Hot Springs, AR

On October 16, 2010 Alexander S. Brown and eight other Imagicopter authors will attend the Zombie Dance in Hot Springs, AR. Copies of Traumatized will be sold at this location.

The Art Church
301 Whittington Avenue
Hot Springs, AR
From 5:00PM to 9:00PM
Other authors, who are attending, are listed aphabetically:

H. David Blalock

A. Christopher Drown

Elizabeth Donald

William Eakin

Jimmy Gillentine

Robert Krog

Jennifer Mulvihill

M. R. Williamson

Zombie attire is encouraged! I hope to see everyone there. Please visit http://www.imagicopter.com/ to learn more about each author.

Best Wishes,
Alexander S. Brown
http://www.traumatizedsouls.com/

Top Scariest Movies for Halloween Vol 2

Learn more at:

www.traumatizedalexandersbrown.webs.com

Buy Traumatized and read a free story at:

www.traumatizedsouls.com

Book Signing for Traumatized by Alexander S. Brown in New Orleans, LA at Maple Street Books on April 10,2010

On April 10, 2010, Alexander S. Brown will sign copies of Traumatized at the Maple Street Books in New Orleans, LA, from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Paperbacks will be available for $20 each. Following is contact information for that location.

Maple Street Books
7529 Maple St
New Orleans, LA 70118

504-866-4916

Only paperbacks will be sold at this location.

To order a hardback edition, please visit:
http://www.traumatizedsouls.com/

Learn More:
http://www.traumatizedalexandersbrown.webs.com/

Horror Author, Nicholas Grabowsky Reviews Traumatized by Alexander S. Brown

Review of Traumatized
Given By:
Nicholas Grabowsky (Horror Author)

Traumatized by Alexander S. Brown (2006 Publish America.) Read more about the author and the novel here. After reading Traumatized I decided in this review to make an example out of Alexander S. Brown. Going down that road, I must begin with how this work came to my attention, and if memory serves me right I believe I was introduced to Brown's Myspace page, and one thing led to another resulting with a copy in the mail and an author at the other end anxious to know my thoughts. I get a lot of that. And if I had a nickel for every last one.................yet, at the end of the day, I've read through the works of many unsung authors and more often than not I've found most of them to be promising, despite shortcomings, despite lack of the proper infusion of poetry in their prose, oftentimes exhibiting great storytelling/character structure but lacking in the sort of finesse that turns pages and makes a mediocre book a great work to be proud of as an author....that sort of thing, especially with what goes regarding a majority of self-published material.

Alex Brown is self-published, his first novel Sweet Dreams ( 2003 from Authorhouse, or 1st Books Library as was what it's been known as prior to being Authorhouse), has a couple of good reviews by laymen reviewers on Amazon and sports one of the worst covers I've ever seen on a book.

In 2008, Brown utilized the services of Xlibris to publish his 15-tale, 300-plus-page collection Traumatized, the work which falls under scrutiny here. I checked out an "about the book" website regarding Traumatized designed by Xlibris that looks hella cool but doesn't say much of anything, and www.damnedsoulsclub.com, a more personal site ala Brown's Myspace presence but doesn't have much to it albeit a good bio about the author. Since his high school years in Mississippi, Alex Brown has more than tampered around with his passion for telling stories, the kind of dark stories I dig, and in print he's been around since 2003, so to date he's been dancing around with stories to tell and sell to the masses for a good handful of years but (for reasons that likely have to do with why his web presence lacks the meat and potatoes I was hoping to find) he remains a teeny little voice compared to where he should be by now.

Point is, Traumatized is a collection that deserves far more credit than what's encompassed within the above paragraph, and it blows me away how this assemblage of exhilarating and refreshingly macabre series of stories could not have been more prominently pimped than it has. It's an example......a perfect example......of a genuine piece of work that deserves the attention of writers and writer's associations whose authors do this sort of thing for a living but falls short of the recognition it deserves. Take Feast of the Pigs, for example.....highly entertaining cops/turned-bloodsucking-creatures faire, how a Big Easy spirit came to be in Althea's Last Dance is top-notch narrative, and we also have a delightful The End of Summer where a hand-me-down occult book library inspires grisly voo-doo doll-type mayhem done with balls-out satisfying style. There are a handful of instances where Brown seems a bit long-winded.....where, for example, the opening Bloodlines tale (essentially a good haunted house-type "Clue" where a group of people are summoned to a mansion to search for a mysterious treasure) can be detailed down a bit and given momentum. Traumatized is damn worth paying attention to, and I hands-down recommend it.

Now that I've said what I've said, I don't think I need to make an example of Alexander Brown. I think he's an example in his own right, of a literary talent that needs to broaden his horizons to the extent that it fits the exemplary nature of what he's done with this work, and not hide it under a bushel and remain that teeny little voice. Some of this caliber of writing....man, it's well above a lot of the books I get in the mail to review that makes me say yet again "....if I had a nickel for every last one......" and it's a shame it hasn't seen anywhere near its potential yet, for lack of whatever the reason, online or off.

Order your copy at:
http://www.traumatizedsouls.com/

Learn more of Traumatized:

http://www.traumatizedalexandersbrown.webs.com/

Fourth Book Signing for Traumatized by Alexander S. Brown in Shreveport, LA

The fourth book signing for Traumatized by Alexander S. Brown will take place on August 1, 2009.

Location of Event:

Mall St. Vincent
1133 Saint Vincent Avenue, #200
Shreveport, LA 711104

Phone:

(318) 227-9880

Signing Times:

10:00 am - 9:00 pm

$20.00 for each signed paperback.

Order Hardback online through http://www.traumatizedsouls.com/

Best Wishes,

Alexander S. Brown

http://www.traumatizedalexandersbrown.webs.com/

Traumatized by Alexander S. Brown

Order through your local book store or on Amazon.com, Amazon.uk, Barnesandnoble.com, or borders.com

My First Review/Interview Regarding Traumatized by Alexander S. Brown

Traumatized
Alexander Brown
ISBN: 9781436374088
Xlibris
Reviewed By Renee Washburn
Official Apex Reviews :

Traumatized, the new collection of short stories by Alexander Brown, takes the reader on a convoluted, eye-opening – and often disturbing – journey through a world of imagined horror. Each of the fifteen dark tales that comprise Traumatized features unsuspecting pawns who suddenly find themselves caught up in twisted games of terror and deception, none of whom are fully aware of precisely how they ended up there – but each knowing that, without a combination of quick wits and good luck, they won’t make it out alive. Consider, for example, the tale of four strangers summoned to the expansive mansion of a reclusive billionaire: as the last scion in his family bloodline, he is the lawful heir to its considerable fortune – only he has no idea where all the valuables have been stashed. After receiving his assurances that he’ll share the wealth with them (should they discover it), the strangers embark on the quest of searching the family home for the riches. Along the way, though, they discover that they each share a unique connection to one another, at the same time learning that blood must be shed in exchange for access to the family fortune – just whose blood it will be, though, depends on a gruesome conclusion that they each must reach…

Or the tale of April, the seventeen year-old high school senior who suddenly finds herself suffering from periodic blackouts: having no idea why the affliction has befallen her – or, for that matter, how to fix it – she turns to her sister, Amanda, for help. In return, Amanda shares what she believes to be the cause of the recurring condition, and she offers to “monitor” the situation, out of apparent concern for her troubled sibling. April eventually learns, though, that – for good reason – Amanda is the last person in the world that she should trust…

And readers are sure to be caught completely off guard by the tale of Craig and Victoria, a troubled husband and wife whose marriage is sinking fast, due to Craig’s worsening gambling addiction. When their counselor recommends that they move to a remote cabin in the woods to try to jump start their relationship, the couple agrees. What they don’t realize – until it’s too late – is that the cabin serves as the nexus point of a deadly ritual that is only conducted every 50 years – and their timing couldn’t be worse…

With the various twisted tales of Traumatized, Brown proves his absolute mastery of the horror genre. His skill at mixing the macabre and the mundane is unmatched, and he is a genius at the art of maintaining suspense. Each of his stories has its own unique appeal, and they all come together to form a powerful collection guaranteed to captivate the reader’s imagination and interest.

In the Prologue, Brown cites both Edgar Allen Poe and Friedrich Nietzsche, and, in the pages of Traumatized, he takes his rightful place as their literary next-of-kin. Anyone who is not currently a fan of horror fiction will surely be converted once they delve into the compelling world that Brown has created. Highly recommended.


Official Apex Reviews Interview:
Alexander Brown (Traumatized)
Apex Reviews:
Thanks for joining us for this interview, Alexander. We're looking forward to learning more about your book.

How long did it take you to craft all the stories featured in the book?

Alexander Brown: Creating Traumatized took approximately five years to complete. It all began with “House by the River,” a short story I wrote for my high school creative writing class. From that point on, different scenery inspired other tales. When I vacationed in D.C. and New Orleans, “Althea’s Last Dance” and “Two Miles” were created. While vacationing in the Mississippi Delta and Memphis, the story “The End of Summer” was completed.

Over this five-year time span, I believe I kept my stories mature, but not too visceral. The last tale, “Zoe’s Swansong,” was the last story I created for “Traumatized,” and it took longer to complete than any other tale in the collection. The reason for the extra time was that I realized I would use this tale as the last story, and I wanted to make it the goriest because I needed to make a very strong statement regarding “inner beauty.”

Through the years, as I crafted Traumatized I noticed each story had its own rhythm or pace, and it took me a month after completion before I decided on the placement of the stories. Once everything was in order, the stories began to spiral from mild to extreme.

AR: In "Bloodlines," how is Draven able to discover his blood ties to the folks that he invited to his estate?

AB: In “Bloodlines,” I try to portray Draven as a magnanimous and mysterious character. I never really specified how he found the kin of the mansion because I felt the mystery would be more exciting for the reader if they had to draw their own conclusions.

Draven is a very intelligent and cunning man. Due to his sophistication and manipulation, the only response he gave for finding his lost kin was a lie. I believe he would rarely tell the truth.

AR: In "The God Complex," where did you get the idea for the inscriptions on the tombstones?

AB: I wrote “God Complex” around the time the Da Vinci Code hit theaters. At that time, I had swan-dived into numerology, and the result was the creation of a code of my own. It was a code normal people wouldn’t understand, only those of the congregation. A false date representing a scripture in “Revelation,” if one did the math, would be easier to hide the truth of the town if there had been visitors.

AR: Is there really such a thing as methadone wafers?

AB: Yes, methadone wafers exist; they aren’t as big as communion tabs, though. Physicians prescribe this drug to people as a painkiller, mostly in extreme cases. An acquaintance of mine, who is now clean of addiction, used to fake pain so he could receive a wafer. This drug can be highly addictive, and, from what I was told, has similar effects to the characters who received a high in “God Complex.”

AR: Is it truly possible to be as "unhinged" as April's sister is?

AB: In the tale of “April,” it was possible to be a murderer or a murderess, such as Amanda, and not be insane. I have read that most females, especially serial killers, have a variety of motives, but the most popular motives are attention, fear of losing someone, or money. In “April,” Amanda claims her motive for drugging her sister and committing patricide was boredom. Amanda isn’t psychotic; she’s a psychopath. People who are psychopaths aren’t legally insane. They know the difference between right and wrong, and they are rational, intelligent, and charming. They seem perfectly normal; however, they are incapable of love, empathy, caring, or sorrow. Since Amanda isn’t suffering from hallucinations or delusions, she can’t be labeled psychotic.

AR: "From Midnight To One" is a heart-pounding, suspense-filled classic. Was it a difficult tale for you to create, considering how well you manage to maintain the suspense of the story until the very end?

AB: In “From Midnight to One,” the suspense came from being alone at night in the middle of nowhere. I wrote this tale in the matter of a few hours, during a storm, at night, in the winter...in the middle of winter. I thought the first thing to make Victoria vulnerable was to sever all communications, such as phone and even television. Seclusion was the next step to achieve. I did this with the intensity of the storm and lack of transportation. Just by using simple methods, Victoria is trapped with nowhere to go. Then, I set the story in motion with her wondering about that bump in the night and whether or not it was just a tree branch. Considering that this was written when I was without electricity and had a dead cell phone, it was not very difficult to create this story, especially with my overactive imagination.

AR: The cover of the book is quite the interesting concept. Who came up with it, and what does it signify?

AB: The cover of Traumatized was my idea, but it was designed by Jessica Pettis, a long time friend and great artist I grew to know in high school. The image on the cover is actually the metal, jeweled butterfly Althea wore in “Althea’s Last Dance.” I chose the iron butterfly because it shows both sides of the coin; it’s elegant, but disturbing at the same time.

AR: Our reviewer drew links between you and Edgar Allen Poe. Is he one of your chief writing influences? Also, who are some of your other favorite writers?

AB: Poe is a great inspiration to me, and I’m honored by the reviewer’s comparison. Other authors who have been a great inspiration to me are Stephen King and Dean Koontz, but mostly Clive Barker.

AR: Please share more with our readers about your publisher, Xlibris.

AB: I found Xlibris, my publisher, via the internet. What drew me to them were their great marketing skills. For the last three years, I have worked in marketing, so I knew what to search for in other agencies. When we collaborated on our advertising plan, everything worked out great, especially the chosen key terms we used with http://www.traumatizedsouls.com/.

AR: What are your future writing/publishing aspirations?

AB: As for the future, I have completed the first book in a fantasy, horror epic series, which is currently untitled. My next printing endeavor is the novel Syrenthia Falls, which delves into the teenage life with peer pressure, sex, drugs, and bullies. Although this sounds like a great drama, I promise the horror is equal to Traumatized.

AR: Do you plan to stick with short stories, or are you planning to explore other genres?

AB: I will always stick with horror. Short stories are fun, and I enjoy writing novels as well. I’m outlining another short story collection, which is actually a follow-up to Traumatized, but before this is published I want to complete Syrenthia Falls.

AR: Do you have a website where our readers can learn more about you?

AB: Yes, http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3LnRyYXVtYXRpemVkc291bHMuY29tLw== and http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3LmRhbW5lZHNvdWxzY2x1Yi5jb20v, which leads to my MySpace account.

AR: Also, please share your contact information, just in case they'd like to reach you directly.

AB: Visit http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3LmRhbW5lZHNvdWxzY2x1Yi5jb20v or email me at traumatizedboy21@aol.com.

AR: Any final thoughts you'd like to share?

AB: My final thoughts are thanks for the interview, and Google Alexander S. Brown for upcoming events.

AR: Thanks again, Alexander, and best of continued success to you in all your endeavors!
http://www.traumatizedalexandersbrown.webs.com/

Review on Traumatized by The Angry Princess

Traumatized- Author Alexander S. Brown
Saturday November 22nd, 2008 7:23 pm Posted by AngryPrincess

ISBN: Hard Cover- 978-1-4363-7409-5
Soft Cover- 978-1-4363-7408-8
Xlibris Publishinghttp://www.xlibris.com/

Alexander S. Brown sent me a copy of his book Traumatized and it kept me on my couch the whole weekend with my nose buried in his 15 fabulous tales. This is a smorgasboard of stories to tempt your sensory taste buds with. I say this because there is a story about every topic there is- from witches, demons, and hell, to a nasty bout with sushi! But here is the thing, even though they are topics we've already heard about thousands of times before, they are all still original storylines that haven't already been imprinted in your noggin from years of previous experience. It's always hard enough to find an author you like, but I can assure you Brown's work will promptly impress you.




http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3LmhvcnJvcnNvY2lldHkuY29tLzIwMDgvMTEvMjIvdHJhdW1hdGl6ZWQtYXV0aG9yLWFsZXhhbmRlci1zLWJyb3duLw==

http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vdGhpc2lzc29tZXNjZW5lLmNvbS8/cD01Nzg=

Traumatized by Alexander S. Brown

Traumatized is a collection of fifteen tales of horror fiction.

In fifteen dark tales, Traumatized exposes the depths of human depravity and the dank realms of the macabre.
In a collection where the comforts of church are forbidden, learn of a depraved congregation. Journey the downward spiral that forces a morally corrupt celebrity to revile her ugliness. Experience the lengths to which a madman will go to keep his true love. Explore the world of maniacs, the supernatural, creatures, eternal damnation, and the occult.
Beware . . . the shadows may camouflage a culprit. Realize . . . that bump in the night isn’t just a tree branch tapping at your window. Learn what it really means to be . . . Traumatized.

Please view websites:

http://www.traumatizedsouls.com/

http://www.damnedsoulsclub.com/

www.myspace.com/alexbrownhorrormaster

Read Reviews:

http://www.horrorsociety.com/2008/11/22/traumatized-author-alexander-s-brown/