Brian Douglas
Author
How I got here from there
Stories have been a part of humanity since the dawn of time. The stories I've told others, (some true - some bullshit), and the stories I've told myself (mostly bullshit), have made up the man I am today. Transparency and authenticity are the two most valuable contributors to good story telling. The words you will find here are fiction. They hold zero truth. Nevertheless, mired within the untruth are the truths I have come to believe through a lifetime of mistakes, pain and brokenness. More importantly however, they are the truths I have come know through much grace, mercy, compassion and hope.
After all, 'wholeness is brokenness owned and, thereby healed.'
They Flutter Behind You
My first novel, "They Flutter Behind You", follows the life of Glenwood High School Guidance Counselor, Trent Reynolds, who is arrested and convicted for the statutory rape of a student under his care. We walk with Reynolds through his prison sentence, the painful struggle for personal clemency, and the battle to put the shattered pieces of his life back together.
Through a series of letters written from his prison cell, Reynold's traumatic childhood and the shipwrecked relationship with his father is revealed. His father's near-death experience exposes his own woundedness and an opportunity for restoration and healing between himself and his estranged son.
As the story unfolds we are introduced to characters who tell Reynolds’ story from personal perspectives of their intimate relationship with him: The wise and insightful prison psychiatrist who forces Reynolds to face the truth about himself and his crime; his compassionate sister whose support and love encourage him to face and confront personal demons; and his victim, whose world, once filled with hope and promise has been torn apart by the one person she put all of her trust in.
Each, from their unique perspective, tell the story of how Reynold’s actions have impacted their lives and provides a vista through which the reader is forced to consider perhaps the most abhorred stigma of our times in a different light. In the wake of the #MeTooMovement, 'Flutter' offers a glimpse into the mind of those sinister enough to exploit others for their own selfish gain. Who knows? That may be all of us.
The novel is a blend of sorrow, rejection and healing. My hope is that readers fall in love with the characters and story of Reynold’s transformation from cowardice to manhood; a family’s journey through brokenness to beauty.
The Secret Keeping Chase
What if the most wonderful day of your life suddenly became the worst? And what if that day lasted an entire lifetime? Since we’re traveling down the path of what-if's anyway; what if you had the opportunity to go back to a specific act, choose a different path, and the choice resulting in the worst day became a template by which you could navigate a better life altogether?
This is the day – the life – that Chase Matters gets to live. Again.
The Secret Keeping Chase, is Gillian Flynn’s, ‘Gone Girl’ without the marriage, and all of the mythos. It is Gwyneth Paltrow’s movie, ‘Sliding Doors’ without the subway, and with all of the sorrow. The novel is a psychological expose’ appropriate to the influence of choice. It examines the power that guilt, shame, and secrecy have in determining self-worth and character.
A simple, hurried act of carelessness, sets the course of Chase’s life on a trajectory he could have never imagined. We follow him on a journey of despair and lifelong regret, as relationships once treasured are now destroyed, and a future filled with promise becomes the darkest night of the soul.
The reader is invited to traverse chasms unimaginable, and find themselves at once horrified but at last delighted by events that await our protagonist.
"Those who tell the stories rule society"
Plato
Contact
Get in touch with me for more information about my upcoming publications and releases.
Brian Douglas
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
250-882-4614
