Hello writing fans. My short story Attack is officially out in the Clackamas Literary Review and so is now officially on the website for your perusing pleasure (though some of you might recognize it as one I've let people read before).
Attack is a story about anxiety disorder. About one in five Americans suffer from some kind of anxiety disorder every year (some short term and some longer term), with only about a third actually seeking treatment. Sure, some of you might be saying, we all have anxiety from time to time. It's true we do, but for some people that anxiety can become a daily occurrence that lasts for months or even years, eventually degrading one's quality of life.
Our minds, though amazing things, basically boil down to chemicals and electrical impulses. Anxiety is basically a subconscious reaction to get us to avoid dangerous or unpleasant situations. However, just as your conscious brain can learn things, such as how to dribble a basketball, so can your subconscious brain. When people react badly to their anxiety, by panicking or avoiding things, the subconscious takes note and increases the flow of panic juices the next time around. Over time, if left untreated, the anxiety will start to feed on itself and a full anxiety disorder can develop. It's important to remember that such things can happen to anyone, though just as some people are born with blue eyes, some people can be born more susceptible to anxiety issues. The key to treatment is to not let the anxiety control one's life by recognizing that though we can't always control what our brains do, we can control how we react.
This story was one of the early one's that I wrote and will be included in my short story, collection An Unsated Thirst, which will be available at the end of July. Getting this story published was actually a stroke of luck. After receiving numerous rejections over the years I withdrew it so it could be included in the short story collection. However, I forgot to withdraw it from one, and it turned out that one wanted to publish it. There is an awful lot of luck involved in this business. Anyways, I hope you enjoy it.