A note from Douglas Brunt
“The first thing I do after I’ve finished reading a novel is to flip back to the beginning and read the author’s first sentence again.
All novelists try to set the trajectory for the book with the first paragraphs of the first chapter. As a novelist myself, I love the opportunity to write that first sentence.
Once readers of my books have completed the journey with me, if they come back around to re-read the first sentence, they should have a greater understanding of it.” –Douglas Brunt
In ‘Trophy Son,’ Fictional Character Accuses Real Life Tennis Stars of Doping
By Stuart Miller, New York Times
The professional tennis trainer Bobby Hicks claims nearly everyone at or near the top of the men’s tour uses performance-enhancing drugs.
“It’s pervasive in tennis and has been for years,” Hicks said.
And he is willing to name names, starting with Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and David Ferrer.
There is one catch to these very public accusations: Bobby Hicks is a fictional character.
Hicks appears in Douglas Brunt’s new novel, “Trophy Son,” which will be released next week. It tells the story of Anton Stratis, a tennis prodigy whose childhood is stripped away by an ambitious father who nurtures talent and resentment in his son. Stratis, his entourage and his rivals are all made up.