Industrial Gray - Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine

People who "knew me when" can recall my humble career beginnings in a manufacturing facility. I worked my way up through the ranks to my current desk job, where I track down and report the environmental regulatory information that enables the company to sell products peripheral to the global semiconductor industry.

But it wasn't always so. My first job was on the factory floor. With my freshly minted college degree, I was certain this was a temporary position, and yet the months dragged on. My time on the factory floor was relatively short. All told, I spent less than two years babysitting the plastic mold injection machines.

Oh, but every minute rankled. The time crawled by. Working twelve hour night shifts, at times it seemed the hands on the clock moved backward. The work was exacting, tedious, and exhausting. Stupid people cannot do factory work. It requires focus, math skills, and the ability to adapt to constant change.

Put a couple dozen people into a room with a lot of machinery and nothing to occupy their minds but the repetitive work, and things happen. Several years later, the first story I sold was inspired by my time on the factory floor.

My short story Industrial Gray marks my fourth appearance in the pages of Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. Marlin is a frustrated actor who takes a job in a factory to pay the bills. His artistic soul longs for greater things. Sound familiar? Of all the characters I have created, Marlin best represents my experiences and emotions working on the factory floor.

You might find copies at Barnes & Noble, or other places where magazines are sold. Or you can go directly to the website: https://www.themysteryplace.com/ahmm/

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