Brief author bio? Ummm....

If you mean the bio that goes on the end of a published story, only include it if they specifically ask for it in the submission guidelines. Most places will ask for it after you're accepted. You're aiming for 2-3 sentences, unless told otherwise. Start with your full name and use third person. Other than that, anything goes... some bios are plainer and some more creative. It doesn't really matter what you say.

I always look over the bios at a place, to get a feel for whether they want a plainer one or not. Sometimes, I'll write a bio for a specific story (I did for Nature, as they also have a much shorter bio limit).

A common format is on the lines of: *name* lives in *place* with *family and/or pets*. S/he has a website at *address*.

Or if you have credits, adding the line: S/he has been published in *Magazine1*, *Magazine2* and *Magazine3*.

Which may or may not be interesting, depending on who you are (my cockroaches get a lot of comment, as it's an unusual pet... a cat and a dog, less so). But you aren't going to be rejected based on whether you bio is interesting or not, so don't beat yourself up if you don't have anything unusual to say.

Third person, short, memorable. Even memorable is give or take. I'd rather someone remember the story than bother reading the bio.

Also make sure it adheres to any specific guidelines (length, content).

Lonely One lives and writes in the Holy Land with his band of brothers and Jack Russell Terrier, Skip. He has published short fiction in several journals such as The Desert Sucks Raw Eggs and Vogue. He's also jealous of Polenth's Nature credit.

Don't forget to add your blog, if you have one.
I still get visits to my blog from a website that published my story at least six months ago.

One of my friends who had to read slush for a magazine told me he estimated around 50% of people made a joke about their cat/s in their bio.
If you are aiming for memorable, you might want to use another angle.

I don't know what's the standard practice in terms of short stories, but I did have to write a bio for my book agent to use with submissions. It's not word-for-word on my blog, but you can go here...

http://jenkleinbooks.com/about/

... for what I used as a teeny-tiny blurb and then also there's a link to my longer bio. One thing that I think is memorable/appreciated is if the bio is written in your voice. Like instead of a dry -- I went to so and so college and have so and so experience -- write it in your writing voice. Whatever's unique and fun about your writing, use that when writing your bio.

And good luck!

I had to work up something for the author bios they use in convention catalogs. It's a living document, but trying to tie up your career (or pseudo-career, in my case *grin*) in 150 words or less teaches you how to pare stuff down to the minimum and still make it interesting to read.

Which, for me, is tough. I tend to be a tad long-winded at best.