Everything Else, Writing

Forlorn Harbor

Forlorn Harbor came from a simple idea—what if I were stuck in a horror anthology that I had seen before? Could I change the ending, and if I did, would my changes make the ending better? Could I save Jordy Verrill’s life, or prevent the Santa Claus murders in Tales from the Crypt?

In Forlorn Harbor, seven teenagers break into an abandoned theater to retrieve something for an old man. Inside, they become trapped and an anthology movie starts playing. Each one is transported into an episode, and must deal with a particular challenge.

Writing Forlorn Harbor was a lot of fun. I had to envision characters whose flaws matched the episodes, and a framing device that stood on its own—the novel’s plot. The episodes had to standalone, and at the same time, integrate into the main narrative. I had a vehicle where I could shift perspectives logically, usually a no-no in novels.

One thing I had to do was build a background for the movie. I wrote notes on who created the series and why. This turned out to be a story in itself. The novel includes seven episodes, but I created eighteen. The outline of all the segments allows me to quote some of the other episodes to give the novel that flavor that the anthology existed. In one of the revisions, I was able to use these notes to build a scene outside of the episode chapters. I’m proud of most of these tales, and may make them into short stories in the future.

The other writing challenge was to create the original Forlorn Harbor program in my mind and then twist it when someone enters it, knowing the details. It’s a challenge to write a story with a twist ending, quite another to write the same story with two endings.

Forlorn Harbor is a YA novel of 73,000 words that I’m currently querying. While Forlorn has been through a few critique partners, I’m always glad to share my work with a writer who may be interested. Contact me at jim.doran.author@gmail.com.And if you don’t know who Jordy Verrill is, go watch Creepshow. You’ll be glad you did.

Everything Else

Welcome to Tales of Fascination

My name is Jim Doran and I’m a writer of genre fiction. My blog is composed of short stories, reflections on writing, and shameless plugs for my novels. I’ve written several fairytale novels and short stories. I’ve also been included in several anthologies of all genres.

The easiest way to find all my novels is to go to my author site on Amazon: Jim Doran on Amazon. There you will find:

A free short story prequel is available – The Green-Haired Abductor.

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    Cover – Daniel Johnson
  • A Wolfman. Anthology

Contact me at: jim.doran.author@gmail.com, @jdoran711 (twitter), @jimdoranauthor (Instagram).

I’ve published over ten short stories in various online publications, including Havok and Every Day Fiction.

Learn more about Kingdom, read more stories, and enjoy art inspired by the world by visiting Kingdom Fantasy.

Read more about Kingdom Come here: What type of novel is Kingdom Come?

Special pages for my published novels:

Kingdom Come – A Fantasy Novel

On Earth As It Is – A Kingdom Fantasy Novel

Kingdom’s Advent – A book of short stories

Deliver Us – A Kingdom Fantasy Novel

Kingdom’s Ascension – A second book of short stories

Will Be Done – A Kingdom Fantasy Novel

If you’re looking for the short story Heaven, note that it’s password-protected for people who have bought On Earth, As It Is. The same is true for The Green-Haired Abductor. It is password protected for those who bought Will Be Done.

If you’re looking for the short stories It’s a Beautiful Thing or The Magnficent Seven, note that they are password protected as well. The story, Bonhomie Rhapsody, a short story set during Deliver Us, is free.

Or scroll down to enjoy the latest blog posts.

Everything Else

Review of Thirteen Paths: A Halloween Anthology

Cover of Thirteen Paths

Many Halloween anthologies exist on the market, but most offerings are crafted by different authors. Other collections are written by a single author. It’s rare to find an anthology of multiple stories written by the same group of authors. For Thirteen Paths: A Halloween Anthology, a trio of authors pen thirteen different stories. Fortunately, this triad brings a consistent tone to the anthology as well as captures the spirit of the season.

Every anthology has a theme, and I review the theme as well as the plot and the writing. A story could be great, but if it’s a Halloween-themed anthology and the offering is about Christmas, it won’t rate high. And note that a Halloween story doesn’t have to be scary. All that is required is that Halloween is at its center, not window dressing.

That said, one story in this anthology stands tall against most Halloween stories I’ve read (in this anthology and elsewhere). “Unseasonable” is about trick-or-treaters going door to door in a sudden winter storm that knocks out the power. It’s off-beat, frightening, well-conceived, and smartly executed. This story brings the chills both in terms of terror and setting.

Another fine offering is “I Know a Place.” In this tale, three trick-or-treaters discover a neighborhood where no one goes for sweets, only to find out why. “The Tunnel” is a fine example of voice and has that ambiguity that keeps the reader glued to the page. “Good Horror” is a creepy little tale well-suited for a Creepshow segment.

A call out to the story “Thinking of You.” This tale isn’t terrifying at all. Yet, it is the best example of an entry that has Halloween in its bone marrow. I enjoyed this one.

A few other offerings are worth a read—”Next Stop Home,” “Timber and Stone,” “Film to Digital.” Another nice touch is each story has its own illustration, which is fantastic for an anthology. I did struggle identifying some of the images, however.

Overall, the anthology has the variety and creativity one associates with the thirty-first of October. If you love Halloween, this book is worth reading.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CJMVBKLV

Everything Else

Review of The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter

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A search on Beatrice Rappaccini brought this novel to my attention. It checked all the boxes of something I look for in a horror fantasy: collection of distinctive characters, strong women, and monsters. The fact that some of the monsters were strong women made me want to buy it immediately. Instead, I waited for the spooky season.

Theodora Goss’ novel brings together both Stevenson’s Jekyll and Hyde’s daughters; Hawthorne’s Beatrice Rappaccini, a girl who emits poison; a Wellsian Dr. Moreau creation, and one more character who I won’t reveal. Throw in Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, a prostitute-killing Jack-the-Ripper type, a secret society, and you have The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter.

The alchemist’s daughter is Mary Jekyll who is the novel’s protagonist. Though the book’s faux author is a different character in the novel, most of the point-of-view is from Mary. Mary’s dead mother has left behind a mysterious amount of money allocated to one “Hyde” at the Magdalene House. Mary hires Sherlock, hoping Hyde is the infamous Mr. Hyde. Mr. Hyde was her father’s associate, a man suspected of murder. Mary’s goal is to capture Hyde and collect the reward money. And this is where the novel takes its first “strange” turn.

Ms. Goss takes a popular theme in this time period—humankind messing around with biology—and uses it as a foundation to create a world of monsters. The general populace is unaware that “good” monsters are among them. Most of the plot describes how Mary discovers and gathers together the cavalcade of creatures that eventually becomes the Athena Club. This is all done in the context of investigating the murderer of four women in turn-of-the-century London. The ideas, settings, and characters are all well done. Most authentically callback to their literary origins, which is why the novel is so much fun.

Mary acts accordingly like Henry Jekyll. She’s a straight-laced den mother type. She takes on the mantle of responsibility. Mary is accompanied by a loyal housemaid and later, another servant. Dr. Watson is his usual stolid self. The rest of the Athena Club also act appropriately, including the one character I won’t mention (my personal favorite). Even minor characters from other novels seem to step out of their stories. Only slightly off was Holmes. He seemed a kinder Holmes than I remember, and the idea that he might be attracted to Mary never quite gelled.

One note on the writing that I’ve read in the reviews. A gimmick in the book inserts commentary asides that either engage or enrage readers—there seems to be no middle ground. At first, it’s hard to follow as you’re not sure of the identity of these narrative interlopers. As the novel progresses, the reader starts to learn who everyone is. I enjoyed the interruptions and thought the device was quite clever.

The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter has fantasy, mystery, humor, and horror. An enjoyable romp of a read that gripped my attention while I read it.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LYPZUI5

Everything Else

Review of Specter Inspector

Cover Specter Inspector

Specter Inspector (Series Title: Dead and Back Again) is a second series following the Haunted Romance trilogy by C. Rae D’Arc. The reader may start with Specter Inspector without reading the prior series, though the first trilogy is highly recommended. This novel moves forward in time about fifteen years, starts with mostly new characters, and is set in an entirely new area.

The setting is as important as the characters. This magical world is named Novel where each country is representative of a literary genre. Within the countries, states/provinces further subdivide the land into sub-genres. This novel is set in Mystery, particularly, Noir, Mystery (in a city named Shigaqua).

Cool, huh?

Aeron Spade is a recent graduate from a Mystery school. Though he was born in Fantasy (and is thus, a Fantastic), his greatest desire is to become a detective in Mystery. A leading detective firm in Noir promises to hire him if he solves a cold case. Aeron has an advantage over other candidates, though. At night, when he sleeps, he talks to the dead. And not just any dead, but famous literary figures like Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot.

First, Aeron discusses the cold case with the last two detectives to investigate it. One investigator, named Truth, happens to know his parents and his past, something Aeron is trying to bury. Nita, her partner, is a rugged, no-nonsense detective. She has caught Aeron’s eye. Using his advantage, Aeron starts uncovering new clues and zeroes in on the suspect. It will take standing up to a rageful poltergeist, befriending a lonely spirit, and learning what it takes to be a proper detective to be successful.

The concept of this novel receives full marks. Also, the idea of starting a new series in a different part of the map lends it a new vibe. Specter Inspector is a blend of the mystery and urban fantasy genres with humor and romance mixed in. As an urban fantasy, it succeeds in all the right ways. In having a land that knows magic exists outside its borders, but the country itself isn’t magical, author D’Arc has her cake and eats it, too. This book has fun introducing fantastical elements to an everyday world. As a mystery, it provides clues and concludes the story satisfactorily. Note that it follows more of a noir thriller. This is not a who or a howdunnit.

The romance is interesting as Aeron becomes involved in a lopsided love triangle between the woman he can’t have (his charms mostly work) and the woman he wants (his charms mostly don’t work). And the humor the author pulls out of all of this is rich and wonderful.

If Specter Inspector has a flaw, it is that the narrative is doing too much with too short a plot. The reader has not one but two romances, not one but two mysteries, not one background (Aeron’s time in Fantasy) but two (Aeron’s time in Horror) to absorb in 229 pages. You will certainly get your money’s worth! The subplots could be an entire novel themselves. Fortunately, this accomplished author knows how to pull all of it together in a coherent and exciting narrative. The multiple threads all merge by the finale.

For fans of urban fantasy crime novels, or noir-leaning mysteries, or multi-genre meta-narrative, this book is for you. It should satisfy bibliophiles of many different genres similar to the world it’s set in.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1961733099

Everything Else

Review Judgment Call

Cover Judgment Call

Judgment Call – Shards of Sevia by E. B. Roshan is the fifth in the Shards of Sevia series and a direct sequel to Final Chance, the second book. This set of novels concerns Sevia, a fictional country, torn apart by rival factions. A bloody uprising has caused peacekeeping troops to enter, but their efforts haven’t resulted in peace.

The conflict has uprooted and psychologically scarred Preen. Preen was a farmer’s daughter, promised in marriage to a neighbor. She fell in love with Rama, a rebel, who moved her into the city. There, he was kidnapped and presumed dead. After a return trip to where she once lived, Preen has returned. She’s preparing for her marriage to her first attraction, Kiva. Kiva adores Preen, but her experiences have made her distant from him. Nonetheless, he’s committed to bridge the gulf between them. And then Sanjit—a dangerous man from Preen’s past—arrives. He had kidnapped Preen when she lived in the city. Now, he tells Preen he wants to retire on a neighboring farm and let bygones be bygones. But has he changed?

Judgment Call is about forgiveness—forgiving oneself, forgiving others, even trusting an enemy. It’s also an action-adventure with a love story at its center. Will Preen eventually allow Kiva into her world? Is Sanjit on the straight and steady path?

This novel doesn’t shy away from hard questions or honest talk about faith. Preen and Kiva are both religious people, but they struggle to forgive Sanjit when he asks for it. Preen’s trip to the city has left her carrying a heavy burden that she’s afraid to share with Kiva. Kiva tries to do everything right, but often does the wrong thing.

Preen is not only distant at the start of the book, she’s occasionally dismissive. She pushes away not only Kiva but her very young daughter, Sitabi. While not an endearing character at first, the book is honest about how she feels about herself and others. Her attitude is a bit off putting in the beginning but deserves the reader’s forbearance. Preen’s story is at the heart of Judgment Call’s multiple themes.

Brutal, genuine, and never plodding Judgment Call may be read alone or as part of a duology with Final Chance. Either way, you’re bound to be swept up into this contemporary romantic thriller.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com//dp/B0BG7KRVTC

Everything Else

Review Spindelkin

Cover of Spindlekin

Spindelkin is an enchanting and wonderfully-imagined YA novel by Jean Davis. The queen’s daughter, Amira, suffers through a daily extract of her poisoned blood to remain alive. Cut off from civilization, Amira has only her mother, father, and maids as visitors. One day, Amira finds that the queen has given birth to a son, but he is dying. Amira decides to risk leaving her quarters, find her newborn brother, and rescue him. But his salvation may lie with the people known as the Spindelkin. The Spindelkin live in the forest, possess strange powers, and aren’t on good terms with the kingdom. Will a small girl and an infant survive in the dark woods of this mysterious race of creatures?

V. E. Schwab once asked readers to broaden their minds when reading fantasy beyond the Lord of the Rings or the Harry Potter series. Spindelkin is such a novel, and it’s all the better for it. As with all the best fantasies, Spindelkin shows us—through magic and creatures—a side of life we tend to ignore or overlook as we get older.

The scenes in the Spindelkin forest that come early in the book are most gripping and dramatic. The concept of nature and time are turned on its head. The book dares to depict both races (human and Spindelkin) as heroic and villainous. Walking in both worlds, Amira represents the best the world has to offer.

The length of the novel fits YA, but the character age and events feel more at home in a middle grade novel. Amira is the reader’s avatar and serves that purpose well. Her arc is muted in favor of the changes that happen to everyone around her as often happens in a high fantasy fable.

The novel deepens as it unfolds, with more intrigue and clever ideas. Even the epilogue has an interesting twist for one of the characters—one that I found worked.

Jean Davis has written a well-plotted, fascinating YA fantasy. The novel’s worldbuilding, adventure, and ideas combine into a satisfying and delightful reading experience.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09YTF5Q97

Everything Else

Review Fake Dating Adrian Hunter

Cover Fake Dating Adrian Hunter

Fake Dating Adrian Hunter is a romantic comedy by Skyla Summers that brings the heat and the hilarity in equal portions. The premise is similar to the movie Anyone But You. Please note that this book was written before that movie. Two ex-lovers come to a remote wedding of their sisters in Australia. In this book, they decide to fake a relationship to try to get their ex-es, also at the wedding, jealous. The main difference is the two main characters who fake being in love grew up together and hurt each other in their teen years.

Verena Valentine, famous dress designer and host of a well-regarded television show, pays for her sister’s Tory’s wedding in Australia. Her sister happens to be marrying the sister of the boy she hated in high school, Adrian Hunter. Verena’s and Adrian Hunter’s family arrive at the wedding destination. Unfortunately, Verena’s ex-boyfriend (Jake) and the woman who he cheated on her with (Hannah) are also there. Also present is Adrian’s ex-girlfriend (Isabelle). After a disastrous first meeting between Adrian and Verena, Adrian asks Verena if they can fake a relationship so that he may win Isabelle back. At first, Verena is resistant, but after coming face to face with Jake and Hannah, she agrees with Adrian’s idea.

From there, the two pretend to be a couple through couple’s yoga and snorkeling as well as more activities. Things go as planned until Verena’s co-workers show up, and Verena tries to fake a relationship with her costar (Darius) to repel Adrian. The alternating events of people faking and being honest continue throughout the plot.

This novel’s main goal is entertainment. Yet, the history between Adrian and Verena gives it some depth about people’s expectations and how history can form character. The book rates high both in its sexual and humorous scenes. The sex scenes are steamy without devolving into detail. The humor is first-rate. I highlighted many passages with a LOL next to them. The idea that everyone’s exes are at this wedding, though far beyond believable, makes for some hilarious situations.

Given that the plot is so similar to Anyone But You, how does this novel stack up against that movie? I enjoyed this novel better. The plausibility of the haters-to-lovers trope works better when they have a history. They fall for each other as they learn more about the other. That deep history works for this book and against the movie.

Do you like steamy, funny romances in exotic locations? Do you enjoy a bit of drama, a bit of absurdity, and a lot of l’amour? Then you’ll love Fake Dating Adrian Hunter.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BG5RNMVF

Everything Else

Review of From Horror With Love

Cover From Horror with Love

From Horror With Love is a novella full of short stories by C. Rae D’Arc set in her world of Novel. Novel is a unique world in which all the countries are genres of books. As such, Novel is made up of Fantasy, Western, Romance, Horror areas as well as many more. Each segment has characteristics unique to its genre, but all must periodically face an “event” particular to its theme. In Horror, for example, its inhabitants must confront a Haunting (i.e. an encounter with a monster, usually).

A novella is usually a short novel, but From Horror With Love, is broken into three sections: a novella set in Horror, a short story set in Romance, and a short novella set in Romance. All three feature characters from D’Arc’s novel Don’t Date the Haunted from her Haunted Romance series. The first offering is a prequel to the Haunted Romance series, the second mostly occurs during the events of Don’t Date The Haunted, and the third happens between books one and two. Interleaved are author segments explaining how each story came to be.

Mild spoilers of Don’t Date the Haunted abound in From Horror With Love so I suggest reading Don’t Date the Haunted first. I also believe you’ll get more out of it. In my opinion, reading this novella is a nice dessert at the end of the first novel. Does From Horror with Love stand alone? I believe so. It had been years since I read the original novel and was able to follow all three stories.

The first novella concerns a young teenaged lady from Horror who has become an orphan after her last relative dies. She partners with a Romance transplant to survive and start their adulthood. The culture clashes, suspenseful action, and creepy settings make this one a winner. If you love your horror stories mixed with a bit of romance, this one’s for you.

The second story, “Careful What You Wish For,” is more of a character study. The middle segment’s protagonist is a Fantasy lord who isn’t anything special in a world where everyone is. He attempts to find his true love in Romance. He’s about to get what he wants but not in the way he expects. The last offering is a love story set in Romance. This, however, isn’t your typical love story though it features a girl, a humbled ex-boyfriend, and a new paramour. Love triangle you may wonder. Think not!

The writing and humor contribute to the overall fun of the novel. And the story origins are welcome reading in between the fiction. If you are a writer, you may find some valuable lessons here.

This quick read will please horror and romance fans who are looking for something not too long. Also people who read the Haunted Romance series will enjoy this offering as well.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1961733080

Everything Else

Review of Havok Legendary

Havok has released its tenth collection of flash fiction—Legendary Havok: Season Ten. At this point, Havok has earned its stripes as a cornerstone of the flash fiction market. However, some series stretching into the double digits lose their groove. Not true with Legendary.

Legendary contains forty-five samples of flash fiction. I rate each entry with three scores: the level of entertainment, the mastery of writing, and how well it matches the theme. In this anthology, Havok was seeking stories of legends with twists whether those legends are people, places, events, etc. Many stories take a well-known legend and build an entirely new story around it. A few take legendary circumstances (e.g. a zombie invasion) and construct a tall tale. The tales the editors have selected are compelling and larger-than-life.

You’ll read about everyone from Robin Hood to Hades, everywhere from the fountain of youth to a mummy’s tomb, and events ranging from the Trojan War to pulling Excalibur from the stone. The stories range from humorous to sorrowful, quick-paced to deliberate. All of the stories share one thing in common—they are worth your while.

Havok has five themes of mystery, science fiction, humor, thriller, and fantasy. With a title like Legendary, it would seem many of the stories would land in fantasy. While fantasy has a large share of the pie, the other categories are also represented. Other genres of science fantasy, and contemporary make an appearance. I was delighted to find three solid horror stories in Legendary.

Tastes in short stories vary from reader to reader, but I had a few that ticked all of the ratings above. “The Santa Dilemma” by Nate Swanson, “Laid Bare” by Teddi Deppner, and “Lament of the Phoenix” by P. J. Benjamin. The one that stood out to me this time was “Bifrost” by Laurie Herlich. This story really pulled at the heartstrings, a perfect mix of legends and human, relatable events.

Havok’s Legendary flash fiction is an exciting anthology any lover of short fiction should read. If you enjoy your fables, tall tales, and incredible stories, make sure you check it out.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D54B83CG

Everything Else

Review of The Starless Sea

Cover The Starless Sear

When an author produces a masterpiece on her first attempt, it’s tempting to compare her second novel to her first. For Rita Morgenstern’s first two works, I won’t compare The Starless Sea to The Night Circus. They are different and only connected by the author’s literary talents.

Zachary Ezra Rawlins, a university graduate student, finds a book in his university’s library and checks it out to read. He discovers a passage in the book that describes one of his childhood memories. How does it happen that Zachary, a real person, is in a book? And how is the book tied to a clandestine society who believe in a world devoted to storytelling?

That summary doesn’t do this book justice at all. Many books have been written with self-aware characters. This book doesn’t even start with Zachary. Instead, it starts with a three-page chapter that not only captures the reader’s interest but imprisons it as well. The reader is reading the book-within-a-book Sweet Sorrows interwoven with Zachary’s narrative. And this is handled with care and precision and prose that reads like fine poetry.

Stories are made of three things: themes, character/plots, and the writing itself. Here, the writing itself is the superstar. It never fails through the entire book. Many authors would give up a lung to write one page as elegantly as Ms. Morgenstern. A nearly 600-page novel flies by on a wave of details and humor that makes readers force themselves not to read any longer. She truly has talent.

How does the story hold up? Filled with creativity, Morgenstern eschews the modern convention of setting rules and over-explaining how things could possibly work. This is more of a fable or fairy tale with an emphasis on art, specifically the art of storytelling. It asks why storytelling is important. It explores whether stories are still relevant today given so many would rather watch YouTube or get lost in a game. What the book has to say on this subject is illuminating. And again, the way the book tells stories is a magic trick I’ve never seen before.

Thematically, it’s rich. The prose is stunning. How are the characters and the plot? Here, the novel falters a bit. While the sub-plots are rich and the chapters entrancing, The Starless Sea feels aimless in the last hundred pages. Some of this is a switch of focus from a portal fantasy to a love story. There are three love stories, in fact. All feel underdeveloped, as if the characters are in love because that’s what is in service to the story. While one story, Simon and Eleanor’s, is fascinating with a jaw-dropping idea, it still feels like they fall in love because they should, not because they want to. As a fairytale, this works just fine. But there are reasons why fairy tales are short and not over five hundred pages.

I was also worried about the ending. Could The Starless Sea give the reader an ending that lived up to the first three-quarters of the book? I’m happy to say the book’s ending is solid, neatly tying things up. More importantly, it does justice to its theme of storytelling. Too many times in the modern world, the ending seems like an afterthought. Here, it’s essential and fulfills the promise given to the reader at the start. And what is that promise?
“Come with me. I’d like to tell you a story.”

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MQPHKSL