My name is Jim Doran, and I’m a writer of genre fiction. This website is composed of short stories, reflections on writing, and shameless plugs for my novels and short stories.

Purchase my new novel, Forlorn Harbor : Purchase link

Forlorn Harbor is a YA horror novel about seven teenagers trapped in a movie theater. While searching for an exit, the projector starts and shows an old anthology movie entitled Forlorn Harbor. One by one, they are pulled into the movie. To survive the night, they need to live to the end of their episode, but Forlorn Harbor doesn’t play fair. Great for fans of The Twilight Zone and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.

Published by Rowan Prose Publishing, read more about Forlorn Harbor

Purchase DEED: Purchase Link.

DEED stands for the The Department of Extraordinary Emigration and Delivery. Mythical creatures run this department, deploying their secret agents around the world. Rebecca Eidelweiss is a member of DEED and a centaur. She protects her kind from harm and hides their identity. When a young charge under her care is kidnapped, Rebecca must sacrifice what she holds most dear to get her back. DEED is a clean, action/adeventure. Read more about DEED here!

In March 2027, Rowan Prose Publishing will publish my latest offering, Games People Play. Edwin Glasse is a washed-up baseball player who accepts an invitation to playtest board games on an island in Lake Michigan. When the games turn sinister and people start disappearing, Ed must confront his own demons to survive. Games People Play is an adult mystery / thriller, intended for mature audiences. (I’ll put up a pre-order link when it’s available.)

I’ve also written several fairytale / urban fantasy novels and short stories. My fantasy series is known as the Kingdom Fantasy. In it, several famous and not-so-famous fairytale characters encounter villains and situations often found in a fantasy world, and our world, too. The main characters, Harold and Sondra, travel to the world of Kingdom to assist with the threatening presence, and usually they learn something along the way. Though adult books, the mostly clean novels have a lighter tone as they explore an idyllic culture and what that means.

I’ve also been included in several anthologies of all genres. The latest anthology I’ve been published in is Up the Down Beanstalk by Ye Olde Dragon books. It starts with the tale of Jack and the Beanstalk but then branches out into thirteen, very different takes on that oft-told tale. Several talented authors contributed to this anthology, and I’m proud to have a story in it. Order it here: Up the Down Beanstalk

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:

• My YA Horror novel Forlorn Harbor
• (Coming soon) My adult thriller mystery Games People Play (here’s a Goodreads link if you have an account: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/249282342-games-people-play)
• My mythological spy adventure: DEED
• My four fairytale novels: Kingdom Come; On Earth, As It Is; Deliver Us, and Will Be Done. They are a series, but each stands alone and may be read independently of the others.
• My two collections of short stories in the world of my novels: Kingdom’s Advent and Kingdom’s Ascension
• Anthologies I’ve been published in Moonlight and Claws, Havok Casting Call , Who’s the Monster , Havok Legendary, Tales from the Forest, Don’t Go In the Water , The Invisible Files ,Trouble Comes in Threes, Once Bitten , and Up the Down Beanstalk (Unfortunately, some of these are out of print on Amazon – check out Ye Olde Dragon Publishing for copies.)
• Another anthology I’ll be published in soon is Havok’s Multiveral.

Below is my gallery for my novels and anthologies. Scroll to see the covers

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

I’ve published over twenty-five 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:

Forlorn Harbor – A YA Horror Novel (coming May 26, 2026)

Games People Play – An adult thriller (coming in 2027)

DEED – – Novel. An clean urban fantasy of a spy who protects mythological creatures

Kingdom Come – First Kingdom Fantasy Novel

On Earth As It Is – Second Kingdom Fantasy Novel

Deliver Us – Third Kingdom Fantasy Novel

Will Be Done – Fourth Kingdom Fantasy Novel

Kingdom’s Advent – First book of short stories set in Kingdom

Kingdom’s Ascension – Second book of short stories set in Kingdom

I have a section of free short stories in case you want to “read before you buy.” I also break down the stories I’ve published elsewhere. Select Sample Story Overview for free stories, or Published Stories to read about my tales that superstar publishers have published in anthologies or online.

Or scroll down to enjoy the latest blog posts.