Supernatural noir Ghost Noir William Grey is a private investigator for the dead. His newest client may be the one ghost he cannot trust. A novel by Mark Douglas Doran Read the EPUBSmashwordsBarnes & Noble About the story Ghosts are William Grey’s clients. He is a tough private investigator who has seen it all—until a…
Young adult supernatural adventure Beyond Heaven and Hell Twelve-year-old Luke is dead—and his problems have only begun. A novel by Mark Douglas Doran Read the EPUBSmashwordsBarnes & Noble About the story Luke’s soul has been kidnapped by a talking one-year-old nicknamed Babylon. Along with two other boys, John and Paul, he is taken to an…
The Baxter House: by Mark Douglas Doran click here to download https://markdouglasdoran.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/The-Baxter-House-.epub or available at: https://www.smashwords.com/books/1481403 https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-baxter-house-mark-douglas-doran/1144382269?ean=2940179109532 https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-baxter-house/id6472549926 Tom Wilson, your average, awkward high school student living in the small town of Springbrook Gardens is the happiest kid possible. His favorite TV show Ghostly Hauntings has arrived for a live broadcast. Witnessed by the…
Science-fiction adventure Alien Invasion Four boys know an alien attack is coming. Their greatest problem is that nobody believes them. A novel by Mark Douglas Doran Read the EPUBSmashwordsBarnes & NobleApple Books About the story It is May 30, the weekend of Springbrook Gardens’ fiftieth annual festival. For four young friends, it should be a…
How to Write a Powerful Ending: Lessons from Carrie Warning: This article contains spoilers for Stephen King’s Carrie. “All roads lead to Rome.” It is an old saying, but it contains a useful lesson for writers. In a well-constructed story, all the important roads should eventually lead somewhere: a final confrontation, a difficult choice,…
Writer’s Block Isn’t Real: Here’s What’s Stopping You You were writing fine yesterday. The story was moving. The characters were talking. You knew where the novel was going. Then something happened. You opened the manuscript, stared at the screen and couldn’t write another word. We call this writer’s block. But what if you’re asking the…
Give Your Hero a Reason to Stand Out Why do some fictional characters stay with us for years while others disappear from our minds the moment we finish the book? It usually isn’t because of the plot. It’s because of the character. One of the biggest mistakes new writers make is creating a protagonist…
“Want to know one of the fastest ways to beat writer’s block? Copy your favorite novel.” Wait. Don’t close this page. I’m not telling you to plagiarize someone else’s work. I’m talking about one of the oldest creative exercises writers use to understand story structure and spark new ideas. If you’ve ever stared at a…
Stories, Songs, and Small-Town Memories What comparisons can we make between Stephen King‘s writing style and singers’ lyrics from the likes of Bruce Springsteen and Bob Seger? it seems all three seem to paint pictures with their words. All three seem to write about small towns and capture the little details people remember from their…
Write a Novel Hollywood Can Film Brian De Palma once said that adapting Stephen King’s Carrie was one of the easiest films he ever made. Why? Because King’s writing was so visual that the movie seemed to already exist on the page. That’s a lesson every writer can learn from. If you dream of seeing…
Stop Copying Famous Writers at the Wrong Stage of Their Careers A surprising number of new writers make the same mistake. They study the books successful authors write today instead of the books that made those authors successful in the first place. On the surface, it seems logical. If Stephen King’s newest…
Why The Exorcist Still Works (And Most Horror Doesn’t) Can a horror story be taken seriously? Not “fun scary.” Not jump-scare scary.But real—the kind that feels like it could happen to someone you love. Most horror films don’t even try. They lean on cheap shocks, thin characters, and situations no real person would stay…
Why Night of the Living Dead Still Works Most horror movies fail for a simple reason. They try to scare you. But they forget to make you care. Back in 1968, Night of the Living Dead didn’t just scare audiences—it trapped them. It made them feel like they were inside that house, with no…
The Secret Beneath Every Story You Love Why do some stories stay with us long after we’ve finished them? Not because of explosions.Not because of clever plots.And not even because of beautiful writing. They stay because they feel like family. Whether we realize it or not, readers aren’t just looking for entertainment. They’re looking for…
Write the Book No One Asked For Opening Hook Walk into any bookstore and you’ll see it immediately. Rows of familiar covers. Familiar plots. Familiar ideas. It starts to feel less like discovery…and more like déjà vu. And if you’re a writer, a quiet thought creeps in: “Maybe I should write something like this.”…
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