THE WRITINGS OF STEPHEN JOHN MORAN
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A Book Hunt for the @MoranPublishing Titles at @booksorbooks - Win a Free Book

4/25/2016

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MORAN PUBLISHING
AT
BOOKS OR BOOKS
VEGAS

Good Morning from Las Vegas,

This weekend I visited Books or Books, located on the corner of Pecos and Sunset in Las Vegas. I placed Moran Publishing books around the store - some with a Moran Publishing Business Card offering the book free to the finder. 

One of the best parts of a used-bookstore is hunting for a book you might not even know you're looking for. While searching Books or Books in Vegas - you just might find a free book from Moran Publishing on the shelves.

All of the titles from Moran Publishing are available for sale at Books or Books. Visit to see the first four releases. You just might win one free!!!

If you live in the Vegas Valley or are visiting Las Vegas - please visit Books or Books - it's the best indie bookstore in Sin City!!! 

From Las Vegas, 

Stephen John Moran

​Owner of Moran Publishing 
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Seeking a Book Cover Designer at @MoranPublishing

4/19/2016

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SEEKING A BOOK COVER DESIGNER

Business at Moran Publishing is expanding and as such, there is a need for me to add a book cover designer to the team. At Moran Publishing - the books published get art house covers - meaning each author selects an artist to create a painting for the cover of each book - and a cover designer is needed to create covers from the paintings.

I'm seeking an experienced book cover design professional to help make the art-house books at Moran Publishing. If you are a book cover designer - please contact me if you are interested in joining the team. Tell me about your current freelance cover design rates, the turnaround time on cover design jobs, and whether you would be able to work full or part time. Links to book covers you have created would be appreciated.

The roster of authors at Moran Publishing is expanding - so the amount of covers that need to be designed grows by the day. There is a lot of work available and I hope to fill this spot in short order - several books are on the queue waiting to be designed now.

Contact me at [email protected] or message me for the business phone on Twitter, Facebook, or by commenting on this post.

Thank you to all cover designers that take the time to read this post. I hope to hear from you. 

From Vegas, 

Stephen John Moran 

Owner of Moran Publishing
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MORAN PUBLISHING PRESENTS - FLINT RANCH - Prelude to a #Thriller by @JettimusMaximus 

4/17/2016

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MORAN PUBLISHING PRESENTS
PHOENIX RISING
FLINT RANCH 
BY JETTE HARRIS

Moran Publishing is proud to present the latest release from Jette Harris - FLINT RANCH - PRELUDE TO A THRILLER (PHOENIX RISING).

FLINT RANCH introduces us to the boy that will become the killer of COLOSSUS and tells of the childhood and tales of abuse of the person known as 'The Phoenix' to the FBI. This 'Prelude to a Thriller' is a must read for all those that enjoyed the first release from Jette, COLOSSUS.

This short volume of stories is also a perfect introduction to Jette's fiction for any that have not read her first novel. Check out this collection - available directly from the author for $5 Dollars, plus shipping. Click the cover image to visit Jette's website or click HERE. 

Congratulations to Jette Harris on the publication of FLINT RANCH.  
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Moran Publishing Presents - TOUCH by Briana Morgan @brianawrites, A One-Act Play

4/12/2016

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MORAN PUBLISHING PRESENTS
TOUCH
A ONE ACT PLAY
BY BRIANA MORGAN

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Moran Publishing is proud to present the latest work from Briana Morgan - TOUCH - A ONE-ACT PLAY. The e-book edition is available now and the paperback edition will be ready within days.

Click the cover image to view the ebook at Amazon.com

DESCRIPTION ----

The Seeker has grown up in a world where deliberate physical contact is a crime, and for most of her life, it hasn’t bothered her. But when some of her classmates are arrested for touching, she decides to try the most forbidden of things and touch another person. When she discovers the power of touching, and how it changes her and those around her, will the Seeker be content to return to a life without it? 
To celebrate the release of TOUCH - I'm going to gift several e-book copies of Briana's play to those signed up for this website. You can sign up HERE. I'll also gift an e-book copy of this latest Moran Publishing release to anyone that purchases one of the first three paperbacks - ELLA, COLOSSUS, or BLOOD AND WATER. Simple purchase a paperback from the author and I'll gift you an e-book. 

Congratulations to Briana on the publication of TOUCH and I hope all the readers of Moran Publishing enjoy this work. 
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Submitting Novels and Story Collections to @MoranPublishing 

4/9/2016

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HOW TO SUBMIT NOVELS, STORIES, AND COLLECTIONS 
TO MORAN PUBLISHING

Good Morning from Vegas,

I recently announced in a post that Moran Publishing was seeking short fiction for publication. You can read that post HERE. I also announced on Twitter and Facebook that Moran Publishing is accepting submissions for short story collections and full-length novels. 

Having received a few novel submissions already, I should outline what I want to see in a submission to Moran Publishing. 

I prefer documents to be attached to the e-mails as MICROSOFT WORD files. I want the file to be in Times New Roman font, 12pt - Double Spaced. This makes it easier for me to read. Attach the first three chapters of your work or the first 5k words if the chapters of the novel are short. 

In the body of your e-mail - include the following information.

Genre. 
Word Count of both the novel and the sample document attached. 
Elevator pitch for the novel. The 30 second version of what you'd tell someone on an elevator! Make this punchy please - don't tell me about your novel, SELL me your novel.

I would advise writers that are submitting to read the works published from Moran Publishing to gauge suitability and how best to frame your submission. At Moran Publishing - I market the novels not only individually, but together and on the same hashtags on social media - fitting in with the novels already published is part of the selection process. 

Best of luck to all that submit work to Moran Publishing. If you have any questions - send them and also any submissions to [email protected]

Enjoy your Saturday,

From Vegas,

Stephen John Moran

Owner 
Moran Publishing
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A Story and a Painting - Possible Book Cover - Please Give Your Opinions #Fiction #Art 

4/4/2016

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The portrait painting in this post might possibly be used for the cover of a collection of short stories about James Holden, brother to Ray Holden. I attached one of the stories from that collection. Let me know your opinions if the portrait is appropriate for the collection. Thank you!
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PARABLE


                 Mary turned the radio off as she left the highway and turned onto a country boulevard lined with maple trees. She rolled down the window and switched off the air conditioning. The scents of apple blossoms and wild flowers hung in the warm summer air. She slowed the car around a small bend, which gave way to a wide field of green dotted lazily with dandelions. The car stopped, seemingly of its own desire. 

               “I must get out of the city more often,” she said, stretching her limbs with pleasure. She smiled with satisfaction as she surveyed the field, slowly scanning her eyes over the horizon.

               “Help me.” She heard a voice, which seemed to come out of the very air.  She turned to see a man tied to a tree, wearing nothing save a loin cloth and didn’t know what to do.          

              “Please help me.” The voice said again, this time clearly coming from the man tied to the tree.  

               She took a first tentative step, a second, putting one high heeled clad foot ahead of the other, the going made more difficult as the pointed heels sunk into the soft grass.  

               “I should have worn sandals,” she said. With each step his features became clearer, revealing shoulder length brown hair. She saw signs of violent struggle or torture; deep red scratches upon his face, deep bruises on his chest and arms. Stopping a few feet away out of arm’s reach she saw the man was bound to the tree with thick ropes around the arms, torso, and around his feet.  

               “How did you come to be tied to a tree?” She asked.    

              “Come closer,” he said. 

              She moved forward, within a foot, seeing his wounds with more detail. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.

               “Your smell pleases me,” he said and attempted to smile, but the effort hurt him visible, pain flashing over his face.  

               “Who did this to you?” 

               He attempted to shift his position, but the restraints prevented any movement and again, a looked of pain swept across his features.

               “I don’t know how to answer. I have been tied to this tree all of my life.”  

               “You don’t understand me. Why are you tied to this tree?”

               “I hear you and understand. I repeat, I have always been tied to this tree. It is necessary and natural.” His voice was deep and pleasant to her ears, containing little hint of the pain his wounds were causing him.  

               “Natural?” She asked, more confused. “A man tied to a tree is not the natural state of being for a human. You were born free, not shackled.”

               She looked at him and saw thick red welts around his wrists, skin grown raw over time through contact with the ropes. Glancing down at his loin cloth, which not being tied tightly or of much substance, covered almost nothing. She blushed and averted her eyes.  

               “Your modesty pleases me,” he said. The voice sounded as if it belonged to someone she had known all of her life.  

               “Do you wish for me to free you?” 

              He let out a low laugh. “You have a strange notion of things.”
 
               “How do you mean?” 

               “It is not possible for one responsible for my entrapment to free me.” 

               “Listen, I didn’t tie you to this tree,” she said, feeling anger at his constant absurdity.

               “That is true, but maybe it is for your benefit that I am tied.”

               “How difficult it is to understand you!” She exclaimed, feeling a trickle of sweat on her forehead. “Listen to reason. I didn’t not tie or wish you to be tied to this tree.”

               “Reason? It is precisely since the age of reason that I have been tied to this tree.”

               She growled in frustration, balling her hands into fists.  

               “Do you wish to be free?” 

               “The question you pose is seen from the wrong side of logical thinking.  Do you wish me to be free?”

               She stamped her foot and again shook blond curls in exasperation. She turned and started towards the car, half expecting him to call out to her. He remained silent for the time it took to walk to her car, retrieve a pocket knife from the glove box and to return to him.  

               “I see you made a decision.”

              She nodded her head and moved to his side so as to reach his restraints. As she placed the knife against the rope, he spoke.

            “Take heed when changing the nature of things.”

            “More cryptic utterances.”

            She worked slowly, taking are not to cut his skin, which had been badly wounded already. Soon the ropes began to fall away, first from his hands, then his torso, and finally, his feet. He tried to stand, but he stumbled and fell into her, unable to manage on his own.

            Once again he inhaled deeply, slowly, which brought a dreamy smile to his face.

            “You are quite attractive.”  

He gripped her forearm, tightly, which caused her to cry out in pain. She attempted to pull away, but his strength surprised her. Her footing gave way as he pushed her, causing an explosion of pain as her head smacked on the ground. She heard, rather than felt, her skirt being ripped from her legs as the smooth skin of his palms parted her thighs.  

            “Be still,” he said. She knew no more.

            She woke some time later, in the dark, but could not see him. Seeing movement to her left, she turns to see him standing over her, a thick branch in his hands.  

            “I gave you freedom and pleasure,” she cried.

            He smiled and lifted the branch high over his head.  

            “I know.”  

            “Who are you?” She asked.

            Instead of receiving an answer, the branch crashed into the side of her head, killing her in an instant. 

            “Call me James.”
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Painting by @mygallerie72 for 'My Pet Dragon' Collection 

4/1/2016

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Good morning from #Vegas,

I'm happy to show you a new piece of art today. Marielle listened to my description of the Scott Holden story collection and this is the painting she created!!! I'm tentatively calling the collection 'My Pet Dragon and other stories' so we know the set of stories I'm referencing. 

What are your thoughts? Tell me your opinions and what the image evokes in you. Could this be a cover of a 'literary/horror' collection of stories? 

I will not share my thoughts yet, I do not want to bias anyone's opinion. Let me know what you think, readers!!!

Stephen John Moran
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    THE TERRORIST OF PROVIDENCE STREET

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    REVIEWS OF THE TERRORIST OF PROVIDENCE STREET
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    SERVER

    EXCERPT FROM SERVER
    ​DAY ADVENTURE WITH MONKEY

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    EXCERPT FROM SERVER
    KARL MARX: A REFUTATION

    EXCERPT FROM ELLA
    ROUTINE

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    EXCERPT FROM ELLA
    ​THE INTERROGATION

    REVIEW OF ELLA

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    Stephen Moran lives in Las Vegas with his beautiful wife, baby Kiana, and two dogs. 
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