books
“Mike Duran has the darkly rich imagination of a true storyteller.”
– Scott Nicholson, author of The Red Church.
Despite his love for words, when ZEPH WALKER sees his body lying on the gurney in the county morgue, he is speechless. Disfigured by his stepmother 
as a teenager, the hideous scar across Zeph’s face has forced him into a life of seclusion. Cloistered in a ramshackle bookstore on the outskirts of town, Zeph is blessed with an uncanny ability to sound souls—to intuit peoples’ deepest sins and secrets. He calls it the Telling, but has abandoned the gift to his unbelief and despair. Until two detectives escort him to the county morgue, where he learns that the bizarre look-alike of himself has been found murdered. The Telling releases May 2012.
In Winterland, an ebook novella, recovering addict Eunice Ames is summoned into her dying mother’s coma where she must traverse a surreal, apocalyptic dreamscape in search of three generational spirits who have imprisoned her mother’s soul. One reviewer described the story as “John Bunyan Meets Tim Burton.” You can find out more about Winterland and where to purchase HERE.
Mike’s debut novel, The Resurrection, is about a quiet coastal town and an unassuming crippled woman who inexplicably raises a boy from the dead, awakening a century’s old curse. Tosca Lee, author of Demon: A Memoir, said of the book,
“A brooding and suspenseful debut that will give you goosebumps and make you think long after you’ve turned the last page.” The Resurrection was a finalist in 2011′s INSPY speculative fiction category. You can find out more about the story and where to purchase the novel HERE.
Mike’s short story, “En Route to Inferno,” appeared in Coach’s Midnight Diner: Back from the Dead edition. He was interviewed by the pulp style horror magazine Rue Morgue, Issue #87, for a piece entitled The Rise of Christian Horror. His short sci-fi piece, Father Fayad’s Curious Compatibility Projector, landed in Raygun Revival Issue 48. Mike also received the Editor’s Choice award for his creative non-fiction essay entitled “The Ark,” published in the Summer 2.3 Issue of Relief Journal. Coach’s Midnight Diner inaugural edition included his short story, Polly’s Muse, in their genre anthology. It’s a Screwtapian tale full of imps, pixies and uninspired hominids. On Art and Asses, an irreverent exploration into the nature of creativity appeared in the Fall 2007 edition of 316 A Journal of Christian Thinking. Relief Journal included his story, When Bill Left the Porch, in its Second Edition. Mike was chosen as one of ten authors to be published in Infuze Magazine‘s 2005 print anthology and was also a finalist in the 2005 Faith in Fiction short story contest.
In between blogging, Mike writes a monthly column for Novel Rocket (which was selected by Writer’s Digest as one of 2010′s 101 best sites for writers), and has played editor on the Midnight Diner’s Editorial Team.
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FICTION
- En Route to Inferno in Coach’s Midnight Diner: Back from the Dead edition
- Father Fayad’s Curious Compatibility Projector in Raygun Revival, Issue 48
- Subterannea in Fear and Trembling
- When Bill Left the Porch in Relief Journal, Number 2
- Raven in Dragons, Knights and Angels, Issue 30, March 2006
- The Jagged Hole in Ferrymoor Two in Infuze
- Seasons Dance in Infuze and Infuze Magazine Best of 2006 Short Stories and Poetry
- Someone in the Circle in Infuze and Infuze Magazine Best of 2005 Short Stories and Poetry
NON-FICTION
- Interviewed in Rue Morgue #87 for a piece entitled The Rise of Christian Horror
- The Ark in 2.3 Issue of Relief Journal
- Bad Evangelism in Serve ezine, Issue 44
- Let Us Decompose in Relevant Magazine Online
- On Art and Asses in the Fall 2007 edition of 316 A Journal of Christian Thinking
- Keeping an Ear to the Ceiling in Relevant Magazine Online
- Of Saints and Serial Killers in The Matthew’s House Project
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Mike,
The cover looks great. Congratulations on your success. I’m always happy to see a fellow newcomer break in. It gives hope to the rest of us. BTW, I love the YouTube video. Did you shoot it yourself?
Best of luck.
Do you have a source or website to share that has a list of Christian short story outlets and publishers? I have a dystopian short story that I’d like to send to some Christian publishers.
http://www.duotrope.com
Christian and other
Good morning Mike,
I am Billie Lynn Ariail’s husband and I have a request for you. She wants to buy your books but I want to surprise her with both of them. I will pay for them but would like to have them autographed by you.
Can you please let me know if this is possible and let me know how to send payment. I would like to surprise her by Christmas.
Thank you,
Gus Rodriguez
LOVE the cover of The Resurrection!
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