Posts Tagged ‘Short Stories’

True historical drama my inspiration for ‘Once Were Brothers’

Posted: May 22, 2021 in Once Were Brothers
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My inspiration for this short story was the real-life abduction by Maori of a young white girl who happened to be one of two identical twins living in 19th Century New Zealand. The girl’s bereft father spent years unsuccessfully searching for his missing daughter.

That true story had a happy ending many years later after a chance sighting in Wellington saw the separated twins reunited. It turned out the abducted sister had been raised as a Maori by the tribe that had taken her; she’d had two loving husbands, both Maoris, and had children by them both; she spoke fluent Te Reo Māori and had no desire to return to her previous life.    

In Once were Brothers, seven-year-old Daniel Thomas is abducted from the family farm in New Zealand’s Far North by Maoris opposed to the presence of white settlers. Daniel’s father devotes his remaining years to searching for his missing blue-eyed, blond-haired son. Until his death a decade later, he’s assisted in his search by Daniel’s identical twin brother Benjamin.

Twenty years later and now a family man himself with children of his own, Benjamin receives a tip-off that could confirm one way or another whether his brother is alive or dead.

Once Were Brothers by [Morcan, Lance]

Once Were Brothers is available via Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B082Z5FBVZ/

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‘A Gladiator’s Love’ a short story that combines love and lust with gladiatorial combat

Posted: December 22, 2020 in A Gladiator's Love
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In the action-romance short story A Gladiator’s Love  dashing Greek gladiator Leonidas is looking forward to fighting for his freedom in the Colosseum of Ancient Rome. That is until he learns who it is he must fight.

A Gladiator's Love by [Lance Morcan]

★★★★★ “Rich in flavor and fine characterizations, this novella makes for a fine winter evening’s read. Highly recommended.” –Amazon Hall of Fame Top 50 reviewer Grady Harp

Footnote: Did you know there were gladiatrix, or female gladiators, in Ancient Rome? And there is evidence to suggest they were honored as highly as their male counterparts. History suggests many of them were ‘high born’ women of means… I guess they bred ’em tough in those days!

A Gladiator’s Love is available via Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B082S2MKN3/

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Amazon Hall of Famer lauds new release box set of short stories

Posted: April 10, 2020 in 5 Short Story Gems
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“Very highly recommended.” That’s Amazon Hall of Fame Top 100 book reviewer Grady Harp’s summation of 5 SHORT STORY GEMS: Once Were Brothers / Mr. 100% / A Gladiator’s Love / The Last Tasmanian Tiger / Brooklyn Bankster – a new release compendium of short stories that is currently exclusive to Kindle.

The Hall of Famer says, “Lance Morcan proves he is a master weaver of stories. This collection of tales, so appropriately called ‘GEMS’ in the bundle’s title, is a solid survey of Morcan’s gifts as a writer.”

 

5 Short Story Gems -3D cover

New box set for lovers of short stories… https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B086JZSK2T/

 

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Book launch: ‘5 SHORT STORY GEMS’

Posted: April 1, 2020 in 5 Short Story Gems
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Today marks the Amazon release of  5 SHORT STORY GEMS (Once Were Brothers / Mr. 100% / A Gladiator’s Love / The Last Tasmanian Tiger / Brooklyn Bankster) – a compendium of short stories written by New Zealand author Lance Morcan and published by Sterling Gate Books in 2019/2020.

 

5 Short Story Gems: Once Were Brothers / Mr. 100% / A Gladiator's Love / The Last Tasmanian Tiger / Brooklyn Bankster by [Morcan, Lance]

Box set of short stories is exclusive to Amazon.

 

The stories, which have also been released as standalone Kindle ebooks, are aimed at lovers of thrillers, adventure, romance and historical fiction.

Brief blurbs (and Kindle links) follow for each of the short stories featured in 5 SHORT STORY GEMS:

Once Were Brothers

ONCE WERE BROTHERS – Life will never be the same for young Benjamin Thomas after disaffected Maoris abduct his identical twin brother in this moving short story adventure set in Nineteenth Century New Zealand. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B082Z5FBVZ/ 

Mr. 100%

Mr. 100% – When New York defense lawyer Madison ‘Mr. 100%’ Harley secures a Not Guilty verdict for a client who confides that he is guilty of the ghastly crimes he was accused of, he sets out to ensure that justice is done. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B085Y89NYQ/ 

A Gladiator's Love

A GLADIATOR’S LOVE – In this short story set in Ancient Rome, dashing Greek gladiator Leonidas is one fight away from winning his freedom. Throughout his trials he is sustained by the love of Fatuma, a beautiful gladiatrix. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B082S2MKN3/ 

The Last Tasmanian Tiger

THE LAST TASMANIAN TIGER – Outdoorsman Charlie Truganini can’t believe his eyes when on a trip into Tasmania’s wilderness he sees a Tasmanian tiger – a carnivorous marsupial considered by most Australians to be extinct. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B082GGKR77/ 

Brooklyn Bankster

BROOKLYN BANKSTER – After ageing hippy Bill Hogan is taken hostage during a bank heist in Brooklyn, his captors demand a million-dollar ransom for his safe return. The problem is no-one knows who the hell Bill Hogan is. Does he even exist? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07ZTT23YK/ 

 

5 SHORT STORY GEMS can be viewed on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/Short-Story-Gems-Lance-Morcan-ebook/dp/B086JZSK2T/

 

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Book launch: ONCE WERE BROTHERS – A poignant short story adventure

Posted: December 22, 2019 in Once Were Brothers
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Life will never be the same for young Benjamin Thomas after Maoris abduct his identical twin brother in this moving historical fiction short story adventure set in Nineteenth Century New Zealand.

 

Once Were Brothers by [Morcan, Lance]

This new release book is exclusive to Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082Z5FBVZ/

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Five-star review rating for The Last Tasmanian Tiger

Posted: December 21, 2019 in The Last Tasmanian Tiger
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Amazon book reviewers are resonating with the new release short story THE LAST TASMANIAN TIGER as reviewer comments (below) show.

 

The Last Tasmanian Tiger by [Morcan, Lance]

New book enjoys 5-star review rating.

 

Reviewers’ comments:

“This outstanding story takes one on a walk with Charlie Truganini through the forest on the Southwest side of Tasmania.” -Cyrano1db

“A fascinating, compelling read.” –Sheri A. Wilkinson

“An absorbingly interesting story. Highly recommended!” -Amazon Hall of Fame Top 100 reviewer Grady Harp

“What a wonderful piece of writing, I really enjoyed it. I’ve read so many wonderful stories by Lance Morcan, and this one really captured my attention.” -Todd Simpson

 

To view THE LAST TASMANIAN TIGER on Amazon go to: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B082GGKR77/

 

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Coming soon… ONCE WERE BROTHERS – a historical adventure short story

Posted: December 20, 2019 in Once Were Brothers
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Once Were Brothers

Once Were Brothers will be exclusive to Amazon.

 

The Thomas family’s lives will never be the same again when seven-year-old Daniel Thomas is abducted from the family farm in New Zealand’s Far North by Maoris opposed to the presence of white settlers.

Daniel’s father devotes his remaining years to searching for his missing blue-eyed, blond-haired son. Until his death a decade later, he’s assisted in his search by Daniel’s identical twin brother Benjamin. Like his late father, Benjamin believes Daniel is still alive.

Twenty years later and now a family man himself with children of his own, Benjamin receives a tip-off that could confirm one way or another whether his brother is alive or dead. 

 

ONCE WERE BROTHERS will be released before Christmas. Watch this space!

For other books by Lance Morcan go to: https://www.amazon.com/Lance-Morcan/e/B005ET3ZUO/

 

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Book Launch: A GLADIATOR’S LOVE – an action-adventure love tragedy

Posted: December 16, 2019 in A Gladiator's Love
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In A GLADIATOR’S LOVE, the latest short story by Lance Morcan, dashing Greek gladiator Leonidas promises his true love he’ll buy her freedom if he wins his own in the Colosseum of Ancient Rome. First he must defeat an opponent he knows he cannot kill.

 

A Gladiator's Love by [Morcan, Lance]

The year is 83AD and it’s nine years since Roman soldiers killed a young Leonidas’s family in their farmhouse outside Athens and consigned him to the life of a gladiator at Ludus Magnus, one of the biggest and best ludi gladiatori, or gladiator schools, in Rome. Since then, he remains undefeated after twenty-five fights and has risen to the top of the gladiator rankings.

The Greek gladiator craves freedom. The one good thing in his life is Fatuma, an Ethiopian beauty who is a gladiatrix, or female gladiator, and who has stolen his heart. They share fleeting but precious hours together after dark in Leonidas’s cell – a concession occasionally granted to the gladiators by their Roman masters.

The outcome of Leonidas’s next fight will decide both their futures for he’ll be fighting Gaius, another undefeated gladiator who held the Greek to a bloody draw when they met in the arena previously. At stake will be the rudis, the small wooden sword given to gladiators who are granted their freedom.

 

A GLADIATOR’S LOVE is available now on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082S2MKN3/ 

 

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Book launch: THE LAST TASMANIAN TIGER – a mystery-adventure short story

Posted: December 9, 2019 in The Last Tasmanian Tiger
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In the new release book THE LAST TASMANIAN TIGER, Charlie Truganini can’t believe his eyes when on a trip into Tasmania’s wilderness he sees a Tasmanian tiger – a carnivorous marsupial considered by most Australians to be extinct.

The Last Tasmanian Tiger by [Morcan, Lance]

Charlie has a number of claims to fame – one of those being he’s a direct descendant of one Truganini, the woman considered to be the last full-blooded Aboriginal Tasmanian and whose name he inherited. A close second to that is he’s the great-grandson of one Dingo Truganini, the tracker who helped capture the last known Thylacine cynocephalus – an animal better known as the Tasmanian tiger.

It’s his admiration for his great-grandfather’s exploits that explains why Charlie has devoted his life to searching for the Tassie tiger, as he refers to it, or the thylacine, as scientific types insist on calling it, to determine one way or the other whether it still exists. He has always suspected it does despite having never sighted it nor even stumbled across its spoor in all his travels.

When Charlie sees a Tasmanian tiger with his own eyes, he realises he doesn’t want his tiger meeting the same fate as the last one. And so he makes a decision. A decision that will have life-and-death consequences.

THE LAST TASMANIAN TIGER is available via Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B082GGKR77/

 

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Coming soon… A GLADIATOR’S LOVE

Posted: December 8, 2019 in A Gladiator's Love
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My next short story, A GLADIATOR’S LOVE, will be published soon… Watch this space!

A Gladiator's Love cover

In the soon-to-be-released short story A GLADIATOR’S LOVE, Greek gladiator Leonidas promises his true love he’ll buy her freedom if he wins his own in the Colosseum of Ancient Rome. First he must defeat an opponent he knows he cannot kill.

Watch this space!

 

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