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John Gorman

Goodreads Author

Born

New York City, The United States

Website

https://linktr.ee/johngorman12

Twitter

Wonderboy33

Genre

Sci Fi/fantasy, Humor and Comedy, Fiction

Influences

Terry Pratchett, Terry Brooks, Bernard Malamud, R.A. Salvatore, Franz ...more

Member Since

September 2009

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Before his words found their way into print, John snapped the Eyesore of the Week for the Queens Ledger. His stories, essays, and articles have appeared in over 50 journals worldwide. His newest book Tales of Ravenwill is available for Pre Order. John is also the author of the novels, The Heir Apparent (Orb Of Zorn #1), Return of the Shadowlord (Orb of Zorn #2), Light of Ebernathi (Orb of Zorn #3), The Acolyte And The Amulet (Nebilon #1), Quest For The Hope Box (Nebilon #2), Beyond The Vicious Vortex, Shades of Luz, Disposable Heroes, and From Here To Burmidia.

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Popular Answered Questions

Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?

John Gorman The inspiration behind my Nebilon Series is pretty funny. Some time ago, Bella chewed up one of my books The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin. She …moreThe inspiration behind my Nebilon Series is pretty funny. Some time ago, Bella chewed up one of my books The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin. She left it in pretty bad shape, readable but unimpeachably mangled. I wasn’t nearly as upset as I thought I would be. If I was reading the book in Kindle instead of in paperback, this all would have been a moot point anyway. Then something funny happened. As I gleaned over the teeth marks and the various rips, a light bulb went off. I had an idea for a story and I was eager to get it down. A short story. Nothing fancy. I imagined, after a few days, I’d crank out two or three thousand words to share with an online journal— flash fiction— if I couldn’t meet a more ambitious word count.

I had already been reading a lot of Fantasy/Adventure, some Sword and Sorcery, and YA with magic themes. I’d taken a lot of notes and scratched out a couple scenes that were napping in two neglected word docs. I’ve been known to procrastinate. Now, I had a crackling kernel and a Jiffy Pop Pan to sift around. I kept the mangled book on my desk as I wrote, a source of inspiration you might say. I was writing about an ancient book of magic that was in a terrible state of disarray and a cranky old mage that had to find a Master Mender to restore the ancient book of counterspells into good working order. I named my mage, Glanzing. Why not? He was an erstwhile prankster who ended up with a critical task and he was riddled with doubts.

Then, I forced him to be a mentor for a precocious, young Seer who had more raw talent in her pinky than Glanzing had in his whole, wrinkled body. I grew rather smitten with Luma. She was a visionary and highly adept at animal communication. She also came from an impressive line of weatherworkers so she had the genetic makeup to become a great mage. When I compared the traits of my two main characters, it was no contrast who I preferred.

This posed a bit of a problem because I didn’t want my guide, Glanzing to be a mere foil, but I had to motivate myself to build up his character because Luma was so likable. Imagine if Hermione, Gandalf, and Phoebe could be rolled up into the same wizard (by the way my cats are named Phoebe and Piper). That’s the kind of apprentice Luma was. Not an even an apprentice or an acolyte, but already burgeoning into a full-fledged mage.

The more I wrote, the more they both developed and then more characters emerged. Soon I realized that I wasn’t writing a two or three-thousand word story. The chapters kept coming and the quest became more complicated. There were dwarves and elves and all kinds of odd creatures. Some you might be familiar with and some that I invented myself like the wugwump and the golliwog.

I learned to embrace the counterpoint between my two leads and I think this added to the tension between Glanzing and Luma. It came across in their dialogue. Before long, it became quite apparent that I was writing more than a book. I was already shaping the world of Nebilon and getting into the differences between Spork and Spore and the many far-flung realms across the Heel of Dunbar and the Elbianic Sea. Halfway through The Acolyte & The Amulet, I already knew what I wanted to write in the sequel. I even jotted out some scenes for the third book of the series. I guess this is how the Nebilon Series bloomed.

None of it would’ve been possible had we not adopted a feisty little pup. Never mind the fact that I always leave books around. I’ll leave that for another time. The truth is, I owe it all to Bella and her boundless energy and her penchant for treating my books like dragon chew toys.(less)

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John Gorman’s books

Average rating: 4.13 · 88 ratings · 21 reviews · 11 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Heir Apparent (Orb of Zorn #1) 4.19 avg rating — 27 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Acolyte & The Amulet (Nebilon Series, #1) 3.82 avg rating — 17 ratings — published 2019	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Shades of Luz 4.22 avg rating — 9 ratings — published 2009 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	From Here To Burmidia 3.40 avg rating — 10 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Quest For The Hope Box (Nebilon Series, #2) 3.71 avg rating — 7 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Beyond The Vicious Vortex (Nebilon Series, #3) 4.25 avg rating — 4 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Disposable Heroes it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 3 ratings — published 2014	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Return Of The Shadowlord (Orb Of Zorn, #2) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 3 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Light Of Ebernathi (Orb Of Zorn, #3) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Tales of Ravenwill 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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You’ve published a book. Congratulations! Maybe you think the hardest part is over, but really it has only begun. Now it’s time to spread the word.

As an Indie Author, you need to hustle to build buzz, and it’s not a one-time deal. If you want readers to know about your work and buy your books, then you need to

Series by John Gorman

Nebilon Series (3 books)
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John Gorman (Goodreads Author)

3.86 avg rating — 28 ratings

John is Currently Reading

John Gorman is currently reading

Insert Coin (Raconteur Press Anthologies Book 70)

by David Badurina (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading, sci-fi, sword-and-sorcery, young-adult, fantasy, short-story, anthology

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Jan 23, 2026 11:22AM

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The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1)

by Patrick Rothfuss (Goodreads Author)

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John Gorman is now following David Badurina Author of The Caretaker
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John Gorman liked Eric Hamilton's review of Insert Coin (Raconteur Press Anthologies Book 70): "Harpy Island by Joshua Ladd went in a slightly different direction. This time, the main character travels into an arcade game in order to save his little brother, who is lost primarily due to the main character's actions. What I love about these stor" Read more of this review »
Jan 23, 2026 11:25AM · see review
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John Gorman and 1 other person liked Philip K. Booker's review of Insert Coin (Raconteur Press Anthologies Book 70): "Retro Goodness! Grab your Power Glove and go back to a simpler time. A time when best friends gathered together and saved the day, one pixel at a time! Between these covers are tales of adventure with clever kids fighting against the odds and the Bos" Read more of this review »
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Quotes by John Gorman (?)

“You're preaching to the choir.”
― John Gorman

tags: my-get-out-of-jail-free-card, my-mantra, my-tagline

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John’s Quotes

“The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation. From the desperate city you go into the desperate country, and have to console yourself with the bravery of minks and muskrats. A stereotyped but unconscious despair is concealed even under what are called the games and amusements of mankind. There is no play in them, for this comes after work. But it is a characteristic of wisdom not to do desperate things..”
― Henry David Thoreau, Civil Disobedience and Other Essays

tags: life, self-actualization, unrealized-potential

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“Most things disappoint till you look deeper.”
― Graham Greene

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“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.”
― Mae West

tags: humor, life

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“We've got to live, no matter how many skies have fallen.”
― D.H. Lawrence, Lady Chatterley's Lover

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“You're preaching to the choir.”
― John Gorman

tags: my-get-out-of-jail-free-card, my-mantra, my-tagline

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John’s Friend Comments

Comments (showing 1-7) post a comment »

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message 7: by John

Jul 16, 2014 10:36PM

Cristiane wrote: "Thanks for the invite to your selective group of friends, John. :)"

My pleasure. Look forward to trading book reviews. Cheers,
JG

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message 6: by Poet Gentleness (last edited Jul 16, 2014 08:03PM)

Jul 16, 2014 08:02PM

Thanks for the invite to your selective group of friends, John. :)

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message 5: by Aloha

Aug 29, 2011 05:12PM

Hi John, thank you for the friending. I look forward to seeing your book selections.

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message 4: by John

Apr 13, 2011 06:14PM

jesse wrote: "Thanks much for including me among your goodreads friends, John. I see we're already connected by All Things That Matter Press, also. Best wishes to you with your novel and all other things as well..."

It's a small world. Glad to connect with you. I plan to be a bit more active now. Maybe we can chat books are share our publishing experience.

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message 3: by Jesse

Apr 13, 2011 04:40PM

Thanks much for including me among your goodreads friends, John. I see we're already connected by All Things That Matter Press, also. Best wishes to you with your novel and all other things as well.
Namaste, jesse

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message 2: by Sanaz

Oct 23, 2009 10:40AM