I don’t usually get political on my blog. It’s not that I’m apathetic. I have very strong political beliefs, which you can probably decipher from my writings. If you haven’t figured it out, I’m a conservative. I guess I get nervous about talking politics because it’s such a hot-button issue. Perhaps I should be bolder in the future.
But I digress.
My point in writing this is to say that I love Election Day, especially during presidential elections. I have ever since I was a kid and started learning about how politics works. Yes, I get sick of the unrelenting mudslinging, propagandizing, and political ads, but once the polls close and that all stops, I get to see the political process in action.
I honestly think the United States has the most brilliant presidential electoral system in the world. If we relied simply on majority vote, it’d be nothing but mob rule. Dissident voices would be drowned out. Candidates would just campaign in a handful of large cities and states and be done (which I know some exasperated people would prefer, but again, I digress). The Electoral College gives smaller states a greater say in who becomes president. It makes candidates take their votes seriously. If it wasn’t for that, Mitt Romney and Barack Obama wouldn’t be campaigning in “battleground states” at the last minute. It helps guarantee that your voice will be heard.
The fact that U.S. citizens are able to vote is a privilege (not a right) and duty not to be taken lightly. Don’t listen to those who say your vote doesn’t count. If enough people think that, our country would fall under the tyranny of the majority in some capacity. So, if you haven’t voted yet, go do so!
That’s why Election Day is exciting for me. It makes me proud to be an American, no matter who wins.
My apologies for the delay in posting this. Slow internet + large video = YouTube hates me.
Anyway…
Ah, Halloween. The season of costumes, candy, and horror movies. It seems like such flicks (and literature) are a dime a dozen these days. Unfortunately, many of them are, well, horrible. Why is that? In this week’s episode, I discuss a lot of the those reasons, including idiotic characters, overused jump scares, and gratuitous gore.
No black outline this time. That’s because I edited the video on one program instead of two. That’s good because I looked a bit “claustrophobic” in the last one.
Please rate, comment, and share. I’d love to get feedback and discuss this topic with you.
After over a week of figuring out video editing programs (and finding the time to use them), my long-awaited first vlog is done!
In the first episode, I give eight tips on how to sell books at conventions to aspiring writers. These were based on my experiences at Gen-Con.
This is my first vlog and my first time using video editing programs, so it didn’t turn out as well as I would’ve liked. I expect they will improve as time goes on. I have to resist the urge to nitpick my own video and performance.
Please leave me comments, especially if you have ideas for topics for future episodes. I’d love to make this interactive.
Wondering where the first episode of “But I Digress…” is? Well, it’s been filmed, but editing it has been n exercise in thwarted plans.
At first, I was going to use the website www.WeVideo.com to edit it, but the video was too large an upload for it. I would still like to use the site in the future. It’s highly recommended and user-friendly. So, I’ve been trying to use my brother Josiah’s Abobe Premiere programs to edit it. However, trying to coordinate schedules so I can go over there and he can advise me on how to use the programs (and remember how to use them himself) has proven difficult. But I shall not give up, True Believers! It will get done, and soon. This all started because I filmed the video in HD for the highest possible quality and to maximize the entertainment and instructional value for you, my readers. I promise it will be worth the wait.
So tune in again, same bat-time, same bat-channel.
I realize I’m kinda breaking one of the rules I learned about digital publishing t a seminar at Gen-Con, but I want to apologize for not updating my website for a while. Life has kept me busy. I finished writing a novella that will be serialized on a webfiction website some writer friends and I are starting (more on that later), and I’ve started writing more regularly on Examiner. I may also post a new story on this site.
However, this post isn’t about any of those.
I mentioned that I was going to do a vlog (or video podcast or whatever people call it now) about what I learned about selling books at conventions. I fully intend to do that. In fact, I’d like to make the vlog a recurring feature of this website and my Youtube channel. It would be interactive and yet another way to get myself out there to promote my work and the works of others. Plus, it’d be fun. I learned about an online video editing program called WeVideo that would be perfect for this.
I plan to call the show “But I Digress…”. I’m going to film the first episode this week.
Stay tuned for more details. I don’t want to promise too much right now.
After a day or two of rummaging through pictures and fighting with WordPress, I’ve posted a gallery of photos from my time at Gen-Con last month. I apologize for the poor quality of some of them. I had to use an old digital camera and my iPhone to snap pictures. The photos are also out of order. I haven’t yet figured out how to re-order them with my photos plug-in yet.
Regardless, they’ve been posted for your enjoyment. Click here to view the gallery.
It’s been nearly a week since Gen-Con, and only now am I sitting down to write about it. My apologies. I’ve been busy with some writing projects. I’m also trying to upload the photos I took at the convention.
Anyway…
For those who don’t know, Gen-Con is a gigantic four-day convention that’s been held in Indianapolis for the last 45 years. It started as a gathering for players of board games and roleplaying games, but it has expanded into science fiction, fantasy, anime, and everything in between. It’s all the same audience, after all. One of the latest editions was the Authors’ Avenue, a place where independent authors and publishers could sell their books to the thousands of attendees. I heard about it two years ago, but I didn’t go until this year.
It was the most exhausting and fun four days I’ve had in a long time.
The convention started Thursday (August 16), but I went a day early to set up my booth. I stayed with my college buddy/roommate Josh Smith, who lived only 20 minutes from the Indiana Convention Center, where the event was held. After a brief stop at his house at the end of a three-hour drive, I went to the ICC. I ended up parking in a parking garage across the street because I couldn’t find any other place to park. I quickly learned I am too much of a small city boy—I don’t like parking garages. They’re confusing and expensive. I’m not used to paying for parking, and even if I have to, it’s a few quarters in a meter. I spent almost as much on parking that week as a four-day pass to the convention cost!
Finding a spot, I hauled my two heavy boxes of books and other items to the convention center. This became a Herculean feat because I had no one to help me and I couldn’t figure out how to navigate the maze-like parking garage. Then when I got to the center, I couldn’t figure out where to go register. Thankfully, it wasn’t far. I did have to stand in line for a while, though.
It took me a while to find my table, but once I did, I went to town setting up. I also used this time to get to know my neighbors in my aisle. These included Edward J. Russell, who writes zombie fiction; Tammy Blackwell, who writes young adult urban fantasy (more Buffy the Vampire Slayer than Twilight); L. Douglas Rudder and his family, who write fantasy; and Lee Cherolis, the artist for the webcomic The Little Guardians. It was a great time to build some rapport.
Once I was set up, I explored the Crown Plaza hotel for a while. It’s a gorgeous place. It used to be a train station, and some of the passenger coaches are still there on display. Guests can even stay in them!
With that, I returned home.
Now, for day one…
I arrived at 9am to cater to the V.I.G.s (very important gamers), who got early access to the exhibitors’ hall. My first sale came not long after 10am. It was to this guy:
(Sadly, I’ve forgotten his name. I’m sorry! If you’re reading this, please leave a comment to remind me).
I also met Alyssa Weaver, the daughter of a longtime family friend. She and her boyfriend stopped by to buy a book. Here’s a photo of us:
Alyssa and I.
I made a few more sales before taking a break to meet one of the media guests of honor at the convention: Wil Wheaton, who played Wesley Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Ironically, the autograph area was just around the corner from me. It took a little while to get through the line, but it was worth it. I even gave Mr. Wheaton copies of all my books.
I’m trying hard not to “nerd out.”
The hall closed at 6pm. I hadn’t signed up for any events that night, so I wandered around for a while, looking for something to do. I took a few photos of some amazing cosplayers, including one of a guy who built a working costume of a Dalek from Doctor Who.
I finished the day off by going to a room run by Nexus Gaming and participating in two video game tournaments, one for Super Smash Bros. Brawl and one for Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. I quickly learned I was very rusty at both games. It didn’t help that the former was hampered by large brackets, a power outage, and haphazard organization. The latter was small, but the characters I used were determined by drawing cards, so they were almost entirely random. I ended up wishing I had participated in the “Mega Man Mega Awesome Challenge” tournament. Players had to accomplish certain tasks while playing the classic Mega Man games (which I loved playing as a kid). These tasks included things like completing a level without firing a shot unless it was needed to advance. The bystanders got really into it, especially with the purple-haired Asian guy hosting the event, who gave commentary in a cliché Asian accent usually heard in bad martial arts movies. Hilarious!
Stay tuned for day two!
Also, I’ll be posting a full photo gallery of the event both here and on Facebook.
I’ve been neglecting to announce this for months. Forgive me, readers, especially if you own a Kindle.
Cover Art by Zach Hayden
The Day After, a short story collection that includes my story “Suicide Soldier” (a companion piece toPandora’s Box), is now available on Amazon.com as a Kindle download for $1.99. This is thanks to my friend, fellow writer, and fellow contributor Nick Hayden.
Natalya is an American mom and wife with a Russian name working as a spy for the Brazilian government in a Midwest American town. Balancing dual identities is dangerous–and sometimes comical–especially when her husband hasn’t a clue.
Morana is on a suicide mission to transmit a bestial virus to her enemies when she encounters a smalltown family with the potential to break through her boundaries of hatred. But in the end, will it make a difference, or is it too late for redemption?
Peter, a photojournalist, returns home late to meet his newborn son…but just in time to rescue his family from a national zombie infestation. As they travel toward safer ground, trying to maintain a modicum of normalcy, Peter has the urge to document the disaster, but at what price?
Jacob is trapped in an endless maze of a house that appears to have no exits to the outside world except for a noose in his bedroom. He meets a mysterious stranger in the darkness and discovers pieces of letters he doesn’t remember writing. Who knows how long he’s been there? The noose is tightening.
Four stories, four writers, four genres…one connecting thread. What happens when the main focus of your life is stripped and all that’s left is the day after?
I’m proud to announce that once again my brother Jarod Marchand has created an illustration for one of my stories. This time it was for “Wrestling,” which is about a down-on-his-luck small-time pro wrestler is assailed by a mysterious opponent after a match. Here’s Jarod’s artwork:
Artwork by Jarod Marchand
He takes some creative license, I admit. The wrestler’s opponent wears a hoodie in the story, while Jarod makes it look like a cloak. Other than that, it’s more or less what happens in the story. I don’t mind Jarod’s changes. It showcases his unique style and flair for drama.
I’ve gone through the poems I wrote for NaPoWriMo (National Poetry Writing Month) last month, editing them and selecting the ones I consider the best of the lot. These will be added to the poetry section of the “Nathan’s Works” section of this website. So, without further adieu, here are the best of NaPoWriMo:
