All posts by Nathan Marchand

Blog

My Writing Goals for the Next Decade

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I hesitate to make these public, because I know my readers (and friends) will hold me accountable. That’s some serious pressure. But perhaps I not only need that, I need to let all of you know what I hope to accomplish for the next decade.

I’ve started a lot of series and books that I have yet to finish. My goal is to complete those. To that end, here’s what you can expect from me:

  • Two sequels to Destroyer, making it a trilogy. Working titles: Apollyon: Body and Soul and Apollyon: Haunted Legacy. These are being written by only me, but I am getting input from my co-authors on the first book.
  • A sequel and “midquel” for Pandora’s Box. I started the sequel, which has the working title of Hope’s War, several years ago and need to finish it. I also have an idea for a “midquel” (i.e. it takes place during the first book) that is from Overlord Erebus’ perspective. It’ll be something of an origin story for him. He was only in a few chapters, so I figured he should have a chance to shine.
  • Books 2-5 of The (Mis)Adventures of George Francis. As in, sequels to Ninjas and Talking Trees. I’ve been sitting on ideas for more of these books for a long time. I even led with Ninjas being labeled “book 1.” It’s time to make good on that promise. As part of that, I’ll be revising book one for republication. It won’t be a George Lucas-level revision, but there are some typos in it that need addressed, and I think some of the humor hasn’t aged as well as I’d like.
  • The original urban-fantasy romance novel I started as a creative writing thesis in grad school needs to be finished. It’s sitting at 50 pages. I was hoping to use it to shop around for a literary agent. I don’t know if I will use it for that now or not. Working title: There Sleeps Titania.

After these are done, I will start the epic space opera that’s been brewing in my head for years. As a fan of Star Trek since childhood, I’ve always wanted to write a space opera.

This doesn’t mean I won’t be working on other things along with these, but these are the big ones.

Which of these are you most looking forward to?

Blog, News, Announcements

COMING SOON – ‘The Worlds of Nathan Marchand, Vol. 2: Tales of the Lost and Lonely’

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This summer (and hopefully before Gen-Con), I plan to release another short story collection that will be titled The Worlds of Nathan Marchand, Vol. 2: Tales of the Lost and Lonely. It’ll be another anthology of unpublished stories spanning my entire writing career, from college to today (well, close enough).

Unlike in Volume 1, these stories won’t be speculative fiction (with one possible exception), but many will involve “nerdy” things. For example, the flagship story involves a young man in a small town trying to return a collectible Superman cape he found in a dumpster on Christmas Eve. You may recognize some of the stories because many were once available on this very website.

As with Volume 1, I’m including short intros for each story that explains their origins. Some stories were written for college classes; others were the products of prompts from a writers group I used to attend.

Currently, my sister, Sarah, is editing the book and working on a photographic cover. Once those are done, it will be in print quickly.

Stay tuned for more updates!

Video, Interview, Livestream

But I Digress… x MIFV: A Conversation with Author, Musician, and Nerdy Girl Alyssa Charpentier

I sit down with the multitalented Alyssa Charpentier, who wears enough proverbial hats to fill a warehouse. She’s a writer, a musician, a Navy sailor, a former Godzilla YouTuber, and hardcore nerd girl, among other things. We discuss her past and current creative projects, her best advice for aspiring writers, and more, including her serialized Godzilla fanfiction, Strange Flesh, which is exclusive to her Patreon page.

Join Alyssa’s Patreon page to read Godzilla: Strange Flesh!

Check out Nathan’s spinoff podcasts, The Henshin Men and The Power Trip, and Henshin Power V3!

We’d like to give a shout-out to our MIFV MAX patrons Danny DiManna (author/creator of the Godzilla Novelization Project); Damon Noyes, The Cel Cast, TofuFury, Eric Anderson of Nerd Chapel, Redeemed Otaku Podcast, Wynja the Ninja, Christopher Riner, The Indiscrite One, Eli Harris, Jake Hambrick, Matt Walsh (but not that Matt Walsh), Jonathan Courtright, Leon Campbell, Michael Watson, and Sam Allred! Thanks for your support!

You, too, can join MIFV MAX on Patreon to get this and other perks starting at only $3 a month! (https://www.patreon.com/monsterislandfilmvault)

Buy official MIFV merch on TeePublic! (https://www.teepublic.com/user/the-monster-island-gift-shop). NEW MERCH NOW AVAILABLE!

This episode is approved by the Monster Island Board of Directors.

Podcast Social Media:

www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com

#JimmyFromNASALives       #MonsterIslandFilmVault    #NathanMarchand            #AlyssaCharpentier    #ButIDigress

© 2025 Moonlighting Ninjas Media

Vlog, Video

Is It Fantastic? | Nathan REACTS to Fantastic 4: First Steps TRAILER | Marvel Cinematic Universe

I’m back with another superhero movie trailer reaction! This time it’s for a Marvel production: namely, Fantastic 4: First Steps. I have opinions because I’m the voice of Johnny Storm for  Scyther Podcasts . What’d I think of it? Watch and find out! (FYI: Streamyard cut the sound from the trailer. That was on me).​

Video, Livestream

But I Digress…, Episode 50: Can Critics Create Art? (Ft. Ryan “The Omni Viewer” Collins”)

WHEN: January 16, 2025 at 7pm EST.

Nathan relaunches “But I Digress…” (again) as a monthly livestream! For episode 50, he’s joined by fellow author/actor/content creator Ryan “The Omni Viewer” Collins to discuss whether or not critics can create good art. They know how the proverbial sausage is made, but can they actually cook, so to speak? Join Nathan and Ryan to see if they can answer that question.

Vlog, Video

TRAILER REACTION: Superman (2025) Teaser | James Gunn, You Beatiful Bastard!

The much-hyped teaser trailer for James Gunn’s Superman (2025) has dropped. So, I made an impromptu reaction video for it. You all know I love Superman, but I’ve felt ambivalent toward most Superman media from the last decade, including the early teaser images for this film. But after watching the trailer…well, let’s just say I’m excited that I may have an excuse to discuss it on my flagship podcast, The Monster Island Film Vault.

Find my websites and socials on my Linktree: https://linktr.ee/nathan_marchand

MIFV website: www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com.

Blog

What I’m Thankful For (2024)

I’ll be honest, I haven’t had the best year. It wasn’t a disastrous year, but it wasn’t great, either. I’m all for gratitude, but unfortunately, too many people in Christian circles seem to equate gratitude with complacency. Wanting more is seen as problematic. Or rather, improving one’s place is seen as unholy.

Regardless, I will do my best to list as many of the things I’m thankful for this year as I can. That is the point of Thanksgiving, isn’t it?

  1. God the Father.
  2. Jesus Christ.
  3. The Holy Spirit.
  4. The Bible.
  5. My church.
  6. My church’s pastors.
  7. My apartment.
  8. The Fort Wayne Ballroom Company.
  9. My substitute teaching job (as much as I hate it).
  10. My recent dental work.
  11. Dental insurance.
  12. My college friends circle.
  13. My fandom/podcast friends circle.
  14. My parents.
  15. My siblings.
  16. My laptop.
  17. My iPhone.
  18. The data the data recovery service was able to find (even though it wasn’t nearly as much as they said they could).
  19. The Monster Island Film Vault (my flagship podcast)
  20. Henshin Power V3 (my other podcast)
  21. My co-hosts and guest hosts on said podcasts.
  22. The Kaiju Lovers (MIFV fans)
  23. Henshin Power V3 listeners.
  24. My readers.
  25. The rest of my fans.
  26. G-Fest.
  27. Gen-Con.
  28. The other cons I attended.
  29. Kaiju United.
  30. TokUSA.
  31. My other publishers.
  32. My physical media collection.
  33. My book/comic library.
  34. My toy collection.
  35. That I live in America.
  36. That I live in Indiana.
  37. That I live in Fort Wayne.
  38. That I was able to produce my first full-length audiodrama episode, “Origins: Rito Bandora” for Scyther Inc.
  39. That I’m a member of Scyther’s actor stable.
  40. That I play Rito for Scyther.
  41. That I play Deadpool for Scyther.
  42. That I play Johnny Storm for Scyther.
  43. That I get asked to play those characters for other people.
  44. That I’m a published author.
  45. My author website.
  46. My MIFV website.
  47. My board games collection.
  48. My video game collection.
  49. My car.
  50. All the artists I know, especially if we’ve collaborated.
  51. The Constitution.
  52. The comic shops I frequent.
  53. My Patreon supporters.
  54. Electricity.
  55. Running water.
  56. Internet service.
  57. My bookshelves.
  58. The family pets.
  59. Tax refunds.
  60. Music.
  61. Dance.
  62. Bicycles.
  63. Roller rinks.
  64. Bookstores.
  65. Coffee shops.
  66. Laser tag.
  67. Arcades.
  68. The police.
  69. Military members.
  70. Veterans.
  71. The gym.
  72. My degrees.
  73. Indoor plumbing.
  74. That I can read.
  75. My past podcasts (Henshin Men and The Power Trip).
  76. Groceries.
  77. Pretzels.
  78. Pizza.
  79. Spaghetti.
  80. Protein shakes.
  81. Energy drinks (especially Ghost).
  82. My nephews and niece.
  83. Camping.
  84. C.S. Lewis.
  85. J.R.R. Tolkien.
  86. Stan Lee.
  87. My other favorite authors.
  88. Canva.
  89. Audacity.
  90. MS Word.
  91. Birthday gifts.
  92. Christmas.
  93. Hosting Scyther’s Power Rangers aftershows.
  94. Being part of Scyther’s Ranger Reviews.
  95. Podcasts.
  96. Audiobooks.
  97. My published books.
  98. Being part of Wild Hunt Press.
  99. Shameless self-promotion.
  100. GODZILLA MINUS ONE!

What are you thankful for this year? Comment below.

News, Announcements, Blog, Podcast

MY FIRST FULL-LENGTH AUDIODRAMA – “Origins: Rito Bandora”

Rito Revolto from Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers.

In case you didn’t know, I’ve been part of Scyther Podcasts’ stable of actors for a few years now. This is a group run by Karl Dutton that makes fan-produced audiodramas, most notably for X-Men and Power Rangers. While I’ve played (of all people) Deadpool on X-Men: The Audiodrama and as Johnny Storm (The Human Torch) on its spin-off Avengers: The Audiodrama (which is run by Mitch McFarland), my first claim to fame at Scyther was playing the darkly funny supervillain Rito Bandora (aka Rito Revolto in his original incranation) on Power Rangers: The Audiodrama (see image to the right). Unbeknownst to me, Scyther’s Rito became a fan-favorite.

Because of this and some…spoiler-ific events in PRAD, I pitched an idea to Karl to write and produce a bonus episode that expands on the background for Rito that’s briefly discussed in a few episodes of the main show. He approved the outline, and after a few months of drafting the script, I went into production for my first full-lnegth audiodrama. I say, “full-length,” because I’ve produced shorter drama segments on my flagship podcast, The Monster Island Film Vault, but the longest any of those got was about 20 minutes. This special clocks in at 55 minutes. I Mel Gibson’d the snot out of this; writing, directing, editing, producing, and starring in it. I even commissioned my friend Rebecca Hudgens to do the cover art and purchased the rights to a metal song to use as the episode’s theme song. I’ve joked that the episode should be retitled, “Nate’s Vanity Project.”

So, sit back and enjoy this dark science fantasy comedy!

You can also listen to it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.

Be sure to watch me be interviewed about the background of this special on The Power Chamber Podcast.

Video, Livestream

The Writers’ Roundtable discusses Inspiration [livestream clip]

In yet another clip from the Omni Viewer’s writers’ roundtable livestream, we discuss the sources of our inspiration for our projects. I hope you find encouragement in it!

The roundtable consists of of:
-Ryan Collins
-Nathan Marchand
-Daniel DiManna
-Neil Riebe
-Karl Dutton
-Christopher Nigro
-Matt Dennion

Watch the full livestream here.

Enjoy!

Video, Livestream

How Writers Overcome Discouragement [livestream excerpt]

In this excerpt from Ryan “The Omni Viewer” Collins’s Writer Roundtable Livestream from September 20, 2024, he, myself, and our fellow writers discuss how we encourage ourselves to keep writing when it gets difficult. I hope it gives you the emotional boost you need to keep writing!

The roundtable consists of of:
-Ryan Collins
-Nathan Marchand
-Daniel DiManna
-Neil Riebe
-Karl Dutton
-Christopher Nigro
-Matt Dennion

Watch the full livestream here.

Enjoy!