All posts by Nathan Marchand

Poetry

NaPoWriMo, Day 4: ‘Gunboat Diplomat’

Today’s prompt was to write a poem based on one of several bizarre names of spaceships from a certain authors books. I chose one that sounded cool, and decided to write a sci-fi poem. Enjoy!

Gunboat Diplomat
By Nathan Marchand

Come! And a tale you’ll hear
Of how the Second Great War ended
Thanks to a man the galaxy came to revere:
Henry Hawk, a scalawag to be commended.

Terrans and Zillans battled across the stars,
For reasons long forgotten, so do not ask why.
But the Terrans saw their planet covered with scars,
So they summoned Hawk, and to Zilla he did fly.

His ship, the Shrewd Serpent, was a rickety relic.
A starfaring gunboat that survived the First Great War,
And the perfect vessel for this snarky maverick
Who once served as a diplomat for the Terran AstroCorps.

Suddenly his ship decloaked in orbit of the Zillans’ homeworld,
And the lizards’ warships scrambled to intercept.
But Hawk, ever confident, never felt imperiled.
He opened a channel and gave the lizards a smile they couldn’t accept.

“The Terrans are tired of war,” says Hawk.
“I come to give you their offer of peace.
Their terms are fair, so you will not mock,
Though you glory in battle and will not cease.”

The lizard-king replied, “Slyth the war god demands victory!
For our enemies’ heads, he gives us his blood, redrock,
Which has powered our ships throughout our history.
So spare us your pathetic words, Hawk!”

So Hawk smirked, and with but a gesture,
The Serpent’s hidden guns opened fire,
Raining missiles on the Zillans’ redrock treasure,
And in seconds all that was left was a ring of hellfire.

Hawk says, “Your world will die if you continue to fight.
So before the Terran fleet comes, this war must end.
For without your ‘god’s’ blood, the Terrans won’t fear your might.
And you will have a legion of angry enemies with which to contend.”

So the lizard-king ended the war by declaring a truce,
And the Terran soldiers returned home to celebrate.
Though the Zillans demanded to see Hawk at the end of a noose,
They, like many others, learned he was a man not to underestimate.

Poetry

NaPoWriMo, Day 3: ‘Obsession’

Today’s prompt was to write a sea shanty, but I couldn’t come up with any ideas beyond writing a sci-fi one that took place in space rather than on the sea, so I’m skipping that one. However, I’m going to keep track of each prompt I skip and write a poem for it later.

So, for today, I wrote this little thing:

Obsession
By Nathan Marchand

She wants, she craves.
One act of kindness,
And she stalks him like a hunter,
Seized by a “love” that enslaves.

She worships him like a priestess,
Carving an idol of his image in her mind’s eye.
Flowery prayers, fragrant incense, and costly gifts she offers<
But dreams to give what above her short dress.

She digs in her claws
Once he finally acquiesces.
“My love is as perfect as him,”
She says, “For he has no flaws.”

Now her “god” is gone.
He left, destroying her idol.
But neither are left unscathed–
Such devotion they’ll never again know from hereon.

Uncategorized, Poetry

NaPoWriMo 2013, Day 2: ‘The Lie’

Today’s prompt was to write a poem that tells a lie. My poem does build to a lie, but it is a lie that some may not agree with since it stems from my Christian faith. Read on to see what I mean.

The Lie
By Nathan Marchand

There is no end to your evil.
You lie, you cheat, you steal,
You covet and kill,
Obeying my whispers in the darkness,
The silent coercion,
The subtle propaganda,
Which you believe you hear not.
Casualties of the invisible war, you are.
Slaves blissfully ignorant of your slavery,
And blinded to your master while doing his work,
Because you bought my greatest trick,
My most powerful lie:
That I, the Devil, don’t even exist.

Poetry

NaPoWriMo 2013: Day 1 – ‘Madness’

Today’s prompt (which I learned I can choose not to use) was to write a poem that had the first line from an existing poem. I chose the first line of “It is not Love, it is Madness” by Mirza Ghalib.

With that, here’s my first poem of NaPoWriMo 2013!

Madness
By Nathan Marchand

(You say) It is not love, it is madness,
An insatiable fire.
Give it voice, and it will consume
With every word that affirms its uncertain promises.
Keep it silent, and it will devour
Soul, mind, and body from within,
Until it bursts with a volcano’s fury.
It comes unexpected, uninvited, perhaps unwanted,
Only to leave the heart emptier
With each new failure,
Killing it softly.

News, Announcements

The saga of ‘Children of the Wells’ begins today!

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The new web serial, Chidlren of the Wells, launches today! (No joke!) Click here for the website.

It begins with the serialization of The Select’s Bodyguard, a novella by my friend Nick Hayden. The story is as follows:

When Bron, bodyguard to the Select, is jolted awake by an explosion, he quickly discovers that the entire city of Jalseion is in flames. Everywhere, people are dead, buildings collapsed, whole neighborhoods demolished. The scientific center of the world…burning to the ground.

And the Select, those who rule through the magic in the wells? Where are they, and what has happened to the magic that powers the city?

Bron banishes fear and uncertainty as he crosses the rubble with one goal: to find her.

Nothing else matters.

This story will go until July, when my novella, The Fall of the House of Kyzer, and The Doctor’s Assistant by Laura Fischer will start being posted.

You can read more about my involvement with the serial here.

News, Announcements

NaPrWriMo 2013: Here I Go Again!

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You may remember that I participated in National Poetry Writing Month (NaPoWriMo). It was “unofficial” participation, since I didn’t use the prompts provided on the website; I simply endeavored to write one poem a day for the month of April. This year, however, I’m going to try using the prompts. It’ll probably be difficult, but it’ll be a worthwhile exercise, I’m sure. So, you can expect posts from me daily in the coming month.

If you’d like to read my favorite poems from last year, click here.

Guest Author, Short Stories, Science Fiction

‘House of the Living’ by Nick Hayden

'House of the Living' by Nick Hayden
‘House of the Living’ by Nick Hayden

You may recall a few may recall a few months ago when I did a “writer-ly exchange” with my friend Nick Hayden. We each wrote a story that took place in a world the other created. This resulted in my Christmas story, “The Discarded Gift,” a love story set in Nick’s fictional small town, Vienna. Nick took a little longer to finish his story, which he posted on his own website a few months ago. Now after letting it be exclusive to his site for a while, I am reposting it here.

It is called “House of the Living.” It was inspired by my novella Destroyer (which I co-wrote with his wife, Natasha). Here’s a synopsis:

When scientists stumble across the perfectly preserved body of a Tyrannosaurus Rex, the first question is: How? But as one scientist spends his life studying the extraterrestrial crystals that caused its preservation, his questions become deeper, touching his deepest fears of life and death.

It’s a haunting story, and a great expansion on the world of my novella.

You can read a PDF of it here: House of the Living by Nick Hayden

You can also download it as an eBook from Smashwords.

I like it so much, I may make a special edition of Destroyer that includes it as a bonus.

Announcements, News, Appearances

Meet me and the Indiana governor at a future signing!

Roanoke Public Library

Governor Mike Pence

I’ve been meaning to announce this for some time, but I’ve been ironing out a few details first.

I will have a book signing at the new Roanoke Public Library in Roanoke, Indiana. It will be at the library’s new location. Moving to this new place has been a big community undertaking, so much so that Indiana’s newly-elected governor is scheduled to appear! Yes, True Believers, Mike Pence will be at this signing! You what’s even better? I actually like him as governor!

The signing will be May 4 from 10am-3pm. Come buy copies of my books or bring your own so I can sign them–for free! (My signatures are always free).

News, Announcements

‘Children of the Wells’ – COMING APRIL 1!

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Remember that web serial project I broke news about on my vlog back in December?

It starts April 1 (no joke)!

Children of the Wells (CotW) is a bit of a first for me. I’ve been involved in serial fiction and group projects before, but nothing like this. The previous serials I worked on were never published; they were read and enjoyed only by the writers’ club I joined in college. The previous group project I participated in with those same writers produced Destroyer (which I may make a special edition of to include Nick’s new story, “House of the Living“). CotW, however, will be an ongoing web serial for everybody to enjoy! It has been over a year in planning, and I can’t wait to see it luanch.

What is CotW about? Read this:

The Cataclysm destroyed our magic wells and, along with them, our technology, our scientific advancements, and our aristocracy. We thought the world was dying. Forced to rely on our former enemies, we evolved, but in those first days, we had no inkling of the true extent of that change.

It takes place in a semi-modern fantasy world where technology developed around magic. If you’ve seen and/or read Full Metal Alchemist, you’ll have a good understanding of this concept.

The saga will begin with the serialization of the first novella, The Select’s Bodyguard by Nick Hayden (a writer friend whose name I can’t stop dropping). This story takes place in the scientific capital of Jalseion just after the disaster and introduces the characters of Bron and Calea. Calea is a nihilistic but brilliant young scientist making breakthroughs in magic technology and Bron is her singleminded bodyguard.

The story will continue in July with the publication of my novella, The Fall of the House of Kyzer. This will introduce readers to the imperial city of Thyrion, which rules much of the world with an iron fist, and to the heroic prince Jaysynn Kyzer. He is the youngest son of the city’s Emperor and Empress, but unlike them and his six siblings, he has no magic abilities, making him an outcast in his own family. However, Jaysynn is trained by Gen. Xander Dracon, himself a non-magic user, to become a warrior in his own right. There’s more to it than that, but I won’t give you any spoilers. Sorry, True Believers!

The adventure begins April 1!

Click here to see the website. Sign up for the newsletter and spread the word!