All posts by Nathan Marchand

News, Announcements

My latest short story: ‘Love and Pac-Man’

I just posted a new short story a few minutes ago. It’s entitled, “Love and Pac-Man” (click the title to read it). It is the combination of a flurry of ideas.

First, after watching the original version of The Karate Kid some months ago, and seeing the scene where the protagonist, Daniel, meets the girl he likes at an arcade, I had this idea to write a story about a young man who finds love while at an arcade (this was later reinforced while watching Tron: Legacy). It’s a location almost never used in a romance story.

Second, last month’s assignment given for the Writers’ Corner, a writers’ club that meets at the North Webster Community Public Library, involved writing a story that used certain words. Each person was given a short time to write things pertaining to several categories and questions given by the club leader, Beth. Here’s the list I wrote:

Two Things That Annoy You:
-Lying
-My old laptop

Two People You Admire:
-Abraham Lincoln
-C.S. Lewis

The Names of as Many Horses as You Can Think of:
-Black Beauty
-Silver
-Seabiscuit
-Secretariat
-Quick-Draw McGraw
-Gunpodwer (Ichabod Crane’s horse in “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”)

Would You Rather Live Rural or Urban?:
-Rural

Three Things You Associate with Summer:
-Hot weather
-Blockbuster movies
-Swimming

Pay close attention, and you’ll see that I managed to work all of these into the story, which is surprisingly only 1,000 words long.

Readers who live or have lived in my area may notice a few “local references,” even though it takes place in a fictional small town. There was once a theme park in North Webster, Indiana, called Adventureland, and it did have a small roller coaster called the Wild Mouse. The name of the arcade, Tilt, was taken from an arcade that used to be at the Glenbrook Square mall in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Anyway, I read the piece at the Writers’ Corner’s meeting Monday, and everyone enjoyed it. I hope you will too.

News, Announcements

Where ‘Pandora’s Box’ can be purchased

After discovering that British internet retailer that was selling my book, I decided I needed to post the places/websites where Pandora’s Box could be purchased and the libraries that have it in their collections. This is something I have been procrastinating on for a while, and for that I apologize.

So, without further delay, here are the places you can buy a copy (or at least have it special ordered):
–Amazon.com
–Langtoninfo.com
–Hyde Bros. Booksellers (in Fort Wayne, Indiana)
–Summer’s Stories (in Kendallville, Indiana)
-Ace Hardware (in North Webster, Indiana)

Here are the libraries that have copies:
–North Webster Community Public Library (in North Webster, Indiana)
–Syracuse Public Library (in Syracuse, Indiana)
–Noble County Public Libraries (in Noble County, Indiana)
–Warsaw Community Public Library (in Warsaw, Indiana)
–Peabody Public Library (in Columbia City, Indiana)

I will add more as they become available, so be sure to check back for updates.

News, Announcements

‘Pandora’s Box’ available online–FOR $47!?

Yesterday I downloaded an app for my new iPhone 3GS called RedLaser. Using the phone’s camera, I can scan an item’s UPC code and price check it online. For fun, I used it on the UPC of my novel, Pandora’s Box. I thought it would, at least, bring up its listing on Amazon.Surprisingly, it didn’t, but it did bring up a listing on a different website–where it is being sold for $47.54!

The website is www.langtoninfo.com, a British internet retailer. They promise that they “might not always offer the ‘best deal,’ but we offer a fair deal with an exceptional level of genuine service to match. Even though it means our prices are slightly higher, we don’t pressure our suppliers to reduce royalty payments to authors and other copyright owners.” You can see their listing for Pandora’s Box here.

As nice as that sounds, I am happy to say it retails for $20 on Amazon, and I sell them at a discount at my signings.

News, Announcements

New short story, and a BIG announcement

After a very long absence, “I’m back in the saddle again,” as Aerosmith is famous for singing. I’ve posted a short and very silly short story for you to read, entitled “Bow to Your Sensei.” This piece has a bit of a storied history (no pun intended).

The initial idea came to me my senior year at Taylor University Fort Wayne when I took a literature class on C.S. Lewis and George McDonald. One of the books we read was Phantastes by McDonald, a fantasy that featured talking trees in several scenes. Ben Armstrong, one of my classmates told me before class that he thought the middle sections of the books were slow, and he jokingly said they would’ve been more exciting if ninjas were in it (because, as we all know, ninjas always make things more exciting). I don’t know why, but he also brought this up in class. In less than a week, it became our class’ running joke that all good stories require two things: ninjas and talking trees. Our professor, Dr. Pam Jordan-Long, even put it on the final exam!

Since then, I have been telling her I would one day write a story that had ninjas and talking trees because I had yet to find one that did.

This short story came about when a blogger on Xanga held an impromptu writing contest for her readers, telling them to write a story using as many of the sayings on the “Minis” as possible. So, I threw this story together at the last minute and submitted it. I didn’t win, but it was fun to write. That is, however, why the piece is pretty random.

(BIG OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT COMING…)

Regardless, it has served as the inspiration for the novel I am currently writing: Ninjas and Talking Trees. It is a fantasy/comedy about a young accountant who is transported to an eccentric fantasy world ruled by an equally eccentric tyrant. In order to get home, he must learn “the Ways of Hero-dom” and overthrow the villain. While it isn’t a parody, per se, it does poke fun at some fantasy story stereotypes (and a few from anime/manga), and  it uses many of the genre’s archetypes for comedic effect.

I’ve been working on it much longer than I should have, but I hope to have a rough draft finished inside a month. Feel free to harp on me about it.

Until then, please enjoy “Bow to Your Sensei.” I promise the new book won’t be quite as random (but still just as silly).

News, Appearances, Announcements

NCPL signing rescheduled for March 14

I’ve been meaning to tell everyone this for several weeks, so…

My book signing at the main branch of the Noble County Public Library in Albion, Indiana, has been rescheduled for March 14 from 5:30pm to 7:30pm. Mark your calendars, and come pay me a visit! Oh, and I’ll be selling and signing copies of Pandora’s Box, too. FYI: The books will be sold at discounted prices!

News, Announcements

Readers’ Choice Award update

Unfortunately, my novel, Pandora’s Box,  did not make it into the top ten for the Alberta Readers’ Choice Award. However, Cinco de Mayo by Michael J. Martineck, which was published by Absolute XPress’ main imprint, Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy, did make it. He’s also, as far as I can tell, the only American author to make it through. Godspeed to him!