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.
I’m excited to announce that I’m one of the contributors to the upcoming anthology A Time for Everything, a collection of time travel short stories inspired by Ecclesiastes 3. My story involves time travel through ballroom dance!
As an FYI to my readers, I have removed several of my speculative fiction stories from my website. These include “Bow to Your Sensei,” “Baptized in Fire,” and several others. I did so because they’ve been published in my short story collection, The Worlds of Nathan Marchand. You can always read them there. I appreciate your readership and support. Thanks!
My book signings have been few and far between since the pandemic, but now I’m finally getting back into the swing of things! The next six months or so will be quite busy for me when it comes to conventions, and I’m looking forward to it. I’ll be back in my element (well, my other element). So, here’s a quick rundown of my upcoming appearances.
Local Author Fair – Eckhart Public Library in Auburn, IN DATE: April 22, 2023. TIME: 10am-2pm LOCATION: Eckhart Public Library – Auburn, IN
I’ll be one of 15 local authors from northeast Indiana selling books at the Eckhart Public Library. I’ll also be part of the fiction writing panel (the other two are on nonfiction and poetry). The Brown House Foodmobile and Hoosier Mama food trucks will be there.
Days of the Dead – All Monsters Attack 2: Chicago S.O.S. DATE: May 7-9, 2023 TIME: Friday: 5pm-10pm Saturday: 11am-7pm Sunday: 11am-4pm LOCATION: Crowne Plaza Chicago Ohare Hotel & Conf Ctr. Rosemont, IL
I attended this upstart spin-off convention last fall as a con-goer, but this year I’ll be tabling there to promote Kaiju Ramen Magazine, a publication for which I edit and write. It’s a kaiju-focused con with a guest list that goes on for days. Check out the convention’s website for more details.
JAFAX DATE: June 9-11, 2023 LOCATION: DeVos Place Convention Center – Grand Rapids, MI
My friend Eric Anderson of Nerd Chapel is in the process of acquiring a table that he will share with me and our friends Tim and Becky Smith of the Redeemed Otaku podcast. This is an anime convention. I’ve never attended it before, so I don’t know what it’s like. Because we don’t have a table guaranteed, my attendance is uncertain, so stay tuned for more. Read more about the event on its website.
G-Fest XXVIII DATE: July 14-16, 2023 LOCATION: Hyatt Regency O’Hare – Rosemont, IL
The biggest kaiju convention in North America returns to the Hyatt in Rosemont. I’ll be part of several panels on various subjects and attending many events. The details of the panels are still being worked out, so stay tuned! Learn more about the show at the G-FAN magazine website and the event’s new website.
Gen-Con 2023 DATE: Aug. 3-6, 2023 LOCATION: Indiana Convention Center, Indianapolis, IN
After taking a year off, I return to the “best four days in gaming” in Authors Avenue. I may also look into hosting some events. This is my flagship convention, and I can’t wait to see my Gen-Con friends again! Learn more about the event on its website.
The next few conventions are events I’m interested in attending or have been offered a spot by friends, but details are still being worked out. I’m including them so you know where I might be. Watch for updates!
I will be tabling at a small
convention, and I have applied to table at another local author event. Both
will be in downtown Fort Wayne, Indiana.
The first will be Fantasticon Fort Wayne, which is being held September 21-22, 2019. Eric Anderson, founder of Nerd Chapel and my co-author on the 42 books, will also be there, but we’re not tabling together. The con announced that they would be selling five heavily-discounted tables last week, so I jumped at the opportunity. I wasn’t sure I’d snag a table, but I got lucky (or was “blessed,” if you’re the religious type). I’ll be selling and signing my books (although Eric will be selling the 42, so get them from him) and promoting my upcoming podcast The Monster Island Film Vault, which is launching September 25.
According to the
convention’s website,
Fantasticon is a mid-size show created for true comic book and pop culture collectors and fans. The fans that come to our shows are true collectors that are looking for those rare items for their personal collections. Most leave very satisfied as we pride ourselves on having great dealers and artists at our shows. If you collect it, you will find it at a Fantasticon Show.
Fantasticon is proud to have a presence in multiple cities throughout the mid-west. Currently we are in five different cities, in three different states including Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana.
We also, are very proud of the fact that our admission price is the lowest of any other comparable shows. And the cost for being an exhibitor or artist at the Fantasticon is far less than any comparable comic cons out there.
While I haven’t received a
confirmation yet, I have applied to table to table at the annual Local Author
Book Fair, which will be held November
30, 2019, from 10am-4pm at the main branch of the Allen County Public Library. Find
out more info here
on ACPL’s blog.
Another Gen Con has come
and gone. As usual, it’s a working vacation for me, but it’s also the biggest
show I do every year. I haven’t heard attendance numbers yet, but I’m sure it’s
comparable to the years with 60,000 attendees.
Calling it a “working
vacation” was more accurate than ever this year. Due to some last-minute
financial setbacks, I didn’t have much spending money, so I couldn’t make it to
many events or buy new games. Couple that with the fact that I wouldn’t leave
my table for more than an hour at a time from 10am-6pm most days, and I spent
most of my time in the dealer hall. My friend and co-author Eric Anderson,
founder of Nerd
Chapel, would slip away and play some games throughout the day. In
other words, I did all the work, and he had all the fun. (Just kidding, Eric!)
I wasn’t able to get to
Indianapolis (or “Indy,” as we Hoosiers call it) until late Wednesday night,
which did throw a monkey wrench into the weekend, but that’s what happens when
you have other commitments right up to the convention. I stayed at the Sheraton
with Eric and his friend Matt Gort (and yes, he has cosplayed the
robot from The Day the Earth Stood
Still), which was a 10-15 minute walk from the Indiana Convention Center. I
went to the ICC to get my event tickets, but even at 11:30pm, the line went on
forever. So, I decided to wait until the next day.
I scrambled to get into
the dealer hall to set up in Authors Avenue before 9am when I thought the VIGs
(Very Important Gamers) would come in before everyone else like in years past,
but that didn’t happen. There was no early access; everyone came in at 10am. I
realized I could’ve gotten my tickets then. That would’ve been nice to know. I’m
pretty sure I was told this was still happening this year. Oh well.
The game Horrified.
Who needs a “booth babe” when you have bearded Waldo? 😛
I spent the whole day in
the dealer hall since I was unable to get my event tickets. I joke every year
that I need a “booth babe,” but Eric cosplaying as a bearded Waldo might been
even better. While financial setbacks left me with little spending money for
the show, I did wander into the play test hall and tried Horrified, a
new cooperative board game themed around the Universal Horror Monsters. My
fellow players and I managed to defeat Dracula and the Creature from the Black
Lagoon. The day ended with what became my nightly routine with Eric: playing
the amazing game Unmatched,
which saw an early release at Gen Con. It’s the glorious lovechild of Heroscape
and Star Wars: Epic Duels, two of our favorite games.
Eric and I with a fellow Starfleet officer.
Friday was much the same as Thursday, although I was able to slip away for one writing seminar at the Writers Symposium. Eric and I both did Star Trek cosplays, with me as Capt. Kirk and him as Cmd. Riker. That evening Eric and I had dinner with a guy (whose name escapes me now, sorry!) who was curious about Nerd Chapel and our work. I (and eventually Eric) then spent the evening at the Love Thy Nerd meet-up, where I played Dice Throne Adventures. I was a barbarian, so I made sure to crush my enemies and see them driven before me. 😛
Speaking of Star Trek, I met Chris Spurgin from Five Year Mission, who gave me a free copy of their latest album for recognizing him. Score!
The upcoming game Deliverance.
Saturday was all work. I
wanted to go to one writing seminar, but I was too busy in the hall. I expected
as much. It’s usually the busiest day. Afterward, me and Eric’s friend Darrin
joined us at the InnRoads
Ministry meet-up. There was food (including homemade pretzel bites that
were my crack for the evening), fellowship, prizes, and of course, games. I
learned about a spiritual warfare-themed dungeon crawl fantasy game called Deliverance, where players
take on the roles of angels fighting demons in a church. However, we spent our
time playing Unmatched and showing it to InnRoads’ leader, Michael. The evening
was capped with Darrin, Eric, and I returning to the Sheraton for one more game
of Unmatched. (By the way, I won every Unmatched game I played and Eric lost
all of his. I felt bad).
The banner that welcomed attendees to the worship service.
Sunday began with the Christian Gamers Guild’s
worship service, which is always a highlight of the weekend. It’s not often I’m
in a room full of fellow Christian nerds worshipping God. I was then in the
dealer hall from 10am-4pm. Eric and Gort left early, so I alone was left to
tear down and return everything to my car (which was in the cheapest parking
garage I could find). The shelving I brought was too cumbersome, so a pair of
Good Samaritans from Texas named Jim and Kathy helped me get everything there.
I never would’ve made it myself. I gave them free books as a thank you,
although Kathy had to insist that they take them.
Trogdor the Board Game!!
Wanting a little downtime
before the two-hour drive back to Fort Wayne, I met up with Darrin, his wife
Michelle, and one of their friends. We tried to find a meet-up but were unable
to find them, so we set up in the lobby and played “Trogdor the Board Game!!”
As a fan of the Homestar Runner website,
I loved it. I’m happy to say we won—everything was burninated!
With that, I drove home.
It wasn’t the best year
of the con (my fellow authors and I have some things we want to discuss with
the managers of Authors Avenue), but it was still a good time.
It’s been a while, hasn’t
it, True Believers? I know I say this a lot, but please accept my apologies. I
was hard at work finishing my first year as a graduate student. If you’ve been following
me on social media, though, you know that I’ve picked up on writing Hope’s War and editing my novella for Children
of the Wells. That and a secret project will be my primary works this
summer. Stay tuned for more!
Speaking of summer….
A few months ago I wrote
that I would be going to G-Fest XXVI but as a panelist and not a vendor. I’ll
once again be part of “The Art of Kaiju Writing” panel and joining the panel
discussion of the upcoming Godzilla: King of the Monsters.
More importantly, though…
Promotional image for G-Fest XXVI. (Courtesy of www.G-Fan.com).
I’M HOSTING MY OWN PANEL!
I and my friend/fellow
writer Danny DiManna of the Godzilla Novelization
Project will be presenting on Toho screenwriters Shinichi Sekizawa and
Takeshi Kimura, who wrote many of the studio’s tokusatsu films from the 1950s-1970s.
(You probably heard me talking about them a lot on Kaijuvision
Radio). The fandom talks a lot about directors, actors, and composers, and
rightfully so, but almost never about screenwriters, which is a shame. Danny
and I hope to fill in that gap.
Here’s the description of
the panel you’ll see in the convention program:
Most of Toho’s classic tokusatsu films started with scripts penned by the Showa era creative team’s unsung heroes, Shinichi Sekizawa and Takeshi Kimura. Join Nathan Marchand (professional writer and co-creator of Kaijuvision Radio) and Daniel DiManna (creator/author of the Godzilla Novelization Project) as they explain how these polar opposite storytellers revolutionized the kaiju genre.
Friday 12pm (Kennedy Room): Sekizawa and Kimura: A Tale of Two Screenwriters Saturday 3pm (Ballroom 1): Godzilla: King of the Monsters Saturday 4pm (Kennedy Room): The Art of Kaiju Writing
You spent 42 days finding the Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything, and now Nerd Chapel founderEric Anderson and I are proud to unveil the amazing cover art by Ruth Pike-Miller for the next step in your journey: The New 42: God Terraforms All Things.
The one constant in the
universe (besides the fact that everything freezes) is change. Good change, bad
change, and everything in between. Even in our favorite nerd/geek franchises.
DC Comics is (in)famous for hitting the cosmic reset button every few decades.
The movie theatre is full of re-imaginings of nostalgic entertainment. Even
video games aren’t immune to this. But now you may feel like God Himself hit
that reset button on your life. Has it left you lost and confused? Take heart!
God wants to give you a new direction. In these pages you will learn how to
navigate change with the help of a scarred samurai, some heroic robots, and the
world’s most famous kaiju, among many others.
Your next 42-day quest awaits!
The grand book release will be at Muskecon in Muskegon, Michigan, on March 23, 2019. Eric and I will be selling and signing copies. The book will then be available as a paperback and e-book on Amazon.
It dawned on me that I’ve been on a lot more podcasts since the last time
I indexed them, so I figured I’d update that list for all of you. For most of
these, I appeared as a guest or guest host, discussing everything from
storytelling to video games to Godzilla (no surprise, right? Heck, I’ve kinda
become the “kaiju guy” in most of my circles, and with good reason).
Admittedly, there are few not listed here. I recorded a podcast with
Zachery Oliver for “Theology Gaming” that was lost when he had computer
problems. The same thing happened with “The Bestselling Fiction Podcast” hosted
by Dan Dynneson.
Titles with an asterisk (*) were on the original list.
Happy listening!
Kaijuvision Radio
This is a podcast I co-created with Brian Scherschell on “the appreciation of giant monster movies and the discovery of their historical and cultural value.” I was the co-host for season one (episodes 1-36 plus two interviews), but sadly I had to step down before season two. I’m proud of the work I did on the show, so I obviously I’d love it if all of you listened to it. Even if you’re not into kaiju but enjoy learning about Japan, it’s a great podcast to listen to. Here’s the website.
Geek Devotions
(NEW!) This is a ministry headed by Dallas and Celeste Mora—“a pair of devoted geeks devoted to letting people know they are loved”—that uses nerd culture as outreach. They have a podcast, Comm Talk, a YouTube channel, and a website. Dallas was one of KVR’s first fans and promoters, so he invited us onto the YouTube channel for an interview as part of King of the Monsters Month in October 2017.
The Weekly Hijack* A “spin-off” podcast from “Derailed Trains of Thought” that discusses TV shows. -Episode 27: Doctor Who – The Magician’s Apprentice – I discuss the season nine premiere of Doctor Who with Nick Hayden, Tim Deal, and several others. (Scroll through the episode listing to find it).
Strangers and Aliens A show about faith, fantasy, and science fiction co-hosted by my buddy Ben Avery, who’s a comic writer
Theology Gaming University* A show about Christianity and video games.
–Podcast #58 – Video Games Inspiring Other Media – Theology Gaming – My friend Eric Anderson and I discuss video game adaptations to other media with host Zachery Oliver. –Podcast #62 – I discuss why gamers replay video games they’ve already played with host Zachery Oliver and TGU regular Bryan Hall. –TG Sessions #9 – Cheapness (I.e., You’re Not Special) – Zachery Oliver and I discuss what makes certain things “cheap” in both single-player and multiplayer video games. –TG Sessions #10 – Batman’s Fifty Shades of White Privilege – Remember when this video made me a troll magnet? I also incurred the wrath of trolls about an essay I wrote for TGU. Zachery Oliver and I discuss all of this. –Podcast #72 – One in a Mijinion – I join Zachery Oliver and Roberto Iraheta 20 minutes in, and in our ramblings we set out to solve a very important mystery: What the heck is an Infinity Mijinion? (In case you don’t know, that’s a Mega Man boss).
Forever Classic Podcast (NEW!) This is a show
that “seeks enlightenment through video games” started by my former colleague
Alex McCumbers (from my GigaGeek Magazine
days). Here’s their main website.
–Episode 11: Kaiju Games With Nathan Marchand –
Remember what I said about being the kaiju guy? Anyway, Alex invited me on to
talk about two of my favorite things: giant monsters and video games. We
discuss existing kaiju games—past and present—and what we think would make for
a great kaiju game.
Redeemed Otaku (NEW!) A podcast created and hosted by Bex Smith that seeks to “redeem your love for anime by turning to the truth found only in God’s Word.” Follow the show on Facebook and Twitter.
–42 – My co-author Eric Anderson and I are interviewed about our nerd/geek devotional, 42: Discovering Faith through Fandom. –Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters – Bex has me on to discuss/review part one of the Godzilla anime trilogy. Being that its kaiju and anime, it was the perfect crossover. –Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle – I return to Redeemed Otaku—this time joined by my fellow Godzilla fan Eric Anderson—to discuss/review part two of the Godzilla anime trilogy (that has a title weirdly similar to a class Star Trek episode). –Godzilla: The Planet Eater – In one of the best English-language analyses of the entire Godzilla anime trilogy, Bex, Eric, and I breakdown part three and put the other films into perspective. It truly is the best episode of Redeemed Otaku yet! (Don’t take my word for it—that’s what Bex said!)
This makes me miss having my own
podcast.
Do you have a podcast? What’s it
about? Would you be interested in having me on?
I
haven’t blogged in several months. Wow. Grad school (and other things) ate up
that much of my time. This shall be remedied!
I’m keeping it simple
today, but this is something I’ve been meaning to mention for a while. I have
several appearances scheduled for this spring and summer that I wanted to make
sure you knew about, True Believers. Keep in mind, though: This list is subject
to change. I could easily add (or subtract) more as the year progresses.
Regardless…
MuskeCon 3.0
A small and relatively
new comic and toy convention held in Muskegon, Michigan. I’ll be tabling there
next door to my friend/co-author Eric
Anderson. It’ll be a big deal because we plan to unveil our second
nerd/geek devotional, The New 42: God
Terraforms All Things, at the show. (More details to follow). The show will
be held March 23, 2019, from 10AM-6PM at
the Holiday Inn Muskegon Harbor.
You can learn more about
the show on its Facebook
page.
G-Fest XXVI
I plan to make my third trip to America’s premiere Godzilla and kaiju convention, which will be held July-12-14, 2019, at the Crowne Plaza Chicago O’Hare in Rosemont, Illinois. I won’t be tabling there, but I’ll be part of several panels, and I’ve applied to host my own (again, more details to follow). I’ll have books with me to sell, though, in case anyone wants to buy some.
Learn more about the show
on its website.
(Early bird pricing ends February 28!)
Gen-Con 52
It wouldn’t be summer
without a trip to Gen-Con! I make my eighth straight appearance to “the Four
Best Days in Gaming” Aug. 1-4, 2019, at
the Indiana Convention Center in downtown Indianapolis. I’ll be tabling in
their Authors Avenue, selling and signing books, as usual, but I’ll be making
the rounds to some events throughout the weekend, too. Hopefully, Eric Anderson
and many of my other friends/writers will be joining me.
