Category Archives: News

News, Announcements

The Best of NaPoWriMo 2012

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:

Fall
Funeral
So Far Away
Lamentations of a Robot Overlord
My Love, Our Crucible
Surgery
Farewell
Haiku 1 & Haiku 2
Writer’s Block
Waiting For Winter’s End
Slander
Haiku 3 & Haiku 4
Run
Warzone
Nonsense
Broken Wings
Avengers Assemble
Fortress of Solitude
Finding the Right Dance Partner

Which one(s) was (were) your favorite(s)? Were there any I left out that you think I should include? Why?

News, Announcements

NaPoWriMo (just try to pronounce it)

I learned on my friend Karen’s blog that April is National Poetry Writing Month (NaPoWriMo). The challenge is to write one poem a day, thereby having 30 completed poems by the end of the month. I’m going to participate even though I’m five days behind. So, for the next five days, I will write two poems a day so I can catch up. I’ll be posting each poem as the month progresses. I can’t promise that all the poems will be good. First, because I’m still refining my skill as a poet. Second, the tight deadline (and my schedule) leaves little time for editing. So please bear with me, readers. The poems I do like from this month will be added to the main list of poems in the “Nathan’s Works” tab.

Here goes nothin’!

News, Announcements

New short story posted–‘Wrestling’

I’m sorry, readers. I meant to post this story Friday, but life happened, and I was so busy all weekend. But better late than never.

The new story is entitled “Wrestling.” It’s a 1,000-word “magical realism” story about a small-time professional wrestler who is assailed by a mysterious opponent on the eve of going to court for a lawsuit. It was inspired by the movie, The Wrestler, starring Mickey Rourke, and by the story of Jacob wrestling with God in the Biblical book of Genesis. It came about because of a writer’s group challenge. I hope you enjoy it. Click here to read it.

I may post a few more poems this week. Stay tuned.

News, Announcements

Website working again; new poem posted

Yesterday, the server that hosts this website inexplicably shut down. It was down for over  a day. My apologies to you, my readers. Thankfully, it seems the problem(s) have been corrected.

Anyway, I wanted to announce I’ve posted another poem, as promised. This one is entitled “A Psalm,” and that’s exactly what it is. If you’re familiar with the Book of Psalms in the Bible, you’ll know what to expect. I wrote it in the style of a psalm translated into English, however it’s certainly not divinely-inspired Scripture. But then again, I’m sure there were many psalms that were written but not included in the Bible. Regardless, like many of the Biblical psalms, mine is a prayer for deliverance.

You can read more about psalms here.

You can read the poem here.

A new short story will be posted Friday!

News, Announcements

New stories and poems this week!

Hello, “True Believers”! (Stan Lee could sue me for how many times I steal that term). It’s been a while since I’ve posted any new stories or poems, so I decided I would post three new ones this week, starting today. The others will be posted Wednesday and Friday.

Today, I posted a poem entitled “Pearl of Great Price.” It’s a love poem, of sorts, written in a style akin to Biblical wisdom literature, such as the the book of Proverbs. However, the poem was inspired by Jesus Christ’s parable of the pearl (Matthew 13:44-46). You may notice several allusions to these works in the poem. Did I have someone in mind when I wrote it? That’s for me to know and you to find out later. Maybe.

Click here to read it.

News, Appearances, Announcements

I’m going to Gen-Con 2012

I just finished my registration for the Authors’ Avenue at Gen-Con 2012. I’ll be selling copies of my books there, including Pandora’s Box, Destroyer, and The Day After. The convention will be held August 16-19 at the Indianapolis Convention Center (ICC) in Indianapolis.

Gen-Con is one of the oldest and largest gaming conventions in the world for over 44 years. It showcases the latest movers and shakers in the gaming world and many related products. You can learn more about the convention and register to attend here.

Books, News, Announcements

‘Ninjas and Talking Trees’ submitted to Hades Publications

Long time, no update. My apologies, readers.

I have great news. As of last night, I completed the second draft of my fantasy/comedy novel, Ninjas and Talking Trees, and submitted it to Hades Publications, who published my first novel, Pandora’s Box, under their Absolute XPress imprint in 2010. Now I must wait and see if they are interested in publishing it.

This book tells the tale of 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.

You can read more about the humorous history of the story here. I also have a short story entitled “Bow to Your Sensei” that I wrote as a warm-up to the book several years ago for a blog contest. It’s posted here.

Stay tuned for more updates!

News, Announcements

New short story artwork for ‘The Hammer’

My brother Jarod has contributed yet another piece of excellent artwork for one of my short stories. This time it was for “The Hammer,” a science fiction story you can read here. The artwork portrays the hero, Matthias Maccabeus, punching out a disguised robot assassin. Check it out:

'The Finishing Blow' by Jarod Marchand

So, if you haven’t read the story yet, I hope you will now. Why would you pass up on excitement like this?

News, Appearances, Announcements

Book signing at Pete & Freddy’s Pages Aplenty

I’ve been meaning to post this for a while, so please forgive me for my delay.

I’m having a book signing this Saturday from 10AM-noon at Pete & Freddy’s Pages Aplenty, a small used bookstore in Mentone, Indiana. I’ll be signing all of my books, including Pandora’s Box, Destroyer, and The Day After. I was referred to this place by a co-worker at my part-time job, who told me his daughter runs the place.

Be there, or be square!