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.

News, Appearances, Announcements

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!

Vlog

But I Digress…, Episode 10: Top 5 Movies You’re Not Watching

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“But I Digress…”
Hosted by Nathan Marchand

This video is a week late (I’ll be posting about this issue soon), but now it’s done.

There are lots of good out there, but many of them go unnoticed by audiences. This is my short list of flicks that are underrated or under-watched. Do you agree? What movies are on your list? Let me me know in the comments!

Please subscribe, comment, and share!

News, Announcements

Nominate me for the Eugene and Maralyn Glick Indiana Author Award

Unbeknownst to me until I wandered into my local library and found bookmarks for such, there is an award given to Indiana authors every year. It’s the Eugene and Maralyn Glick Indiana Author Award.

According to the award’s website:

The Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana Authors Award was established when The Indianapolis Public Library Foundation received a generous grant from The Glick Fund, a fund of Central Indiana Community Foundation. This program seeks to recognize the contributions of Indiana authors to the literary landscape in Indiana and across the nation.

The Award categories are:

  • National Author – $10,000 prize: A writer with Indiana ties, but whose work is known and read throughout the country. The national author will be evaluated on their entire body of work.
  • Regional Author – $7,500 prize: A writer who is well-known and respected throughout the state of Indiana. The regional author will be evaluated on their entire body of work.
  • Emerging Author – $5,000 prize: A writer who has published no more than two books during his or her lifetime. The title(s) must have been published within the last 10 years. Emerging authors will be evaluated on these specific works.

In addition to a cash prize, each author’s Indiana hometown public library will receive a grant of $2,500 from the Library Foundation.

This means you can nominate me for the “emerging author” award.

Well, what are you waiting for, True Believers? Click here to nominate me!

A Man from Another Time Exploring Another Universe