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My Overdue Gen-Con 2015 Report

by Nathan Marchand
September 11, 2015

It’s been over a month since I attended Gen-Con 2015, yet I haven’t written about it until now. Writing is a busy life.

Regardless, I attended Gen-Con and sold books in its Authors’ Avenue for the fourth year in a row. For those who don’t know, Gen-Con is a long-running gaming convention that takes place in Indianapolis, Indiana. It has a strong writer/literary presence, hence why it has a Writer’s Symposium and the Authors’ Avenue, where independent authors can sell their books.

Coming up with a new blog for Gen-Con when I wrote a four-part series on it for my own website will be a challenge. If you want the full details, check out my website. With this blog I will focus more on Children of the Wells and give a few noteworthy highlights. (more…)

September 11, 2015 - Tags: , , , Posted in: Blogs

‘Children of the Wells’ Returns to Gen-Con!

By Nathan Marchand
August 7, 2014

Have I ever mentioned I love conventions? Particularly the nerdy variety? They’re what I imagine Heaven will be like. Well, at least my little corner of Heaven will be like that.

Anyway, I’ll be returning to Gen-Con this month. I went there last year with some promotional materials for Children of the Wells—which were all gone by day three of the four-day con! That was back when we were only posting stories online. Now with print books available, I’ll have something tangible to share with would-be fans of our audacious saga. (more…)

August 7, 2014 - Tags: , , , , Posted in: Blogs

Join Us at Fantasticon Fort Wayne!

by Nathan Marchand
October 27, 2016

s4-ep10-imageI’ve written several blogs about my annual trips to Gen-Con in Indianapolis, especially when I started selling Children of the Wells books there. This weekend I’m going to a local, smaller convention in Fort Wayne, Indiana, called Fantasticon. I’ll be selling all my books, including CotW volumes, but what makes this special is I’ll be joined by my partners in crime, Nick Hayden, Eric Anderson, and Jarod Marchand. With it being Halloween weekend, I may as well wear my Captain America costume and say, “Avengers assemble!”

Yes, that’s right—my cohorts will be with me. Nick will be selling his own books, including The Unremarkable Squire and a new short story collection, as well as Children of the Wells. Eric will be promoting his ministry Nerd Chapel and selling our devotional, 42: Discovering Faith Through Fandom. My brother Jarod will be selling his artwork, which includes some illustrations he’s made for my stories. This will be Nick and Jarod’s first times as vendors. Previously, Nick and I have gone to author fairs together and Jarod has been my assistant at Gen-Con. We’re all getting tables next to each other, so you can easily get autographs from us.

Fantasticon is a traveling convention that’s gone to several locations in Michigan (where it started) and Ohio since February. Fort Wayne is its first and only stop in Indiana. It’s being held at the Grand Wayne Center in downtown this Saturday and Sunday from 10am-6pm and 10am-5pm, respectively. Guests will include film directors Scott Russo and Scott Spiegel. A replica of the 1966 Batmobile will also be there.

According to the con’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.

Be there or be square!

 

October 27, 2016 - Tags: , , , Posted in: Blogs

Coming Soon to a TV Near You: ‘Children of the Wells: The Series’!

by Nathan Marchand
April 1, 2016

After months of secrecy, I’m proud to announce on behalf of all of us here at LocoNotion Media that Children of the Wells will be adapted into an epic TV series—once we choose one of the three offers we’ve received.

How’d this come about, you ask? Well, I get to rub shoulders with lots of people in showbiz whenever I go to Gen-Con and other conventions (did you think I just sold books and cosplayed at these events? Pshaw!), and since my networking skills border on being superpowers, I managed to get word around about our premiere contemporary post-apocalyptic fantasy series. Interestingly, I’ve been approached by three producers, who all came to me because they love our books. (It might also be because Nick is awesome). The only problem is…they all have some crazy ideas about how to adapt them to screen. (more…)

April 1, 2016 - Tags: , , , Posted in: Blogs

Better Late Than Never

By Nathan Marchand
September 4, 2014

I hate logistics. They annoy me.

Especially when I’m scrambling to make sure I have everything ready for this year’s Gen-Con. It was my third year selling books at the convention, and while I had loads of promotional materials for Children of the Wells last year, I had actual books to take with me this year! But we all know that old saying about the best laid plans. It goes hand-in-hand with Murphy’s Law.

Nick and Natasha, as usual, have insanely busy summers, so Nick didn’t place an order for Bron and Calea, Vol. 1 until the last possible minute. I figured he entered my address as the mailing destination, so I checked my mailbox every day in eager expectation. Nothing. Empty as the wells after the Cataclysm. Finally, the day before the convention arrived. My brother Jarod and I needed to leave for Indianapolis to set up our table at the Indiana Convention Center. I wasn’t sure how long we had for that. Nick told me the package was coming via UPS, not the mail—and he used his address, not mine!

👿
(more…)

September 4, 2014 - Tags: , , , , Posted in: Blogs

Back to the Grind

By Nick Hayden
August 14, 2014

Honestly, I almost forgot to write this blog.

The last two weeks of July consisted of leading 18 youth at a youth conference, followed by a family vacation. Both were enjoyable–but one thing I purposely do when away, especially on vacation, is sever myself from my usual concerns and duties. So I read and played with the kids and generally relaxed.

Then I returned to real life. Last week was catch-up week.

But, you know, I enjoyed that, too. I was ready to get back to work. I wanted to get my desk cleaned up, wanted to begin again on all those projects I’d put on pause. Among which was finalizing this little thing:

Bron-vol1-final

You can get it on Amazon now. It collects The Select’s Bodyguard, The Doctor’s Assistant, and The Wells’ Orphan in a nice, stylish paperback. I have always preferred print books to ebooks, so I’m excited to have a copy of this sitting near me as I type.

Oh, and there was a bit of a crunch getting some freshly printed copies to Nathan at GenCon, but we’ve figured it out now. I think.

So, anyway, that’s why I almost forgot to write this blog. But now I’m ready to push forward. The next Jaysynn novel, New Wells Rising, is this close to being done. The sequel to The Well’s Orphan is on its way. And I’m ready to start cracking the whip again.

Thank my two weeks off–and go buy a copy of Bron & Calea, Volume 1, while you’re at it.

August 14, 2014 - Tags: , , , , Posted in: Blogs

‘Children of the Wells’ Enjoys the Best Four Days of Gaming

By Nathan Marchand 
September 6, 2013

I’m a shameless self-promoter, as I’m sure you’ve noticed. However, I’m also a shameless promoter for fellow writers and their works (which Nick appreciates since he’s a better writer than promoter). Sometimes I wonder if I missed my calling as a salesman or a literary agent…maybe.

That’s one of many reasons why I love going to Gen-Con, a huge convention held in Indianapolis every August. The event has been around for over 45 years. It’s held in the Indiana Convention Center. It started as a gaming convention (board games, RPGs, etc.) but has expanded to include a little bit of everything that appeals to the nerd/geek community. It’s possible to see the Joker meditate while Link from The Legend of Zelda plays his ocarina (seriously, I saw that happen!). No wonder its tagline is “the best four days of gaming.” (more…)

September 6, 2013 - Tags: , Posted in: Blogs