Though set in a utopian future, Nathan Marchand's first book, "Pandora's Box", started more than five years in the past.
Born in Fort Wayne in 1983, the son of Joe and Tina, he was homeschooled growing up. For college he went to Taylor University in Fort Wayne from 2002 to 2006.
But six months prior to beginning college, the genesis for the book came to him after listening to an O.C. Supertones album. He was trying to think of a short story for a writing contest to win some scholarship money. The album featured the song "Pandora's Box".
He read the linear notes about the Greek myth. There were headlines in the news at the time about gun control. His thought was that gun control wouldn't cut down crime because the problem is people.
That got him thinking about a futuristic society where governments get rid of all weapons of mass destruction to stop wars. That only leads to the rise of "the Overlord" behind the New Iron Curtain and global war. Marchand said the Overlord is like the next Hitler.
"A lot of things grew out of that," he said during a recent interview.
The book came in stops and spurts.
A month before college, he finished two-thirds of the rough draft. He shared it with people, but he didn't get back to it while he was busy at Taylor. He questioned his own writing ability in college.
"I just felt like I was among giants and I couldn't compete," he said.
After graduating college, he went back to the book. The rough draft was finished in January 2007. But then he got a real job.
In that summer, he started sending copies of his book out to friends. By fall, he was sending it out to publishers. He finally found a publisher out of Calgary, Canada, that didn't require him to have an agent. The publisher was interested in "intelligent" sci-fi, Marchand said.
After sending the publisher his book, he waited eight to nine months to call them. A few more months passed and he called them again. They said they would look for it.
By early 2008, Marchand called again and the publishing company had found it. They requested more chapters. Then eventually the rest of the book.
Through the rest of 2008 and into 2009, Marchand was calling them on a regular basis, sometimes once a week.
By September 2009, he said his book was to the head of the publishing house. In February 2010, Marchand was told his book would be published on the company's imprint Absolute Xpress.
Marchand said the key to getting his first book published was being "tenacious. It will pay off in the long run."
A few weeks ago, Marchand got a copy of "Pandora's Box".
His book sells on amazon.com for $19.95.
Besides trying to convince bookstores to carry his book, Marchand said he's talking with local libraries to include his book in their collections. The publishing company also is working with online bookstores to carry his book, he said.Book signings for his book are scheduled for Nov. 13 at North Webster Community Public Library; Dec. 4 at Syracuse Library; and Dec. 11 at Warsaw Community Public Library, according to Marchand.
For more information about Marchand and his book, visit his website at ww.nathanjsmarchand.com
