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Nate Kenyon

Nate Kenyon

Nate Kenyon grew up in a small town in Maine with dark nights and long winters to feed his interest in writing. He earned a BA in English from Trinity College in Hartford, CT in 1993, winning awards in playwriting and fiction. His first novel, Bloodstone, was released by Thomson Gale imprint Five Star in January 2006. The novel received raves...more »
  • Ma, USA
  • member since November 2006

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Nate Kenyon’s last login was 2 hours ago.

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Public Notes

  • zapfogldorf

    zapfogldorf says

    You're not kidding! It isn't as cold as it's going to get here yet but it is coming.

    We were thinking of going to the Dominican. You have any ideas for your destination?

    posted 2 days ago. ( send a note )
  • zapfogldorf

    zapfogldorf says

    Always a good idea to take a break now and then. My wife and I are trying to plan a honeymoon (only almost 12 years after the fact) sometime next year. We would really like to go somewhere with white sand and blue water. All inclusive too.

    We've got a few more weeks of work before the shutdown for the rest of the year but other than that we have the tree up, the living room is decorated and we're done shopping for the most part. Things are going pretty well all around!

    posted 2 days ago. ( send a note )
  • zapfogldorf

    zapfogldorf says

    Hey there, Nate! How are things going? You've probably written six new novels, 10 new short stories and you're probably on your way on a bunch more!

    Happy Holidays!!

    posted 3 days ago. ( send a note )
  • zapfogldorf

    zapfogldorf says

    Great! Feedback is a good thing for sure. And it's good that you're getting that feedback from friends because they will just read and enjoy and from writers because they have a different insight into it than those that have not written stories of that magnitude.

    Hectic is good since it revolves around you writing. Hopefully you get some really big news soon.

    posted 2 months ago. ( send a note )
  • zapfogldorf

    zapfogldorf says

    Of course. I guess I should have just figured that it would take some time. After all, the review just came out. Ah well. If it take a bit then it takes a bit. As long as you hear something positive soon!

    Another short story for another anthology and a new novel and the sequel to THE REACH. Wow. A lot of writing coming up for you. I'll tell you, hearing that there may be a sequel to a book that isn't available yet makes me REALLY want to read it! I wanted to before but now I REALLY want to.

    How are you doing? How is your family?

    posted 2 months ago. ( send a note )
  • zapfogldorf

    zapfogldorf says

    Consistency is important. The bio is turning into a story of it's own. I'm not sure why but it's something. And there are other pieces of the story that are coming out of it and there are also some characters that are coming out of it too. I don't know if those characters will show up again but they are important to the things that happened before "now". And maybe after "now". I don't know yet.

    Any progress in the possible film arena? I mean, any offers made? And how is the writing coming? Any new pieces on the horizon?

    posted 2 months ago. ( send a note )
  • zapfogldorf

    zapfogldorf says

    Vague? Sure but there are still some answers there. At least it's narrowed down a little. Is writing the screenplay something you would enjoy doing? Have you done it before? I guess that TV or big screen won't really matter at this point. To have it made into either would be such an amazing accomplishment!

    Well, from my meager end of things I have maybe 2K more words than I did before. That is for the story itself but the bio I started to write for one of my characters is evolving for some reason. I'm just going with it to see where it goes. Maybe I can meld the two soon. Right now there are gaps between them. But, they're both interesting. To me, anyway. That bio is another 3K or so (I think). Time is my biggest issue right now. I'm having to write at coffee time at work and in the few moments that I get to myself when I get home. At least it's moving forward. And maybe, just maybe, I'll finish it one day.

    Well, I hope that something gets stirred up for you with THE REACH and the on screen possibilities be it big screen or small screen. And I hope that whichever it turns out to be that it generates more open doors for you as well. It's very exciting for me to hear about it! I can't imagine what it must be like for you, even though you say you're trying not to get your hopes up. I don't suppose you can help thinking "what if?". Besides, you're a man of deep imagination and you probably can't turn it off either.

    posted 2 months ago. ( send a note )
  • zapfogldorf

    zapfogldorf says

    Well, I'll get hopes up for you then, if that's okay. I hope it not only generates interest but that it actually gets picked up and produced as a film. With big stars! And a huge budget!

    If that were to happen (a film), how much input will you have in the translation to a screenplay? How much input will you have in general? And would it be a made for TV movie or a big screen blockbuster?

    posted 2 months ago. ( send a note )
  • zapfogldorf

    zapfogldorf says

    Hey, that's great! And that blurb is very enthusiatic.

    I'd prefer a hardcover but if the only way that I can read THE REACH is as a paperback I'll take it! I really do think that one day you will be a name that CAN sell a schwack of hardcovers. Until then, paperback will do.

    Are you keeping all the issues that have reviewed you? Probably. I would. Great reminders that you can do it during those times when you want to give it up and do something else.

    I'm happy and excited for you! And I hope that it isn't too far down the road that the benefits of it show up. Soon, people will be anxiously waiting for the next best selling Nate Kenyon novel... and the next... and the next... and you'll have to get your small farm and piece of land to retreat to when your fame won't allow you to go to the grocery store to get milk! I know it's not really about all that for you... but it would be nice, wouldn't it?

    posted 2 months ago. ( send a note )
  • zapfogldorf

    zapfogldorf says

    Hey Nate. I thought you'd like to know that I'm trying to push through my troubles. It's not the best stuff but its something. I'm trying to write whenever I can. So far so good.

    Thanks for the pep talk... :0)

    posted 2 months ago. ( send a note )
  • zapfogldorf

    zapfogldorf says

    Oh I was blindsided by the reveal alright. I was sitting on the couch reading while my wife was watching something on TV. When I read that part I said out loud "they're brother and sister!" She just looked at me as though I'm crazy and carried on. She doesn't like that kind of story so she wasn't really interested in the ins and outs of it like I was. There were some flavors of a deeper connection than kidnapper/kidnapee but that wasn't what I was expecting at all. I was interested in both of them actually. They struck me as such a great couple even though at first it seemed like a bit of Stockholm syndrome. Even if it was, I still think it would have worked.

    It's also very cool to have read that book and been speaking with the author. That isn't something that I'm privy to most of the time.

    I wanted to ask you about Dick Pritchard. Did you create that name or does it come from a person or people that you know? Richard Pritchard. It made me laugh when I said it. I've seen a few names that are like that lately. Edward Edwards, Justin Case... names like that. There was a show on that had someone working on the crew named Utit. Tell me that doesn't make you giggle a bit.

    Is The Reach being released as a hardcover? I hope so because I prefer to read hardcover. I don't know why I just do.

    Well it shows that you enjoyed writing the letters because, even if they aren't exactly right, they feel very authentic.

    posted 2 months ago. ( send a note )
  • zapfogldorf

    zapfogldorf says

    I guess we're always our worst critics. I look at some of the designs that I've done over the years and think to myself that I got away with one because there is no way that people would go for such horrible pieces. But they did and they still do. And you're right, perfection is impossible because there is always something that you can do differently to make the artwork or the story or the sketch or the painting better. But that one thing changes something else and more changes need to be made to accommodate the original change and so on and so on. Part of what we were taught in college was to try and decide when enough is enough. Much harder to do than to say though, that's for sure.

    You're right again. Ignoring the voices that say it's not good enough is key. Really difficult to do, however. With designing, sometimes there is no choice but to send out the proofs even if you think they stink. A deadline is a deadline. Besides all that you never know what the client is going to say about what they see. And if they don't see something they like they'll usually give you another shot at it anyway.

    I don't know about confidence but I can push through the tough stuff. It has to be done. And where writing is concerned I would really like to finish something that has some depth and content. Something with more than twenty pages, you know. For me. If my family liked it that would be enough. But then again they have to like it because they're obligated... :)

    I finished Bloodstone last night, by the way. I am most impressed. Despite their biological relationship being closer than they thought it was I still felt so bad for Angel because she didn't know about the biological relationship. And Billy finally got to do something that allowed him to, in his mind anyway, make up for what he'd done. It was a very fun read though. The letters were especially great to read because of the language and cadence that you wrote them in. The only thing missing was faded, yellowing and brittle writing paper! Awesome. I can't wait to read The Reach!

    posted 3 months ago. ( send a note )
  • zapfogldorf

    zapfogldorf says

    Sorry. I was at work yesterday when I replied and I wasn't finished. :)

    I work in a sign shop so I design a lot of signage but we also do tradeshow displays, retractable displays and we've done brochures and fridge magnets as well. I've also designed some identity for some companies that were just starting out and needed some branding. I've worked with one client on his CD inserts and a poster for the launch of that CD. I did some work for a new construction company here and I've worked with a couple of entrepreneurs with some new ideas. I've also do photo editing which is sometimes unusual. For example, a friend of mine asked me to combine two photos from her sisters wedding. In one they both looked good but the train of her dress was behind the trees and couldn't be seen. In there other he had is eyes closed and was making a weird face but the train looked amazing so they wanted me to put the good train into the photo where they looked good. Took a bit of magic but I got it done and no one was the wiser.

    posted 3 months ago. ( send a note )
  • zapfogldorf

    zapfogldorf says

    So a new contract has a lot to do with promotion and readers. There are so many books out there. How do you get someone to give your book a chance when there are so many to choose from?

    Basically you have to knock it out of the park on your first try in order to be able to continue as a published author then. Or at least do well enough that people read your stories and then are curious enough to pick up the next title. Sounds like you may not get a second chance at it if people don't like it to begin with. Ouch. That is brutal.

    Well, you're a celebrity to me, Nate. I don't know anyone else that has a novel in print, available for the masses and with more on the way. And one day, who knows, someone might make one of your stories into a blockbuster movie or something.

    There are some people in the shop that I work in that like horror and like to read. I've been telling them about Bloodstone and showing them the book too. Hopefully they get a copy and pass on the good word to others as well. I hope it helps. I will definitely be supporting your other efforts as well with purchases of my own. I'll have to tell my wife to keep her eyes open for The Reach then, if it's available in November. I would very much like it as a hardcover if it's available that way. I prefer them to paperbacks.

    I do love the creating... hey, I'm a creative guy. I guess it's the perfection that just isn't there at the beginning that bugs me. When I was 19 my parents bought me a drum kit. Pearl Black Yamaha 10 piece kit. It was gorgeous! I loved it and I really wanted to play. But I sucked at it. I took lessons (which actually turned into therapy because we talked more than played) and I never did learn how to play. The reason was because I wanted to be good at it right then. Not later, after practicing for days and weeks and months and years. Now. I didn't want to do the work between being crappy and being good. So, when I was 29 I realized that if I had just stuck with it, done the work over the 10 years that had passed, that I would be good. Maybe even great. I regret not using the time between then and now learning how to play the drums. I really don't want to be in the same place where writing is concerned, 10 years down the road; where I think to myself that if I had just done it, good or bad, just done it start to finish, it would be done and I would know for sure if I could do it or not. That is the question that I want to answer. Can I do it? Not can I publish it.

    Creating is what I do. I have a short story that needs some revision and polishing. I should work on that because at the moment it's achievable. Actually I have a few that are in that state. I'm tired of saying "maybe one day".

    posted 3 months ago. ( send a note )
  • zapfogldorf

    zapfogldorf says

    So, when it's a new contract and negotiations ensue, do they consider how well the other titles that you've released did? What criteria do they have during negotiations? And what is being negotiated? The number of books for the new contract? I assume that your commitment and their commitment are put on paper for both parties to agree on.

    Oh I'm enthusiastic about it all right! It's very cool talking to you and hearing about how your writing career is progressing. Heck, you're a celebrity, man! And it's especially great to hear that things are going so well!

    Forgive my confusion there. I mixed up the titles of the books you have up and coming and yet to be sold. The Reach is the one that I'll be purchasing in January (I think). And you'd mentioned The Bone Factory as well. I mistook Riding the Wire for The Reach. Thought that was the one coming out in January. I don't really care which one it is... I'll get it either way.

    What do I mean I'm not author material? Well, I guess the honest answer is that my imagination is just stunted I guess. I have what I think are these brilliant ideas about what would be a good story but there isn't enough substance to create one of decent length. There isn't enough for the dust jacket. Plus, I'm too picky and critical and self beating to stick with it and get it done. I write a bit, read it over and think "wow, that bites", I get discouraged and leave it sitting. And when I try to pick it up again, it beats me. I get in my own way. I mean, I have trouble finding time just to read a story let alone write one. So, I suppose in answer to the second part of your question, it's a defeatist attitude. I wish it weren't so but, alas, Nate my friend, you will have to be the author. I will be the faithful reader and maybe one day I could design the cover for one of your best sellers.

    posted 3 months ago. ( send a note )
  • zapfogldorf

    zapfogldorf says

    I thought you only had a two book deal with Leisure... does this mean that they've extended your contract?

    On a different topic altogether, have you noticed that your notes aren't being updated properly? I have to go to your profile and look under the public notes to see if there are any new ones. They don't show up on my main page when I log in.

    posted 3 months ago. ( send a note )
  • zapfogldorf

    zapfogldorf says

    Nate, that is awesome, man! That is really, really great! I'll be buying RIDING THE WIRE for sure and I'll be sure to tell everyone I know about it. And I'll be looking fo r THE BONE FACTORY when it's available too!

    I'm impressed. You're going to be huge one day. Stephen King huge I think.

    I've realized that I'm not author material and I should probably stick to graphics. At least I know what I'm doing. And it's a brilliant thing that there are people like you who can start and finish great stories and are willing to share them with those of us that can't do it for ourselves. I think I may have said this already but thank you for sharing your gift.

    Hey, get to work on the next one for them! How did the sci-fi piece go?

    posted 3 months ago. ( send a note )
  • Nate Kenyon

    Nate Kenyon says

    Things are well. My thriller RIDING THE WIRE finally goes out to publishers next week from by agent, so I have my fingers crossed for a big positive response. We'll see...I don't know if I told you, but Leisure bought my third novel, THE BONE FACTORY, last week so I will have a third hitting shelves in July 09. Time to get moving on the next one for them!

    posted 3 months ago. ( send a note )
  • zapfogldorf

    zapfogldorf says

    I know what you mean about the episodes being so short. And there is an ad after every two episodes which is annoying. You can watch all of them now though. I didn't even know about it until the last episode was available so I didn't have to wait. It's like watching LOST after it's available on DVD instead of waiting a week in between.

    How are things on the writing field?

    posted 3 months ago. ( send a note )
  • Nate Kenyon

    Nate Kenyon says

    Hey--I watched the first couple of episodes and it looked interesting, but didn't have time to go through them all. I have to check it out. Each episode is so short, it drives me nuts--but if I can watch them all at once, I think that would be fun.

    posted 3 months ago. ( send a note )


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