Nathaniel Danes is a self-diagnosed
sci-fi junkie and, according to his wife, has an over active imagination.
Mostly blind, he writes to create universes where he has no limitations. He
lives with his wife and daughter in the Washington, DC area.
Author Links:
Website: www.nathanieldanes.com
Book Links:
Amazon
(Pre-Order): http://www.amazon.com/Last-Hero-Nathaniel-Danes-ebook/dp/B00NI5UGPI/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1410517044&sr=1-1&keywords=the+last+hero
Nathanial has dropped by to talk about his book - The Last Hero
Contact with a race of pacifists convinces mankind to lay down its
weapons and keep the peace. The last Medal of Honor recipient, Trent Maxwell,
trades glory for the comforts of a family after the U.S. Army disbands. All
that ends when an alien menace attacks the New Earth colony, which forces a
crash mobilization. Trent finds himself reactivated and traveling through space
to distant worlds, in order to stop this new enemy. During the century long
journey of death, love, and loss, he also deals with the law of relativity that
wreaks havoc with his daughter.
Excerpt:
Trent knelt down where Anna could
throw her arms around his neck. She pulled against him tight and started crying
again. Tears rolled down his face as he whispered, “I love you more than you
can understand. I’m sorry.”
Her cries downed out his soft
words.
After a minute, Trent summoned all
of his strength to break free of her hold. Standing, he shared a look with
Madison. She wrapped him in a loving, warm hug.
This time she did the whispering,
“Remember what I told you. Make them pay.”
He pulled away, nodding as he
placed his hand on Anna’s sobbing head.
“I’ll see you both again someday.
I promise.” The words bound him to a promise he wasn’t sure he could keep.
The Last Hero, I had to write it
I never thought I'd write a book. Heck, for most
of my life, getting beyond page three of any school writing project felt like a
Herculean task. I think the difference between now and then, is my writing
doesn't feel forced, it's like the story is there, I just need to get it out. Maybe
that's the difference between writing what you want as opposed to what you have
to.
Thinking about it now, it almost feels as if The
Last Hero grew organically rather than having been written. My over
active imagination, love for military history, science fiction addiction,
blindness, failed military career, daughter, and more were filtered through my
fingers onto the page. It's a nexus where several pieces of my life came
together. Believe me, that sounds far easier than it was.
I've always used my imagination as an escape
hatch from life. As far back as I can remember I'd bolt from mundane situations
in my mind, transporting myself to excitement and adventure. I'm sure most kids
do this, but I've never stopped. Today, I do this as a coping
mechanism. I'm losing my sight to a genetic disorder, reason for my failed
military career, and I find it relaxing to drift off into worlds where I don't
have that limitation.
These fantasies were always content to live inside
my head until I read The Forever War. That classic sparked something
inside me. Science fiction has always been my preferred genre for TV and
movies, but as far as books go, I used to only read military history. After
stumbling upon The Forever War everything changed. I couldn't read
enough military science fiction and those stories in my head started to become
restless.
I also can't understate the importance of my
daughter's birth in helping to shape the story in my first novel. There are a
select few things I truly love in his world, my wife for one, so the feeling
isn't foreign to me. However, I honestly wasn't prepared for the body blow of
raw emotion, of pure unconditional love, I felt the second I held my baby girl
for the first time. From then on, I couldn't imagine a universe that she wasn't
a part of, where that incredible connection didn't exist. Her presence in my
life enriched and brought depth to my fantasy worlds. She brought meaning and
purpose to them.
Literally bursting at the seams, I had to get
the stories out. So, I started to write and write, then I rewrote and rewrote.
Before I knew it, a few years had passed and I'd written four books. Finally, I
decided to try and get one published. Fortunately, Solstice Publishing saw fit
to give me a chance and agreed to release the The Last Hero.
If you read my book, I hope you enjoy it and can
feel the passion that went into its creation. It will be the first of many, I
don't have a choice, the stories have to come out.
.
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