Author Nathaniel Luscombe, who lives in Ontario, Canada, writes poems, short stories, and novellas. In addition to writing, he is working toward his degree in Business Marketing and he works as a string instrument wholesaler. In his free time, Nate likes to play Roblox with his siblings, listen to music, and shop (mostly for books). Self-described as creative, energetic, and loud, he likes to experiment in his writing, but enjoys weaving themes of truth and forgiveness within his story worlds. Let’s welcome Nate to today’s show!
Welcome Author Nathaniel Luscombe!
Q) Hi Nate! To get started, describe your writing style for readers.
A) It’s descriptive, poetic, wandering prose.
Q) Who will enjoy your stories and poems?
A) I think my stories are for anyone looking for a short, creative escape from reality. I love writing shorter things, and I know a lot of people are too busy to read thick novels. I think “The Planets We Become,” for example, holds almost as much of a punch as a long novel.
Works by Nathaniel
Q) Can you tell us about your works currently available to readers?
A) The two main books that I push on people are “The Planets We Become” and The Ones with Gilded Bones. The Planets We Become is one of my favorite things I’ve published so far. It first appeared in All the Vacant Places, but it’s now available as its own little paperback. It’s a science fiction short story about a girl on a planet who has to break a cycle of abuse. I really poured myself into it. The Ones with Gilded Bones is my longest published work so far. It’s a fantasy novella about two girls who begin to unlock the dark history of their island. It involves ships, lighthouses, jellyfish, and magical water creatures.
Aside from those, I’m in many anthologies. My favorite short story in an anthology would have to be “Distant Love” in Aphotic Love (run by Effie Joe Stock). It’s about a cult in space and two young people who want freedom. I’m also in What Darkness Fears and Fool’s Honor (run by Anne J. Hill and Lara E. Madden), The Depths We’ll Go To and The Heights We’ll Fly To (run by Alex Silvius), Among Other Worlds (run by me) and Sea Among Stars (run by me and Cheyenne van Langevelde), and some other anthologies. Too many to list! But if you check out my page on Goodreads, you can see them all there.
Books, Books, Books
Q) What was your most recent 5-star read and why?
A) I’m going to include my last two. They’re both books I hesitate to recommend here because of some of the content, but I’ll do it anyways. I’ve been in a huge sci-fi mood lately. Mostly because of my WIP (which I explain later in the interview). My two last five stars were back to back. It was Dead Station by Aaron Beardsell and The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers. Both of these are opposites in the sci-fi genre. One is space horror and the other is space…exploration and building friendships and a war, but it’s so beautiful. I want to write some scary, yet comforting science fiction. These both encapsulate my goal as a writer.
Themes and Tropes
Q) Do you incorporate similar themes or favorite tropes across your writing?
A) At this point in my life, I’m a very experimental author. I’m playing around with a lot of genres and characters and seeing how it goes for me. It’s a lot of fun! I think I most often include themes of forgiveness and finding truth/freedom. Those are two themes I find very important.
Q) Speaking of tropes, what is your favorite bookish trope? What about least favorite?
A) I am a simple person. My favorite trope is probably forced relationship (whether platonic or romantic) in any context. It could be two people that hate each other having to travel across a fantasy wasteland to save their world, or two people getting into an arranged marriage. The dynamics and exploration of relationships is so much fun. My least favorite trope is the misunderstanding trope. When characters do bad things based on assumptions that are wrong, I want to throw the book across the room. Always talk to the other person before making rash decisions.
But Wait, There’s More!
Q) Will you tell us about your current writing project?
A) I’m currently working on a sci-fi novella. It’s sitting at around 25k [words] right now, but I’m rewriting it before I write the end because I changed my mind part way through and I want to make sure I know the full story before I write the ending. It’s probably the thing I’m most proud of at this point in my life. It’s connected to “The Planets We Become,” and I get to further explore my desert planet and the broken people that live on it. It very much explores the concept of freedom and it involves me giving a lot of power to one character and letting them go wild with it. It has been such a joy to write.
Q) If you had a theme song for your life, what would it be and why?
A) “Add to the Beauty” by Sara Groves. It’s a beautiful song about adding to the beauty with everything you do. As a Christian, I believe that God created us to also create. In everything I do, I want to show His love and use my gift to reflect Him.
Nate’s Advice to Other Authors
Q) What advice can you share with other authors?
A) Create for yourself first. I went through a phase where I wanted to write something that would sell so I mapped out this basic fantasy and started writing it. It sent me into a writing slump because not even the potential of sales could get me interested in it. I think that I have to write the stories I want to see on my shelves, and currently I’m looking to fill some niche gaps on my shelves. That might limit my reach, but it makes me so happy to create in that way.
Closing Remarks
Q) Is there anything else you would like to add?
A) I want to thank you for asking me to be a part of this! Also, if you’re a reader looking to make some people very happy, consider supporting indie authors! Whether its requesting our books at libraries or buying them for yourself…or even telling people about us, we’re grateful for everything! It’s because of supporters like you that we’re even able to do this.
Connect with Author Nathaniel Luscombe
Readers can connect with author Nathaniel Luscombe on both Instagram (@hecticreadinglife) and TikTok (@nathanielluscombeauthor). Order your copy of The Ones with Gilded Bones here, and order your copy of “The Planets We Become” here.
Thank you for having me! It was so fun.
It was my pleasure! 😊