Hi, I’m Nathan. After some starts and stops and then more starts, I have settled on the genre I will remain dedicated to. That is the genre of crime fiction.

I have enjoyed writing every book. I didn’t begin writing until the age of 54, so I have been exposed to all kinds of stories. I especially love characters and dialog, so the world-building required in the fantasy stories of Wylie Westerhouse and Simon Morgenwraithe provided extra challenges.

I have found that contemporary crime fiction gives me the ability to deal with all the same human interactions, emotions, and adventures while concentrating on the characters. I’m having a blast with Casper Halliday, and I hope you are, too. Casper and his group are going to be with me for a long, long, time.

I am a long-time fan of books, TV, and movies that reach inside of us and tickle our emotions. In my favorite works, humor is woven throughout all human interaction; not necessarily laugh-out-loud humor, but humor that shines a light on the absurdity of the human condition while making us care about its participants.

If you have identified with Bill Murray’s journey through a succession of Groundhog Days, cheered for Rocky, Rudy, or Jerry Maguire as they fought against the odds, or fought back tears while knowing that the story is make-believe—we may just be on the same page.

You can reach me by email at nathanrodenbooks@gmail.com or nathan@nathanroden.com.

This is Toby. He has a role in my books as the roommate of Wylie Westerhouse. The “real” Toby is a West Highland Terrier, or “Westie”, and he was a shelter adoption.

Toby enjoys Chicken Jerky Strips—followed by short walks, long naps—and then more Chicken Jerky Strips.

Toby will likely never know of his inspiration for an important fictional character, but you should not feel sorry for him; he is rewarded handsomely and often for merely going to the bathroom outside.

Sadly, Toby left us a few months ago after a long and mostly healthy life.

This is Templeton. I have called him “Mr. Pendleton” since he moved in with us—for two reasons. Reason one was pretending not to understand what his name really was. Reason two was my love for the movie “Heaven Can Wait”.

There is a Mr. Pendelton in the very first book I ever wrote. The ficticious Mr. Pendelton was a Labrador Retriever.  I hope to revise and re-release that book one day.

Chihuahuas seem to be a polarizing breed of dog; people very much like them—or very much dislike them.

The Chihuahua breed was conceived many years ago, when a small group of under-educated and morally bankrupt scientists successfully mated a badger with a grasshopper.

This may or may not be true.

Mr. Pendelton’s career as a fictional character will no doubt hinge on the success of the Wylie Westerhouse series. I’m pulling for him.