From the Dentist’s Office to Otto's Portal: Nathan Jorgenson and the Stories That Connect Us| S5 EP235: Book Banter Podcast
- Dianne Burckhardt
- 2 days ago
- 7 min read
The Unexpected Journey of Nathan Jorgenson, from Lifelong Storyteller to Bestselling Author.
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Bleeped words (done to make sure we do not get censored anywhere): S3x (x3), sh0t, bl00d, b0mbs, k!lled
Hello My Happy People,
Nathan Jorgenson never planned to become a novelist. He spent nearly 40 years as a dentist, although writing and storytelling were already part of his life. He wrote for outdoor magazines and had always enjoyed telling stories with friends and family. Writing novels simply wasn’t something he had considered.
That changed when his father, who was also his best friend, became ill. Nathan had been reading to him and decided he wanted to make their time together more personal by creating a story of his own. He began writing about two men on a duck boat, drawing on something he and his father had often done together. His father died when Nathan was only about 30 pages into the story, but Nathan decided to finish it. That story eventually became Waiting for White Horses and began his unexpected career as a bestselling, award-winning novelist.
What stayed with me most from this interview was the way Nathan and I connected over our fathers. His first novel began as a way to connect with his father during the final weeks of his life. For me, writing became a way to make sure my own father would always be remembered.
My father was the face behind my Western pen name, Stephen Burckhardt. When my dad was in hospice, I knew he was afraid of dying and being forgotten. I told him that as long as I continued writing the books, he would never be forgotten. His name, Steve Stephens, would forever be connected to Stephen Burckhardt. As long as the books remained in print, some part of him would remain out there in the world.
Nathan and I came to that idea in different ways, but we both used stories to maintain a connection with our fathers at the end of their lives.
And for Nathan, that connection did not end with his father.
After Waiting for White Horses was published, readers began sending him emails telling him how much they connected with the story and sharing stories about their own parents. Nathan told me that this is one of the things he loves about being a writer. His words allow him to connect with people he otherwise might never have known, and those readers then share pieces of their own lives with him.
That theme of connection kept appearing throughout our conversation, whether Nathan was talking about his family, his wife’s involvement in his writing career, his readers, or the place where he lives. Writing is important to him, but so is actually living his life. In fact, he says he probably got more writing done when he was still practicing dentistry. Now that he is retired, when the fish are biting, he goes fishing.
Another thing that caught my attention was Nathan’s belief that authors should read their negative reviews. I tend to read mine too, partly because sometimes there is useful criticism and partly because some reviews are simply funny.
My favorite is a three-star review I received for a novella specifically marketed as a short read for busy people and as part of a seven-book cliffhanger serial. The reviewer gave it three stars because it was "too short and ends on a cliffhanger". I printed that one out and pinned it to my wall as a reminder not to take either good or bad reviews too seriously.
I’m currently reading Nathan’s latest novel, Otto’s Portal, which was selected in a random computer drawing for a review in the November issue of Book Banter Magazine. Six days after its paperback release, it reached number one on Amazon’s Hot New Releases in Philosophy of Good & Evil, and a month after publication, it was still in the top 100 paid books in that category.
I haven’t finished my review yet, but I can already tell you it is going to be a good one. Otto’s Portal blends real historical events with questions about science, good and evil, redemption, and the choices people make. It is fascinating and very well written.
Nathan Jorgenson never expected to become a novelist. But what began as one deeply personal story written for his father ultimately gave him another way to connect with people, and perhaps that is one of the most interesting things about the author’s life he never expected to have.
Enjoy,
Dianne
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