BIO
In 2021 Micah co-founded a video game studio, where his role as Chief Narrative Officer contributed to a $7M raise. His work as a lead writer/narrative designer includes Shadowgun (Unity’s Game of the Year) and top-grossing mobile titles that have collectively generated over $75M in sales. He has also worked as a script doctor, refining screenplays for Dimension Films and indie studios.
Micah teaches fiction and narrative design at MIT. He is MIT-certified in AI and consults on shaping AI-driven narratives.
NOVELS
Simon & Schuster, 2003
Editions published in Italy, Portugal, Spain, and Russia.
Synopsis: A haunting novel about a brilliant young man who enrolls at a New England college and becomes entangled in a mysterious death -- and a quest for immortality.
Genre: Dark Academia, Mystery
“Soaked with gothic mood and spiked with sharp dialogue, it’s Dead Poets Society via Stephen King.”- The Hollywood Reporter
“A malevolently thrilling coming-of-ager wrapped in a philosophical detective tale.” - Kirkus Reviews
“A remarkable first novel...impossible to put down...
Gods of Aberdeen may be basically a coming-of-age story but it is much more than that...As an author, Nathan’s off to a brilliant start.”- The Tampa Tribune
“Think Donna Tartt’s The Secret History, with a little magic thrown in.”- Publishers Weekly
“A perfectly proportioned gothic mystery.”- Elle
“Highly recommended...one of the year’s best debuts.”- GQ
“This year’s strongest entry into the hallowed-halls-of-learning field. Nathan’s eye for detail can be subtly spectacular, his humor eloquently wicked. Nathan is an extremely gifted young writer...”- Spirit Magazine
“If you’re looking for the same old plots, you’ll have to search elsewhere. A well-written, hold-your-breath story.”- Noir Magazine
“We may be witnessing the evolution of a new genre of fiction. Call it ‘gothic tweed’...Gods of Aberdeen more than makes the grade.”- The Buffalo News
“A promising debut.”- The San Diego Tribune
“America’s love affair with higher learning continues.”- Booklist
“A scary coming-of-age yarn, with plenty of sexual intrigue, buried secrets, and dark deeds.”- Buffalo Spree
Crown, 2011
Synopsis: An irreverent tale about a recent college grad, a mysterious old man who may be Elvis, and a perilous road trip that could lead to the old man’s final comeback.
Genre: Coming of Age, Road Trip
“Nathan presents the reader with several fantastic characters in this rollicking,adventurous tale. Readers will pore through this fast-paced, adrenaline-filled novel and eat up the fantastic dialogue that brings Elvis back to life in a new, deliciously lascivious way.”- Booklist
“...engaging...a blend of the slapstick and the slapdash, the ironic and the painfully sincere...a wild road trip, a yarn spiced with plenty of humor and romance.”- The Washington Post
“Less about the hip-swiveling sex icon and more about friendship, Losing Graceland isn’t just a tall tale of another Elvis impersonator, but about life’s journey through bumps in the road.”- Marie Claire
“Thus begins the weirdest of buddy adventures, with feckless Ben playing first mate to the is-he-or-isn’t-Elvis, a superannuated hillbilly with the unearthly self-possession of a Zen master.” - The Boston Globe
“Ben has undreamed-of experiences on this strange journey...with quirky characters and homespun wisdom, this will appeal to fans of literary coming-of-age-stories.” - Library Journal
“A highly entertaining, rambunctiously readable second novel.”- The Buffalo News
“A novel of lost souls and a lost America. The idea of Elvis Presley hiding in plain sight as an Elvis impersonator is a stroke of genius.”- Tottenville Review
“A rambunctious coming-of-age tale.”- St. Petersburg Times
COMPILATIONS & ANTHOLOGIES
Simon & Schuster, 2019
Synopsis: Seventeen crime/mystery stories inspired seventeen paintings, including Thomas Hart Benton, Helen Frankenthaler, and Andy Warhol.
Genre: Mystery, Crime
“A remarkable gallery show. For this imagination-firing anthology, Lawrence Block asked writers to use a celebrated American painting as a launchpad for a short story.”
- Shelf Awareness
“Since the writers he’s chosen tend to specialize in crime and genre fiction, the stories are chock-full of loners, losers, and cynics who get to say snappy lines.”
- Associated Press
Mariner Books, 2013
Synopsis: A best-selling and Edgar Award winner, Scottoline brings her mastery of the thriller genre to this collection of must-reads.
Genre: I mean, duh.
“A stellar collection.”
- Kirkus
“Twenty high-quality stories...fans of literate crime fiction will be rewarded.”
- Publishers Weekly
SHORT FICTION
In Search of Absolutely Nothing (GLIMMER TRAIN)
Quarry (GLIMMER TRAIN)
One Act (GETTYSBURG REVIEW)
The Love Life of Tigers (BELLINGHAM REVIEW)
Simulacrum (DIAGRAM)
As the Old Greeks Would Say (236 MAGAZINE)
JOURNALISM
Remembering River Phoenix, 23 Years After His Death (VANITY FAIR)
Pretty in Pink Turns 30, and James Spader Remains the Only Reason to Watch It (VANITY FAIR)
Celebrating the Brilliance of Alan Rickman’s Hans Gruber (VANITY FAIR)
The 60-Year Itch: Re-Watching The Seven Year Itch on Its 60th Anniversary (VANITY FAIR)
Big Trouble in Little China (HILOBROW)
Why Southern Comfort Food Is on the Rise in Paris (VANITY FAIR)
Jimmy’s HideAway Is a Food Lover’s Paradise Amid the Drag-Queen Parades of
Provincetown (VANITY FAIR)
Buffalo, Redux (ECLECTICA)
The Not-So-Lonesome Highway (ECLECTICA)
A Female-Fronted Japanese Metal Band Just Took Over Colbert, and They Won’t Stop There (VANITY FAIR)
A Warhol Portrait You Won’t See on Dorm Walls (VANITY FAIR)
A Nice Bowl of Weed (VANITY FAIR)
Tuesday’s Child (THE PARIS REVIEW)
Cheddar, Cheever, and the Burbs (THE PARIS REVIEW)
The Moon Museum (THE PARIS REVIEW)
On Yves Klein Blue (KINFOLK)
On Procrastination (KINFOLK)
On Lame Advertising (KINFOLK)
Snapshots in the Context of Forever (SITE MAGAZINE)
Kovalev vs. Chilemba: Let’s Get This Over With(VICE)
Inside the Heart of Amateur Boxing (VICE)
VIDEO GAMES
Shadowgun
Dead Trigger
Unkilled
Various other projects, including several IF games
AWARDS
Saul Bellow Prize in Fiction
Best American Mystery Stories (Selection)
Associated Press Award for Best Essay
Tobias Wolff Award for Short Fiction (Finalist)
Innovative Fiction Award
D&AD Wood Pencil
Unity’s Game of the Year