Los Angeles, CA — Nicholas Ryan Howard is a Long Beach-based writer whose prior work includes his debut novel and audio experience “Mortal Enemy“, a fantasy novel that some have described as a “dark and twisted fantasy novel, peppered with (depraved) humor.”

Mr. Howard has turned from prose to poetry and released a collection of verse on Valentine’s day 2021 titled “Mercenary at Midnight”. This debut collection of poems topped Amazon’s Best Seller charters in the American Poetry, Love and Erotic Poetry, and Poetry About Love free categories on Kindle.

Per the author, Mercenary at Midnight was written during moments of extreme inflection:

“Crafted in the moments of utmost vulnerability—and always after the midnight hour had struck—the poet journeys without allegiance into the harrowing land of introspection armed only with a combination of daring, desperation, and mettle.” -Nicholas Ryan Howard

The 150-page collection of 100 poems is separated into two parts. The first part, titled “Broken Love”, is described as a “[r]elentless reflection of a raging, raucous, ravaged heart, and the second part, titled “Parables of Circumstance”, is described as “[r]evelatory tales born of the macabre, the might, the minuscule and the magnificent.”

Nicholas emotes through the voice and mood of an everyman. Clear and succinct, rhythmic and steady, a reader will be able to immediately conceptualize and related to all of the different topics and imagery that he lays out on the page. As a reader, I was particularly drawn to some of his simplest pieces, like “Imperfection” (included below), as I found myself rereading the lines to unlock my own personal revelations of either humor or depth.

  • “Death” by Nicholas Ryan Howard. Excerpted from the collection “Mercenary at Midnight”
  • “Moon” by Nicholas Ryan Howard. Excerpted from the collection “Mercenary at Midnight”
  • “Imperfection” by Nicholas Ryan Howard. Excerpted from the collection “Mercenary at Midnight”

When asked about his impetus to create this collection of poetry, Mr. Howard eloquently responded:

“All of one’s fears. All of one’s doubts. All of one’s insecurities… and anger at the world… and deepest, darkest desires… it all needs to come out. One way or another it must be released or it turns into poison, into bitterness, and into resentment. Poetry is my preferred methodology for going through this process.

Writing poetry is like bleeding out onto the page. Once the emotions flow from the dark, it’s in the light where they may be processed, transformed into tangible concepts, wrapped in wordplay, and eventually—but optionally—shared with others.

The release of “Mercenary at Midnight” is my electing to take that final step. While I’ve shared my poetry on social media, at public events, and at readings around the globe, I finally, at long last, summoned the courage to release a collection of my most personal experiences, my most vulnerable moments, and my most profound revelations to the rest of the world. It feels equal measures terrifying, liberating, and long overdue” -Nicholas Ryan Howard

The book and audio versions of “Mercenary at Midnight” are now available on major platforms including Kindle, Apple Books, Google Play, Nook, Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Audible, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.

For more information, visit MercenaryAtMidnight.com or follow Nicholas on Instagram.

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