2023 Update - Re-release of Uprooted, new books on the way

I could make excuses as well as the next guy, but I won't except to say that recent years since I published the first version of Uprooted have been full of major changes that have distracted from my writing.  Career changes, many job changes (looking for a job saps your energy, let me tell you), and other major stuff.

The good news is that I have been both planning and writing for the next two novels over the past 5 years, and they're both in good shape to be published in 2024.

Another spot of good news is that I've revised the cover art for my first novel (shown here).  I accept all the blame for the first cover -- it was entirely at my direction, and at the time I was a novice author who had no idea of the importance of clear, visible cover art.  

This new cover is much better, I think, and I hope you'll agree.

Uprooted is for sale on Amazon, in both paperback and ebook versions, and I'm working on making it available through Barnes & Noble for the Nook e-reader.  

In a previous post I had mentioned that I've been working on a prequel to Uprooted.  The Orinthia series, as I have it planned out, spans three "ages" -- basically spanning a couple thousand years.  Given time to write, I expect to have as many as 30 novels published for this series alone, telling the history of this world in great detail.

As a result, I've been fleshing out all the elements of this world over time, from the ancient history to the "present day".  Each month and year that I've worked on it has made it more rich, and all that remains is time to write the stories to reveal this vast history to you, the readers.

I'm particularly proud of The Lifter -- the prequel.  It's set a generation before Uprooted, with some of the same characters when they were young.  The Lifter itself is only the first of several books that will tell the tale of how the humans overthrew the mages -- the elves and dwarves -- who ruled over them.  This book, more than any other could, will set you up to learn more about the history of the society that led up to the first revolution.

But I am also moving forward on the sequel to Uprooted, where you'll find out how the boys fare as they continue to flee the dreaded Jackals, and as they reach a place that may provide safety.  You'll also see how the town of Isselford is managing against the siege they'd hoped to avoid.

Yes, I have other book ideas running around.  Some of them pretty well developed, but my attention remains committed to Orinthia.

Please, if you haven't read Uprooted yet, take a look and leave a review.  If you have read it, please tell others about it.  Repost wherever you can.  I appreciate any help you can provide!

Edwin Hanks

Uprooted Has Been Published!

In case you hadn’t noticed my giddy Facebook postings, I wanted to let everybody know that I’ve finally published my very first novel!

It’s called Uprooted: Brothers of Orinthia, Book 1. It’s available on Amazon in both Kindle format, as well as in print-on-demand paperback format for those who prefer to be able to hold a book in their hands (that’s me, though I’m getting used to Kindle).

So far, I have confirmed readers in the US, the UK, Germany, India and Australia! This may be old hat for experienced authors, but for a first-time novelist it’s quite a thrill to watch.

No, so far sales are not going “gangbusters” – I’m not planning my retirement yet. It’s hard to break into the market without a strong surge of initial sales, plus some positive reviews. I’ll get into how you can help me with that in a minute! :)

Uprooted (http://www.amazon.com/Uprooted-Brothers-Orinthia-Edwin-Hanks-ebook/dp/B00IJKFIG4) - is book one of what’s planned as an epic series. Here’s what the “dust jacket” (the Amazon description, anyway) says:

Two brothers stumble upon the macabre scene of an old murder. Who was this man? Why was he killed? They find answers to the mystery soon enough, and it rips them away from their comfortable rural home. They must run for their lives, pursued by malicious forces, thrown into a world of competing magical and conventional powers, uprooted from everything they’ve known and held familiar.

This is author Edwin Hanks’ first full novel, and the first of two series – the Brothers Subseries, fantasy thrillers about two young boys coming of age, and the Orinthia Series which draws them and dozens of others into a larger storyline of magic, romance, faith, politics and intrigue.

It’s a series about regular people in irregular circumstances. Ordinary heroes who aren't of noble blood. Highborn heroes who are real people underneath. Opponents vying against one another for victory, each believing their cause is just.

This epic series is faithful to the traditions of high fantasy while upending many of the clichés of the genre.

I still mean to publish a blog post about some of my “pet peeves” in fantasy writing, which I’m trying to avoid. Clichés, overdone motifs, etc. Let’s just say Uprooted is my answer to a lot of those clichés – like the “golden boys” who don’t know they’re the prophesied saviors of mankind, or the impending end of the world, or even the hand-wringing evil guy in the “black hat.”

For those who are curious, here’s more about the book, and the series that shall follow:

• It’s part of a genre called “epic fantasy” or sometimes “high fantasy” – ambitious stuff like The Lord of the Rings, or The Wheel of Time.
• It’s a “coming of age” story primarily about two brothers, but that doesn’t mean it’s merely a “young adult” novel – it’s meant for general adult fantasy readers.
• Most of my characters have roles to play in events that are much larger than they are – these are regular people caught in irregular situations.

There are no “golden boys” here. These boys are a lot more like me and you at their age. Maybe a little (a lot?) more mature, but that was normal in older ages. Given a challenge, they will still rise to it, using the talents at their disposal. But they’re still just regular guys. And some regular girls to go along with them!

I’m already writing the sequel, and a number of the other stories that will go along with the broader series. My intent is to fully flesh out the world with a variety of stories from different (often opposed) points of view. Many of these will be linked with each other and will end up funneling into the climactic final “subseries.”

And if you don't live in the USA, your country-specific Amazon store should have the book too (the Kindle, at least). Just take the URL given above and replace the ".com" with your "dot-whatever" (.co.uk, etc.) and you'll find it. Or you could just type "Uprooted Hanks" into the search.

Just a reminder, dear readers and fans, of two things:

1) if you wouldn’t mind spending a couple (or a few, if you want the paperback) dollars to help me out, every sale helps build me toward those coveted “Best Seller” lists on Amazon. Just being there increases visibility and helps sales – your purchase of either the Kindle version or the paperback edition will really help me out.

2) Another thing that would really help me is positive reviews! If you can take a few moments to say a few words, or even to just give me a star rating, that’s going to go miles and miles toward helping me find new readers. Honest reviews are great! Honest positive reviews are ten-times better!

Once more – thank you for all you’ve done to support and encourage me!

Author Edwin Hanks

p.s. One more thing: Here’s a sneak peek at the regional map I’m using for the world of Orinthia. I’m planning a full blog on this soon, but this may serve as a teaser.