Instagram story viewer> @jjasonhicks> Posts

JJasonHicks

@jjasonhicks

434

followers

521

following

Author of epic fantasy & leadership non-fiction for fans of Donaldson, Tolkien, Lewis, & Pressfield.
Join the venture at https://linktr.ee/jjasonhicks

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

Can you believe it has been a year already? How quickly our books grow.
Have you embarked on the adventures of the Last Emissary yet? If not, now is that time. Thanks once again to @jeffbrown_graphics for an amazing cover!
Sign up for Fantasy Fridays (linktr.ee in bio) to follow progress on book three, including the cover.

#RuinwastersBane
#TheEarthmightWar #TheLandsOfTheEarth #TheLayOfMontmorillionite #TheEarthmightWar #FantasyFiction #FantasyBookSeries #FantasyLiterature #FantasyFridays #FantasyAuthor #FantasyWriter Illustration of the fortress of Earthmight for Book Two of the Annals of the Last Emissary. by @jjasonhicks

10

0

10 days ago

RELEASE DAY!!
The Audio Book for The War of Leadership is now live on Audible. (Other platforms to be added soon.)
Thanks to Michael James Bell @mrumsky for narrating this harrowing book.
Now there are three ways to enjoy The War of Leadership.
Thank you for joining us in the arena!

#TheWarOfLeadership #WarOfLeadership #LeadershipLessonsLearned #Leadership Promotion for the audio version for The War of Leadership taken in Tucson, Arizona by @jjasonhicks

12

0

12 days ago

Three years ago, my first novel was published in October of 2023. This was my first collaboration with @jeffbrown_graphics
Now's the time to embark on the adventures of The Annals of the Last Emissary.
Find out about Book Three by signing up for Fantasy Fridays. (linktr.ee in the bio)

#RuinwastersBane #TheEarthmightWar #TheLandsOfTheEarth #TheLayOfMontmorillionite #TheEarthmightWar #FantasyFiction #FantasyBookSeries #FantasyLiterature #FantasyFridays #FantasyAuthor #FantasyWriter Cover for Ruinwaster's Bane by @jjasonhicks

8

0

13 days ago

I hope you’ve enjoyed this deleted scenes series. If you are interested in more behind-the-scenes details, you can sign up for future Leadership Lessons Learned via the link below (also accessible via the Linktree in my bio):
https://j-jason-hicks.kit.com/acccb03ceb

Thank you for joining us in the arena...

Cover and all illustrations by Victor Juhasz (@juhaszillustration)

#TheWarOfLeadership #WarOfLeadership #LeadershipLessonsLearned #Leadership by @jjasonhicks

23

0

a month ago

I hope you’ve enjoyed this deleted scenes series. If you are interested in more behind-the-scenes details, you can sign up for future Fantasy Fridays via the link below (also accessible via the Linktree in my bio):
https://j-jason-hicks.kit.com/177dac1e75

The venture continues...

Cover by Jeff Brown @jeffbrown_graphics
Graphics by Joyful Noises LLC (@joyfulnoisesllc) and Tessa (@bookedbrunette)

#RuinwastersBane #TheLandsOfTheEarth #TheLayOfMontmorillionite #TheEarthmightWar #FantasyFiction #FantasyBookSeries #FantasyLiterature #FantasyFridays #FantasyAuthor #FantasyWriter by @jjasonhicks

11

0

a month ago

“Be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it.”

As I narrowed down what The War of Leadership would be, I knew I couldn’t explore some stories that would take more time and depth to tell. Stories that didn’t fit as one-page truisms.

One story that stands out to me was about a friend of mine who worked at a really great company. I shared the full story with my Leadership Lessons Learned subscribers last week, but here is a quick summary.

This friend had grown up in the business and had been promoted to the top of his department. But the company prided itself on being flat, so there were no C-Level titles or roles.

This began to gnaw at him and others in the same situation. They had risen to the top, and they had all the responsibilities of a VP or C-level role but none of the pay and other perks.

Eventually, they were all promoted (in title only) to the roles they coveted. So what if there wasn’t more money; there was recognition and acknowledgment of value.

Then, one by one, all of those leaders, including my friend, got fired, and in their place were the second-in-commands that they had developed for years.

It made me think of the end of The Godfather, when Michael Corleone settles all the family's business.

Alas, there was no room for this story in The War of Leadership, but I hope you appreciated it or connected with it in some way. And I hope you’ve enjoyed this Deleted Scenes series.

Thank you for joining us in the arena...

And as a reminder... Authors rely heavily on reviews to introduce new readers to books that may be meaningful for them. I've shared some tips plus direct links on my website (https://jjasonhicks.com/review-tips-and-links/ - also accessible via the Linktree in my bio) to make it as easy as possible for you to leave a review of The War of Leadership on Amazon, Goodreads, and Barnes & Noble so that others can join us and know that they are not alone.

Illustration by Victor Juhasz (@juhaszillustration)

#TheWarOfLeadership #WarOfLeadership #LeadershipLessonsLearned #Leadership a large face looking in an office door and pulling the rug out from under the person working at the desk by @jjasonhicks

19

2

2 months ago

No book can be all things or encapsulate all genres or subgenres. And not every idea can make it into a book.

As I hope you have witnessed throughout this series on deleted scenes, there are many ideas that I simply didn’t have the space or time to explore. Ideas that would have distracted the reader from the main storyline.

Some of those ideas or threads would have made The Earthmight War much more of a Romantasy and also potentially a much spicier book.

My email to my Fantasy Fridays subscribers last week contained some spoilers about the relationships that DID make the cut, along with the details for a few that didn't, including one between Thelen and Sorolokova, Queen of the Free People. I envisioned them having had a relationship before he was chosen as the One King. I saw the potential for conflict and jealousy and spice in the tension between the One King’s love for Sorolokova and his consorts.

Ultimately, as with all the ideas that had to get cut or suppressed, I left it to the reader’s imagination to create these other storylines and subplots.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this deleted scenes series. If you are interested in behind-the-scenes details, you can sign up for future Fantasy Fridays via the link below (also accessible via the Linktree in my bio):
https://j-jason-hicks.kit.com/177dac1e75

The venture continues...

Character Art by Tessa @bookedbrunette

#RuinwastersBane #TheLandsOfTheEarth #TheLayOfMontmorillionite #TheEarthmightWar #FantasyFiction #FantasyBookSeries #FantasyLiterature #FantasyFridays #FantasyAuthor #FantasyWriter A female rider with her arms open wide followed by a male rider by @jjasonhicks

8

4

2 months ago

When I was writing the introduction to The War of Leadership and thinking about my time at the grocery store, many experiences came flooding back. As it turned out, I needed to be as brief as possible to get readers into the story. I could only hint at things that made that time at the store so special to me.

One such story was when I was assigned to assist a deafblind and non-speaking person who lived near the store. Each time we shopped together, he would produce a small sheet with a typed list of items to buy. When I had a question about the produce, he would hold out his palm, and I would spell out my question one letter at a time to find out his choice. He would similarly write hurriedly on my palm when he had a question.

Last week, I reflected with the folks who are signed up for my Leadership Lessons Learned emails on a pivotal experience I shared with this man, a memory that has stayed with me to this day. I am really grateful for that experience, this man, and the many kinds of people I met at the grocery store.

If you are curious to hear details of some of my stories (like this one) that didn't make it into the final version of The War of Leadership, you can sign up for Leadership Lessons Learned via the direct link below (also accessible via the Linktree in my bio):
https://j-jason-hicks.kit.com/acccb03ceb

Thank you for joining us in the arena...

As a reminder... Authors rely heavily on reviews to introduce new readers to books that may be meaningful for them. I've shared some tips plus direct links on my website (https://jjasonhicks.com/review-tips-and-links/ - also accessible via the Linktree in my bio) to make it as easy as possible for you to leave a review of The War of Leadership on Amazon, Goodreads, and Barnes & Noble so that others can join us and know that they are not alone.

Illustration by Victor Juhasz (@juhaszillustration)

#TheWarOfLeadership #WarOfLeadership #LeadershipLessonsLearned #Leadership a sketch of a man holding a shield with a heart on it; he has a bullseye on his chest by @jjasonhicks

32

2

2 months ago

“As Aenguz looked out over the Lands of the Earth, he realized that he was the first Akkeidii to stand in this spot since Grieg Sidor the Venturer had.”

Grieg Sidor is the mythic hero in The Annals of the Last Emissary. He is the forefather of the Akkeidii and a hero recognized by all the peoples of the Lands of the Earth.

Instead of a conqueror who marshaled an army and marched all over the Lands of the Earth, we have an explorer and adventurer whose curiosity was greater than his need to conquer.

I thought a lot about his travels and adventures. And there were times when I wanted to flesh out a story and spend a chapter on his exploits.

But here again, the dictates of pacing and story made that kind of indulgence too expensive for the story and for the reader.

One day, I hope to elaborate on Grieg Sidor's adventures and tell a story worthy of his exploits.

Those who signed up for Fantasy Fridays learned more about Grieg Sidor last week. If you are interested in behind-the-scenes details, you can sign up via the link below (also accessible via the Linktree in my bio):
https://j-jason-hicks.kit.com/177dac1e75

The venture continues...

#RuinwastersBane #TheLandsOfTheEarth #TheLayOfMontmorillionite #TheEarthmightWar #FantasyFiction #FantasyBookSeries #FantasyLiterature #FantasyFridays #FantasyAuthor #FantasyWriter the stone image of a man's face with a mustache in a stone wall of names by @jjasonhicks

11

3

2 months ago

Over that period of time when I wrote daily on LinkedIn about my experiences and the experiences of others that I heard about in the work world, I made a habit of recording all of my posts on a spreadsheet. It was a very dynamic time in the mid-2000s, and I was connected with a lot of people. I heard and read a lot of stories coming out of some really big companies that made for some truly Shakespearean tales of betrayal.

While the length of these stories did not align with what I was aiming for with The War of Leadership, I have envisioned another book that would be a compendium of these experiences. However, I don't know if that will ever come to pass, as I am already witnessing the emotional toll The War of Leadership can take on some readers.

I don't know if a reader can maintain their attention for hard story after hard story. Some people commiserate with those kinds of tales, as many have seen them and/or experienced them. Others don't like being reminded of the many perfidies they experienced during their careers.

Those who are signed up for Leadership Lessons Learned got to read one of these stories last week, of a woman who had to go back to work rather than retire as planned.

Would you want to read a collection of stories like this one? Do you find these tales affirm your experience or remind you of times you would like to forget? Or both?

Sign up for Leadership Lessons Learned to read more of these stories (also accessible via the Linktree in my bio):
https://j-jason-hicks.kit.com/acccb03ceb

Thank you for joining us in the arena...

And remember, authors rely heavily on reviews to introduce new readers to books that may be meaningful for them. I've shared some tips plus direct links on my website (https://jjasonhicks.com/review-tips-and-links/)to make it as easy as possible for you to leave a review on Amazon, Goodreads, and Barnes & Noble so that others with tales like these can join us and know that they are not alone.

Illustration by @juhaszillustration

#TheWarOfLeadership #WarOfLeadership #LeadershipLessonsLearned #Leadership a woman sitting at a desk and pulling out a drawer filled with skulls by @jjasonhicks

12

0

2 months ago

It was tempting to spend much more time in Earthmight than I did. It was an indulgence and an escape to think about the people and intricacies of such a unique fortress and unique people.

I envisioned the others in the company urging Mandavu to go and see the Tea Steward. I was going to pit Mandavu's urgency to prepare for war and their preparations to leave Earthmight against the Zen master's peace and calm. I saw it as a slightly humorous scene with a deep internal dialogue in Mandavu's head as the Zen master slowly took up the giant Makan's afternoon making and drinking tea.

Alas, without the expressed constant urgency to impel both Mandavu and the storyline forward and without any particular need for him to calm to execute the ruse that was needed to escape, the scene with the tea man had to be cut.

Those signed up for Fantasy Fridays got to learn more about this cut scene. If you are interested in reading more detailed deleted scenes, you can sign up via the link below (also accessible via the Linktree in my bio):
https://j-jason-hicks.kit.com/177dac1e75

The venture continues...

#RuinwastersBane #TheLandsOfTheEarth #TheLayOfMontmorillionite #TheEarthmightWar #FantasyFiction #FantasyBookSeries #FantasyLiterature #FantasyFridays #FantasyAuthor #FantasyWriter the image of a tea pot and cup over the image of the fantasy fortress of Earthmight by @jjasonhicks

11

1

3 months ago

When I was exploring different threads for "The War of Leadership," I had a handful of chapters about leading people. These centered on anecdotes and statements I had developed that reflected my philosophy for leading others.

These included quips like, "Praise is free, and it's priceless."

But these threads couldn't exist as a cohesive part within the story.

In the end, there are many books about how to be a good leader. I didn't want to write another one. I wanted to write a cautionary tale, a warning for new leaders in the business world.

Those on my email list received more details about these anecdotes in last week's Leadership Lessons Learned.

If you are interested in topics like these, you can sign up for Leadership Lessons Learned via the direct link below (also accessible via the Linktree in my bio):
https://j-jason-hicks.kit.com/acccb03ceb

Thank you for joining us in the arena...

As a reminder... Authors rely heavily on reviews to introduce new readers to books that may be meaningful for them. I've shared some tips plus direct links on my website (https://jjasonhicks.com/review-tips-and-links/ - also accessible via the Linktree in my bio) to make it as easy as possible for you to leave a review of The War of Leadership on Amazon, Goodreads, and Barnes & Noble so that others can join us and know that they are not alone.

Illustration by @juhaszillustration

#TheWarOfLeadership #WarOfLeadership #LeadershipLessonsLearned #Leadership a group of people around a conference table with a lightbulb above their heads in their thought bubble by @jjasonhicks

10

2

3 months ago