Parsec Meeting Event! Pittsburgh's premier Science Fiction & Fantasy Organization meets on Saturday, April 19th, 2025

In April, we welcome David Hankins. David is an award-winning author who writes from the thriving cornfields of Iowa where he lives with his wife, daughter, and two dragons disguised as cats.

His writing journey began in the oral tradition of convincing his daughter to Go To Sleep with inventive stories. That usually backfired. After years of Just One More Story, David began transcribing his midnight ramblings in an attempt to keep his storylines straight. Children are ruthless in identifying mistakes in fairy tales.

David writes lighthearted speculative fiction because that’s what he loves to read and-this is the important bit-there’s not nearly enough humor in the world. He aims to change that, one story at a time. David devotes his time to his passions of writing, traveling, and finding new ways to pay his mortgage. You can find him at https://davidhankins.com

Today we’re going to talk with David about Branding and Social Media can work to an author’s benefit. From his fedora to the micro-duckies that accompany him everywhere, David knows how to present himself consistently with the brand of “David Hankins,” which includes good humor, a welcoming smile, and a modestly dapper appearance. This ‘presentation’ of self may come across as genuine, but it takes focus and dedication to pull off and consistently promote across multiple media channels.

David Hankins is known for his Grimsworld Series: Death and the Taxman, Death and the Dragon, Death and the Immortal (coming in spring 2026), and the companion collection Grimsworld Tales.

He is a Writers of the Future Winner, Outstanding Fiction Award from the Independent Author Network, and has Critter Readers Awards for Best Science Fiction & Fantasy Novel, Best Science Fiction & Fantasy Short Story, Best Positive Future Short Story, and Best Magical Realism Short Story.

In 2024 his first short story, which appeared in DreamForge “A Properly Spiced Gingerbread” was produced by Cast of Wonders. “Narrator Alyson Grauer absolutely knocked it out of the park!” It is now his most reprinted story.

https://www.castofwonders.org/2024/12/cast-of-wonders-619-a-properly-spiced-gingerbread/

Sally Port Magazine published David Hankins story “The Key to the Kingdom in their January 2025 issue. https://sallyportmagazine.com/individual-issues/

Appearance on the Tangent Recommended reading list for 2025 “The Missing Music in Milo Piper’s Head” (Offshoots: Humanity Twigged, 7/24)