A book is about so much more than the story and the person who wrote it.
It takes a team, and this team is so amazing and talented. Discover more about them below.
Meet the Author
Hi, there, my name is Robert Dean Banta. I go by Rob, and I’m the author of The Protectors Series.
I live in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. I have not always lived in Virginia, however. At different times I’ve lived in Alaska, the Mojave Desert, New Hampshire, upstate New York, Chicago, and coastal South Carolina, and for shorter periods of time, Switzerland and Italy. My wife, Leslie, and I have two sons and two cats.
Some years ago I wrote a nonfiction book under the name Caleb Grimes about the Star Wars movie series and Christian spirituality; that book is called Star Wars Jesus. You can find out more about that here. (As an Amazon Associate, I earn commission from qualifying purchases.)
The premier book in the series, The Protectors – The Bands of Pritari, leads readers into immersive and unforgettable experiences.
If you’d like to stay connected, I’ve love to keep you updated on the release date for book one, as well as share some ‘making of’ the book and the series. You can follow my blog here and sign up for a newsletter below (coming soon).
There are a couple other places you can find me, too.
Morgan Palmer
Morgan and Sean moved their family to the Shenandoah Valley a couple years ago, and are part of our church. Like Leslie and I, both are artists and trying to do life and make art in the Valley. It is a true blessing to know them, and I think you will love the art they make. Morgan agreed to do my book cover with Leslie’s help.
Leslie Banta
Leslie is a fine-arts painter, sculptor, and an elementary art teacher. If you love landscapes and clouds, check out her work below. Nothing I write could exist without Leslie. She has read so many versions, and has edited and reviewed my writing over and over again. She is such a good reader and advisor in addition to Best Wife and Mom Ever. She also helped Morgan with my book cover. I love you, Leslie. Geronimo.
Kate Simon
Kate has been a friend in town for years, is a professional photographer and artist. She took my headshot.
Erin Ulrich
I saw Erin’s work first on S. D. Smith’s site. I looked at her website, and the web designing services she offered. Her site is clean, organized, helpful, and one day I decided I just need to do this, to get my project, my books, The Protectors, out there. So I hired her for a ‘VIP Day.’ But she does so much more than help with web design. Her VIP Day is a program that is helping me launch my projects in an organized and professional manner. She is helping me take myself and my stories more seriously, and honor them in a way that I hope you too will love.
Unsung Heroes
There are more than a couple unsung heroes who are so modest they have asked not to be mentioned by name. Every encouragement, every beta reader, every edit – you are all vital. Special gratitude to the wonderful woman who helped me conceptualize and write good copy for this website, and help me understand that even on the internet, words matter.
Thank you, all. You breathe life into my work, my stories, and into the lives of characters themselves.
Want to read a short sample of The Protectors?”
Sign up to receive first few pages as a taste. You’ll also receive my newsletter with periodic updates about the series.