Biography

Hello, my name is Roger DeBlanck (last name pronounced similar to the actor Matt LeBlanc, except my last name starts like saying “Day” and ends with “ck”). I was born and raised in the Las Vegas valley, and I love Southern Nevada and continue to make my home there.

I attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas where I earned my bachelor’s degree in English. After graduating, I worked briefly in the teaching field while I also began writing what became several of my (really bad) unpublished novels. As I continued to write (better) novels, I found my place in public libraries.

My first position in the library was a page job, and during my years as a “shelver” I also worked as a legal courier for the MGM/Mirage corporate office. Two years later, while moving up to a librarian assistant in youth services, I earned my master’s degree in Information Science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

In addition to my writing, I work as a public services librarian for the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District, and I live in Henderson, Nevada, with my beloved dog Sophy.

Back in 2006, I started researching and writing what became my debut novel The Ramos Brothers Trust Castro and Kennedy (2011). Its story of history, adventure, and magical realism is based loosely on the hardships endured by my father and uncle who were Cuban immigrants arriving in the United States as children in 1959. The novel charts the extended family of two Cuban American brothers and how their lives cross paths with Fidel and JFK.

My second novel The Sky Buries All Sorrow (2013) is based loosely on my mother’s side of the family. My grandfather was a veteran of World War II, and the novel chronicles the momentousness of history through the struggles of three generations of an American family from Pearl Harbor through the events of September 11, 2001.  

Empire of the Mind (2014) is my third book. It’s a collection of my selected poems, most of the pieces having been written during my teen years through my early adulthood.

My fourth book, a novel The Destruction of Silence (2016), follows the traumatic life of a young Native American man of Apache heritage. He suffers from abuse and addiction in his youth and goes on a journey to overcome his past and discover secrets to his family’s history.

Prayers from the Far Quarter (2020) is my fifth book, a novel that I’d dreamed of writing for over twenty years, and finally I did it. Its story changed my life as it addresses one of the glaring oversights of American history: the sacrifices and contributions of Muslims throughout our country’s development. The story’s main character and narrative voice is the unforgettable Isa Muhammad Rahman, an African Muslim who survives enslavement and eventually serves in the Union army during the Civil War.

My sixth book is a collection of essays, poems, and meditations titled The Peacemaker Overcomes the Hatemaker (2022). It’s an activist book that exposes and confronts hate, but it’s also a peacemaking book that honors ideas and individuals working to improve equality, justice, and opportunities for all people.

My most recent book is The Hummingbird Diary (2023). It’s a collection of poems where the idea of the hummingbird symbolizes movement and energy whether in activism to pursue justice or in personal beliefs to engage with lifelong learning.

Check under the “News” tab here on my website for the most recent updates of what I’m working on. You can also connect with me on any of my social media accounts.

One last fact about me: because I feel blessed with lacking for nothing, I give back and donate several times a year to causes and organizations working to improve the world. Follow me on social media to see which charities I support throughout each year.

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At My Library

In 2017 at my library I established and continue to lead the Word Power Writers Group. The group’s popularity has grown to over 130 members from teens to seniors who meet monthly at the library and weekly throughout the year to collaborate and network as they work on and share their writing projects, several of which have become successful indie books. Others have had stories and poems published in magazines and journals. Some are currently querying their manuscripts.

At my library I also run the monthly book club called Quick Reads, which I established in 2015. At a tough inner-city branch like the one I work at, reading hasn’t been a regular habit for many patrons. By focusing on a shorter selection each month of a story, essay, or selected poems from famous and influential writers and poets, I’ve grown a nonexistent book club into a membership of over 50 readers with 10-20 regularly attending our monthly discussion group.

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A Personal Snippet

Apart from my love of books / reading / writing, my interests include fitness, sporting events, live music, theater, movies, restaurants, roadtrips, museums, zoos, historical sites, big city exploring, and beach travel.

Throughout each year I donate to organizations that fight for causes vital to humanity and for the preservation of our planet. I support religious freedom, civil liberties, women’s reproductive healthcare, cancer research, LBGTQ equality, immigration rights, sensible gun legislation, environmental justice, and animal welfare.

My favorite word: seeking.

Lastly, I adore my dog.

Contact & Connect:  Goodreads  //  Instagram  //  Facebook  //  Threads  //  Linkedin

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Influences

Toni Morrison, Cormac McCarthy, Philip Roth, Elizabeth Gilbert, Michael Ondaatje, Albert Camus, Jorge Luis Borges, Margaret Atwood, Julie Orringer, Roxane Gay, Colson Whitehead, Edwidge Danticat, Teju Cole, J.M. Coetzee, Ibram X. Kendi, John Green, Jason Reynolds, Angie Thomas, Mustafa Akyol, Qasim Rashid, Khaled Beydoun, Reza Aslan, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Paul Beatty, Marilynne Robinson, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Jay Parini, E.L. Doctorow, Jonathan Eig, David McCullough, Richard Russo, Edward P. Jones, Oscar Hijuelos, Ha Jin, Andrew Sean Greer, Tim O’Brien, Douglas Stuart, Bret Easton Ellis, Naguib Mahfouz, Kahlil Gibran, Hermann Hesse, Fyodor Dostoevsky, John Steinbeck, Henry David Thoreau, Jonathan Sturak, Seamus Heaney, Pablo Neruda, Mary Oliver, Sharon Olds, Joy Harjo, Ada Limón, Carl Sandburg, Langston Hughes, Wislawa Szymborska, Octavio Paz, Derek Walcott, Naomi Shihab Nye

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My Writing Mantras

1) Read as much as you can and as often as you can. Make your reading goals more important than your writing goals.
2) Support other writers at every opportunity available to you.
3) Stay committed to your project and dedicated to your craft.
4) Start with your writing each morning and keep it going through the next day.
5) Be passionate about your work and nurture it with patience.
6) Work hard and the muse will find you.
7) Remain true to the vision of your art.

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Book Reviewing

I have reviewed over 900 books on a wide range of literature: novels, short story collections, poetry, non-fiction of diverse subjects, biographies, memoirs, books for children, and books for young adults. To read any of my reviews, visit my author page on Goodreads.

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A Few of My Favorites

Novels/Fiction:  Beloved by Toni Morrison, Suttree by Cormac McCarthy, American Pastoral by Philip Roth, Age of Iron by J.M. Coetzee, Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow, In the Skin of a Lion by Michael Ondaatje, The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead, The Plague by Albert Camus, Collected Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges, Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse

Non-fiction:  Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck, The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley, No god but God by Reza Aslan, Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi, Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, The Islamic Jesus by Mustafa Akyol,  Jesus: The Human Face of God by Jay Parini, The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green

Music:  David Bowie, U2, Nine Inch Nails, Taylor Swift, Tool, Seal, Eminem

Movies:  Good Will Hunting, Malcolm X, The Bourne Identity, La La Land, Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood

TV Shows:  Mad Men, Sons of Anarchy, Suits

Actors:  Matt Damon, Denzel Washington, Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt

Actresses:  Jessica Chastain, Carey Mulligan, Emma Stone, Ana de Armas

Painting:  The Great Wave by Katsushika Hokusai

Athletes:  Ted Williams, Tom Brady

Sports Teams:  Boston Red Sox, New England Patriots

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Copyright © 2026 Roger DeBlanck