Gold Dust Publishing announced this week they signed debut author Dan Desai Martin to a book deal. 

Desai Martin grew up in Statesboro and graduated from Statesboro High School in 1998. The North Carolina-based agency will publish his fantasy novel, tentatively titled “In the Shadow of the Sanctum.”

The novel combines the religious dystopia of Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” with the coming-of-age elements of Sabaa Tahir’s “An Ember in the Ashes” series. 

In Martin’s novel, the hero Ehla must overcome anxiety from her past, distrust of those around her, and a growing desire for vengeance directed at the all-powerful and corrupt holy Sanctum.

“Dan’s fresh take on the fantasy genre is just what readers need at this moment,” Jason Roach, editor-in-chief of Gold Dust Publishing, said. “This book combines lush worldbuilding, memorable characters, page-turning adventures, and a voice that readers will soon come to love as much as I do.”

Gold Dust Publishing offers fiction and nonfiction books with an intentional focus on works featuring LGBTQIA+ characters or written by LGBTQIA+ authors.

“I’m thrilled to be a part of the Gold Dust publishing family,” Martin said about the announcement. “I couldn’t imagine a better partner to bring these characters and their story into the world.”

Martin is an active member of the Maryland Writers’ Association (MWA), where he was an editor of “Emerging Voices: Poetry and Prose, Volume 9,” a collection of short stories, novel excerpts, and poems by members of teen writers’ clubs sponsored by the MWA.

Growing up, Martin said he devoured fantasy novels like J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” and Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series. After graduating from Berry College with a degree in Religious Studies, he spent the past few decades with jobs ranging from policy advocate to journalist to communications consultant. Along the way, he never lost his love for reading, and now writing, fantasy novels.

Martin lives with his spouse in Silver Spring, Maryland.