Tiffany Hanley’s novel pairs supernatural danger with a young leader’s moral choices, drawing its emotional foundation from her family’s experience of loss.
New York City, NY, October 30, 2026
A farm boy’s unexpected power makes him both a defender and a target in THE FIRST TRUMPET by Tiffany Hanley.
When a trumpet blast brings earthquakes, a transformed sky, and the rising dead, Lucas can no longer remain the quiet young man who avoids attention. He discovers that his golden, glowing blood attracts dark forces, placing him at the center of a struggle to protect a world facing destruction.
Escaping into the mountains, Lucas travels with two siblings whose abilities are equally extraordinary: Jesse possesses the strength to bend steel, while Maya can foresee what lies ahead. Their mother, an angel, died bringing them into the world, and their blood now makes them prey. The journey offers no dependable refuge. A destination that promises protection and assistance proves silent, leaving the three siblings with a glowing blade and the burden of confronting the catastrophe.
Lucas must also decide whether survival can justify misusing his gift. When Gabriel urges him toward evil, he refuses, aware that his brother and sister look to him for leadership. Hanley identifies that decision as the scene that matters most to her. It turns the question of power into one of responsibility: Lucas’s conduct sets an example for the family depending on him, not simply a course for himself.
The novel combines angels, magic, biblical elements, and battles with the pressures of betrayal and pursuit. Its supernatural abilities distinguish the siblings, but their relationship gives them a shared stake beyond their individual survival. Hanley describes family loyalty as central to the adventure, placing the siblings’ efforts to hold one another together alongside the dangers they must face. The action and the family story are connected rather than separate concerns.
That emphasis grew from Hanley’s experience after her husband’s death. She watched her children navigate grief, support one another, and make difficult choices. Their resilience helped shape the book’s emotional concerns, bringing a personal perspective to a fantasy about young people facing loss and uncertainty. The imagined catastrophe provides the setting; the family experience supplies its emotional foundation.
Written with young adults in mind, the book addresses readers approaching decisions that may shape their futures. Hanley also hopes it will reach other age groups, particularly readers who recognize the difficulty of finding a way forward after loss. Her intended message is that strength rests in choosing what is right when an easier, darker alternative exists. For her young protagonists, extraordinary gifts do not remove the need to decide who they want to become.
“This book is my way of honoring my children, the man who believed in my writing, and every reader who has had to find their strength after loss.”
About Tiffany Hanley
Tiffany Hanley is the author of THE FIRST TRUMPET, a fantasy novel written with young adults in mind.
Available now. Get your copy here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HPCR8MZP
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