Author Guest Post with Henrik Wilenius: The Rise Up Trilogy

Before they can find their place in this world, they must come to terms with their past and learn to confide in each other as they are confronted by intolerance, ignorance, and corporate greed that threaten to rob them of their future.

Welcome to the October 16th stop on the blog tour for The Rise Up Trilogy by Henrik Wilenius with Goddess Fish Promotions. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for spotlights, reviews, more author guest posts, and a giveaway! More on that at the end of this post.

Please note that this post contains affiliate links, which means there is no additional cost to you if you shop using my links, but I will earn a small percentage in commission. A program-specific disclaimer is at the bottom of this post.

Author Guest Post

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When I was writing Catch You If You Fall, I wasn’t yet aware how much the whole series would be about various social justice issues besides the LGBTQ+ rights and racial equity. And I’m glad I didn’t. The reason I started to write young adult fiction was to bring out the understanding I have gained through my life-long exploration of various cultures, religions, and ethnicities. In a world that is turning into an increasingly hostile place for any minority, we need stories that evoke diversity, friendship, human decency, and the courage to listen to your heart.

As I moved from non-fiction to fiction, I knew my priority was to come up with an engaging story and relatable characters, and once I had them, the themes would come naturally. I think the most important thing about a novel is the story, because without it, any great ideas you have cannot be passed on to your readers. If the characters and the plot don’t draw the reader in, it doesn’t matter how relevant themes you have because they all fall flat.

There’s a saying in yoga: “Do your practice, and everything will come”, and that has been my guiding light. Now when I look back, I’m astonished how many social justice issues that challenges the mainstream perspectives and beliefs I’ve been able to include in the trilogy: the intersectionality of religion and sexuality, the intersectionality of religion and gender, prejudice and bigotry as a result of race and religion, familial dynamics and love, corporate farming, animal rights, exploitation of immigrants and human trafficking, the recent history of Central America, revolutionary acts, activism as positive changing force, political dynamics, climate change and the threat it not only poses to Americans but also to the military might and the future of the United States. I’m not sure if mentioning all this is the winning ticket, but please give it try and see for yourself. There’s a good chance you might learn something new while still being very well entertained.

About the Books

Catch You if You Fall
The Rise Up Trilogy Book One
by Henrik Wilenius

Published: 10 February 2023

Genre: YA Contemporary
Page Count: 277
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!

A thrilling, coming-of-age story with a queer protagonist about the power of friendship, overcoming harmful stereotypes, growing up in the shadow of family expectations, and discovering your true self.

High school best friends Hashim, Alex, and Maryam must confront real-life issues that loom for Gen-Z today, including the climate crisis, corrupt politics, and racial and gender equity.

When Hashim turns eighteen, he receives a grant from his Mosque that will send him to an Ivy League in New York. His devout Muslim family couldn’t be more proud. And to support their young son on his journey, they arrange a wife for him. There’s only one problem: Hashim is gay.

Hashim’s best friend Alex is struggling with a difficult home life, a non-present father, and financial issues that prove particularly painful when all his friends are planning to go off to college and leave him behind.
Standing confidently alongside these two boys is Maryam, a headstrong Muslim girl who bucks her traditional roots by becoming a vegan activist.

It doesn’t take long until certain evil forces start to draw these three even closer, as their futures and the wellbeing of their community and the world is threatened. They are called to act.

The first book in the Rise Up Trilogy, Catch You If You Fall is a page-turning and suspenseful story as well as a deeply moving ray of hope amidst the hardship and deep loss our youngest generation must face in order to find their place in this world.

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Merry Farm
The Rise Up Trilogy Book Two
by Henrik Wilenius

Published: 14 March 2023

Genre: YA Contemporary
Page Count: 242
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!

In the second installment of the Rise Up Trilogy, best friends Hashi, Alex, and Maryam stumble upon a huge government coverup. When more people get sicker and sicker, and nothing about the outbreak makes news, it becomes clear the corruption goes up high.

As the three attempt to expose and stop a tragedy that could kill thousands, they end up framed as the bioterrorists responsible for this exact crime, and a team of hitmen is dispatched to hunt them down. As they grapple with their own growing pains, Hashi, Alex, and Maryam hurry to outrun the disaster, prove that they are innocent, and do what they feel is right.

The Rise Up Trilogy is a coming-of-age story about three best friends on the threshold of adulthood. Before they can find their place in this world, they must come to terms with their past, as they are confronted by intolerance, ignorance, and corporate greed that threaten to rob them all of their future. Suspenseful, fast-paced, and heart-wrenching, this book is a call-to-action for all us.

Amazon US | Amazon CA | Amazon UK

Collusion
The Rise Up Trilogy Book Three
by Henrik Wilenius

Published: 14 April 2023

Genre: YA Contemporary
Page Count: 215
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!

Now a well-known activist, Maryam, along with her two best friends Hashim and Alex, is chosen by the President of the United States to draw up a proposal to help fight climate change, mere weeks before superstorm Roxanne makes landfall in the Northeast.

After the President’s Future Rescue Advisory Board hears their climate proposal to set heavy taxes on meat, dairy and carbon emissions, and someone leaks it to the press, chaos spreads across party lines. A few months since they stopped a deadly virus in its tracks, the three uncover a conspiracy on the highest level of the legislative branch.

While the deadly hurricane wreaks havoc along the eastern seaboard, destroying the U.S. Naval Command in Norfolk, Virginia, and hitting New York City with devastating force, Maryam, Hashim, and Alex grapple with forces beyond their control in the government.

How will their stories unravel? What do their futures hold as they mature into adults in a world that may not accept them? Find out in this last book in the Rise Up Trilogy.

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Excerpt

A high fence surrounded a vast, sparsely lit compound with dozens of long, windowless buildings. A worn-out sign board stood on a barren ground facing the road. It pictured a traditional country house next to a wooden barn and free-gazing hens on sloping meadows. On the top of the illustration ‘Merry Farm” was printed in an old-fashioned font with slogan: ‘Even chickens recommend us.’

The door to one of the low buildings cracked open. The eerie, silent night was broken by the screeching cries of thousands of hens inside. A young, dark-skinned man in dirty overalls stepped out. He wiped sweat from his beardless face and threw glances left and right. The door wouldn’t close. With mounting desperation, the worker yanked the handle up, but it wouldn’t hold and the shrieking noise only got louder and louder.

A broad-shouldered man watched the worker from the shadows. As he ground his teeth, a scar that ran from his right earlobe to his Adam’s apple shifted back and forth. He pulled on a pair of surgical gloves and zeroed his cold, deep-set eyes on the target.

As if sensing the danger, the farm worker slammed his body against the door and this time it stayed shut. It was quiet for a moment until he started coughing hard and soon it turned into choking. After covering his mouth with his hand, there was blood on his palm.

About the Author

Henrik Wilenius is the author of the Rise Up Trilogy, a young adult coming-of-age story about Hashim, Alex and Maryam confronting real-life issues like climate change, corrupt politics, animal cruelty and racial and gender equity.

The Rise Up Trilogy is now available also as an audiobook and a weekly serialized audiobook podcast on all the major platforms.

Previously, Henrik as published two books (an autobiographical coming of age book and a YA novel) by a major publisher (WSOY) in Finland before switching to English and self-publishing. The Rise Up Trilogy was inspired by his fifteen-year stint as a volunteer in a Red Cross Youth Shelter and by his vegan activism.

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Giveaway Alert!

The author will award the winner’s choice of an audiobook set via Spotify or a digital book set of THE RISE UP TRILOGY.

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