Roberts Essex's debut novel, "Chance: Beginning," has secured a spot on Amazon's Best Sellers eBook List, a notable milestone for a first-time author. Published in 2025, the book is the first volume of a planned trilogy that traces one man's journey through pivotal moments in American history, including the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, and Watergate, set against the backdrop of mid-century Georgia.
The narrative follows Chance Brogdon, a boy born in rural Georgia and raised in the Savannah suburbs, across several turbulent decades from Presidents Kennedy to Carter. It spans from the Mercury 7 space program to the introduction of the space shuttle, and from the Cuban Missile Crisis through the escalation of the Cold War. The novel draws on the textures of mid-century Southern life, from drive-in diners and jukeboxes to the cultural shifts brought by rock 'n' roll and the British Invasion. It also confronts difficult subjects such as grief, trauma, addiction, racism, and violence, balanced by humor and the Southern storytelling tradition.
Essex, a Georgia-based author writing under a pseudonym, has described the book as semi-autobiographical. "This story was written for the lonely child, for the man who carries his pain in silence, and for anyone who fears that the past defines the future," he said. "I wanted to show that healing is real and that no one is bound by their wounds." He added that writing the novel became a way of confronting long-hidden ghosts and hopes it inspires others by showing that anything is possible with optimism and belief.
The book is available through major retailers, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, and Walmart. Future installments, titled "Chance: The Search" and "Chance: A New Life," will continue Brogdon's story into later decades, exploring themes of survival, redemption, and faith. Essex has indicated that subsequent volumes will address his son's abduction and the aftermath.
For review copies or additional information, contact the author through his website.
