Ascension Launch!

Today’s the big day! Ascension hits the shelves for everyone to enjoy. I’ve setup a few resources here to help you get started. This is the complete roundup so bear with me while I share.

What drew you to create the Faith & Deed series, and how does Ascension set the tone for what’s to come?

The spark for Ascension came directly from readers. In my giveaway book Early Birds Pay Double, early readers almost unanimously asked to learn more about Sister Wendy. Ascension is the first book in her story—who she is, and how she became the person we meet.

As a series, Faith & Deed leans into what I’ve been calling a grimdark fantasy horror vibe. Ascension has very light fantasy elements, but it’s grounded in a gritty, grimy reality. Readers have told me it feels just off enough from the real world that it makes them question what’s fantasy and what isn’t—which is exactly the tension I wanted to create.

As readers step into Sister Wendy’s world, what emotional or moral themes are you most keen on exploring through her journey in Ascension?

Two core themes drive Wendy’s story: addiction and recovery, and the relationship between belief and action.

Wendy begins at rock bottom. She’s trapped in addiction, shaped by her past, and weighed down by the beliefs she’s formed about herself. Those beliefs—along with the social constraints of where she comes from—keep her in a dark place, and Ascension follows her struggle to break out of those binds.

The series title, Faith & Deed, is intentional: it explores what we believe, what we’re taught to believe, and the actions we take that either reinforce those beliefs or contradict them. Wendy’s journey also focuses on grit—the exhausting, stubborn kind. The kind where you want to quit, badly, but you choose one more step anyway.

In terms of the horror elements—since you’ve noted they’re not gory but driven by dread—how does Ascension build that atmosphere, and what should readers expect to feel as they turn the pages?

Ascension isn’t a gory book. It is gritty. There are grimy, uncomfortable moments, and some things are genuinely gross—but it’s not a “blood and guts” story.

The dread is built through setting and pressure. I put a lot of effort into making the mountain feel like a character, not just a backdrop. Wendy’s climb is designed to feel like everything—nature, circumstance, people, even her own mind—is working against her.

I also loved writing the sleep house and the surrounding areas: the oppressive darkness, isolation, and the way the internal hierarchy of that place is literally shaped by location. Where you sleep matters. Where you stand matters. It’s claustrophobic in a way that isn’t just physical—it’s social and psychological.

What I hope readers feel is deep, lingering dread. I’ve heard from early readers that it gets pretty intense.

As Ascension is the beginning of the Faith & Deed series, what kind of journey should readers anticipate as they follow Wendy? Where do you envision her arc leading in future installments?

Wendy’s arc is, at its heart, self-discovery.

At the start, she’s forgotten who she is. In that dark place, she can only remember herself as a person of darkness. As the series progresses, we’ll see her begin to climb out of that—finding people who support her, people who help lift her up, and relationships that make forward movement possible.

But it won’t be a straight line. Part of an addiction and recovery arc is relapse—not just the act itself, but the constant pull of old patterns, old places, and old people who want you to become who you used to be. Wendy will face that pull repeatedly.

Ultimately, I see Wendy growing into her capability—into her true power—while navigating everything that tries to drag her backward. From what I’ve seen of her in other stories, she’s not the kind of person who simply gives in. I believe she’s going to fight for her future.

For readers picking up Ascension, if there’s one lingering question or emotion you hope they walk away with after finishing book one, what would that be?

A question that keeps coming up from readers is: Did any of that actually happen… or did Wendy imagine all of it?

I think that question hits especially hard for anyone who’s lived through addiction and fought for recovery, because there are narratives in your head—stories you repeat to yourself—that can shape how you experience reality.

More than anything, I hope readers finish Ascension and reflect on the narratives they carry: what they tell themselves, what they believe about themselves, and how those inner stories influence their choices. Because changing your story is often one of the first steps toward changing your reality.

Get Ascension now from Amazon, Making Adventure, or a bookstore near you.