Choose Your Side
The King's blue flame quivers as a new fire arises, and Kadira must hold fast to his torch. It's destiny; she's a Torch Keeper.
A fiery revolution sweeps across the kingdom of Érkeos, and each person must choose a side. Kadira, a girl set apart to serve the king, finds her city engulfed in the Liberation's emerald flames.
Her blue eyes mark her as the enemy, and she flees from death. It stalks her anyway. When she meets Rekém, the Liberation warrior sent to kill her, she rebels against the king's ways. Two armies collide; indecision isn't an option.
As hearts and lives hang in the balance, Kadira and Rekém could bring destruction or liberation to the entire kingdom.
Published August 1, 2023
"Come now, and let us reason together,”
Says the Lord,
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
They shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They shall be as wool."
Isaiah 1:18
Behind
"The Torch Keepers,"
by the author
In the middle of editing another novel, God whispered the idea of The Torch Keepers, and I laughed. I was way too busy. ;) But as I took my first in-person class at a local college and through the encouragement of classmates, He planted a seed. Then one morning, God woke me with an entire story outline for my main character.
Shortly after, He opened a write-and-edit-a-novel-in-two-months challenge hosted by a small press that was perfect for the idea.
I jumped in. Those months were crazy! I found myself daily sitting at the feet of Jesus pouring over scripture, and He spoke stories through His Word, which I’d type up. It turned into book 1 of my favorite book duology (a two-book series)!
The non-magical, fantasy-allegory is a story of the Father-hood of God. It features two characters—in an arid land of mystical creatures—who face a fiery revolution and must choose their side.
Years prior, I’d read the account of two girls who joined ISIS, and my heart ached for them. This novel turned into the story I wished they could read—that no matter how far anyone goes from God, He is quite willing and eager to wash that in His forgiveness.
It was a story like the prodigal son of a Father who would seek out His children and invite them to “come home.”
But the story wasn’t complete without the sequel...
keep the loyalty
sequel to The Torch Keepers
As the Kingdom of Érkeos collapses in revolution, three unlikely heroes must keep the loyalty through the darkest of days.
Three months after The Torch Keepers ends, Kadira, a warrior-defector from the Prince’s Liberation army, flees into the mountains as a big sister to a family of orphans. Her eyes mark her as a Torch Keeper for the King, an enemy to the Prince.
Behind her, Rekém rises to power over the city that was once the children’s home. As the Prince’s brother, he is forced to become a leader yet is drawn to humble hunting trips where he remembers dreams he once had. In mountain forests, Rekém discovers dangerous secrets he can’t escape from.
And deep in the throngs of cave tunnels, a musician missing half his arm builds his own fortress, not knowing that two armies close in. When the sides collide, the heroes must decide if the one they follow is truly worthy of every sacrifice. It seems the future of Érkeos is in the hands of a King who's never been seen.
Published August 1, 2023
"The people who walked in darkness
Have seen a great light;
Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death,
Upon them a light has shined."
Isaiah 9:2
Behind
"The Way of the King,"
by the author
The sequel of The Torch Keepers, The Way of the King is my favorite fictional book—a war-cry for readers to keep their loyalty to Jesus until the end.
It’s a fantasy-allegory novel of unlikely heroes who can find safety in meshing with the imposter Prince taking over the Kingdom, or they can stand up as a remnant for the true King and face death. The characters must choose if their King—whom it seems has never been seen—is truly worth giving up all to find.
It’s a story of a musician who believes he can never make music again, a warrior-defector who flees through volcanic mountainsides with a family of orphans, and a ruler who never wanted his position, and it features mystical creatures, adorable children, and moments to cry and laugh.
But the story stems from the passion God gave me to live for the Day Jesus returns.
As I studied the prophets, especially chapters like Isaiah 35, God asked me if He was worth giving up my entire life to gain. After years of seeking Jesus and discovering the pricelessness of His love and life with Him, I knew He was worth it. As a follower of Jesus, I knew His Kingdom was sure to come, and thus, the end of my story was good.
So I got to see God come through in the entire writing process: in drafting, in bringing the exact people needed to edit, give feedback, design the cover and illustrations. I look back on this novel soberly, just amazed that God used me.
I pray this novel urges readers to ask: who am I living my life for?
I pray they see that Jesus truly is a treasure and that it encourages the church to keep the loyalty.