The Jake Matthews Saga: Ascension follows a blind teenage boy who is abducted and taken to another dimension to fight in a war and save the planet. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

I started writing this story after reading the Percy Jackson and The Olympian Series in high school. That story took me on an adventure and had done something for me that I wanted to do for others, thus my journey to being a writer began and I hadn’t looked back since, Yes, life got in the way and that prolonged my finishing the book sooner but, all in all, it worked out for the best. Also, having a blind protagonist do something extraordinary was just interesting to me at the time.

Jake struggles to find purpose in his life and becomes bored with his mundane existence. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?

The idea was that Jake is too smart for his own good and his intellectualism has placed him on a pedestal, and since that is the case, there’s nothing in life that’s a challenge for him along with the fact he is unable to see the world in color which ‘colors’ his perspective on life. Jake’s being whisked away to Figueroa was to give him a sense of purpose and present a challenge worthy of his intellect. Saving multiple worlds from impending war was just the challenge.

What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?

My book is not as convoluted as picking a theme or any major plot points. This book was written purely with imagination with the intent on having as much fun and adventure as possible. The overall trope, for that matter, is zero to hero and shows how someone that has the precursors for being extraordinary transitions into someone that exemplifies the term in every way. 

Will there be a follow-up novel to this story? If so, what aspects of the story will the next book cover?

There will be a second novel that will focus on Jake’s reign as the king and how he ascends to an even higher plane of existence while his empire goes through drastic changes. Jake will go on yet another journey worthy of his intellectual and physical prowess; however, this time, he will ascend from being a king to a God. The book will also cover how his wife, Cheryl, and four children deal with the fall of the empire while Jake is gone. 

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