A Haunting Connection is a multi-point-of-view paranormal fantasy centered around a woman with a unique gift struggling to trust those around her and a man who questions his own powers. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

In the third grade, I was electrocuted. The hair dyer fell into the tub, and my mom had to revive me. Ever since, I’ve been fascinated by the paranormal and stories about life, death, and the energy that lingers. I love visiting old or historic places, and sometimes I get visions or ideas about what actually happened there. After I read the history, I’m often chilled by how similar my ideas and vision were to actual events.

The inspiration for The Ascension Series came after I delivered a package to a mysterious house on Cougar Mountain in Bellevue, WA. My scanner kept glitching when I went there, and my imagination created a story as to why. The house seemed to push me to start writing.

The other thing that inspired this book was Korean dramas. I watch them with my daughter and found myself sketching one out about an American in Korea caught in a complicated emotional situation. That concept worked perfectly for Brandon’s storyline.

Brandon acts as a kind of moral counterweight to Leah. How did you develop the contrast between their paths?

Brandon and Leah’s contrast really came from my travels. When I lived in Japan, I saw how people orient themselves around family, community, and the greater good. In Thailand, life seemed to be more about survival. People were more willing to take risks. In the U.S., our values create tension around personal desire and social expectations. We see these differences not only in cultures, but in age groups.

Leah is young and discovering her powers. She wants to help people, but that help comes in the form of manipulation. Over time, she finds herself justifying her actions for the greater good.

Brandon is a detective. He’s seen addiction and the misuse of power. So when he’s introduced to Yoona and given the chance to learn, he questions everything.

That contrast allowed me to explore the temptation of power and the discipline required to resist it. Their paths highlight perspective, life experience, and emotional maturity.

The multi-POV structure gives readers access to very different moral perspectives. What challenges did you face in balancing those viewpoints?

The biggest challenge was fully inhabiting each character—history, motivations, personal goals, and moral perspectives. I needed their actions to feel authentic to who they were, not a device to move the plot forward.

Another challenge was working with powerful characters. Yoona had to take actions that at times could be judged as morally wrong. But she sees the full picture and knows that in order to achieve necessary outcomes, she must bend her morality. That’s tricky when she is supposed to hold the moral high ground. But it works because Brandon, being skeptical, questions her, and in doing so, we explore the gray areas of morality.

When I traveled overseas, I saw knockoff brands everywhere, sold openly. In the U.S., doing the same thing could get you sued. But in Thailand, selling these items is a way to put food on the table. That raises questions: how do we judge what’s right or wrong when necessity forces choices we might otherwise reject? That tension is at the heart of A Haunting Connection.

Another major challenge I had was the cost. What is the cost for each character? For Leah, it’s her father’s trust, her best friend’s loyalty, and her own ability to choose. Power pulls, and each time she uses it, she loses the ability to resist.

Can you give us a glimpse inside Book 3 of The Ascension Series? Where will it take readers?

A Haunting Redemption opens with the same 1945 Nagasaki scene that started the first two books, but this time from Yoona’s perspective. Readers finally see the full story behind the pivotal moment that shaped the present.

From there, the story picks up where book two left off, with the long-anticipated disturbance Choi and Yoona have been talking about since book one. This event affects every character, altering lives and the world around them.

Then we race toward the confrontation between Ruth and Yoona. Who ends up redeeming themselves along the way, and how does that redemption change the world forever?

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