The War for Heaven follows a dying man who wakes in an afterlife that is not the serene heaven he imagined. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

Like Damian, I grew up in a tight-knit religious community in central Illinois, where the concept of a flawless afterlife is a comforting certainty for many. Moving around the country after college opened my eyes to the beautiful complexity of cultures and ideologies. I realized that the differences between our politics and religions are vast, and no single system is perfect enough to guarantee everyone’s happiness here on Earth. These gulfs became undeniably stark during the COVID-19 pandemic, as the world fractured into rigid binaries of right versus wrong, good versus evil. For those who believe in an afterlife, its ultimate appeal lies in its perfection—the promise that all suffering will cease. It was precisely that fragile concept of perfection, and the inherently flawed human attempt to capture or force it into existence, that inspired the setup of The War for Heaven.

Damian and Alena’s reunion feels emotionally complicated rather than sentimental. How did you approach writing love after death?

Relationships are hard! Even the healthiest ones require continuous care, attention, and compromise. In any successful partnership, both individuals inevitably set aside certain personal wants for the sake of the collective bond. I wanted to carry this reality directly into the afterlife to again challenge the idea of perfection. Just because Damian and Alena find themselves in a “better place” doesn’t mean they suddenly get everything they ever wanted. Exploring that natural friction—where individual desires clash even in eternity—makes for more compelling and dynamic storytelling than a purely sentimental reunion. And I think that makes Damian and Alena’s love for one another more real!

What drew you to combining theological fantasy with mystery and political intrigue?

The idea for The War for Heaven has been rolling around in my head for over twenty years. At the time of its inception, I was active in my church, so it was destined to be theological in nature. Creating the fantasy elements—the Dungeon of Darkness, the Sphere of Doom, and the Hall of Hands—was incredibly fun, but they also served to hint at a much grander, more unsettling mystery. As both the world and myself changed in the intervening years, so did the story. Its political intrigue was heavily inspired by the onset of the pandemic, specifically in how the crisis was so deeply weaponized for political gain. Combining these elements allowed me to use the fun, high-concept machinery of epic fantasy to explore the very real, fractured political realities we face today.

If readers leave The War for Heaven thinking differently about grief, eternity, or human connection, what do you hope stays with them most?

More than anything, I hope readers walk away with the understanding that perfection is an ideal simply not worth pursuing. Throughout the book, I tried to give the antagonists real depth and personality. Their grievances are valid and identifiable. In the end, though, it is their own selfish, short-sighted pursuits that bring about their downfall. The human experience, which encompasses grief, love, joy, and sadness, is best when navigated as a collective. Life is about lifting everyone up together. If readers leave the book thinking that our shared, flawed connections here and now matter more than a manufactured eternity, then The War for Heaven has done its job.

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