KOA: Dark Systems follows the crew of a surveillance vessel into an unexplored star system, where they discover an ancient threat that could change entire worlds. What inspired the creation of the KOA universe?

I’ve always loved worldbuilding and the idea of creating a universe that readers could truly immerse themselves in. A few years ago, while helping bring together several of the world’s leading Christian film and media organizations, I kept hearing the same challenge: there is a growing need for high-quality stories that naturally reflect a Christian worldview without existing solely as a gospel presentation. That resonated with me and encouraged me to pursue the kind of stories I had always wanted to tell.

At the same time, I work closely with youth and young adults and saw a desire for action, suspense, science fiction, and even horror that didn’t rely on profanity, explicit content, or glorifying destructive lifestyles. The result became the KOA Universe. It’s inspired by my lifelong love of science fiction but built around the belief that compelling stories and meaningful values don’t have to compete. My goal is to create an expansive universe anyone can enjoy, regardless of their beliefs, while allowing a Christian worldview to naturally shape the characters, their decisions, and the world they inhabit.

How did you balance large-scale worldbuilding with the more intimate story of the crew’s survival?

That was probably the biggest challenge in writing KOA: Dark Systems. I’d spent years building the larger KOA Universe in outlines, notes, and future story ideas before this book ever came together. My early drafts tried to fit way too much of that into one novel. It all made perfect sense in my head, and to a small group of people who had been following along, but anyone picking up the book for the first time would have been trying to keep up with far too many characters, storylines, and moving pieces.

I eventually realized this story wasn’t about explaining an entire universe. It was about Sky, Julian, and one mission gone wrong. Everything else became supporting context rather than the focus. That meant introducing the larger world through brief glimpses while keeping the emotional heart of the story centered. The result was a more accessible introduction to the KOA Universe, one that hints at a much larger saga without asking readers to learn everything on the first page.

Faith is woven deeply into the story rather than remaining in the background. Why was that important to you?

Faith is a major part of my life, so it naturally becomes a major part of the world I am creating. My hope was to create an exciting science fiction thriller where young readers could immerse themselves in a bigger universe, wrestle with meaningful questions, and enjoy the adventure without feeling like they had to compromise the values that matter to them.

Which aspects of the KOA universe are you most excited to explore in future books?

I’m excited to continue both forward and backward through the KOA timeline. Readers have only experienced one mission in a much larger universe. I’m looking forward to exploring the origins of the KOA on Earth, the formation of the interstellar Alliance, the backstories of characters like Asa, Benjamin, and Tendi, and where Sky, Julian, and the rest of the crew go from here. My hope is that every new story expands the universe while standing on its own, giving readers another piece of a much larger picture.

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