Press & Media Resources

Ascensão: Revolution Q&A

Where did the idea for this story come from?

There isn’t one defining moment or idea that brought this story to life, rather it is an accumulation of many curiosities that have come together in a big mash-up over the course of decades.  Even still, a short list of things that made the largest impact, in no particular order, is below:

How much of the story is true and how much is fiction?

That’s a really tough question to answer, so here is my best attempt to answer fully, but succinctly.  First, nearly all of the American Special Operations cited in the book are factual, aside from the fictional claim that the US sought sovereignty concerning all UAP matters in the Western Hemisphere under the guise of the Monroe Doctrine – which is a complete fabrication to enhance the fictional side of the book (at least as far as I know!).

Having said that, all of the locations, several of the characters, and most of the ‘historical’ events listed in the book are factual – the Coup of 1964, the Top Secret Solimoes Nuclear Project, the untimely demise of various Brazilian leaders (yes, President Silva died by suspicious mid-air plane collision), and Josef Mengele did in fact escape from Allied Forces in 1945 and secretly moved to S. America before dying in Brazil – only to be discovered years later, and so on.

As for the fiction, I’ll trust more of those moments are easier to discern…the 19 missing minutes, the otherworldly content, and the main characters of this book are all fictional – as some easy examples.  Having said that, Brazil has a robust history of mysterious UFO encounters, and to this day Brazil has the only record of hostile actions (allegedly) from purported ETs.

How long did it take you to complete Book 1, and what can you share about the process?

This is something I’ve been thinking about for 20+ years, but after a couple short stories and dead-ends, I got serious about completing this book just over 6 years ago.

The process was a never-ending one, because during the times I wasn’t physically writing I was still using my free time to do research, which conveniently mixed with my own recreational interests.
 
I’ve also had a deep love for anthropology, astronomy, and a fascination with the many mysteries of the human-experience: why are we here, what happens when we die, and so on.

Do you have any personal experience with the unexplained, UAP or other?

I do, although I’ve found sharing such experiences is deeply personal and something I’ve learned is frequently met with heavy criticism from anyone who doesn’t have their own experiences to draw from.
 
Having said that, through a combination of my own experiences and the numerous conversations and testimony I’ve gathered from others, a high percentage of people have personally witnessed something unexplainable – and this is rampant across history and embedded in nearly every culture since the dawn of man.  Examples include: Strange lights that move in the sky without any discernible means of propulsion, spiritual claims of healing and/or divine intervention, paranormal activity, orbs of light, dreams that predict future events, meditative moments that spark the inspiration for some of human’s greatest inventions, and so on.

I’d like to believe this book is an acknowledgement of the undeniable phenomena experienced by civilizations all over the globe, and for longer than perhaps we can understand.  Sadly, our media culture tends to ignore much of it, and in fairness, pursuing stories that lack tangible evidence is a real challenge…one that is only getting harder with the advancement of AI.

Even still, I believe there is much more to life than we can touch and feel in the physical.  What is an idea, why do we dream, and would anyone believe in radio waves if we hadn’t yet discovered them (as one example)?

Why a trilogy, and how far along are you into Books 2 and 3?

I realized quickly that one book wasn’t going to capture the full extent of this story, which has grown as I’ve continued to feed it…quite literally taking on a life of its own as many authors often claim.
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As for how far along I am with Books 2 and 3, I’ve been writing all three books at the same time since the beginning…something I’ve found helps me better tie them all together.  As a result, Book 2 is nearly half completed already, and Book 3 is approximately 1/3 complete.  Jumping between books has made the initial launch of Book 1 slower, but I believe it was worth it to keep the story interwoven as best as possible.  Besides, I’m a big believer in the old adage, ‘Begin with the end in mind’…because if I know where I want to go, I can plot a course to it.
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All of that said, I’m learning the course can be fraught with unseen and unknowable obstacles that have challenged me to learn new things, pivot to alternative solutions, and refine the process in order to keep pushing to the final goal.  The process has demanded a host of supporting documents and organizational requirements I hadn’t anticipated, but without some of these tools I created on the fly, I surely would have lost my way…necessity being the mother of invention.
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Although the process has been grueling at times, I should clarify that it has been an enjoyable one, learning and growing along the way.  Further, while I have deleted more than I could have ever imagined as I’ve inadvertently discovered my own inaccuracies, inconsistencies, and contradictions, those sacrifices forced a refinement that has allowed me to pursue a better story (in my opinion), and making this story as best as possible has been my ‘north star’ since day one.