A Teller of Stories
The Worlds & Words of Author C. J. Ward
Fantasy, fiction, and poetry that dwells in the fragile spaces between faith and doubt, fate and freedom, expectations and reality.
Get to know C. J. Ward
Author of Fiction, Fantasy, and Poetry
I write fiction, fantasy, and poetry that explores the forces—mythical, divine, societal, and otherwise—that shape human Will and define the human condition. My work walks the tenuous lines between faith and doubt, fate and freedom, expectations and reality.
Set within fantastical worlds and carried by dynamic characters following epic plots, the tales I weave are meant to immerse and linger—leaving readers with questions of belief, agency, and what it means to choose your path in worlds shaped by powers both seen and unseen.
I am currently writing The Spark’s Listener, my debut epic fantasy novel about a fallen prophet’s journey of reclaiming her faith to save her people from a mysterious, devastating magical technology.
The Spark’s Listener
— Novel In Progress —
The Faithless Prophet, The Politicking Artist, The Innocent Youth, And the God Who Cannot be Trusted. The actions of these few have sealed the land of Solmara’s fate. Whether they saved it or doomed it—this is for you to decide.
Despite her youth, Audira feels as if she’s already lived a lifetime. As a child, she was prophesied to be The Listener—a prophet, spoken of in her people’s religion. One who could perceive the will of their God, Vocar, and would lead them to prosperity through His divine wisdom.
For a time, she tasted the sweetness of power and notoriety. But the taste quickly grew bitter as the power-hungry Will of the newly formed governing Triumvirate began to oppose her divine counsel. Just as quickly as her people cast her out of her role as The Listener, she herself cast out her God and the so-called powers he bestowed. She resolved to leave her people—the people she once loved—to the fate that Vocar had warned of.
But as Audira discovers the true, horrific plans of the Triumvirate, she has no choice but to face the destiny that was chosen for her—or else witness the destruction of her people and her god.
