The Gospel of Sam

12 Blackened Petals is the tale of a boy who was too afraid to become a man. Instead, he became a god. This fast-paced and heart-wrenching tale has a cast of deep characters full of flaws and raw emotion. The struggle of the protagonist to come to grips with the world that is crashing down around him is vividly told through gritty prose that grabs the listener tight and doesn't let them go. Once the listener starts this audiobook, they are injected into a world of gods, angels, and demons that rewrites history and leaves them salivating for more.

Sam's journey through these hardships tells a story of abuse, sadness, loss, redemption, and what it means to be more ourselves. Heavy is the heart that carries two souls.

Twenty-three-year-old Sam Rittenhouse has consistently endured a life of hardship, abuse, and struggle. He has learned to mask his inner turmoil and seal away the evil that lives inside him from the rest of the world. But now, the walls he built to contain his demon are starting to crumble.

After surviving an abusive home life that left him physically, mentally, and emotionally scared, Sam has started a new life in the city in an attempt to transform into a better person. However, everything goes wrong when he attempts to make some fast cash with his cat burglar of a friend. Their adventure into an ominous cavern beneath the city to steal a flower turns deadly and leaves the pair with bullets in their heads.

The flower they stole is beyond ordinary and brings Sam back to life, making him tremendously powerful. This sudden resurrection opens up the floodgates inside of him, releasing Malice, a demon that takes over Sam’s body each time he resurrects. The viciousness of Malice is a threat to the world as he violently lays waste to the city and its citizens.

To make matters worse, Sam is befriended by the archangel Michael, who informs him he is rapidly turning into one of the most powerful gods ever and is responsible for averting a great tragedy that will soon befall the earth. Sam struggles to get a grip on his newfound power and take control of Malice before he dies again, unleashing his monster.

A constant onslaught of military and private forces seek to subdue him at every turn. Now, Sam has become a pawn in a massive game of gods, angels, and demons that have been playing out for centuries.

Sam realizes the road to becoming a God is paved with blood and violence as he learns to master his new abilities and contain Malice, the demon living inside him. No one is safe from this monster that takes over Sam's body and lays waste to the city and its citizens.

12 Blackened Petals is the first novel in the 12 Blackened Petals series chronicling the rise of Sam Rittenhouse as he seeks to replace the God who has forsaken us for more than 1,000 years.