Local Author Releases New Advent Book Bringing Hope to a Waiting World

Northwest Florida author Kay Dennis has released a new book just in time for the Advent and Christmas season, drawing widespread attention from readers across the region who say the work feels “unexpectedly timely” and “deeply comforting.”

Entitled Candles in the Dark, the book offers poems, prayers, and gentle meditations with spiritual insights centered on themes of hope, longing, and quiet resilience. Readers have praised the book for its warmth and emotional depth, describing it as “a companion for anyone navigating a difficult December.”

Dennis, known locally for her previous works ranging from her human trafficking thriller The Darkest Quest and her hurricane recovery narratives in Surviving Hurricane Michael, says this newest release feels uniquely personal.

“I wrote it during a season of my own waiting,” Dennis shared. “Not the dramatic kind people announce on social media, but the quiet kind—where you’re hoping for something to shift, heal, or simply make sense. Advent is a reminder that we don’t wait alone.”

Dennis’s earlier titles have spanned an impressive range of genres, but community members say her hallmark is always the same: compassion woven through storytelling. Her Advent book continues that thread, blending personal reflections, poems, and Scripture in a way that feels accessible to longtime churchgoers and spiritual seekers alike. The book also features liturgy and study questions for group settings.

Although she has earned a growing regional audience, Dennis is still committed to writing stories that honor small-town life and ordinary people.

“We’re all carrying something,” Dennis said. “If this book can offer even a small light in the dark—well, that’s all I hoped for.”

For a community still navigating the lingering complexities of recent years—from storms to losses to personal rebuilding—Dennis’s Advent reflections arrive at a meaningful time.

As one reader wrote in a personal note, “some books are good. Some are needed. This one is both.”

Dennis writes a weekly column and occasional business news articles for the Jackson County Times, and articles in the National Diakoneo magazine. Dennis is currently working on a poetry and cozy mystery collection. Dennis is an ordained deacon in the Episcopal Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast serving at St. Lukes in Marianna and St. Matthews in Chipley. She is also the Municipal Development Director at the City of Marianna.

 Dennis loves the area and spending time with family and friends.

All of her books are available at Amazon.com