People have encouraged me to share my story, so here goes:

-first generation (we immigrated when I was around 2 years old)

-fell deeply in love with music and art in kindergarten

-encouraged/pressured to focus into STEM from a young age (“that’s where the money and honor is”)

-flash forward to studying cell biology at the University of California, Santa Barbara

-decided post-school that I hate my life, and that a life where you constantly wonder “what if?” is not worth living

-made the decision that I was going to either live as a self-sustaining artist, or die as a starving one in the attempt

-moved to the state of Washington to work a day job at a clinic providing therapy services for children with autism

-spent 5-6 years saving my money, honing my craft, and learning about business

-took my saved funds, quit my day job, and went into my creative career full-time

-severely overestimated the difficulty of navigating the early stages

-funds depleted, lost my apartment

-moved to living in my car for a few months hoping my work would start to gain momentum soon

-car repossessed, all assets gone, and writing this from my last morning of peace in a motel room

Make no mistake. Every decision I made was my own, and I intend to shoulder any consequences associated with them myself.

An online friend told me though, “You are so used to being alone that you never reach out for help.”

In attempt to heed their advice and better my life, I share my story with you. I intend to self publish a novel by the name of “Love’s Light”. It is a sci-fi romance that navigates the realities and intricacies of modern relationships— built in a world where the sun has vanished, and there is no light left.

No matter what happens here, or tomorrow— I assure you I WILL publish this novel.