Biography

As a child, I loved reading and I have many fond memories of wanting to get a new book each time I went food shopping with my dad. With persuasion, he would buy the book, and whether it be Francesca Simon or Roald Dahl, as soon as it was scanned through the register, I would start reading it. In hindsight, it was probably annoying to both the cashier and my dad, as I probably should’ve helped to pack the bags.

Sadly, my passion for reading fizzled out during high school. A mix of steady bullying and being forced to read certain books for curriculum really made reading feel like a chore. As I went to college and pursued becoming a chef, I started my first novel Madame Voodoo. As a member of the LGBT+ community, I’ve often felt overlooked and under-represented by characters who purely existed to either check a box or provide comedic relief at their own expense. Once I noticed there were many other minority groups in the same situation, I wanted to create captivating stories with these overlooked and exploited groups at the forefront. Unfortunately, during college, I didn’t have the confidence to finish Madame Voodoo and, over the years, I picked it up and put it back down a handful of times.

Since college, I’ve worked as a barista for a large chain of coffee shops and worked my way up to manager by the time I was twenty-two. However, I soon realised that it wasn’t going to bring me happiness in life. During the year of 2022, I finally picked up Madame Voodoo and contemplated working on it again. I set myself a goal to complete it by the end of the year and did so with enthusiasm. I also watched a ‘little’ show called Heartstopper and decided to read the book. Quite frankly, it changed my life, and I wished that I had something like that when I was growing up. I’d never seen such accurate representation of those like myself and it helped push me to decide that I want to provide that for others. I want to create stories that make people feel seen. Thus, I made the big decision to step down from my role and become a part time barista. As I publish my first book and work on many more stories in my head, I hope to be able to fulfil this dream full time and bring to light stories that can help people in life, in the way Heartstopper helped mine.

P.S. I love long country walks, food, and dogs!