Many years ago, when I was just a three year old, wide-eyed, naïve little boy with a big chili-bowl haircut, my family and I immigrated to Texas from my native country of Laos at the end of the Vietnam War. I grew up very poor, living for years in a small, two bedroom apartment with my parents, my three older sisters, and my younger sister. During those trying times, I was, of course, oblivious to my impoverished surroundings. I thought the lack of what we had was normal. But the memories I have of those days aren't ones of sadness and despair, but rather, ones of happiness and being resourceful. In retrospect, I think we had to be resourceful to entertain ourselves. Some of my best memories during those times include making a mud cake from the dirt after it rained and pretending it was chocolate cake; or running across the street and playing in the Eastridge elementary school park, sliding down the once tall (now not so tall) curvy slides and spinning around so fast on the dirty blue merry-go-round that I would get maddeningly dizzy--and enjoying every second of it. But my fondest memories have to be when my sisters, my friends, and I would share ghost stories. At that time, I was too young to really tell any so I mostly just listened. Out of all the ghost stories that were told, the one story that really stuck with me--even to this day--was called Golden Arm. Ever since, the simple, yet clever story has been the kernel of inspiration for my storytelling. But now that I'm older, I have gained inspiration through many other aspects of entertainment as well, including films, music, and, of course, books. While growing up, even in middle school and high school, I've always dabbled a little in writing, but was too afraid to show anyone what I wrote. However, as I got older, I became more confident and finally shared some of my original ghost stories during one of our annual camping trips, reading the stories around the cozy crackling campfire. So, with the positive feedback I got from those experiences and the constant thought of honoring my parents for their struggle of bringing me and my sisters here to the U.S., I pursued my writing. This attempt has now manifested into my first novel, Soul in Love. Again, part of what inspired me to start writing was the positive feedback I received from family and friends after hearing my stories and my parent's struggle to make a life for me and my sisters. Another vital element that helped to ignite my writing was returning back to college after a long hiatus. I have an Associate of Arts Transfer Degree from Portland Community College and though I am currently taking another break from school to pursue my writing with the hopes of going back. The literature and writing classes during those three years heavily inspired me to delve back into creating what I have always loved to create: fiction. These classes were instrumental in helping me to tap back into my imaginative side and the constant belief that writing fiction should always be something visceral, fun, and creatively boundless. The theme of the paranormal or "horror," as some might like to call it, has always stuck with me. There's an innate fascination that I have with the unexplained supernatural phenomenon that exists in our world and I wanted to capture that natural intrigue and incorporate with my own sensibilities. That's how I came up with the idea for Soul in Love. I am a firm believer in creating your own destiny, no matter the limitations. I believe when you have a dream, you should let your passion take over; let it drive you to fulfill the dream that you are fighting so hard to achieve because in the end, when that dream finally happens, it will all be worth it. I currently live in the beautiful city of Portland, Oregon with my partner going on eight years. Feel free to visit me at my blog and join me in some fun, entertaining, and inspirational conversations.