When I was in elementary school, I remember one of my teachers calling me: “A mixed up kid!” Don’t worry. It was just his way of playfully referring to my mixed heritage. Back then, I was the only one like me in my class – my mom being French Canadian, and my dad of the far more “exotic” Chinese Jamaican.
I grew up in a small town, not too far from the national capital region of Ottawa, Canada. My childhood was typical of the 1990s, mostly spent skipping rope with friends, playing with My Little Ponies, and building Lego castles with my brother and sister.
When I was seven, my mom gifted me her childhood collection of Les Aventures de TinTin, a French comic book series by Belgian cartoonist, Hergé. In TinTin, I discovered a passion for reading, and a love of adventure and mystery. Over the years, that passion grew as I became consumed with a ferocious appetite for books. Detective stories were my favorite, and Agatha Christie in particular, my obsession – I read every book that wonderful woman ever wrote…
I began my foray into fantasy, when a friend of mine lent me her copy of The Last Vampire, by Christopher Pike, in the 6th grade. By that time, my siblings and I were hooked on our Super Nintendo, playing classic role-playing games like Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy IV. To say we were drawn to heroes and magical powers would have been an understatement. I remember spending an entire summer curled up on a couch with my brother, our heads tucked in between the pages of our dad’s old Marvel comic books.
In high school, I took a detour into the world of science fiction. After watching Jurassic Park for the first time, I became infatuated with the works of its creator. To this day, Michael Crichton (may he rest in peace) remains one of my favorite authors – I’ve always admired how he was so seamlessly able to both entertain and educate his audience on the importance of scientific responsibility.
My parents, both being computer scientists by trade, heavily encouraged the pursuit of academic excellence in our household – with an emphasis on science and mathematics. Their encouragement and support eventually led me to complete a double degree in chemical engineering and computing technology at our local University of Ottawa. I finished my undergraduate studies with highest honors but no real idea about where to go from there. And so, like so many other dutiful and high achieving young people, I enrolled in law school with high hopes and big dreams.
What was it that Shakespeare said about lawyers? Oh yes, “Kill all the lawyers!” was one of his most famous lines from Henry VI. Think what you will about attorneys. All I can say is: looking back, I think law school may have been one of the most transformative experiences of my life. In law school, I met hundreds of intelligent, well-travelled and diverse people – people who inspired me to come out of my shell, take risks and explore the world. I am who I am today, because I went to law school. And for that alone, I’m forever grateful.
After graduation, I was offered a once in a lifetime opportunity. A law firm in London, England offered me a job articling with them internationally. I spent three wonderful years living abroad in one of the most beautiful and exciting cities in the World – right in the middle of where so many of my favorite stories were set. I visited 221b Baker Street and imagined myself a detective like Sherlock Holmes. I strolled along the Thames, and envisioned myself in a Dickens novel. I took many a train at King’s Cross Station and always thought of what it might be like to travel to Hogwarts from that magical platform 9 and 3/4.
It’s difficult to say when exactly I took the leap and began writing myself. One thing is for certain though. Years of reading had left me with a wild imagination. I had more stories popping into my head than I had time to write them – and this remains true to this day.
I began writing my first novel The Aurora Antidote when I was still a student at law school. I spent years developing the story, and continued writing all through my articling and early years of practice in London. The Aurora Antidote tells the story of a girl who’s thrust into a magical world when her only sister falls into a deathly coma. The story is the first in what I hope will be a series of magically-themed novels for teens (and grown-ups alike). If you haven’t yet, please do check it out. After all, I wrote it for you!
