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Building David: The Heart of the Story

If The Ticket to Freedom is a house, then David is the foundation.

David didn’t arrive fully formed. He emerged slowly, piece by piece — a young man shaped by fear, tenderness, survival, and hope. I didn’t mold him into existence. I paid attention to who he was becoming as I wrote.

But before he could have a story, he needed a name.

And choosing one was its own journey.

For weeks, I circled different possibilities. Malik was one of the earliest contenders. It...

Thanksgiving always makes me pause — not just to count blessings, but to acknowledge the quiet, complicated paths that led me to them. This year feels different. Bigger. Deeper. Almost unreal.

Because this is the first Thanksgiving where I get to say:

I published my debut novel.

I put a piece of my heart into the world… and the world held it.

And that still amazes me.

The Journey Behind the Gratitude

When I think back on the road that led to The Ticket to Freedom, what I feel isn’t pride first — it...

A reflection by The Luu, Author of The Ticket to Freedom

Identity is one of the earliest truths we carry — long before we can define it, defend it, or even fully understand it. It begins in the quiet corners of who we are: our instincts, our fears, the things we’re drawn to, and the feelings we can’t shake even when the world tells us to. Belonging, though, is different. It’s not something we simply inherit. It’s something we wander toward, often without a straight path, often without a guide....

The Spark: Where the Story Began

Every story begins somewhere, but The Ticket to Freedom didn’t begin with a plotline or even a character. It began with a question — one that lodged itself in my mind and refused to loosen its grip:

What does freedom look like for someone who has never been allowed to live fully in their truth?

That question followed me everywhere. During slow mornings. During long commutes. In moments of quiet I didn’t know I needed. It wasn’t loud — it was persistent. A pull...

When I began writing my debut queer fiction novel, The Ticket to Freedom, I never imagined how deeply the journey would reshape me as both a storyteller and a person. What started as a quiet idea — a young man navigating identity, culture, and the search for belonging — slowly grew into a powerful coming-of-age story centered on love, self-discovery, and what it truly means to be free.

Launching this author website marks the next chapter in that journey. And I’m grateful you’re here.

This space...