I was born and raised in Indonesia. As a child growing up, my mother used to tell me that I carried a typewriter wherever I go. I found it hilarious as I was as skinny as a stick and the typewriter might weigh more than me. I used to draw comic strips for my high school magazine out of boredom in class. Instead of listening to my teacher, I would draw him or her in the cartoon strip to point out how boring their classes were and to make my classmates giggle in the middle of the sessions.

I never pursued or honed on this talent further since as an Asian, I was told that education is the number one priority especially in science, not the arts. I left home when I was eighteen to pursue my education in Vancouver, Canada. I started with a Chemistry major but later on realized that my mother, as a single parent, couldn’t afford  paying a five-year college tuition for me as a foreign student. At that time, foreign students were not allowed to work, and the living expenses were extremely high.  I decided to head back home and work on plan B.

It looked like God had heard my prayers. My mother’s friend had a son who lived in San Francisco. With his help, I registered to San Francisco State University and graduated Cum Laude in less than three years.  That was the best gift I could have given my mother by graduating with honors.  Although it wasn’t the highest honor but that was the best I could do considering working at the school’s office and studying at the same time. After settling down with my life, I found myself going back to my passion in writing. Experiencing first-hand turmoil and tragedy in my home country had inspired me to write this book.  It is a fiction based on real experiences on issues that had come to the forefront of many minds.

The actualization of FBI Fly Team: The Rim on Fire has made me feel complete as my true goal has been realized. I thank the support of family and friends in the process of making this a reality.