Who is the target audience for Adrift in Adulting?

As a memoir that grapples with the challenges of the early adult years, YA readers may particularly resonate with the story. Gen Xers and those nostalgic for 1990s LA stories may also find interest. As a multiracial Asian American nonbinary woman, my book will appeal to readers drawn to intersectional LGBTQ+ stories. 

Shouldn't only 'famous' people write memoirs?

I am putting this question here because I have felt it as an undercurrent in some people's response to my sharing that I have written a memoir. I believe that everyone has a right to creatively express themselves in any way they see fit, including telling their personal stories. I have gained so much value from other people's stories, whether they were known in the public eye or not. I hope that one day soon we will all see the ridiculousness in holding a scarcity mindset around creative output--welcoming all of our stories within the dream of this shared reality. Additionally, as AI-written stories threaten to flood the book market with something akin to mental "gray goo," I believe society is ready to re-embrace real stories of individuals' lived experience as truly authentic works of art. 

Your story portrays an imbalanced and troubled individual. How do you reconcile this past with your current role as a therapist?

Yes, my day job is as a psychotherapist. And one of the most important things I can convey to therapy clients is the need to connect with your authentic self in all its parts. This includes shadow work--compassionately exploring the aspects of ourselves we would rather hide from. Through such a path, I believe we can find insight and liberation. 

Should I be aware of any potential triggers in the story?

While not overly nor gratuitously explicit, there are some descriptions and allusions to childhood sexual trauma and sexual assault as well as instances of racial, misogynist and homophobic microaggressions and prejudice. 

I'm curious why you chose to write from a present tense POV?

As I worked on this story, I found that using present tense allowed me to convey most powerfully the protagonist's feeling of stuckness as well as the glimmers of realization that unfold as the events progress. Because my level of awareness is so much greater now than then, staying present tense allowed me to inhabit my early adult self in a more fully realized way.