From Cancer Diagnosis to Bestselling Novelist

The reason why I ask that question is I don't see it as one Right answer to a right question.

So everyone's perspective is, is different.

Everyone's creative pathway is different, interesting.

And when a writer looks back and reflects on their own journey, what made them the writer they are today, I find that fascinating and full of human stories, inspirations, and everything.

And what you shared-

Yeah, the writer I am today gets better and better.

You know, the more I write, I think the better I get.

And, you know, the more I read, the better writer I become as well, you know? I can look at other books, even articles, and see the flow of the story.

I think that's kind of almost human nature in a way.

We like stories.

I mean, we beg our parents when we're children to tell us a story, right? We like things presented to us in a story format.

And so the more stories I consume as a reader or as a viewer or what have you, a listener, the more stories I consume, the more I practice storytelling, the better storyteller I become, and the better storyteller I am, the better art- writer I am.

That is beautiful.

And yes, we are always looking for stories, and we will explore your books in a little bit more detail.

Mm-hmm.

But before that, I wanted to hear from you that y- you shared your inward journey when you realized that you have so many stories to tell, and you focused on your awareness and your mindset, and you started your preparations and publishing journey.

Have you ever kind of asked yourself what is it that you're trying to say through your work, be it nonfiction, be it fiction?

You know what? [coughs] I think it depends on the story, right? For example, the memoir that I wrote, "Me, Myself, and My Multiple Myeloma," I wanted it to be a resource for patients.

When I was first diagnosed, soon after that dinner with my son and my wife, I realized there was more I could learn, so I went to a support group, the first support group I ever went to, and it was a support group made up of patients of a variety of types of cancers.

I was overwhelmed really about seeing the strength of these brave cancer fighters in this room, and they kinda taught me what it was like to be a cancer patient.

From that moment on, I was like, "Man, I wanna be like them.

They're role models for me.

I wanna be an advocate for patients, for caregivers, and their allies." I feel good, I feel strong, and as I feel good and as I feel strong, is there something I can do to help others within our community? If somebody needs a hand to pull them forward to where they wanna be, I wanna be that person to offer that hand.

And so that led me to that second book, and my intent for what did I want to share there was y- you can't write a memoir, particularly a memoir about your health, without just being brutally honest, you know? And I needed to just to tell my story.

The motivation for me was like, "This is what happened to me.