The Story Behind One-Way Ticket to the Unknown

Some stories are not just written; they are lived. One-Way Ticket to the Unknown was a similar one – a journey that I lived, was definitely not the book I planned to write this year. It was simply a feeling. A whisper. A question I carried inside me for years. An emotion that arose during my Japan trip last Christmas.

Where am I going? What if I don’t have all the answers?

This book began as a personal journal during a time when everything around me was shifting and I wanted a leap – so bad!

I was in a place between letting go and holding on. Between the version of me that once existed and the one I was becoming. I didn’t know what the destination was; I just knew I had boarded a train, and there was no turning back.

Writing One-Way Ticket was also like tracing my journey across invisible tracks. I wrote about the stops I made; pain, love, silence, courage. I wrote about the passengers; some who stayed, others who were merely passers-by. I wrote about the view; changing, fleeting, blurry and sometimes breathtaking. And I also wrote about the in-between — the waiting, the wondering, I mean the wandering.

In all honesty, I didn’t know if anyone would understand what I was trying to say. I really didn’t know if it would make sense to anyone but me. But I wanted to publish anyway because it was healing me.

I remember proofreading the final manuscript around 5 am on the morning of 15th February, and I was so nauseous looking at the script for the 1000th time – yes, editing is not as healing as writing.

Anyway I also learnt to let things be; it’s not always about perfection.

It’s about permission.

To share. To feel seen. To let the words fly.

And, when the book was finally out, I received so much warmth. So many of my friends and readers wrote to me saying they felt like they were sitting on the same train. That my words echoed their journey too. That they cried. That they tried to embrace this journey without fear. That they no longer felt alone. That it inspired them to keep going.

And maybe that’s all what this journey is, as an author.. to write something that makes people feel understood and heard and seen.

If you’ve ever felt lost, or in transition, or like you’re starting over again for the hundredth time;

this book is for you.

It doesn’t promise answers.

It doesn’t offer a map.

But it offers a company on the ride.

To everyone who picked up One-Way Ticket to the Unknown, thank you.

You gave my words a home. You made the journey worth it.

And you reminded me that sometimes, the unknown leads us exactly where we’re meant to go.