Dear readers,
This weekend as Venus goes retrograde, a celestial event that occurs approximately every 18 months, I found myself contemplating the potential impact of astrology on my life. While I would not consider myself a fervent astrology follower, I do take interest in understanding the positions of the planets and the themes they bring into our lives.
With Venus, the planet that symbolizes love and beauty, spinning in reverse motion, our hearts are embarking on a transformative journey until early September.
While some of you may know me on a personal level, it is rare and takes time for me to open up and share my deepest emotions—be it sadness, anger, passion, or love. To many, I present a careful version of myself, but to others I reveal my unfiltered essence without reservations.
Writing has always been my sanctuary and safe haven where I can lay bare my soul when spoken words often elude me. The art of expression, the choice of words, and the way they are conveyed hold immense significance to me, though when I allow unprocessed emotions to flow freely and unencumbered, it signifies a profound connection and affection for the receiver, the listener. Otherwise, I resort to writing, a medium through which I can share (or not share) my thought-through feelings and emotions. So, here I am, another week, laying my heart bare with the sincerest desire to continue connecting with you. With that in mind, let us talk about my longest-made creation and my most prized (not yet published) written work, ICARUS.
The story of ICARUS, my fantasy cross-over novel which is meant to be a six-book series, dropped into my heart over four years ago on one sunny day in Singapore. Filled with a profound sense of duty, the deities demanded I put pen to paper. There I was, beginning to write my first novel about a boy from the Hermit Kingdom, and a girl from Cold War East Berlin.
I went down a long, dark, research rabbit hole on ‘The Hermit Kingdom’ aka N. Korea. During my extensive research, I came across this video by Yeonmi Park, who now resides in New York City after escaping N. Korea over a decade ago. Her escape story broke my heart, and so I began volunteer interactions with an organisation called Freedom Speakers International. They teach English and provide tremendous support to N. Korean refugees. It is one of the largest organisations in South Korea with this mission.
Casey Lartigue Jr., the co-founder of Freedom Speakers International, graced me with a collection of signed articles and books authored by or centered around N. Korean refugees. These invaluable resources have significantly enriched my research, making the journey all the more fulfilling and complete. Living in Berlin for many years now, also enriched my research for that storyline.
A boy named Un-byol from the Hermit Kingdom is shown the meaning of freedom by a Demi-God named Icarus. A girl in Cold War East Berlin dreams of freedom even after the Berlin Wall falls. They both walk through glowing portals which lead to a heaven ruled by vultures, an ice-cold punk rock underworld, and everywhere in between where they must find the light again in order to keep the most potent hope from the actual devil. By the end of book one, when Beelzebub takes it from the boy, he will soon use it to control the retelling of history, past, present, and future, for his benefit.
ICARUS is my creation and comes from a well of pure light, loyalty, and love. The title suits my soul as the mythological story of Icarus inspired me once I heard it for the first time in my teen years. I always thought to myself, “If flying too close to the sun was Icarus’s destiny, then he must have been filled with pure joy in the moments he took flight and felt the sun kiss his skin.” I often feel my passion and curiosity for love and life burns as bright as this kissing sun.
I whispered Icarus thrice as I floated in the Mediterranean Sea this past weekend on a beautiful beach in Crete, Greece. According to mythology, this would have been the exact sea in which Icarus plummeted to his death after flying too close to the sun with wax wings. A few kilometres away was Knossos and the maze his father Daedalus designed and built for King Menos.
My debut novel, ICARUS, THE MOON AND SUN, is complete at 76,000-words. It is a fantasy cross-over book with a historical fiction twist, and I know this story must be told. Much like other great authors, I have begun the long journey of traditional publishing. If anyone in your circle knows a fiction agent, I am open to and will be immensely grateful if you connect me. ICARUS is a part of my purpose, and I will stop at nothing to get it published, whether that happens today or unfolds over the course of the next decade(s).
With love on my mind and overflowing from my heart, please enjoy this week’s poem. It is my newest poem as I wrote it today.
An Ode to Venus, from Eve
Love is patient and
Love is kind, but
Unlike many things
Love cannot only exist in the mind.
Like striking gold the river flows
And cannot be stopped
From just being told
Or just turning cold.
How did we get here?
And what can we do?
I am grateful to God
For each and every one of you.
Love is patient and
Love is kind, but
Unlike manmade things
This love is a gift in a realm with no time.
Why does it overwhelm?
How can we use words to tell?
Fumbling to dig deep and feel,
It took me a moment to reconcile.
Venus, you open our hearts
When we least expect it
And we are not sure what to do.
We may have no clue which path is true,
But I have a feeling all roads lead
To you.