Hello! I’m currently writing a psychological thriller romance novel inspired by and dedicated to one of my childhood best friends who passed away. She had such a magnetic personality — the kind of person who always felt like the main character in every room she walked into — and writing this story feels like a way to let a part of her live on. My protagonist is heavily inspired by her. She was Japanese American, while I’m white, and because this story is so personal to me, I want to approach her cultural identity with as much authenticity, respect, and care as possible. I’m especially interested in exploring themes of cultural identity, legacy, family expectations, generational experiences, and the feeling of existing between different worlds. The novel itself is an intense thriller romance with darker emotional themes, complicated relationships, obsession, grief, and identity woven throughout it.…