Author, artist and illustrator of his own books, Loren John Presley, 21, an autistic BC student majoring in graphic arts, will be signing his new book “Starship One,” Dec. 6, at Russo’s Book Store.
Presley has been writing since the age of 6 and is “always striving to express (his) imagination as a storyteller.”
When Presley was 14, he was diagnosed with autism.
“Many of my schoolmates could see I was an oddball, and many of them shunned me. I was often asked what planet I was from,” Presley said.
Around the age of 15, he was struck by chronic depression where he’d “hit rock bottom” and thought he’d never live his dream.
“I tossed all my stories, I deleted them from the computer and got rid of my notes, illustrations, everything,” Presley said.
While depressed, Presley was writing “The Anastasia Project,” which he said was about his fight to stay alive and to keep happy.
Presley said, “I can do this; this is what I do. I have to keep doing this. I have to keep being a writer because this is what my life is about.”
His first book, “The Anastasia Project,” which is about a dolphin who is in an unfamiliar area in the ocean trying to find her way home, was published in February.
Recently, “The Anastasia Project” has been distributed into bookstores in the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Japan and Great Britain. Presley said he feels happy right now about himself, and “the future looks pretty bright.”
“I’m?also marketing as a vendor at?local autism conferences as?well since a great deal?of my book has been dedicated to helping children and families affected by autism,” said Presley.
Because of good teachers, friends and family as well as Presley’s undying will and his ability to function in his environment, he can communicate more clearly and is able to reach out to other fellow human beings.