Waiting Tables, Building Worlds
A little over a month ago, I walked away from my founding role in a small business. A few days later, I was waitressing. From the outside, you may think I’ve lost my mind. But after only a month, I’m already closer than ever to publishing my new novel. With each day, I feel more certain than ever I made the right choice.
But publishing is easy. Anyone can do it. What I want is readers, and earning that commitment is a much more challenging climb that will require my full attention.
But more on where I’m going later. First, let’s catch you up on where I’ve been. Right now, I live in North Carolina. But for nearly 12 years, I lived nowhere. Or anywhere. Maybe it’s best we go back to where I’m from.
Flash back to over 13 years ago
It’s 2010. I’m in the East Village, New York City. It’s 7:30AM and I’m working the opening shifts for Saturday and Sunday brunch. This was the last time I worked in the food service industry. The job was fast-paced and high-volume, with outdoor customers catching the occasional sidewalk show of lewdness, public defecation, and neighborhood personalities with names like “Hot Dog.”
But I was good at the job. And, in many ways, I liked it. People go to restaurants to get away from the stress of cooking a meal, to enjoy an evening with friends and loved ones, or just to eat a meal without the effort or mess — I get to help make that a pleasant experience. And the job’s flexibility has always allowed me to pursue creative work alongside it. Now, with the federal exemption for taxes on tips, it seemed like the best first choice if my goal was to publish my novel.
Of course, a return back to waitressing came with some feelings. My inner critic told me waiting tables would be seen as backtracking. As a downgrade. That the business I was building was a great opportunity and walking away was a mistake.
But here’s the thing: if I told the me from 2010 that I was building the business I was building, she would have some words. She would tell me it went against the moral ground she, “I” purported to stand on.
You see, after living through 9/11 in NYC and too many Bushes not caring about the environment or economic inequality, I thought my lack of civic involvement was the problem. So, in 2011, I went back to university to get degrees in political science and Latin American studies. I thought a job within the system would allow me to enact the change I wanted to see in the world. Instead, I learned about the long-standing economic and political machines shaping history and saw how hard it was for one person to have an impact.
Disillusioned with Capitalism
So, I went out into the wider world, looking for a life where corruption and capitalism hadn’t yet become inevitable. It started in an indigenous reserve in the mountains of Costa Rica. What began was a 10-year journey of volunteer work, extreme minimalism, traveling, teaching, off-grid living, and building community.
During this time, I wrote my first book: I Am Tamra — a tale of two Tamras seemingly dreaming one another’s lives who, only once cast out from society, discover the horrific truth about those who control it. But at the time, I had little professional writing experience to my name (and if we’re being honest, I’ll probably re-release it after I finish the third SkyWorld book), so trying to land an agent and traditional publishing was a moonshot. With no bites, I self-published and tried to move on to write the second, while starting to make money through freelance ghostwriting.
But this was 2020, the pandemic had just hit and nomadic life was suddenly much more challenging. I went back to California for a year-long visa to live in India got grounded. Airlines closed. I ended up in a house in Temple City waiting it out. When an organization I had volunteered with previously found an opportunity to send me to Haiti, I took it. After a challenging but valuable experience I’ll never forget, I decided travel was too hard post-COVID and came back to settle in North Carolina.
Swallowed back into Capitalism
My minimalist nomad life was pretty inexpensive, but living in the U.S. made that lifestyle more challenging. I dug into freelance writing and (convincing myself that I was writing for the “good ones”) found a job writing for corporates about how great they are as leaders. I joked about what they might think of me if they read how I depicted them in I Am Tamra. I joked about what my friends in the off-grid communities where I volunteered would think of me writing puff pieces for corporates.
But it paid consistently. And it paid well. Somehow, I found myself building a business in that niche marketing corner of executive thought leadership. At first, it was only supposed to be a means to an end — publishing my second novel. There were even talks of taking on the task as a business imperative, but the prospect never manifested. As it turned out, anti-capitalist sci-fi didn’t really fit into a corporate services business plan.
Still, in 2025, I made a resolution: I would finish my second novel in my SkyWorld series. And, by September of last year, I had done it. Three stories begging me to write them since I was in high school, and I had now completed the second one. But I also made sure the story stands alone for readers who haven’t read the first. It was a challenge, but I have heard this makes it more likely to appeal to agents for traditional publishing.
In any case, I had a finished manuscript and was ready to charge full steam ahead with final edits, promotion, and publishing. Only, there were business priorities that had to come first. When we finished with those, there were others. Days became weeks. Weeks became months. I believed in my novel. Readers of the first draft loved it, reread it a second time, and offered rave reviews. But I had no time to move the process forward.
A Leap of Faith
Finally, in March 2026, I left the company I had spent over 2 years building and the partnership of a good friend. It was a hard choice, but ultimately the right one if I hope to achieve my next major SkyWorld goal. Now, I’m a sci-fi author, without the explanatory preface about a niche content marketing agency. And while that may involve a supplementary income as a waitress for now, whether through this book or the next one, I plan to make a living that way.
But I believe in this book. My Name Is Grace000 is a warning. It speculates that, when we accept a world controlled by men fighting it out to accumulate wealth, influence, and unchecked power, only the outcasts will be able to recognize corruption and challenge it. Especially now, we need to see corruption clearly and dismantle it.
Waiting tables is just the beginning of my journey. When it comes to publishing my book, I’m not waiting anymore. This is the official re-launch of the launch campaign for my upcoming book, My Name Is Grace000. And now that I’m dedicating my time to it, expect to see more frequent content. New videos, short stories, blog entries, and SkyWorld lore-building to come, so subscribe to get email updates and never miss a beat!
This is about you
I’ve got a couple of ideas to get started, but you, my readers are who matter most of all. What do you want to know about the SkyWorld? What would it take to get you to read my speculative fiction?
Please leave comments below, or send me a private message through my contact form. Help me convince you to read my upcoming book! I promise, I’ll do my best to make it worth your while!
