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I was fourteen when I was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome, a mild form of Autism. Finally I understood what was different about me, and why everything and everyone seemed to work and think so differently than I did...

I had long accepted these difficulties and this uniqueness I had as part of who I was. What I was especially grateful for was how my Autism had given me a unique perspective on the beauty of the world. I loved especially how my Autism boosted my creativity...

Three years before I was diagnosed, I began writing one of my first stories and creative obsessions, which I called, The Anastasia Project. I knew my story was going to be about a dolphin who would suddenly find herself stranded in a world where all was bleak. I knew she would have to decipher the meaning of an implant on her head, try to solve what looked wrong with the stars in the night sky, and ultimately need to overcome a menacing machine that was soon to doom all life in the sea.
  

It was not until I was 14 that my Autism began to unleash its darker side. As a child with Autism, I had seen the world in beauty and love. As I came into adolescence however, my old perceptions I had shaped for myself were challenged. I soon found myself hitting a grave depression. I was lonesome and afraid. I felt face to face with an everlasting despair!

Through the years my depression persisted. But I continued to fight! I couldn't believe I was going to feel this way forever.

That's when something clicked! By believing that I could not surrender Love, I was gradually able to conquer my fears and lonesomeness. And in doing so, I was able to tell how my character would overcome her own plight...by fighting hard for hope...

The Anastasia Project is available at Russo's Bookstore by the Marketplace. It is also availiable through Barnes and Noble, Amazon.com, and Lulu.com. Loren John Presley will be doing a booksigning at Russo's on the 28th of June from 1:00PM to 3:00PM.