Finally, it’s finished. The book I’ve been putting together since sophomore year of high school. Three years later, I’m screaming for the help of professional New York City editors, relying on close friends to peer edit while they go off to school, and sending email after countless email to high quality publishing companies. It’s a chain of hard work of trying to get professionals to reply back, especially if I want to make it big like my biggest influences, but in the end I have great faith that I’ll at least get somewhere.

Nothing is an intense story told by a unique, creative, and talented protagonist named August Bennett. I created August because I wanted to show people how much of a disease mental sickness can be, but at the time I didn’t even know much about mental illness. I don’t think anyone but professionals really understand all of mentality’s sickening dysfunctions. As you can imagine, that makes it 10x harder to write a book based on it. But as I grew, I myself became more familiar with the world around me. My anxiety started to make more sense, and I found my way to defeat depression. That makes it 10x easier to write a book based on it.

August starts out nearly dirt poor living in Cary, Illinois with a single mother and baby sister Andria. He masters the guitar and projects a raspy Chicago blues sound with his puberty-ridden vocals, but he is held back from his talents as abusive antagonist and rhythm guitarist Eddie steals his spotlight, and gives August the scraps of newly-written music.

August’s best friend, Griffin is a Layne Staley of Alice In Chains – inspired character that usually is the lead vocalist for Eddie & August’s band Dethrose, but due to issues at home, Griffin misses out on the majority of the rehearsals. So who takes over? August? Nope. Eddie.

Tragedy strikes and August becomes lost in the world without his best friend. School is even more toxic than it was before, August struggles with his learning disability even more, and he himself faces bigger hurdles to get over with nothing but doubt in his mind. One girl, Mara, comes along and he finds her to be the only supporter. Of course, they fall in love.

Everything seems like an uphill battle from there; Everyday getting worse & worse until something happens and makes him run away to Chicago to start over.

Sister Andria is taken to an orphanage, and everyone that loved August lost him. He told no one except for the ironic Eddie who volunteered to drive him to the nearest train station. From there, August is homeless for almost 5 years street performing for money, and eating out of dumpsters. Eventually, his friends go to find him in the city after they find out where he had ran off to. One friend gives him a place to stay, August finds a job and is reunited with more friends, and he reunites with his beloved Mara.

One day while he street performs, a well-known producer notices him and before he knows it, August and this new band that was put together by the producer are living in a condo in L.A. And from there, August becomes a famous musician with everything he didn’t have growing up.

The moral of the story is, work toward your future to rid your past, become the stronger person that’s within you, and that it’s okay to focus and fix yourself to become the person you want to be. Three years of hard work and I learned from my own past, as well. I hope this novel lets one know that they aren’t alone, and that there is always hope.