This exclusive, limited edition print run is a tribute to my son, Renley Chu and the magical world we envisioned together.
Before Ren died, one of the notes he left behind said he hoped I would finish and publish our anthology...and live. Through tremendous pain and grief, I have come this far. I am fulfilling a dream we began together in 2020.
I am still living.
Now, on the 5th anniversary of Ren’s death, I’m finally releasing our book into the world.
Ren and I formed a bond through a mutual understanding of life's harshness and brevity. Writing these stories was a means to grapple with the grief, injustice, and trauma we faced. They are written for those who feel unseen by society, for anyone who has experienced profound loss.
We have scattered pieces of ourselves throughout these stories. You may find pieces of yourself as you read, and, like us, find healing in them.
Timeline
2021
Renley and Tiffany begin writing “the anthology.” The original plan was to write 10 stories each.
When Renley died in May 2021, he left some stories unfinished, others unedited.
To cope with the loss, Tiffany worked on the anthology and published the first edition on August 30, 2021, titled Melody of Your Heart.
Even with very little promotion except among Renley and Tiffany’s family and friends, the book had over 200 downloads/purchases.
2023
Tiffany removed Melody of Your Heart from retailers with the intention of revising and expanding the stories.
2024
Tiffany began serialising the anthology on Substack under the working title, “Revenir,” which means, “to come back.” There, it found a new audience.
2025
January - booked cover designer
March - manuscript with developmental editor, Lynne Griffin. More revisions
June - line editing with Friel Black. More revisions.
Started contacting illustrators & commissioning them. Hired Patricia Gutierrez, Koti, and Dani
July - draft sent out to beta readers
August - booked Emily Lawrence for the audiobook narration
October - original cover designer ghosted me, then said she couldn’t do the project. Scrambled to find another. Thankfully, found Angela Chen
November - copy editing with Kayla Kauffman
December - proofreading with S.E. Reid. More revisions
Got interior illustrations back from Patricia!
Started getting blurbs from fellow authors!
January - worked with A.C. Sanders for the signature page and chapter header. Received back in record time.