Everything that has happened in your life has lead you to where you are now. The events of Ryan Astaphan’s life lead him halfway across the globe. Made miserable by his job and by debilitating injuries, Ryan set out to Asia in order to find happiness. Ryan embarked on a spiritual and physical journey through India, Thailand, and China. He would practice yoga, kickbox, change lives, and live in a remote kung fu academy. Travelphan is a psychological, intimate, and inspirational story told in a modern voice. Utilizing short chapters, Travelphan is an easy read for the text message and status-update generation. Travelphan is a book like none other.

Author Interview

What are the main themes of your book?

Travelphan promotes the theme of finding the courage to be yourself and overcoming the fear of chasing your dreams.

Who or what inspired your story?

Being a memoir, Travelphan is a true story of perseverance.  In 2011 the protagonist, Ryan Astaphan, found himself in a bad place. Through multiple injuries and surgeries Ryan lost his greatest joy in life, the ability to play sports. In addition to those defeats Ryan found himself in a dead-end job. An overpowering feeling that he had lost control of his future  had come over him. It was during this dark time that a major event happened that would forever change his life.

Sadly, Ryan had to attend the funeral of one of his best friends. Having confronted death, he realized the preciousness of life and decided to get his life together. His first plan of action was to fulfill a dream by traveling across the world. Asia would be where he would experience a rebirth. 

What do you like best about your primary characters?

He is an active dreamer. It takes more than imagination to make change, it takes determination. It takes balls. Ryan is the type of person who may take a fall, but he will be quick to get up.

What are their worst peculiarities?

Ryan has an unusual sense of trust. Hours after landing in India, he accepted a stranger’s offer to travel across the country and attend a Sikh wedding.

How does your main character evolve?

Written as a diary, the reader first meets Ryan as a scared and depressed 5 year old. It is then witnessed as he transformed into a man who had set out to accomplish everything he’d ever dreamed of. Reading entry by entry as Ryan left his old life behind and accepted who he truly was is a moving experience.

What’s the principal message you want to send to your audience?

Be who you want to be. Create a more enjoyable future.

What’s the nicest thing anyone has said about your book?

Travelphan inspired a reader so much that she decided to move out of state to better her life.

Where can we purchase it?

Amazon

About the Author

 All my life I tried fitting into a mold and I failed terribly. In 2011 I was a lost soul at a low point in life. It took a tragic event to turn things around for me. From tragedy I learned about the gift of life. That is when my life changed forever.

In 2012 I spent half the year traveling through Asia. It was a trip of a lifetime, a trip that allowed me to be reborn.

Travelphan is my debut book. It tells my lifestory through a travel journal. What about the book gives me pride? The fact that I revealed it all. Much of what we tell others is filtered out of fear. In me there was a need to be true to myself, the only way I could be true was to show the truth to others. You can tell from Page 1 just how open and intimate Travelphan is.

My joy in life comes from family, friends, soccer, sports, the outdoors, kids, music, and my lovely girlfriend.

Follow Ryan on Twitter, Goodreads and Facebook.