Chasing Halley
A MEMOIR BY EDDIE LAU
In 1986, I slept through Halley’s Comet. It took stage-four cancer, my nonverbal autistic son’s napkin-rolled ‘comet tails,’ and four decades of blind ambition to finally chase the light that matters.
The Book
Chasing Halley | 59,000 words
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A Gripping Literary Memoir of Redemption and Wonder
Now Seeking Literary Representation—Early Readers Wanted!
About the Book
In 1986, eight-year-old Eddie Lau was dragged from bed in Malaysia to witness Halley’s Comet. He glanced up for three seconds, saw nothing special, and crawled back under the covers—earning his father’s sigh: ‘The boy lacks the heart for wondering.’
But Eddie scribbled a vow in his notebook: ‘I will see you in 2061.’ He’d be 84. For four decades, he buried that promise under degrees, deals, and distractions.
Then, at 47, Stage IV metastatic prostate cancer struck. And his 11-year-old son Nathan—Level 3 autistic and mostly nonverbal—emerged as his unlikely guide. Nathan’s ritual of rolling napkins into cylinders and arcing them through the air? Comet tails. A silent boy’s way of speaking stars.
Chasing Halley weaves three generations of a Malaysian-Chinese family across continents, using a once-in-a-lifetime comet as the beacon for awakening. It’s a story of lost wonder, reclaimed through illness and a child’s quiet wisdom.
The Three Acts
Act I: The Seduction (1986–2010)
A Malaysian boy skips a comet, then chases the American Dream to prove his curiosity—building an empire of illusions.
Act II: The Enslavement (2010–2025)
Ambition’s cage tightens: properties pile up, a silent son arrives, and the man inside fades.
Act III: The Liberation (2025–Present)
Cancer’s poison sparks clarity. A napkin-rolling boy becomes the master teacher. With Halley looming in 2061, one deadline reignites a life.
About Eddie Lau
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Eddie Lau, Author
The Professional Path:
Eddie Lau, a Malaysian-Chinese American in Lafayette, Louisiana, holds a Doctor of Education. After 19 years in corporate learning, cancer flipped his script—leading to Chasing Halley, his debut memoir
The Real Journey:
I arrived in America in 1996, shouldering my family’s dreams as the eldest son. I stacked successes—degrees, properties, contracts—while missing the miracles at home. My son Nathan, who communicates through patterns, echoed my father’s lesson from that comet night: true wonder demands we stay awake.
The People Who Shaped This Memoir
This memoir lives because of two anchors: My wife Yee-Ling, who carried our world when I couldn’t. And Nathan, whose silent patterns taught me to listen—after 11 years of missing the message.
Eddie with Yee-Ling and Nathan, 2025
Get In Touch
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Ready to chase the comet with me?
For representation, media, or reader inquiries: lau@chasinghalley.com
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