At 34, North Carolina native Deston Munden left his comfort zone in a major way.
Earlier this month, Munden, a fantasy and science fiction author, shared a video about himself mustering up the courage to take a trip to New York City. The video, posted Sept. 9, went viral on Instagram, racking up over 25 million videos.
“I just booked my first hotel at 34. I’ve never booked a hotel before,” Munden said at the start of the clip.
“This is a bit overwhelming,” he continued. “I know I’m showing myself here, but this is the biggest thing I’ve ever done. I barely had money to leave my house.”
Munden has lived in North Carolina all his life. Though he’s taken trips before, he tells TODAY.com that it’s “never been on this magnitude” as a big city like New York, where 8 million people live and 65 million visited in 2024.
“I’m excited to break this curse and be able to live and experience life,” Munden says.
The writer will be going to New York to attend an event for his new book, “Recipes for an Unexpected Afterlife.” This is the third book he’s written. He’s also the author of “Dusk Orbit Blues” and “The Dargath Chronicles.”
Munden says he’s been overwhelmed by the response to his initial video and other followups he’s posted.
“I’m floored. I never expected such love,” he says. “When I made that video that morning, I didn’t expect that it would be such an outpouring of love and respect for me. I kind of thought that the opposite was going to happen.”
“To do something as simple as booking a hotel for a trip seemed like a thing everyone has done, but to me, it was a brand-new experience. People saw that and didn’t criticize. Instead, they came together and are currently making sure I have the best trip that I can possibly have,” he adds.
Munden’s story caught the attention of five-time Grammy-award winning singer SZA, who wished him well.
On his video, she commented, “I hope you have the best trip !!! ❤️,” which made the science fiction and fantasy author swoon.
“I was literally screaming when I found out,” he says of the message. “I almost ran around the house. These past few weeks have been the wildest part of my life. It made all the pain I’ve gone through worth it.”
Munden plans to drive to New York with a friend for the book event.
“I’ve never traveled around a city. Luckily, I’ll have people with me to help me get around,” he says.
As a “country man from North Carolina,” he says he’s excited for what’s to come.
“I’ve never been in a big city for too long, so to stay in one for a couple of days will be a fun experience, even though I can already feel myself getting overwhelmed by the sounds,” he says.
“Hopefully I can travel to other countries. That would be amazing,” Munden adds. “The outpouring of support I’ve gotten online makes me believe that anything is possible, that I can finally get out of my small area and see the bigger parts of the world.”