. >> i took out my laptop on the plane and typed out the first line, zoe zhang was having an absolute blast and that's what i try to portray about myself to the people around me. >> reporter: kyla says she wasn't being honest and neither would her main character in the new novel "valley verified." >> zoe zhang was having an absolute blast. it was a balmy summer evening. >> reporter: but her main character zoe decides to give up that life in new york, working in the fashion industry, for a job with an app startup in silicon valley. it's her second novel. the first was about characters in her home country of singapore. >> i wanted to see asians like myself being portrayed in a more positive manner as the start of something fun and vibrant and joyful instead of being labeled as the villains. >> reporter: kyla said her characters are based on many people she's come across in real life and she's not afraid to take on serious challenges of the tech industry, including how women are seen and treated. >> she already does not feel that sense of belonging and every step of the way she feels lik