My latest article for the SCBWI is up! Check out the Seven Things I Learned After Publishing My First Book. I had to respect the word-count limit for the article. Otherwise, I would’ve written about a hundred things I learned!
Join me at the Montana Branch of the Santa Monica Library on April 30 at 3:30 for a fun reading and a book giveaway. This event is free and open to the public — hope to see you there! More info is here.
Warning #1: This is a long post. Warning #2: Unless you want to be traditionally published, this post may be immensely boring to you. You’ve been warned. Okay, why did I write this post? Because I wanted to do something to help aspiring authors who may land on my website. I was an aspiring author… Read more »
Hello, lovelies! Hope you had a chocolate-filled Valentine’s Day 🙂 I’m so happy to announce that Candlewick Press has acquired my manuscript, SORA’S SEASHELLS! The deal announcement from Publisher’s Weekly is below. I get to work with brilliant editor Kate Fletcher, who edited Meg Medina’s MERCI SUAREZ CHANGES GEARS — the 2019 Newbery Award-winning novel…. Read more »
Pascal Campion is the mega talented artist who is illustrating my next picture book, The Paper Kingdom. And…*drum roll*…his illustration is on the cover of The New Yorker!!! I love his nighttime scenes, and this one is so, so beautiful. Check out his interview here. What’s really amazing is that Pascal mentions Jean-Jacques Sempé as… Read more »
I can’t believe 2018 is almost over! It was a truly memorable year, a year of firsts. First book published, first launch party in NYC, first international school visit, first time I had to decline a speaking engagement (in Paris of all places!) simply because I couldn’t make the time…the list goes on. I have… Read more »
WOW. Just wow! We had the pleasure and privilege of staying at the Four Seasons Sayan in beautiful Bali. The resort blew me away with its beauty, elegance and harmony with nature. I think it may be one of the top ten hotels I’ve ever stayed in — perhaps one of the top five. We… Read more »
September 8th was a great day, a day that’ll live on in my memory! So many lovely people showed up for our L.A. book event — it was standing room only! Over a hundred people were in the audience, and like during our NYC event, kids asked some of the best questions: Will the book… Read more »
Colleen and I hope to see everyone on September 8 at 2:30 pm for our book event at Children’s Book World in Los Angeles! Below is the invitation graphic. Also, click here for a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at Colleen’s artistic process. I’m so fortunate to have worked with such a talented artist, and you can… Read more »
“IT IS THE POSSIBILITY OF HAVING A DREAM COME TRUE THAT MAKES LIFE INTERESTING.” – PAULO COELHO IT ALL STARTED WITH A DREAM… I wanted to be a writer as soon as I was able to read at age four. I loved meeting new characters and plunging into their worlds, and I wanted to create… Read more »
The weather in L.A. on this #mlkday is a bit ridiculous (near 80 degrees!), so I did some quick outdoor sketches of my favorite nude model, who can’t seem to hold a pose for longer than 5 seconds. Fortunately, the general shape is the same from every angle: muscular potato 🥔 #sherwinthedog #frenchiesofinstagram
Sherwin is now used to seeing us in face masks, but he still looks troubled whenever I put on a Korean sheet mask. Scroll to see what I mean... 😱🤗
Years ago when I was trying to find a literary agent to represent my unpublished story, The Paper Kingdom, one agent sent me a “colorful” rejection with the note: “I don’t know any editors or publishing houses that would want your story.” I almost gave up. Almost. I hope that agent has been paying attention to these amazing year-end lists. Fellow creators, don’t give up on the projects you believe in. When the going gets tough, the tough get to work!! Thank you, all, and happy holidays ❤️
So grateful that The Paper Kingdom is among the amazing books on Kirkus Reviews’ Best Books of 2020 and Amazon’s Best Children’s Books of 2020! What a tough year to launch a new book, given all the canceled events, production delays, shutdowns, etc., so my heartfelt gratitude goes to @kirkus_reviews and @amazonbooks, and of course, to all of you—my wonderful friends, family, readers and fellow creators. Your book love means so much to me! Please be well and stay safe as we reach the end of this nutty year! ❤️#childrensbooks #kidlit
Sherwin enjoys his daily apple. Sound up for the satisfying cronch! #asmr #sherwinthedog #frenchiesofinstagram
