Last week, I received a very cool surprise — an advance copy of THE TURTLE SHIP!! It was amazing to hold the actual book in my hands and to flip each page. Colleen‘s paper collage illustrations are stunning and the teeniest tiniest details were crafted with such loving care. The final product is…GORGEOUS. Our wonderful… Read more »
It’s Day 1 of National Picture Book Writing Week! And I’m happy to share my latest interview, in which I talk further about my writing process, what I find challenging about picture books, what my dream job would be if I wasn’t a writer… What’s really cool is that tomorrow’s post will feature artist Colleen… Read more »
Several months ago, writer Paula Yoo contacted me to see if I’d like to be interviewed as one of the guest authors for NAPIBOWRIWEE (National Picture Book Writing Week). Of course I said yes! I’ve admired Paula’s career as a children’s book author and also as a writer for TV shows such as The West… Read more »
During the holidays, a good friend surprised me with a very cool gift. She gifted me a subscription to MasterClass, the online courses that feature luminaries such as Judy Blume, James Patterson and R.L. Stine. What a perfect gift for a nerd like me! I’ve always loved school, so I devoured the courses, pausing the… Read more »
Meet Eloise the friendly pig. She lives not too far away from us at a friend’s house. When I first met Eloise, she was afraid of me. Actually, she was terrified! Uh, Eloise, I think I should be the frightened one! Eloise could crush me in a second! But no, Eloise is too friendly and… Read more »
I have some fun updates to share! THE TURTLE SHIP is currently undergoing the color correction process. That means Colleen (the talented illustrator), Lee & Low (the amazing publisher) and the printing company are collaborating to make sure the colors represented in the book’s images accurately reflect the colors in Colleen’s original artwork. Jessica (our… Read more »
This segment will focus on Vietnam and Cambodia. I’ll cover Thailand in a future post. TRAVEL TIPS FOR VIETNAM: We only had a week in Vietnam, but we could’ve happily spent a full month there. So much to see and do! We were there during the month of January, which meant the evenings in Hanoi… Read more »
Happy 2018! I don’t know about you, but I’m super excited about this year! Politics and other heavy concerns aside, there are some good things in store. For one, my debut picture book, THE TURTLE SHIP, will be released this year! Check out the gorgeous cover above, which is provided courtesy of brilliant artist Colleen… Read more »
I recently read an awesome article in the NY Times entitled “My Year of No Shopping” by the writer Ann Patchett (Bel Campo, State of Wonder). It’s fantastic. The longest I’ve gone without buying a single item of clothes, shoes or accessories was two months. Yes, it was refreshing to press that pause button on… Read more »
We got a puppy!!! His name is Sherwin. Why the name Sherwin? Because that was almost my husband’s name, until his parents decided to name him Eugene instead. We thought Sherwin was too awesome a name to waste, so we put it to good use 🙂 Anyway, everyone always says that puppies are a lot… Read more »
This is what I consider to be hot nowadays: a man who does housework without being asked 🔥👍👏
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#sexy #housework #takingoutthetrash #bravo
Three homebodies engaging in three separate activities in the front yard. I’m reading a fun novel (Funny You Should Ask by @elissa_sussman ), @eugene_rhee is bopping to music and @sherwinfrenchie is looking for neighborhood dogs. Haven’t had a lazy weekend in a while, so being at home is wonderful ❤️ Sherwin is in the second photo, and the third photo is my view from the porch 🌸
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#lazyweeked #reading #amreading #ilovereading
What a fabulous evening at the Getty last night, celebrating their undergrad internship program. During a college summer many years ago, I was a Getty intern and that experience deepened my love of art & my appreciation for art institutions. What a treat to chat with Professor Mary Miller, who now heads the Getty Research Institute, but was a prof of art history at Yale when I was a student there. Chatting with her & her husband Professor Edward Kamens felt like a “full circle” moment. I was nineteen years old all over again, full of curiosity and wonder. ❤️ #getty #gettymarrow #ilovela
In honor of #worldchocolateday here are some amazing chocolate concoctions I recently tasted: 1. Pain au chocolat from @ludivine_paris_bakery 2. truffles from @and.sons 3 & 4. choco soufflé on the Big Island + after dinner truffles 5. mint discs from @charbonnel1875 and 6. a video of Sherwin enjoying the croissant part of the pain au chocolat (no choco for him!). I’m a #chocoholic through and through. Anyone else??
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#ilovechocolate #smalljoys #chocolate #soufflé #cacao #chocolatelover
Books are signed, packed and ready to ship off to kids in Uvalde, TX. 600 Books of Hope is helping out Robb Elementary + other schools in Uvalde. Thanks to author @lisayee1 for spreading the word about this effort ❤️(Google “600 Books of Hope” if you’d like to help—they’re accepting donations until mid July!) #booksaregifts #authorsofinstagram #donatebooks
