THE PAPER KINGDOM is finally here!!

The book is finally out in the world, and I want to take a moment to reflect on what has been an incredible journey. I’ve waited a long time for this story to be introduced to the world – it’s been almost 3 years since the day my manuscript sold to Penguin Random House!
This book has been a true gift to me. How amazing to watch the book take shape, from the editorial process, the illustration stages, all the way to the publicity and marketing efforts. It’s cool to watch the book make its way into the world.
There are so many people involved in the process of bringing a book into existence — the agent who sells your manuscript, the editor and publisher who acquire and perfect your story, the illustrator and art department who bring your characters to colorful life, the sales, finance and marketing teams who strategize about the book’s placement and promotion, the operations team who gets the copies printed and distributed on time, the publicity team who spreads the word about the book, the booksellers and librarians who place copies on their shelves, the reviewers who give your book stars and include it on their amazing lists…
And of course this community of readers, subscribers, and friends. You’ve been a true gift to me as well. Thank you for all your book love, encouraging emails, words of support, photos & drawings, social media posts! I write for lovely readers like you. THANK YOU!

That’s me hugging you 🙂
A decade ago, I could only dream about all this stuff. My husband The Geno often reminds me of how far I’ve come whenever I’m anxious or stressed about my writing career. He reminds me to enjoy the journey, because I’ve already traveled a long and winding road.
Anyway, once you have your copy, I hope you’ll make a nice cup of tea or hot chocolate, and enjoy the story of little Daniel as he accompanies his parents to work as night janitors, as I did long ago, expecting dreariness but finding magic, thanks to the power of imagination.

And if you’re able to join me & illustrator Pascal Campion at one of our events, we’d love to chat with you!
Event Schedule:
L.A. – Sat. Feb. 22 at 2:30 pm – Children’s Book World (10580 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles)
NYC– Sat. Mar. 14 at 1 pm – Books of Wonder (217 West 84th St., NYC)
Brooklyn – Sun. Mar 15 at 11 am – Books Are Magic (225 Smith St., Brooklyn)
NYC– Sun. Mar. 15 at 2 pm – The Strand (828 Broadway, NYC)
San Diego – (TBD – to be announced soon)
San Francisco – (TBD – to be announced soon)
Pre-order Giveaway: Winners were emailed on 2/19/2020! The grand prize winner is Orianne D. Poster #1 went to Marissa M. Poster #2 went to Jessica F.
Cool news:
The Paper Kingdom recently landed on some cool lists!
- American Booksellers Association’s Spring 2020 “Inspired Recommendations for Kids from Indie Booksellers” (known in the publishing industry as the prestigious “Indie Next” list)
- “Most Anticipated Children’s Books for 2020” by BookPage
- “45 Favorite Diverse #Ownvoices Picture Books” by Imagination Soup
And finally, here’s a cute video (featuring a penguin!) that Penguin Random House put together to explain part of the publishing process: click here.
Thank you, all, and happy reading!