Hi everyone! I hope all is peaceful in your corner of the world. A wise artist named Abby whom I met at a Spain art retreat last summer said, “Peace is not some kind of sleepy experience where nothing happens. I believe peace requires a joyful kind of activity.”
I totally agree. As a kid, I thought the phrase “a peaceful life” sounded super boring, but I understand now that it’s an absolute dream to spend your day as you wish without the topsy-turvy nature of life throwing you off.
The past few months have been extremely busy with both joyful activities and not-so-joyful obligations (I’m sure many of you can relate), so I’ll try to keep this post very short and to the point.
UPCOMING EVENT:
I’ll be at the Long Beach Public Library (Billie Jean King Main Branch) for AAPI Heritage Month this Saturday, May 10th at 11 a.m. I hope to see you there, especially since I’ll be leading my very first art activity…WISH ME LUCK!
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- Click on each image to see a bigger version!
It’s amazing how things happen sometimes. I did a library event last year in a different part of California, and a librarian from Long Beach just happened to be in the audience. And so a few months ago, he reached out to ask if I’d like to speak at his branch in his city. I said yes because I largely owe my writing career to the librarians (and teachers) who’ve cheered me on throughout my life and steered me towards some of my favorite books. Librarians and library personnel are a courageous and passionate community of booklovers, so if you’re an author or an aspiring author, definitely participate in library activities because your book journey will be positively impacted!
Same goes for book festivals. If you’re asked to participate, DO IT! I was invited to be at the L.A. Festival of Books last month, but it coincided with pre-planned international travel — otherwise, I would’ve been there 100% because you never know who you’ll meet. I spoke on a festival panel a while back, where I noticed a huge celebrity in the audience. Actually, we all couldn’t help but notice this mega-star! Afterwards, this person actually came up to speak with me, and I had to exercise all my self-control to refrain from gushing like a fangirl and then pitching a screenplay idea! Anyway, I digress — so much for “short and to the point”!!
NEW BOOK UPDATE
Shoes Off, Please is almost here! The official release date is June 17th, but you can pre-order the book now. And if you do pre-order, do email the receipt over to hkrheeauthor at gmail.com to be entered into a cool giveaway. I think the (personalized) prize is actually really unique and could be useful, and there will be five lucky winners!
The clue about the giveaway is on the image of the title page directly below, illustrated by the fabulous Myo Yim. Ohhh the mystery!
Now for a closeup look at some of the characters:
I love the detail of rubber gloves that the artist added to this scene with Mina. My mom (and I) use rubber gloves whenever we clean the house, do dishes, etc. My mom even wears white cloth gloves when she drives on sunny days (kind of like a chauffeur)! I don’t know if it’s a Korean thing or a universal thing, but my mom insists on protecting skin at all times and avoiding the sun + harsh chemicals, especially for the face and hands!
These are two side characters, Sherwin (seated) and Luis. Sherwin was named after my much-adored dog. And in honor of my wonderful friend & neighbor Claude, I made Sherwin of French heritage (he’ll reference this at least once in the story).
Also, here are details for a book launch event at Children’s Book World in Los Angeles on Saturday, June 21 at 10:30 a.m.
RECENT INTERVIEWS
I did a series of interesting interviews over the last few months, and really enjoyed mulling over and answering the questions.
One was with Shoutout L.A., and I go in depth about my development as a writer, with a heartfelt thanks to my third grade teacher Miss Neese, who actually inspired my fashion choices as a grownup (she loved turtlenecks with blazers, and thus, so do I). Check it out here.
Another interview I did was with four other Korean American authors who write for the youth market, and I was really inspired by their responses. Here is the interview.
Last, a book website asked me to recommend a list of picture books, and because I have so many favorites, I decided to select a handful that I think grownups will love (and should definitely read). Here’s the list + why I selected each book.
I hope you enjoy the interviews!
UNTIL JUNE!
It’ll continue to be bonkers over here for a little while, but I’ll be back next month with the release of Shoes Off, Please! Until then, be well and be happy, and if you do pre-order, do send a screenshot of your receipt to hkrheeauthor at gmail.com to be entered into the giveaway!
And maybe I’ll see you this Saturday in Long Beach?! We’ll geek out about books together while also tapping into our inner artists. Hope to see you there!
Your friend,
Helena