Barnes&Noble is running a huge preorder sale from February 5th to 7th! If you want to preorder any of my books that will be released this year and get 25% off, join their free rewards program and use the code PREORDER25 at checkout!
Click on the following links to be taken to the B&N pages: CLEAR AND BRIGHT: A CHING MING FESTIVAL STORY (March 4, 2025; Astra Young Readers) WHO SMASHED HOLLYWOOD BARRIERS WITH GUNG FU? BRUCE LEE (March 18, 2025; Penguin Workshop) DISGUSTOLOGY: THE SCIENCE OF GROSS (July 15, 2025; Odd Dot/Macmillan)
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I pouted about going to the SCBWI Winter Conference because I didn't want to travel or get up early or talk to people. But, just like at the NCTE Conference I attended in November, I ended up having a blast and making good connections. The flights were smooth (both the getting through airport security and the flying), and I only had to get up early 2 of the 3 mornings. Plus, despite being worn out by social interactions, I actually enjoy chatting with people. I even hug total strangers (I almost hugged the flight attendant on the flight home). The room at the Midtown Hilton was spacious and the view out the window was not too shabby. Even better, I ate lots of really good food, like this French cream donut at Le Pain Quotidian for instance. I will have more photos of food and the conference in my next newsletter, so sign up for that if you want to see them! While it was nice to forget a little bit about democracy crumbling around us, I couldn't (none of us could, really) completely put it out of our minds. I wore this ring which served as a constant reminder. You see, this ring was given to me by one of my mother-in-law's best friends. Louise's family was from Germany, and although they weren't Jewish, when Hitler rose to power, they knew they needed to flee the madness. So her father converted a lot of their money to jewelry so it would be easier to escape with. She gave the ring to me because she felt a bond with me as we are both immigrant brides to the U.S.
I think of Louise whenever I wear it, and, now, I also think about how sad she would be, if she were still alive, by the fact that America is turning into the fascist Germany of her youth. It's the Year of the Snake! Unlike human "snakes" who are slimy, untrustworthy, and currently in the US government (that shaking beneath our feet is the Constitution writers collectively rolling over in their graves), real snakes are helpful, gentle (yes, ask how many run-ins we have had with even the venomous ones and have never been harmed), and will never try to con you. Oh, have I digressed? Sorry. ![]() While the Lunar New Year is extremely important to Chinese people, there is another holiday that is possibly as ancient and significant to us. This holiday is Ching Ming (in Cantonese; Qing Ming in Mandarin). It means so much to me that I wrote a picture book about it. I was going to talk more about Ching Ming in this blog post but, surprise, I ran out of time and I'm currently frantically getting ready to go to the SCBWI Winter Conference, so the blog post will have to wait. In the meantime, if you're also stressing over current events like many of us sane folks are, head to Beth Stillborn's blog to see on what books authors (including me) turn to when they are anxious.
No, I'm not referring to the fact that a grifter felon is the head of a supposed superpower of a country. Rather, I'm talking about trying to grasp 4-dimensionality...via art, no less.
I'd read this article a few months back and had to take it slowly, like driving a low-rider over a winter-beaten, potholed road. In my second time reading it, I still had to go slowly to fully appreciate it...as much as a layperson ever can understand high level physics anyway. Read it yourself and tell me what you think - What This Drawing Taught Me About Four-Dimensional Spacetime by Stephon Alexander (not the drawing below, by the way) With X being a growing cesspool of fascist scumbags, a lot of people are finally moving over to the Bluesky platform. Of course, why people didn't leave shortly after Musk bought the company is beyond me. They only started trickling out of there a year and a half ago when Twitter started charging for the blue checks. There are those who voice objections to moving over to Bluesky because some evil dude is one of the major shareholders of the app, saying that it's just as bad as X. But that is really comparing apples and oranges (or mangoes and durian). Sure, one of the shareholders of Bluesky is an evil a-hole, but the actually owner of X is an evil a-hole who is in bed with the incoming "president." And said owner makes sure that the algorithm is skewed to elevate the voices of hate and disinformation. Nobody is doing any algorithm over at Bluesky. So please don't tell me the two are equal because that must be some sort of logical fallacy, or should be if it isn't. Luckily, as I mentioned, many have finally left X and moved over to Bluesky. One such group is Manuscript Wish List. Those of you who write might be interested in joining for the following event: I'm personally looking forward to it. My books with Penguin Workshop came about because my previous agent had found a call out like this from an editor on social media, so I'm hoping that I will find something of interest to pursue on #MSWL Day!
And, totally unrelated, but if you want to win a copy of my upcoming graphical biography of Bruce Lee, pop over to Heather Dawn Torres's interview of me about the Clouds in Space book! NOTICE: Because many blogs I follow also release posts on Fridays, I'm going to switch my postings to Wednesdays starting next week. Sure, I was raised by Star Trek, but I'm also fully immersed in the Star Wars universe (and if you don't know the difference between the two, I'm sorry, but we can't be friends anymore 😆). All the various movies and spinoffs from the original trilogy have been hit or miss. I won't mention the duds, but I will say that among my top favorites are the animated series "The Clone Wars" and its spinoff "The Bad Batch."* Not only is the animation amaaaaazing, but the storytelling is also top-notch. If you've learned about writing compelling, sympathetic, and complex characters and you want to study an example, look no further than checking out this series. (It never ceases to amaze me that one single voice actor, Dee Bradley Baker, did all the voices for every single uniquely awesome clone in those series.)
Aside from intricate character development, the story arc also provides an excellent model on how to insert subplots that don't detract from the central narrative while providing momentum and interest to each episode. * If you want another incredible example of Star Wars storytelling that is also a lesson on how to fight fascism and authoritarian regimes...highly important as the US is transitioning to scary times...go watch/study the series Andor. Happy New Year, friends! Because most of us (okay, me...) aren't fully back to work yet, at least not mentally, this will just be a brief post on what you can expect this coming year in terms of blog content. I plan to share some background stories on each of my upcoming books this year--how they came about, the processes that went into them, and other anecdotes I might think of. As well, I'll talk a bit about writing processes in general...maybe some grammar pet peeves. Hah. I also hope to share things about botany, particularly plants that I want to draw for a 2026 calendar. Because I intend to do more surface pattern design, you'll likely see. few posts about those, too.
And much as I dread this year (and the next few) politically, I will not talk about it on the blog. In case anyone wants to know, I share my despair on Bluesky. If there's anything else you'd like me to write about, just let me know in the comments! It's the weekend before Christmas, and it's far too late to order this fun fabric for this year, but it's a perfect time to order it so you're ready extra early for next year! And if Christmas is not your thing, I have some spring motif patterns you might like. Just check them out at my Spoonflower shop!
Have a restful, low-stress holiday season. See you in the new year!
Making these lists is truly an early Christmas present for me...one that I didn't know I wanted so much!
Thanksgiving at our house was mercifully quiet and uneventful. We ended up with a turkey this year, along with the usual sides like cornbread dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, and even a green bean casserole. But the highlight for me is usually dessert. This year, I made a pecan pie and...oddly...a strawberry pie. We had a bunch of strawberries in the freezer from our abundant summer harvest and it seemed like a good idea to clear some out. And because Kid1 was home for the holiday, I also made cinnamon buns (a very close facsimile of the famous University of British Columbia ones). Mmmm!
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