At 7:09pm on Monday, August 10th, I submitted close to 300 image files to my publisher. There are only 20 projects in the book, so only a fraction of the photos will make the cut, but I like to err on the side of ridiculously excessive. For all intents and purposes, the hardest parts of book #2 are done done done! From this point forward, it's mostly about refining, tweaking and updating. I'll do a final review of the book in its prettily designed and formatted state in September and/or October ... Read more
Happy Friday + Randomness
Happy Friday! I had such a lovely time yesterday at the University Book Store storytime. The staff was warm and welcoming, and a sweet group of toddlers and adults gathered around a circular kids' table as I read aloud Little Kunoichi. We followed up with a simple origami craft (samurai hats!) and I also created a little coloring sheet to go with the origami activity. This whole putting-a-book-out-in-the-world process continues to be surreal, and one of my favorite parts has been the charming, ... Read more
Serendipity
I'm a sucker for serendipity. I asked about coincidences for a giveaway a while ago, and delighted in the comments. And to date, this one is still the best serendipitous moment I've ever heard. Anyway, I'm about to go into major photo shoot mode for book #2, and for the past few months, I've been doing some prop scouring. I knew I wanted some vintage-looking ephemera -- particularly a film camera -- so I've been casually browsing through thrift stores and flea markets whenever I could. I ... Read more
Little Kunoichi Launch Party Recap
Whoo-boy! I'm still recovering from the excitement of Mother's Day/Launch party festivities but thought it might be fun to show you some photos from the event (well, that first photo up there was styled in my house post-event because in the flurry of all that was going on, most of my pix were blurry). Look at all those copies of Little K! We had almost 100 people at the party (though not all at once), and the credit for the success of the launch really goes to my editor and dear friend, ... Read more
Little Kunoichi Process Sneak Peek + Preorder Info
One month until the official launch of Little Kunoichi!! May 5th is the big day. My heart palpitations are on the rise and I'm vacillating to and fro between nervousness and excitement. I heard an author on one of the bazillion podcast episodes that I listen to, and I can't remember which author it was, but she said that she was "cautiously optimistic" about her book. I feel exactly the same way. You can see a glimpse of how the cover of Little K evolved above, and today I wanted to show you ... Read more