new project!

Well, I'm thrilled to announce that my new pet project (which I alluded to here) has officially been acquired! Yippee!

This project will be my first early reader--think along the lines of Frog and Toad, Amelia Bedelia. So not a picturebook, like Lissy's Friends and not a novel like Year of the Dog. A whole different beastie for an age group in between those two types. Very exciting!

Ling and Ting will be an early reader about twin Chinese-American girls (it also marks my first Asian book that does not feature my family members!). Why twins?

Well, originally, they were triplets. This book actually has been brewing for many years. Just like how Year of the Dog was an homage to the Betsy books, this early reader began as an homage to the Flicka, Dicka and Ricka books I used to read.
(I had to paint Ling & Ting in the same dotted dresses!)

But even though my vision was for identical girls, I felt a tad uncomfortable-- would I be encouraging that whole "All Asians look alike" stereotype? So I put the story away and let the idea sit and sit. For years.

And then in 2005, a group in Portland, ME put on a play of the Ugly Vegetables. There, I met the cutest Asian twin girls I've ever seen. As I watched them share cookies but eat them in completely different ways, a light went off in my head. Suddenly, I knew how the book should be written and that I needed to give the early reader another shot.

So I went home and scratched and rewrote and resketched, with a different outlook. The shift was subtle, but important--as it finally justified (to me) why the characters had to be identical.

Because, whereas the theme of many of my other books have been how even when people look different, there are many similiarities--the theme of this book is how when people look the same, there are many differences.

And that is the story behind the story of Ling and Ting! It's strange how books with the fewest and simplest words seem to take the longest to produce. In fact, I think this blog post might be longer than the actual manuscript!

layouts

I just received layouts for The Red Thread. This book was quite a challenge for me; and there were many times I regretted taking it on as I felt my style might not be the best match for it. However, now looking at the spreads, I'm pleasantly suprised how well it came together.


It's what I call an adoption fairytale, inspired by the Chinese belief that all people who are destined to be together are connected by an invisible red thread. In my story, a fictional king and queen are pulled by a red thread from their hearts over mountains and oceans to find a baby at the end. They adopt the baby and make her a princess of their kingdom. This is the end scene,



and detail.

preview

I posted this on the blue rose girls blog, but I thought pacyforest readers might want to see it too. This is a painting I recently finished for my "Bringing in the New Year" book. It is roughly 8x 30 inches, it is for a special 3 page spread/gatefold. The book will be published (if I get it all done in time, hopefully!) Jan or Feb of 2008.

Here's a detail of it:

And a closer detail of it. It took a long timeto do because I put pattern over pattern on everything:

this just in...

Merrymakers, the manufacturers of the Lissy Doll, has just told me that they plan to add an origami kit with the the doll when it goes on to the market. How neat is that? Gee, I think this is getting way to cool for l'il mushroom me.

Hi Lissy!

Today, I received the revised prototype for the Lissy doll, and I heart it. They screened the jacket so that the pattern is just like the one I painted and they fixed the face as I wasn't happy with the first attempt:



The doll on the left was the first prototype, you can see how the new one (the one on the right) now actually looks Asian and just like my character.

I'm so excited. Can't wait for my birthday and the official release!

sneak peak

the background color might not be right, but I'm told there will be red foil. I guess I better finish the art for it now.

author photo

Since Lissy's Friends is about origami animals, I made the following author photo. I'm very pleased with it, the likeness is quite impeccable--at least in my opinion! I think I might use it for all my publicity from now on.

good luck

My luck seems to come in waves. Never a smooth balance of good and bad, I seem to be deluged with either sorrow or joy. Now, I am definitely on the upswing, because not only is Robert's health good, my agent gave me some news about my upcoming book Lissy's Friends. It seems that Merrymakers has officially made an offer for the licensing rights and there will be a...

LISSY DOLL!!!

Yes, it's true. That little Asian girl in my painting is going to be made into a plush doll. The book and the doll will be released on the same day, May 17th...which also happens to be my birthday! I think it's a sign. I'm going to have to have a BIG book/birthday party! Who wants to come?

up for air

I've been smothered by origami paper and japanese fabric as I paint the pictures for my new book "Lissy's Friends." I'm quite pleased with this particular painting, but of course that is what I say that now. By the time the book comes out, my opinion has changed and nothing seems as enchanting as it once was.