I had the pleasure of presenting recently at the 2024 Fall Harvest Writers and Illustrators Day - SoCal. In preparation, I wrote a rhyming, motivational piece drawing inspiration from the book, "How Does a Dinosaur Say Goodnight," by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague. It resonated with the crowd, so I'm sharing it with you. I hope it gives you a lift or giggle.

​​HOW DOES A WRITER STICK TO THE ROAD?

How does a writer stick to the road?
Does she stall?
Does she sputter things aren’t fair and implode?


Does she throw out her notebook? Does she hurl a new pen?
Is she late for her group, time and time again?

When she gets a critique does she aim for payback?
Does she sink to new lows binging 
Tik Tok and snacks?


Does she put off revision, rearrange her work station?

Does she down a pink cocktail, for new inspiration?


When there's a rejection, Does she point and blame
like a sorry loser after a game?


Does she claim that first draft was ready to go.
Does she gripe and complain how publishing's slow

Does she QUIT?


Nooooo!


A writer makes plans 
to write every day.
She helps her friends 
with their rhyme and wordplay.


She sends her first pages 
and waits for feedback.
When rejections come in
she builds 

a nice stack.


She listens and reads
and shoots for that star.
She writes those stories 
she thought up in the car.


And a writer knows 
there's no true "the end." 
So, go work, go work
my writer friends.

I'm thrilled to bring my third book into the world. The magic is almost here!

I've been thinking a lot about the themes in my books and how they have become journals of sorts. My books offer children valuable insights into Japanese traditions, culture, and intergenerational relationships. They explore themes such as friendship, patience, perseverance, responsibility, family, and ancestry.

As I ponder on these words, I recognize that they reflect my own journey. Delving into my mother's youth and the impact of her experiences on motherhood has been instrumental in shaping the themes of my own life stories and has greatly contributed to defining my identity.

Caring for my ninety-year-old mother has not only taught me patience and the importance of process but has also granted me the gifts of understanding, forgiveness, and love.

I hope you join me in celebrating the magic! Miso Magic makes a great gift for any foodie, kids and adults alike!

PREORDER HERE or scroll down to see some of the stores in your city that will be carrying this book.

A Great Good Place for Books, Oakland, CA
Children’s Book World,  Los Angeles, CA
Once Upon A Time, Montrose, CA (Signed copies!)
Vroman's Bookstore, Pasadena, CA
Peninsula Books, Daly City, CA
Boulder Bookstore, Boulder, CO
Malaprop’s Bookstore, Asheville, NC
Red Balloon Bookshop, St Paul MN
Porter Square Books, Cambridge, MA
Trident Books, Boston, MA
Amherst Books, Amherst, MA
The Bookmark Shoppe, Brooklyn, NY
Gibson’s Bookstore, Concord NH
Blue Willow Bookshop, Houston, TX


To catch a sneak peek, watch the trailer here.

About a year ago, I wrote a blog entry where librarians shared children's book themes that were still being requested. Curious about what local bookstores had to say, I decided to conduct a similar survey. The results were surprisingly different. Three out of six booksellers, including Skylight Books (LA), Barnes and Noble Bookstar (Studio City), and Flintridge Bookstore (La Cañada/Flintridge), believed that authors and the children's publishing industry were doing a great job of representing a variety of genres, cultures, and themes. Continue reading to learn what the others had to say.

A Barnes and Noble Americana (Glendale) bookseller expressed the need for young baby pop-up books similar to the Pop-up Peekaboo! Series by Penguin Random House. Additionally, she requested more Native American picture books and young readers' historical fiction similar to Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales series by Abram's Books and the I Survived series by Lauren Tarshis and Scholastic.

I checked in with Vromans (Pasadena), and the bookseller there commented on the great variety of cultural books creators are writing and hopes for even more diverse representation in art in all picture books and topics, including stories with familiar themes.

Finally, the San Marino Toy and Book Shoppe representative mentioned that no significant categories seemed lacking; instead, particular requests came in from parents for very specific circumstances. However, the staff did have a recent conversation about preschool titles and the theme of making friends. Just as I thought, yes!, ANZU AND THE ART OF FRIENDSHIP satisfies that category; she clarified the age range—not elementary level—but younger and without animals! Apparently, preschool friendship characters are often represented by animals. 

I am grateful for all the booksellers who took the time to chat with me! All in all, publishers and authors seem to be doing their best to create stories in a diverse range of books! If you are a parent, guardian, grandparent, or teacher, please share if you feel that there are gaps in picture book categories, themes or genres for kids. I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below!

Ta-Da! Here is the cover of MISO MAGIC ! You might notice that the illustrations look familiar. The talented Mizuho Fujisawa, who also worked on my first book, THE STAR FESTIVAL, brought her umami and magic to this book as well. I am so grateful for her beautiful artwork!
​
This book is special to me because both my parents played a huge role behind the scenes. MISO MAGIC was inspired by my mother, whose dislike for beans originated in the misogura behind her childhood home. Years of crushing beans in cedar barrels left an indelible mark on her memory. Consequently, she won't touch most beans, except for miso, soy sauce, and the sweet red bean variety in the Japanese dessert, diafuku. Being a good daughter, I use an old parenting trick and blend pureed beans into some dishes, tasty, nutritious, and beyond recognition!
​
I dedicated this book to my father because he was the one who instilled a strong work ethic in me from a young age. My dad served as a Marine and worked in the fields of electronics and calibration. He loved his job and valued education, discipline, and integrity. He found happiness in his work and provided a positive role model for me. My dad passed in 2012, but he would have loved to see my progress as an author!

But the recipe for this book was only the beginning. From there, the plot fermented into a heartwarming father-daughter relationship story. I hope you love it as much as I do!

MISO MAGIC was written during the pandemic, so I relied heavily on my mother's experience and personal research. Since I couldn't witness the process of making miso firsthand, I decided to create some on my own. Koji, miso's magical ingredient, became available at my local Asian market. Perhaps they sold it before I was aware of this ingredient. The image shows the batch I made. I will be sharing more about this process on Instagram later this year! I didn't have the proportions exactly right, and my style is to wing it! So the miso came out a bit salty. It is a perfect addition to my homemade soup broths! Full of umami! My next attempt will be to make the fermented rice (koji.)

In the summer of 2023, I finally visited a misogura (miso house) for the first time. A full-day excursion to a local brewery in Matsumoto, Nagano, Japan, did not disappoint. The live-size barrels brought to life the images my mother conveyed. It was well worth the three-and-a-half-hour trip to experience the tour and tasting. I left with three-year fermented miso, including their specialty miso made from rice grain instead of soybeans. 

In my search to find miso production in Los Angeles, I stumbled on Omiso, a small business focusing on locally sourced, high-quality miso in the arts district downtown. These beautifully packaged miso balls are my favorite instant soup treat! 

A few friends have asked how to get prints of my mixed-media, abstract giraffes, so I've finally put them for sale on Redbubble! My shop is under the name hillsidegirl for now, but that may or may not stick. I'm just testing the waters!

However ...
I am excited about this month's post: a collection of fellow kidlit creatives who have online shops selling merchandise or prints aside from their work as children's bookmakers. I hope you enjoy browsing and shopping. I love to get ahead of the holidays to find personalized gifts. Even if you are not in a shopping mood, please check out the artist's sites below. There is a ton of cute stuff made by my talented illustrator friends, mentors, and acquaintances! Click on the images to enter their shops!

Bright and cheerful cutouts: cards, stationery, and stickers!

Adorable crochet patterns.

Animal lovers, togetherness, and positivity merchandise!

Nature-themed prints, stickers, and original paintings.

Custom pet portraits.

Creepy-cool, monsterish cutout designs and merchandise.

Imaginative pins and stickers.

Fantasy prints.

Disney-inspired prints, stickers and pins.

T-shirts, mugs, and socks.

Thanks for browsing! Please give a shout out to any of the featured illustrators in the comments below!

1. Go bold and colorful,
2. Highlight elements of the story. Is there too much dialogue, description, passive language?
​3. Change the story structure.
​4. Change the setting. (Taken from the parking lot.)
​5. Clean it up. Get rid of parts that don't move the story forward.
​6. Complete all circles. Close out any plot points introduced in the story.
​7. Start from the end. Maybe your first lines should be your last!
​8. Show the character arc. How did they change by the end?
​9. Flush out anything that is not working, evey your darlings!
10. Try a fresh approach, something you haven't tried, something you've resisted.
​11. Add a time constraint.
​12. Allow time to reflect. Put the manuscript away. 
​13. Take a break. Have a snack.
​14. Edit. Too many words? Leave some space.
​15. Change the perspective. 

What started as a casual conversation with a local librarian led to a more extensive discussion with five local librarians about which books parents were requesting for their children but couldn't find. What was lacking, and what themes were being overlooked or underrepresented? With the exception of a couple of topics, the results were widely varied. Check out what five Los Angeles-based librarians had to say.

The first library I visited expressed a need for books about consent, such as the picture book, Don't Hug Doug. Another one that comes to mind is C is for Consent. The need for diverse books hasn't slowed, and helpful books to assist parents are also being requested. Newer takes on potty training, and weaning and books about single parenting are in high demand. The librarian specified that this topic extends beyond divorce and separation stories. She feels that parents need assistance and conversation starters to represent one parent raising a child/children while the other parent is absent.

The second librarian had yet to receive many requests from parents, but the library is still actively purchasing books with social justice themes and social-emotional learning. She expressed concern that Covid continues to affect social transitions in schools. She also reinforced that kids use their local library to do homework after school. I've seen this library at total capacity, and I love that the kids have a safe place to congregate!

The third librarian I visited needs books about climate change, Native Americans, and local biographies about interesting people. In her words, "Not the same ol' people." She also expressed interest in fresh takes on classic themes such as sibling rivalry and grandparents' passing. This library continues to acquire books on social justice, gender identity, and neurodiversity.

The fourth librarian said there had been little input from parents since Covid. But she had received a few involving themes of entering school for the first time (preK, or preK to Kinder). Other topics requested are books on emotions, trucks, and manners. ​

And finally, the last librarian commented on the disparity between the type of books parents want their kids to read, and the books children choose for themselves. Parents seek the classics for their children, but kids can't get enough of graphic novels. Kids are devouring them, even early reader graphic novels. She shared how her son loves this format. He reads and rereads stories such as Dogman. Each time he reads from a new perspective. As he matures, new connections are formed, and he accesses the material at higher levels of understanding. 

So, there you have it. If you are a writer, I hope this information fuels your imagination, and I hope your book appears on future library's list to purchase. If you are a librarian, teacher, or parent, I'd love to hear which topics you wish to see on the shelves. 
​
Leave your comment below!

It's time for some kidlit author trivia! How will you score? TOP DOG? BADDEST CAT? or CASUAL KITTEN? Take out a sheet of paper to record your choices. Scroll down for the answer key when finished.

1 This book was written on a $50 bet when this author's publisher challenged him/her to write a book using 50 words or less.
a. Where the Wild Things Are/Maurice Sendak
b. Green Eggs and Ham/Dr. Seuss
c. Baby Animals/Gyo Fujikawa
d. Goodnight Moon/Margaret Wise Brown

2. This author only writes/wrote stories using a pencil and yellow paper.
a. C.S. Lewis
b. Jason Reynolds
c. P.D. Eastman
d. Roald Dahl

3. This author preferred outdoor activities to reading and was an avid sailor.
a. E.B. White
b. Arnold Lobel
c. Chris Van Allsburg
d. Shel Silverstein

4. A skating rink in Kiyose, Japan, was named after this author.
a. Laura Ingalls Wilder
b. A.A. Milne
c. Ezra Jack Keats
d. Madeleine L'Engle

5. This author's illustration of a red lobster created for an advertisement led to his first picture book assignment.
a. Mercer Mayer
b. Eric Carle
c. Crockett Johnson
d. Norman Bridwell

6. This author shares a birthday with Abraham Lincoln and Judy Blume.
a. Beverly Cleary
b. Bill Martin Jr.
c. Astrid Lindgren
d. Jacqueline Woodson

7. This author was frightened of “dogs, swimming, and thunderstorms as a child.
a. Grace Lin
b. Lauren Child
c. Judy Bloom
d. Sandra Boynton

8. This author kept a journal and jotted down private thoughts in a secret code.
a. Lewis Carroll
b. S.E. Hinton
c. Richard Scarry
d. Beatrix Potter

9. This author wished to become the first female major league baseball player, and also wanted a career as a FBI agent.
a. Rosemary Wells
b. J.K. Rowling
c. Jane Yolan
d. Mem Fox

10. This author hates Mickey Mouse.
a. Laura Numeroff
b. R.L. Stine
c. Mo Willems
d. Linda Sue Park

Scroll down for answers.

ANSWERS:
1b 2d 3a 4c 5b 6d 7c 8d 9a 10c
​
1 This book was written on a $50 bet when this author's publisher challenged him/her to write a book using 50 words or less.
a. Where the Wild Things Are/Maurice Sendak
b. Green Eggs and Ham/Dr. Seuss
c. Baby Animals/Gyo Fujikawa
d. Goodnight Moon/Margaret Wise Brown

2. This author only writes/wrote stories using a pencil and yellow paper.
a. C.S. Lewis
b. Jason Reynolds
c. P.D. Eastman
d. Roald Dahl

3. This author preferred outdoor activities to reading and was an avid sailor.
a. E.B. White
b. Arnold Lobel
c. Chris Van Allsburg
d. Shel Silverstein

4. A skating rink in Kiyose, Japan, was named after this author.
a. Laura Ingalls Wilder
b. A.A. Milne
c. Ezra Jack Keats.
d. Madeleine L'Engle

5. This author's illustration of a red lobster created for an advertisement led to his first picture book assignment.
a. Mercer Mayer
b. Eric Carle
c. Crockett Johnson 
d. Norman Bridwell

6. This author shares a birthday with Abraham Lincoln and Judy Blume.
a. Beverly Cleary
b. Bill Martin Jr.
c. Astrid Lindgren
d. Jacqueline Woodson

7. This author was frightened of “dogs, swimming, and thunderstorms as a child.
a. Grace Lin
b. Lauren Child
c. Judy Bloom
d. Sandra Boynton

8. This author kept a journal and jotted down private thoughts in a secret code.
a. Lewis Carroll
b. S.E. Hinton
c. Richard Scarry
d. Beatrix Potter

9. This author wished to become the first female major league baseball player, and also wanted a career as a FBI agent.
a. Rosemary Wells
b. J.K. Rowling
c. Jane Yolan
d. Mem Fox

10. This author hates Mickey Mouse.
a. Laura Numeroff
b. R.L. Stine
c. Mo Willems
d. C.S. Lewis