Books of Wonder

Happy new year! My first virtual event of the year is this Sunday January 9th at 10am PST/1pm EST with four other authors for an afternoon of reading and discussion!

This wonderful story-sharing event will feature MIKE CURATO for Where is Bina Bear?MATTHEW CORDELL for Cornbread & PoppyJOSEPH KUEFLER for Bigger Than a BumblebeeNIDHI CHANANI for What Will My Story Be? and SCOTT STUART for The Very First You.

You can register for the event here.

Hope to see you there!

Shark Princess!

Eeee! SHARK PRINCESS cover reveal!! Finally I can share my early reader graphic novel series with Viking/Penguin! Beautiful colors by Elizabeth Kramer. Book one will swim to you next fall!

Thank you to John Schu for the cover reveal.

“Shark Princess is about two fishy friends, Kitana and Mack, who learn about themselves through exciting underwater adventures. Kitana is a charming and gentle shark while Mack is playful and energetic, and I wanted to capture those differences in the cover. I was delighted to work with the design studio, Plaid Again, on the iconic title treatment. They helped realize my vision for a bold, clean design. I put my whole heart into this series and I am so excited to share it with readers!”

A new early reader graphic novel series from the critically acclaimed creator of Pashmina, perfect for fans of Narwhal and Jelly.

Meet Kitana—a Shark Princess and the first of her kind. Her allergy-ridden, best friend, Mack, wants to be one too, but he worries that his sharp teeth and big sneezes make him too dangerous to be a princess.
With Kitana’s help, Mack realizes his unique shine. When Mack puts on his crown for the first time, these Shark Princesses are ready to explore the ocean and embark on a fintastic adventure!

Nidhi Chanani’s signature artwork brings this underwater series to life in a spunky tale about friendship and redefining who and what a princess can be.

Look for Shark Princess on September 13, 2022.

The story of a story

WHAT WILL MY STORY BE? is out! It’s been a long, long journey to publication day. I thought I’d share how the story came to be – inspired by my daughter and our chosen family. My book launch event and signing (first in 2 years!) is this Saturday at Bel and Bunna’s bookstore in Lafayette. I hope to see you there!

Also, I’m auctioning an illustration portfolio review to support the We Need Diverse Books organization.

Thank you for your support of my stories and art!

One week sale

My biggest sale of the year – 25% off my shop* through Sunday November 28th with the code iloveart – thank you for shopping small and supporting my art!

My debut written and illustrated picture book, WHAT WILL MY STORY BE releases in one week (!!!) order a signed copy here otherwise I recommend purchasing from bookshop.org they work with local independent bookstores and support the book community.

I hope you have a lovely holiday week!

*discount does not apply to sale items or gift certificates

What will my story be launch event!

I’m thrilled to share that after 2 years my first in-person signing will be taking place at Bel and Bunna‘s bookstore in Lafayette on Saturday December 4th.

I will read my debut written and illustrated picture book, WHAT WILL MY STORY BE, draw, take questions and of course, sign books! I hope to see you there!

In other book news, JUKEBOX now has a study guide for educators. And my next picture book, STRONG is available for pre-order.

Thank you for the support. I look forward to seeing your faces very soon!

Birthday sale!

It’s my birthday – enjoy 20% off my shop* today only with the code CAKEWISHES

I hope you have a happy day!

*excludes the calendar and sale items

Super Boba Café

Cat with boba pearls in belly

I’m happy to announce my next graphic novel series, Super Boba Café! I pitched the story back in February and sold it to Abrams at auction. It’s about Aria who, after a traumatic event at middle school, spends the summer with her nainai at her boba cafe in San Francisco. She doesn’t realize that her nainai uses the boba to placate the hill monster—avoiding an earthquake. But Aria thinks there has to be a better way for the monster to survive and for the café (and her self-esteem) to thrive.

I will be working on the story for the next few years (among other unannounced projects). I may not have time for another daily drawing until next year due to a very packed book schedule. And I’m eagerly awaiting a return to in-person book signings and events! I miss meeting readers!

Also, my calendar pre-order sale price ends this Friday – after that it will be $22.

Thank you for the support and I hope to see you soon!

STRONG cover reveal

I’m happy to share the cover reveal for our new children’s book, STRONG, written by Eric Rosswood and Rob Kearney. This was a joy to illustrate! It’s my first non-fiction picture book. It is an inspiring story of Rob Kearney and how he broke records as the world’s first openly gay strongman! Preorder here. Releases in May 2022.

world music + calendar

This is a new illustration that will appear in my 2022 calendar! It’s back after a year hiatus! Many folks contacted me about a calendar last year but I just didn’t have it in me. It was… quite a challenging year and the calendar requires a lot of work and I only break even on it. Anyway! It’s back! You can pre-order now, the price will increase after Oct 15th. We will ship later this year (estimated sometime in November).

Also I will be speaking at the Brooklyn Book Festival virtually with the wonderful graphic novelists Molly Knox Ostertag, Shing Yin Khor and Olivia Stephens this Sunday. You can register here for free.

I hope you’re having a lovely day!

Fall in love

I love fall. It’s my favorite season! Although it’s been in the 90s this week, I am ready with my cozy coats and soup recipes! I’m waiting for fall to know that it’s fall.

I hope you’re enjoying whatever season you’re in!