Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Since You Asked...


DISCLAIMER: Maurene Goo is a good friend of mine, so my opinion on her book is obviously biased. However, I am really picky about the things I choose to support regardless if they're made by friends or not, and there are real reasons I was such an advocate of Maurene's writing from the moment I first read Since You Asked (formerly The Holly Columns).

Imagine Seinfeld... as a Korean American teenage girl in San Diego. That basically sums up my reading experience of Since You Asked, with all its biting satire, hilarious hijinks, and heartfelt family drama. I seriously felt like I was watching a great sitcom about teen life as it is, not as it's idealized or glamorized, and it was oh so refreshing. This is high school -- awkward, ridiculous, and coming off the tail end of childhood.

I honestly wish I had this book to read while I was a teen. I was a mixed race kid of a loving Korean immigrant mother and an alcoholic father, growing up in middle-of-nowhere mostly caucasian Rochester, NY. I really could've used a window into life as a Korean American teen without the Korean-ness making her feel alien or weird, a window that showed how funny and beautiful it is to eat kimchee with Thanksgiving dinner; a window that made fun of how nonsensical high school life was, and one that told me it was perfectly cool to skip Homecoming Dance or feel totally uncomfortable at some kid's house party that was going way out of control.

I feel like there are other kids out there that could use this window too, one that acknowledges that despite all the pressures to be fashionable, well-liked, and getting a date, you're still a kid and that's okay. Far too often it feels like we're pushing our kids to grow faster than necessary, and it's nice to read a book that doesn't do that without it being condescending or sugar-coating anything.

Since You Asked is all of the above, and hilarious to boot. Seriousness aside, the book is just plain fun to read and you're going to love the characters. I can see a lot of appeal to fans of John Green, Maureen Johnson, and even Jeff Kinney's Diary of Wimpy Kid.

This is a stand-alone book, but there is so much potential for Holly's world and her friends. I truly hope a second one is on the horizon, because I could spend days at BHS and I would have a big smile on my face the whole time.

But, as they say on Reading Rainbow, you don't have to take my word for it!

Read an excerpt

or

Get it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Indiebound.

P.S. Maurene if you're reading this... you're SO GOOD at writing romance!! Holy moly! David and Holly need to get together. :)

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Kazu's Harry Potter covers



Harry Potter Gets A Whole New Look,” via the Wall Street Journal.
This has been posted all over the internet, but I'm posting it here for archive's sake. :)
My husband Kazu (author/artist of the best-selling Amulet series) has been secretly toiling away at a set of beautiful covers for the Harry Potter 15th anniversary American re-release. While most people know him for his comics, he also holds his own as an excellent painter, as he’s shown time and again with his work on the Flight Anthology and at Gallery Nucleus.
So proud of him. I can’t wait to relive these books with our kids! :)

Monday, February 11, 2013

Rema - The First Half


He held her curled against him for a moment that seemed to stretch forever, until she found the will to move again. -- From Chapter Twenty-Three of Rema

An update on the book's progress:

1) The first half of the book has been posted -- fully illustrated!

I'm super pleased. I can't tell you how many times I thought about illustrating the manuscript, but never did because the task was too intimidating. Posting chapters on a weekly basis has kept me on track and has been a great exercise in discipline. Perhaps my dreams of having a fully illustrated volume of Rema can really come true...! *starry-eyed*

2) Rema has received its first reviews on webfictionguide.com!

And much to my relief, they are positive. (This is the first time my prose writing has ever been reviewed, so you can imagine how nervous I was!) You can read them on Rema's listing. Also be sure to explore and check out some of the great stories people have been posting. I highly recommend Wildbow's addictive superhero webfic, Worm!

Now that the first half of Rema is up, it's a great time for new readers to jump in. If you've read and enjoyed Rema, the best way to show your appreciation is to spread the word.

In the mean time, Rema will continue to update every Monday and I'll continue to write it in between various comic projects and mommyhood. For now I hope you keep warm, stay positive, and don't forget to get up and stretch every once in a while! ;) Much love to you all, dear readers.