fortune cookie friday

"Men should worry about fame just as pigs about being fat."
-Chinese Proverb

working vacation

So, last week I was at the Cape, but I am ashamed to say I never saw the water. Instead, I set up studio on the small kitchen table in the rented cottage and worked while Grandma and Aunt Christine watched and played with Rain Dragon. I got so much work done! And I really needed to. Sketches for a new Ling and Ting book (Yes!! Another one is a-coming!!) are due!

flaw

Whenever there is a perfect moment
a moment where the happiness
is beautiful
I realize to get to this moment
nothing in the past could change.
Everything before
Everything horrible and heartbreaking
had to happen for this
precious
perfect
moment
to exist.



I wish you could have met her.

Robert Mercer
5/30/72-8/27/07




.

Sunday Chinese School

Welcome to Sunday Chinese School, where we learn a Chinese word (or phrase) a week with my mom!

Today's word is:
mosquito
wénzi
蚊子

fortune cookie friday

"A whitewashed crow soon shows black again. "
-Chinese Proverb

day in my life

My publisher asked me if I would participate in their "Day in the Life..." photo feature they do for their LB School social media site via twitter. I agreed and had a fun day with Rain Dragon and Sasquatch documenting our Saturday. The feature went up yesterday (@lbschool, #Lbdayinthelife) and I think they will be putting up an album with an advanced reading copy giveaway on their Facebook Page. But for those who missed it, here it is (with some extra photos that didn't make the cut):

Follow a day in the life of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon author Grace Lin at @lbschool! #Lbdayinthelife 

It's a rare morning that I wake up before Rain Dragon

Leaving Rain Dragon with Papa while I go to an early morning yoga class.

I eat my yogurt while Rain Dragon eats her hand.

Book shopping for Rain Dragon!

She likes this one!

She likes it at home, too.

Starting work on the next Ling and Ting book while Rain Dragon naps.

She's awake! Playtime!

Too much fun! Maybe time for another nap?

The sun is setting.

Shh! Rain Dragon's asleep. Bedtime for her, work time for me!

on my desk monday

My publisher made these great reading group guides to go with Starry River of the Sky:

I'm getting so excited for the book release in October!!!

Sunday Chinese School

Welcome to Sunday Chinese School, where we learn a Chinese word (or phrase) a week with my mom!

Today's word is:
camping
lùyíng
露营

fortune cookie friday

"To save one life is better than to build a seven-story pagoda. "
-Chinese Proverb

on the way to the grocery store

Interesting question to ponder...

on my desk monday

On my table this week are Maisy books! I had to start buying some baby books, as the children's books I do have are still a bit puzzling to Rain Dragon. And what is a more perfect way to start the baby book library with a Maisy collection? Rain Dragon isn't named after the Maisy mouse, of course, but she still must have the books!

And she seems to like them, too:

Sunday Chinese School

Welcome to Sunday Chinese School, where we learn a Chinese word (or phrase) a week with my mom!

Today's word is:
fishing
yúyè
魚業

fortune cookie friday

"When you lose, don’t lose the lesson."
-dalai lama

Pocket Pacy Picture of the Week

Young Reader Apple Liu would bring Pocket Pacy to Where the Mountain Meets the Moon:

I hope she brings Pocket Pacy to the Starry River of the Sky in October!

Save the date for Starry River of the Sky!

As I may have mentioned, I am getting very excited about the release of Starry River of the Sky! I'm so excited that I decided I must have another book launch, even though I had thought the Dumpling Days launch would be my last. But with Rain Dragon proving herself to be a nice baby and this book being so important to me, I thought I'd risk it. Also, this might very well really be the last book launch, at least at my beloved Porter Square Books, as we're thinking of moving out of the area...

 SO, save the date for the Starry River of the Sky Book Launch:

 Sunday, September 30th at 3pm
Porter Square Books
25 White Street, Cambridge MA
 617-491-2220 (reserve your copy today, which automatically reserves your goodie bag, by the way)


 As usual, I will plan the most awesomest goodie bags I can (I am thinking star-shaped cookies!) with many prizes (perhaps special edition pocket pacys?). Stay tuned for next month when I reveal all the details.

 Not local? As usual, you can pre-order you book from Porter Square and I will sign it for you on launch day plus send along some extra goodies (probably not the cookies, though). And watch for the online giveaways I'm planning, too!

on my desk monday

I should really call this on my dining table monday since, as I mentioned earlier, the studio desk has been abandoned. But today, I have one of my favorite children's books, Richard Scarry's What Do People Do All Day? lying out.

I thought I would take it out to read to the Rain Dragon, though it is a kind of old for her. At first she was rather interested:

But she got quickly confused:

She's thinking, "Were those pigs eating bacon?"

I guess I should go and get some baby books for her instead!

Sunday Chinese School

Welcome to Sunday Chinese School, where we learn a Chinese word (or phrase) a week with my mom!

Today's word is:
jellyfish
hǎizhē
海蜇

fortune cookie friday

"Money grows on the tree of persistence. "
-Japanese Proverb

Pages Booksigning

Since I don't get out to the west coast that often (and probably won't be coming again soon--Rain Dragon was an angel on the plane but I don't think I should push my luck) I thought, perhaps, I should try to do a booksigning while I was out there. I was rather doubtful about it, as attendance at booksignings can be pretty iffy. While I felt like I knew a fair amount of people on the east coast, would anyone even come on the west coast?

However, Pages Bookstore graciously offered to host so my author/illustrator friend Anna Alter, who also came over for the wedding (we shared a house together in Venice Beach) decided to risk it, leave our babies with the husbands, and squeezed in the event for our last day in LA.

Prior leaving for the bookstore we had thought,"Hey, we drive in Boston! We can drive anywhere!" However,  LA traffic and parking quickly humbled us. We were 15 minutes late to...SURPRISE! a big crowd of people:

image from Annelam's flickr album!

I quickly grabbed a book and started the reading:

image from Yucaree's flickr album

and I did the dragon-draw-along I've done hundreds of times during school visits. However, maybe because it has been a while or I still have baby brain, but I completely blanked on how to write the FU, the Chinese word for luck and a parent had to flash me an image off her iphone. My Chinese teacher would be so horrified.

image from Yucaree's flickr album

But it was lovely meeting all my readers, young and old!

image from Annelam's flickr album!

Some were very old readers-- they'd been reading my books for a long time! One girl brought this photo of herself and all my books that she owned:

It was a lovely time!

Cherish (our host at Pages), Anna Alter and me

Thanks so much Pages Bookstore and my west coast readers!

and Melody got married

For readers of Year of the Dog, you know that those books are based on my childhood. The main character makes a best friend named Melody. Well, I really did make a best friend but her name wasn't Melody (I changed it for the book). In real life it was Alvina. And now, the whole reason we came LA was happening. Alvina was getting married!!

The cake topper I made was on the cake:

looks cute, don't you think?

Alvina was dressed and beautiful:

last photo of Alvina as a single lady!

And the ceremony began:

I had a good view to watch...

I was a bridesmaid! Just like we agreed upon in  elementary school (see pg 50 in The Year of the Dog!)

the final kiss:

And Melody Alvina was married!

Right after the ceremony, I changed my dress (it was a bit tight, still have to lose those pregnancy pounds!) and got Rain Dragon (who was being a fussbudget):

Blue Rose Girls: Author/illustrator Anna Alter, Alvina & me (with Rain Dragon)

Since I was all gussied up (when would I ever get my make up done professionally again?), we took a family portrait:

We clean up pretty well, don't you think?

The newlywed couple danced so beautifully (on the tennis court!):

that Rain Dragon settled down and went to sleep:

I had to give my toast like this!

into the night,  until the cake was cut:

and the paper lanterns looked like moons in the sky:

It was a beautiful wedding!