Happy songs, happy hunters, happy Friday!

My friend just told me MONKEY KING AND THE WORLD OF MYTHS: THE BATTLE OF THE BEASTS made #1 Bestseller on Amazon-Singapore! Thank you for all the support, readers in Singapore! ❤❤❤

Thank you for the interview, Jonathan Roth! 😀 tinyurl.com/Mk2JohnRoth

New series installments are sure to perk young readers right up this month, kids can look forward to a graphic novel about a monster battle, a middle grade horror about a creature haunting a small town, a graphic novel about a blended family, and more

Woohoo! Just picked up my copy of @maplelam.bsky.social's new graphic novel MONKEY KING & THE WORLD OF MYTHS: THE BATTLE OF THE BEASTS from Mabel's Fables (#KidLit bookstore is this week!). Read starred Kirkus review. Loved the first book in series, can't wait to read second! #KidLit #BookBirthday

“Monkey King and the World of Myths: The Battle of the Beasts” is out today! 📚🎉🎂 Happy book birthday to the mightiest monster hunter in the Three Worlds! 🐒👑👊 Substack Link: tinyurl.com/2pmpvv7a

Come join the book party this Sat (August 23) at 2pm to celebrate MONKEY KING AND THE WORLD OF MYTHS: THE BATTLE OF THE BEASTS! Find out all the behind-the-scenes & get your books signed~! See you there! ❤️ Once Upon a Time Bookstore 2207 Honolulu Ave. Montrose, CA 91020 tinyurl.com/mr2pjk9p 😀

New books on the way from @maplelam.bsky.social @midnightatelier.bsky.social @kyomaclear.bsky.social + more

This week I talk about the latest popular Netflix movie "KPop Demon Hunters" and how we can learn from it as creators. 😊 tinyurl.com/MapleSubstac...

Meet Shuten-Doji, leader of beasts and yokai, in MONKEY KING AND THE WORLD OF MYTHS! Book 2, THE BATTLE OF THE BEASTS, is coming out Aug 19, 2025. PreOrder today! 😊 tinyurl.com/MK2Order

Ever wonder how I used to draw in my college years? Check out my Substack post this week. 😉 tinyurl.com/MLsubstack-C...

Meet General Raiko, commander of the Imperial Guards, in MONKEY KING AND THE WORLD OF MYTHS! Book 2, THE BATTLE OF THE BEASTS, is coming out Aug 19, 2025. (Publisher: Penguin Putnam) PreOrder today! 😊 tinyurl.com/MK2Order

Meet Kit the fox yokai in MONKEY KING AND THE WORLD OF MYTHS! Book 2, THE BATTLE OF THE BEASTS, is coming out Aug 19, 2025. PreOrder today! 😊 tinyurl.com/MK2Order

Meet Momotaro the Peach Boy in MONKEY KING AND THE WORLD OF MYTHS! Book 2, THE BATTLE OF THE BEASTS, is coming out Aug 18, 2025. PreOrder today! 😀 tinyurl.com/MK2Order

This week on my Substack, I talk a bit about story revisions and share a fun MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO trivia. maplelam.substack.com/p/story-writ...

Racking my brain and pulling my hair in trying to figure out a solution to a story. Sometimes, my friend, the fun is in the challenge.

This week, I celebrate the amazing creators of a Weekly Children's Magazine I grew up reading when I was a kid in Hong Kong. These creators instilled in me a love for comic storytelling and the dream of becoming a comic storyteller myself. ❤ tinyurl.com/CityChildren...

What I learned as I continue making graphic novels. 🙂 Link: tinyurl.com/LineColors #comics #graphicnovels #kidlit #middlegrades #monkeyking

This week, I share my thoughts on the artwork of the classic military space opera manga Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin. tinyurl.com/MSGundamArt

Pluto and Urasawa's Imaginary Exploration on an Evolved-AI World, Part I open.substack.com/pub/maplelam...

“Monkey King 2: The Battle of the Beasts” got a Starred Review from Kirkus! Yaaay! Thank you! ⭐️ Link to full review: https://tinyurl.com/MK2KirkusReview #MonkeyKing #GraphicNovel #KidLit #KidsComic #Culture #Mythology

Thank you, BookTrust, for including MONKEY KING AND THE WORLD OF MYTHS: THE MONSTER AND THE MAZE in the 2024-2025 Great Books Guide! I feel so honored! #MonkeyKing #GraphicNovel #KidlitGN #GreatBooks #MiddleGrade

Last month, I had the opportunity to meet some amazing creatives in Hong Kong. Check out my post on some of these wonderful storytellers! 😊 #hongkongtravel #creatives #storytellers maplelam.substack.com/p/hong-kong-...

Passed by my hood & saw some fantastic lion dances at a store's grand opening. Speaking of lion dances, have you read my good friend Benson Shum’s @bshum79.bsky.social wonderful and gorgeously illustrated book WE ARE LION DANCERS? Check it out! Esp. perfect for age 5-7. #LionDance #read #kidlit

A wonderful experience participating at the Hong Kong International Literary Festival 2025. Thank you for having me! 😀 maplelam.substack.com/p/hong-kong-...

Hello friends in Hong Kong! I will be signing books at Hong Kong Fringe Club this Sunday at 11am with Hong Kong International Literary Festival! Copies of my books will be available for purchase there. Swing by to say hello~! See you there! 😊 #HKILF #ReadMoreBooks #KidLit

THE FARAWAY FOREST by Debbie Fong looks fantastic!!! Can't wait! ❤️

A memoir of a trailblazer filled with heart, honesty, humor, and inspiration. What a living legend, Connie Chung! LOVE! Highly recommend.

Thank you Kathryn Giordano at South China Morning Post - Youth Post for a great interview. “Magical things, anything that’s worthwhile, takes time.” #kidlit #dimsum #DimSumHereWeCome #picturebook #read www.scmp.com/yp/spark/wor...

I absolutely LOVE Eliza Wheeler’s latest picture book A COZY WINTER DAY, filled with delightedly illustrations of little animals and their wonderful lives in their cozy nooks in Acorn Village. Highly recommend! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #PictureBook #ACozyWinterDay #Winter #Goodreads #KidLit

MONKEY KING AND THE WORLD OF MYTHS: THE MONSTER AND THE MAZE is a Golden Kite Awards 2025 Finalist! 🐒👑📚 So honored to be among such amazing books! Thank you! ❤️ Check out the finalists here: https://tinyurl.com/49aftfca #GoldenKiteFinalist #KidsGN #GraphicNovel #Kidlit #scbwi #monkeyking

My friend and I were looking at the lineup of judges for Kids Comics Unite, and we both thought they're AMAZING! If you have a kids graphic novel proposal, KCU's upcoming PitchFest 2025 is a wonderful opportunity! Check it out! kidscomicsunite.com/kcu-pitchfes...

Excited to share that the Chinese translated version of DIM SUM, HERE WE COME! is now available!

Happy February! Are we one month in with 2025 already? Wow! 🙂 Today I would like to share some thoughts on Sosuke Toka's unusual choice on his publishing journey. Link in bio. #Substack #Comics #GraphicNovels #Manga #Publishing

Make them anyway. 😉

Envious of everyone attending the NY SCBWI Conference! Have tons of fun! In the mean time, I'm looking at all the beautiful art posts on BlueSky. Check out these amazing artwork by Elizabeth Sparg! So lovely! ❤️ #scbwiNY25 #kidlitart

We are pleased to host a giveaway of the picture book, MAMIACHI AND ME by @writerjolene.bsky.social & Dakota Gutiérrez, illus by @msmirelle.bsky.social (Abrams Books for Young Readers) To enter, L + RP & confirm your entry in our Friday update: www.kidlit411.com/2025/01/the-...

Much needed rain is here. ❤️ #rain #LAstrong #iLoveLA

You're not going to be able to draw everything perfectly in your comic, ur gonna have weird looking cars or buildings, or hands- And i want you to know that's fine Readers spend seconds per panel- as long as things are clear narratively, keep going! Dont get stuck on making every panel a masterpiece

Hi, I'm Maple Lam, author & illustrator & graphic novelist. My latest graphic novel, Monkey King and the World of Myths: The Battle of the Beasts, is coming August 19, 2025. Check out my bi-monthly newsletter, where I discuss all things comics and graphic novels! Nice to meet you here! 😀

This week, we talk a bit about Franco-Belgian comics. 😊 maplelam.substack.com/p/on-bande-d...

If you have a #KidLit book launching Jan.13-19, 2025, reply w/ your book cover (with alt text), title, author & illustrator, publisher, launch date, link to where people can find more info. Pls add good karma to universe by helping to boost! It's a tough time to be launching books. #BookBirthday

Yay! Can't wait! Congrats, @bshum79.bsky.social!

Want to learn more about making graphic novels? Edward Ross’ upcoming book “Graphic Novel Builder: The Illustrated Guide to Making Your Own Comics” is a great one to learn from! (Pub: Collins. Mar 11, 2025.) Check out my post on Substack to learn more about it. #graphicnovel #goodread #bookreview

What a lovely essay on the board book! An art form all its own.

Happy Sunday! Here are 3 recommendations to kickstart 2025! I WANT TO READ ALL THE BOOKS By Debbie Ridpath Ohi @debbieohi.com   OWLY: THE WAY HOME By Andy Runton @owly.bsky.social   THE TRAVELING CAT CHRONICLES By Hiro Arikawa Happy reading! #Read #Goodreads #ReadMoreBooks

Only 8 agents have filled out my poll, really hoping for more. To agents hesitant out of fear of being inundated: You can remain anonymous; when I share aggregate results publicly, I promise NOT to share your name/Bluesky id without explicit permission. Pls help educate/inform illustrators?

Happy new year~! ❤️ I am Maple Lam, a children's book author & illustrator with special love in mythology, history, and animals. I love creating picture books and graphic novels! Rep by Joanna Volpe at New Leaf Literary. www.maplelam.com #KidLitArtPostcard #kidlitart #illustration #art

What an honor to be considered among such great graphic novels! Thank you, @cybilsawards.bsky.social! ❤️

I finally had a chance to read Ruth Chan’s debut GN UPROOTED, a memoir about her experience moving to Hong Kong in her middle school years. It’s a wonderful story, filled with humor & emotional resonance. Also, I really enjoy recognizing a lot of places featured! Highly recommend! Congrats, Ruth!😀