Mina Chung: designer of MORE THAN ENOUGH ~ and a Wednesday Writing Workout!

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(Pssst!  Click here and then scroll to the end to find out how to enter
our Book Giveway of an autographed copy of
MORE THAN ENOUGH ~ A Passover Story;
Giveaway ends March 31, 2016.)

Howdy, Campers!

Below you'll find a quick and hopefully inspiring Wednesday Writing Workout...based on my new book.

But first...two posts ago I told you about the rollercoaster behind-the-scenes story of how a seed of an idea became my newest picture book. (Which comes out TODAY!)

In the last post, I interviewed illustrator Katie Kath, whose pictures have brought my story to life.

Today, Katie climbs back up to the TeachingAuthors treehouse and brings a guest!

Katie, while you two are snacking on freshly made charoset which our blogging,cooking,reviewing friend Jama Rattigan made for you, will you make the introductions, please?

Jama Rattigan not only prepares tasty charoset,
she cooks up a delicious review and interview
of MORE THAN ENOUGH ~ A Passover Story, too!

KK: Sure ~ TeachingAuthors readers, I'd like to introduce you to Mina Chung:

Mina's a children’s book designer, amateur letterpress printer, and master doodler. She currently resides in Queens, NY, with her husband David and their Japanese-American cat, Mei-chan. You can find her professional work on her website.

KK: Hey, Mina!  Could you briefly describe a “day in the life” of a Designer at Dial?

My typical day is the same and very different at the same time. It always starts with a much needed cup of coffee to start and decompress from the morning commute, checking and responding to emails, and then creating a general outline of my workload for the day. The workload is why no day is ever the same here at Dial.

Since we work on so many different kinds of books at one time, and each book is at various stages of production, my to-do list can consist of meetings to review a developmental stage of a picture book, typesetting a young adult novel, color correcting artwork, or spending hours looking for that perfect typeface.

On really special days, I would receive the final artwork from an illustrator, or get to hold a freshly printed and bound book, and those days honestly feel like my birthday.

Mina on a really special day...(photo courtesy morguefile.com)

KK: What did you find most inspiring or exciting about working on MORE THAN ENOUGH ~A Passover Story?

When I was assigned to work on More Than Enough, my knowledge of Passover was very limited. It was inspiring for me to learn why it is so significant and what each of the traditions to celebrate Passover symbolizes. Not only was this a fun book to work on with an illustrator I admire, but it was also a learning experience which made it even more memorable. I was then very excited to read the book to my young niece so that she can also learn about Passover as I did.

 Katie Kath... an illustrator Mina admires...

(but does Mina really know her?)

Katie Kath, illustrator of MORE THAN ENOUGH...after a long day at her desk...

KK: More Than Enough focuses on a Jewish holiday, yet the themes are still approachable to non-Jewish or secular families as well. How do you think books like this can be important steps forward in creating more diverse books for children?

Books like More Than Enough are important because they are a reflection of the diversity in classrooms today. These books are a way to raise awareness and for children to experience the many different backgrounds and cultures of those they interact with. 

They may even see themselves in these books and be eager to ask questions about where they come from, and be excited to share the traditions of their families with their classmates. I think that these books that expose diverse cultures, people, and places are necessary stepping stones for children to grow up more aware, open-minded, and hopefully, without prejudices.

KK: I wanted to be an artist when I was very little. What piece of advice would you give to our budding young writers and artists?

• Be true to yourself and love the work that you do. 
  
  
• Work hard to develop your voice/style 
  
  
• and then unleash it out into the world. 
  
  
• Your work should be a direct representation of who you are and the kind of work you want to be doing, and people will respond to that. 
  
  
• Social media and the Internet may seem daunting at first, but its easier now than ever to put yourself out there so don’t be afraid to try!

Speaking of daunting social media and the Internet (with a capital T), thank you for taking the time from book designing today, Mina...and thank you bringing her to our readers, Katie!

And now for a super short...

MORE THAN ENOUGH is a book about being present; about noticing each moment.

Your prompt for today is to write a poem or a story or a list or a single word about something you are specifically grateful for today.

While being grateful for a beautiful day or for your loved ones is nice, today you're looking for something quirkier, more specific.

I'll start:
I'm grateful for that one last sip of coffee I left in my travel cup today.  I love getting in my car after the gym and finding that small reward.  

What are you grateful for today?  

Readers ~ Click here and then scroll to the end to find out how to enter our Book Giveway of an autographed copy of MORE THAN ENOUGH ~ A Passover Story! Giveaway ends March 31, 2016.

posted with matzoh crumbs all over her keyboard by April Halprin Wayland, with help from Mr. Cornelius