Recap - April 2024

BCBF FOMO, Fauvism and Yokai

Hello, April readers!

If you work within or are trying to get into children’s book publishing in one way or another, you know the talk of the month was the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. (If you don’t know what BCBF is, check out my past newsletters.) Around and during the BCBF week, I bet your social media feed was flooded with pictures and videos of beautiful books, amazing sketch books done in the beautiful Italian city, and mouth-watering pasta and gelato. This month I was mainly dealing with the FOMO and creative limbo. Read on…

Bologna FOMO

I didn’t go to Bologna this year, and I won’t lie; these relentless social media postcards made me jealous. I wanted to go if I could have especially when I knew some of my friends would be there and my next authored book, Dotty Doughnut (Orchard Books), was debuting at this year’s fair. Alas! I just came back from Japan so my boss said no ☹️ But kind people who went to the fair sent me some pictures of my book babies.

I also spotted my books, including a new one called Keith's Big Leap, at Andersen Press stand while watching their instagram reel.

COVER REVEAL! Dotty’s Bologna debut! She will be published next year in the UK.

Panda & Penguin Find a Thing Launch

Anyway my friend, Zehra Hicks had a brilliant idea. She decided to have a book launch for her new book, Panda & Penguin Find a Thing, during the BCBF week and invited those who didn’t go to Bologna. It was such a great Bologna FOMO fix! I realised what I had missed most was being surrounded by book lovers and chatting about what we love: books and illustrations. Zehra was a fantastic host and she deserved all the cheers and claps. The book is funny and clever with a hint of social commentary. You should check it out. Her illustration is deceptively simple but so lively! (@Zehra: If you’re reading this post, I want to know your character design secret!)

Photos "borrowed" from Zehra Hicks and Karl Newson' instagram accounts.

Filling the Creative Limbo

For most of the month, I found myself unwillingly stuck in creative limbo. I was supposed to be working on a new book past two months, but I got to the point there’s no point in moving forward without discussing things with my editor and art director. Annoyingly, many UK publishers become almost impossible to contact around the Bologna fair. So my book was put on hold since the late February when I sent them some character design samples.

Sadly I’m one of those who can’t enjoy beach holidays which you just lay down on a beach. Some people complain about their procrastination habit. I’m the opposite. I can’t procrastinate. When I have a free time, I get this antsy I-should-be-doing-something feeling. So, here’s what I did this month:

I took a “me day” to do whatever I fancied without feeling guilty for not working on projects. I went to see Pasquarosa: From Muse to Painter at Estorick Collection in Angel. I didn’t know anything about the Italian painter but I’m glad I went to the exhibition. I happened to watch a documentary on Henri Matisse recently and learned about Fauvism. It’s interesting to see how he (among other artists) influenced her. I particularly liked her use of colours. But most of all I liked the fact she was self-taught.

Starting from the humblest of beginnings, and deprived of formal eduction, Pasquarosa nevertheless succeeded in establishing herself as a successful artist. Gifted with uncommon intelligence and sensitivity, she transformed her life by means of continuous study and dedication to her work, making her career a testament to the enduring power of art to change lives.

(From the exhibition description)

Then I went to my favourite Japanese tearoom in Angel to have a little treat (black sesame chiffon cheesecake 😋) and did some observational sketches. It was nice to draw something just for the sake of it.

I also did gardening (as in repotting some house plants on my small balcony). And I went to Hampshire to visit my friend who I hadn’t seen for nearly a year. We rambled a bit through beautiful fields and hills.

Then, on a whim I decided to go to a manga-themed event my friend Julian Sedgwick and his collaborator, Chie Kutsuwada, were taking part. To be honest, I didn’t know what to expect. I’m Japanese so manga was an essential part of my growing up; however, I grew out of it as I got older. The event sounded a bit niche and I feared an awkwardly low turnout. Contrary to my worry, it turned out to be a lively and interesting evening. Julian and Chie talked about their books: Tsunami Girl and Tokyo Ghost Cafe. Chie did amazing live manga-style drawings while Julian recited sections from their books. Listening about yokai (Japanese monsters) particularly made me nostalgic.

There were also presentations by other manga artists who had won a manga competition run by Japanese embassy. I was touched by the diversity of the artists and the audience. The venue, which was a small Japanese cafe in Haggerston, was packed with people of all ages and races. It was a kinda proud moment to see Japanese culture has become a catalyst for such a diverse community. Bonus? There was a delicious Japanese buffet at the end of the event 😋

Sadly, I still couldn’t shake off the antsy feeling. When I got a free day or afternoon, I thought “Maybe I should design new Christmas cards” or “Maybe I should start working on the book I’m supposed to start later this year”. But if I tried to do something, I felt uninspired and stuck. That’s when I came across a poem by Tiana Clark - My Therapist Wants to Know About My Relation ship to Work.

One afternoon feeling antsy but not knowing what to do, I decided to listen to Poetry Unbound podcast. I chose an episode randomly. The host Pádraig Ó Tuama read Clark’s poem about writer’s block and he shared his thoughts on the poem. He said the work you love could turn into a burden. When it happens, you need to stop the energy causing self to be ripped apart from yourself. At the end of the poem, the unidentified writer stops everything and takes bath with no phone, no book; then they just float. Do you believe in signs? I’m not religious but I’m romantic so I believe in signs. And I think the poem was a sign. (Cue The Sign by Ace Of Base.) I took a bath that evening.

That’s it’s from Momo’s Doodle Den this month. Next month will be a big one for me as my third authored book, Pearl and Her Bunch (Orchard Books) will be released into the wild! I’m going to write special newsletters and Instagram posts to share some “behind the book” stuff. If you’re curious, please leave comments and let me know what you would like to see/read in those posts.

See you next month!

Momo x

My new book, Pearl and Her Bunch is out on 9th May, but you can pre-order it now. Pre-orders are brilliant way to support authors and illustrators because they give booksellers confidence to order a big stock.

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