Book Birthday: "Monkey King and the World of Myths: The Monster and the Maze" is out today!
Happy birthday, MONKEY KING Book 1!
Today marks the book birthday of my debut graphic novel series Monkey King and the World of Myths: The Monster and the Maze (Volume 1). Yaaaaaay!
I am grateful for all the support, from the publisher, to fellow creators, bookstores, friends, family, librarians, educators, and, of course, my dear readers.
Truly, wholeheartedly, a BIG THANK YOU!
The idea of the Monkey King series was a long-time in the making, but it solidified into a story during the lock-down period of the global pandemic. In fact, three stories came bubbling in my head during that time, and I chose to work on the Monkey King story first.
Why did I work on Monkey King?
Over the years, I discover that the myth of a muse magically landing in a creator’s head does happen, but it is far and few in between.
Ideas are easy and a-dime-a-dozen, but molding the idea into an compelling story is an art that involves time, dedication, and the crafts of storytelling.
It is much more common for a project to brew for years, even decades, before the idea percolates into something tangible that we can work on.
This is horrible news for someone who has an attitude of “I want it and I WANT IT NOW!”, but it is fantastic news for those who much prefers the long game.
And I really enjoy a long game.
For Monkey King, I’ve wanted to do this story forever – since my middle grade years, to be honest. I just didn’t know how to deliver the story until now.
I have always enjoyed reading folklores and mythologies. They are like nuggets about the wisdom of life, but they are wrapped in fascinating, imaginative tales. Creators over the centuries use myths as springboards to reflect upon our collective human values.
As someone who grew up in both Hong Kong and Los Angeles, I loved stories from both the East and the West.
“Read myths. They teach you that you can turn inward… Read other people’s myths… because you tend to interpret your own religion in terms of facts – but if you read the other ones, you begin to get the message.” ~Joseph Campbell
With that in mind, I started thinking about how I can incorporate a fun, action-packed and humorous graphic novel series that also draws an interest in world mythologies to young readers.
I hope my reader will look at a bookshelf and go, “I enjoy these books, and I can’t wait to read more that’s along the same line! Oh hey! This Monkey King book looks fun!”
It’s a long time in the making, and I hope readers will enjoy it.
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Celebrate Monkey King and the World of Myths (Book 1) book birthday with me at upcoming events!
April 7th, 2024 (Sunday) , 2:00pm
Once Upon a Time Bookstore
2207 Honolulu Ave.,
Montrose, CA 91020
April 10th, 2024 (Wednesday), 7:00pm-8:00pm
Southern California Radio Station KMRB AM1430 (Live radio interview in Cantonese)
April 13th, 2024 (Saturday), Panel & signing time TBD
Grand Rapids Comic-Con
Kalamazoo County Event & Expo Center
2900 Lake St.,
Kalamazoo, MI 49048
April 21st, 2024 (Sunday), 10:30am-11:00am
Los Angeles Times Festival of Books
Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore, Booth #368
USC Campus
Los Angeles, CA 90007
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See you! 🙂
Last night, all seven members of the "Comics Crew", our graphic-novel-discusssion-group (4th-6th grade), loved "The Monster and the Maze"--they rated it 5 out of 5, except for the two who each gave it a four because it was "too short"!
We had a *great* discussion about prejudice, second chances, the value of teamwork, and whether Sun Wukong, though "arrogant" (their word, yay vocabulary!) was basically a good guy (Answer: definitely, and also super funny). We mused about what mythology the Monkey King might explore next, based on the illustration on page 69. They were bummed to learn that they'd have to wait until next August to read #2, and hoped we could get some ARCs earlier.
In any case, you've created a wonderful book, one that was judged "unique" for its blending of cultures. Kudos, and thank you!
Congratulations Maple! Happy Book Birthday!