Welcome to my new blog, which now includes content from many of the blogs I’ve created over the years. You can now also access content via category from this one page instead of having to search for my individual blogs, which were scattered over various platforms and websites.
I am excitedly counting down the days until my picture book, I Want To Read ALL The Books, launches from Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers on Sept. 17th, 2024! Toronto Book Launch To those in Toronto: I invite you to help me celebrate on Tue. Sept. 24th at . . .
Wat Takes His Shot is the stirring biography of Japanese American basketball star Wataru Misaka–the first person of color to play in the NBA. The book has already garnered praise, including being a Junior Library Guild Selection and garnering a starred review in School Library Journal. Title: WAT TAKES HIS . . .
(Updated May 26, 2024. Also see: Rejection Stories & Advice From Published Kidlit/YA Creators) This is a photo of a letter I’ve had pinned up on my home office Inspiration Board for years now. It represents the many encouraging-but-still-rejection letters I received over the years when I was actively writing . . .
I first heard about Hanh Bui and Ánh’s New Word during the SCBWI Summer Conference last year, when I covered the Debut Author Panel for Team Blog; you can read my post on the SCBWI Conference Blog. Beautifully illustrated by Bao Luu, Ánh’s New Word is about a child living . . .
We’re delighted to interview the creators behind Mamie Tape Fights To Go To School, based on the true story of an eight-year-old Chinese American changemaker who fought for the right to go to school in San Francisco in the 1880s. Title: MAMIE TAPE FIGHTS TO GO TO SCHOOLAuthor: Traci Huahn . . .
I am thrilled to announce that I just signed a contract with Simon & Schuster to illustrate I’M BUSY, a new picture book written by Michael Ian Black. I identify way too much with this story. 😁 I’M BUSY is the latest in the I’M series, joining I’M BORED, I’M . . .
Thanks to author Sylvia Chen and illustrator Fanny Liem for answering some questions about their new picture book, TRICKY CHOPSTICKS, now out from Atheneum/Simon & Schuster. This is Sylvia’s debut as a picture book author! Upcoming launch event: Mar. 19, 2024 at Brick & Mortar Books (Redmond, WA). Title: TRICKY . . .
November 15, 2024: This post has been replaced by Debbie’s Unofficial Guide To Bluesky (Last updated June 23rd, 2024) – Shortlink to this post: https://debbieohi.link/bluesky-tips Quick navigation: Book Launch threads – Bluesky Lists – Bluesky Feeds – Feed Index – Hashtags – Community event hashtags – Changing your handle to . . .
Quick navigation: Bluesky Lists – I’m mainly on Bluesky and Substack these days. Please see Debbie’s Unofficial Guide To Bluesky Spoiler alert: As you can tell from the image above and screenshot below of Melissa Stewart’s article in School Library Journal, Bluesky is currently my preferred social media watercooler of . . .
I’m delighted to reveal the cover of my new solo picture book with Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers, I WANT TO READ *ALL* THE BOOKS. Don’t you love my art director Laurent Linn’s wonderful cover design? Read about how the cover was created here, including the cuuuute dog . . .