Although the book made its official debut in April, the real celebration took place on Saturday, May 22. That’s when family, friends and coworkers gathered at a book launch party to celebrate the publication of Anna Mei, Cartoon Girl.

The two-hour event was held in the community room at a local library. We decorated the room in bright blue to match the book cover, adding punches of Chinese red. A highlight was a beautiful, full-color poster of the cover, generously provided by the marketing department at Pauline Books (thanks, Sally!).

The book cover also found its way onto the dessert table, where it was featured on a cake with this message: Congratulations—It’s a book! Along with a variety of fruit and sweets, guests sampled a recipe straight out of the pages of Anna Mei—her grandmother Anna’s Danish spice cookies (Krydderikager).

A tabletop display traced my writing journey from 'Notebook Scribbler' to 'Published Author,' while the Anna Mei book trailer and interview played on a nearby TV.


Kids of all ages enjoyed a craft table that featured Chinese dragons and masks, and guests were encouraged to enter a raffle for a P.F. Chang's gift certificate. The winners were Andrew and Linda from Lansing, which seemed like good karma since they came to my party even though it was Andrew's birthday!

It was a thrill to talk with so many friends, all gathered in one place. I even met friends of friends who had stopped by to "meet the author." I signed a lot of books and one napkin, which my five-year-old nephew thinks will be pretty valuable some day.

After listening to a short reading

and a few heartfelt remarks, guests left the party with their signed books and party favors—colorful Chinese money bags stuffed with candy and fortune cookies.

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A celebration like this would not have been possible if I’d had to do it alone. Luckily I'm blessed with generous family and friends, and I hope readers will indulge me for a moment while I acknowledge them. Both of my sisters contributed desserts and helped serve them.

My friend Donna spent many hours prepping the crafts. My friend Mark helped plan the whole event and was there from set-up to tear-down, as accomplished, creative and cheerful a support system as anyone could hope for.

My parents arranged for a special toast in my honor. My son David traveled from Chicago to be there for the party, then stayed up late to help stuff dozens of goodie bags. His friends MaryAnn and Peter stayed all day, doing whatever needed to be done..

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True to form, my husband Jim provided unwavering enthusiasm and support—not only for this party, not only for this project, but for always. Despite being paid to be a writer, I simply have no words when it comes to thanking him.

Finally, many thanks to everyone who took the time to come and celebrate with me—you helped made this a day I'll never forget.

Here's a short clip of the signing and closing remarks:.