Updates | Amy Wung Tsao

Winter 2022/2023 Updates

The days are finally getting longer! (Although they're still pretty short here in the Pacific Northwest of the US.) I'm finishing up my 7th picture book manuscript! While I'm excited to move on to something new, the tricky thing will be picking one project from my ever-growing list of picture book ideas.

What me and my family are reading these days:
I've been reading pretty widely lately! I finished Brandon Sanderson's adorable Tress of the Emerald Sea, Mary Robinette Kowal's delightful sci-fi murder mystery The Spare Man, Grace Lin's beautiful When the Sea Turned to Silver, Hua Hsu's thought-provoking memoir Stay True, and Malaka Gharib's beautifully complicated graphic novel memoir It Won't Always Be Like This. My new favorite picture book is Why? by Adam Rex - I'm smiling just thinking about it now! And my 4yr old won't stop asking me to read the food-themed picture books from Bent Object's creator Terry Brooks.

Fall 2022 Updates

I’m constantly bouncing back and forth between feeling nervous and excited about people actually visiting my website. Hello! Thanks for visiting my little corner of the internet. Here’s what I’ve been working on lately:

I debuted my short story, Waiting on Magic, illustrated by the amazing Shannon Horrocks, as a free download here. It’s been such fun to see pictures of kids coloring and enjoying the activities!

I also kicked off my STEM Through Story and Play free newsletter. Finally, all the knowledge that I've accumulated through homeschooling and writing research will make it out of my brain to help others.

And I am sending picture book manuscripts to potential literary agents! The search for an agent (often called the query trenches) can often take years. So while this is an important first step, I am stocking up on tea and chocolates to last me in these trenches for a while.

What me and my family are reading these days:
I recently finished the memoir "This Story Will Change" by Elizabeth Crane, and I’m in awe of the nonlinear storyline. I loved reading this powerful YA novel, “The Silence that Binds Us” by Joanna Ho. My 5yr old and 8yr old are laughing their way through Mac Barnett & Adam Rex’s “Guess Again!” every night at bedtime. And my 8yr old and I are marveling over the artistry of Laurel Snyder & Dan Santat’s “Endlessly Ever After”, which combines a choose your own adventure style narrative with fairy tales.

Summer 2022 Updates

I am currently writing and revising a 6-book picture book series inspired by the Magic School Bus series, but with funny robots on the moon. I'm also outlining a contemporary fantasy YA novel that is a love letter to my awkward teenage self.

I recently finished reading "Troublemaker" by John Cho and Sarah Suk. The books on my nightstand are "Where the Mountain Meets the Moon" by Grace Lin, "Daemon Voices" by Philip Pullman, and "Writing Picture Books" by Ann Whitford Paul.

Kid dance parties at my house right now feature music from Disney's Zombies movies. My 5yr old and 8yr old are loving the latest book in Aaron Blabey's Bad Guys series, and my 8yr old is getting into Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.