JOURNEY ACROSS THE HIDDEN ISLANDS comes out today!!!

I am over-the-moon excited to announce that today is the pub day for my newest book, JOURNEY ACROSS THE HIDDEN ISLANDS!!!

This book began on a random afternoon a couple years ago.  I remember I was in the kitchen, probably looking for some cheese (I love cheese), and I said to my husband, "I want to write a book with a winged lion."

He said, "Great!  Um, anything else?"

"Winged lion," I said.

"Don't you need, I don't know, a plot?  Characters?"

"Winged lion."

"Um, okay.  Have fun."

And that's how this book was born.  Everything else -- the islands protected by a magical barrier, the monsters that hunt in the sea and sky, the sister princesses, the journey to the dragon -- grew from that one solitary idea.  Sometimes that's how it happens: one stray thought sparks a whole adventure.

JOURNEY ACROSS THE HIDDEN ISLANDS is a fantasy adventure for kids, published by Clarion Books / Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.  It's about two sisters, one winged lion, and a LOT of monsters.

The traditional Emperor's Journey is meant to be uneventful.  But as the princesses Seika and Ji-Lin -- twin sisters -- travel to pay respects to their kingdom's dragon guardian, unexpected monsters appear and tremors shake the earth.  The Hidden Islands face unprecedented threats, and the old rituals are failing.  With only their strength, ingenuity, and flying lion to rely on, can the sisters find a new way to keep their people safe?

For more about JOURNEY ACROSS THE HIDDEN ISLANDS, including the first two chapters, please visit my website.  And welcome to the Hundred Islands of Himitsu!!!