Today is the last working day of the year. No calls from my day job, please. 🙏

This is my last post for 2025, so let's celebrate these milestones together, shall we? 🙌

📚 New Picture Book: Hamburger Harriet Needs Help! by Anna Gomez

Quirky food! I absolutely loved doing this second book of Hamburger Harriet. While the first book teaches paragraph structure, this one teaches sentence structure and punctuation. Who would’ve thought that you can introduce these abstract concepts to children through a walking BLT burger?! Wittily written, I would say.

📚 New Picture Book: Tony Tractor Gets Glasses by Mallory Dyer

Adorable trucks! Dedicated to the author’s nephew who has strabismus, this book helps children navigate the emotions of getting glasses and feeling different. This is the first of its series. Creating the characters was indeed the most challenging for me. I am not an expert with cars or trucks, not to mention giving them each a personality. With a splash of doubt if I’ll ever see it through to the end and a mountain of picture references, I braved the blank page. And now the first book is done!

✨ I am now represented by the ever-wonderful Sally Apokedak of Paraklesis Press.

From finding me on TikTok and collaborating on one book via Fiverr to creating a series of picture books, it’s been an exciting ride with Sally! I’m blessed to have a literary agent who is considerate and gives me an array of creative opportunities. Sally, thank you for lifting up my artist spirit!

What’s next…

Two books are in the works in the last quarter of this year, both of which are scheduled to be published next year. Two books...simultaneously! I was skeptical if I could do it given my time constraints and brain bandwidth (programming can take a lot of creative brain cells). But here we are! There's always a first time for everything. I’ve been meaning to take on more projects in a year anyway. A level up from one book a year. Thanks to my lovely agent, who helped me schedule each milestone properly.

My thoughts as 2025 is ending...

• Not all cringe memories are bad. Some mean I tried.

• Oh, what a joy it will be to make a living solely out of my creative practice! I’ll get there soon.

• Should I get an iMac?

• Who can possibly review my portfolio?

• I should get that website domain.

• Host a crafts workshop, maybe?

• Idea dump is piling up. Need to make at least one exist.

• “Jesus is the reason for this season.” I say, He’s the reason in whatever season!

Thank yous and greetings…

To my dear readers, I can’t thank you enough for being part of my year. Knowing that you’re out there still subscribed to my infrequent newsletter, I’m grateful. May your remaining 2025 be God-favored as we move to another year.

Mapagpalang Pasko sa ating lahat! A blessed Christmas!