Backstory

By Edna Cabcabin Moran

I played among the boulders and wild blueberry fields of Iceland, explored a bustling Norcal Navy town “free-range kid” style, and bicycled the sprawling streets of Honolulu. I was a military kid on the move, gathering glints and impressions of people and places. As a child, my favorite “sport” was daydreaming. It fed into my love of drawing and painting. Once I  started reading, I’d scour the libraries, at my school, at the city library and on Base, seeking myths and legends, how-to books, biographies, mysteries and fantasy/sci-fi. I was hooked on Sunday funnies and Mad mag. I collected comic books–after enjoying them for a bit, I stacked them in neat piles in my room,  and then I sold them to neighborhood kids. Then the writing bug bit me. In my teens, I poured myself into journals and notebooks, and scribbled out volumes of short stories and poems. The pages that held my writings are long gone but their colorful fibers remain–intricately spun and ready to be woven.

Stepping into Picture Books

I was a doting, teenage aunty when I read Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are to my young nephew, Junior. Captivated by Sendak’s lush illustrations and vivid text, I like I stepped into the story itself, joining Max on his wild rumpus travels and eventual return home. The story lingered with me long after I closed the covers. It sparked my interest in writing my own stories and creating art for picture books. However, the internet hadn’t existed yet so I learned what I could on my own, studying with accomplished picture book artists, joining a critique group and workiing on my illustration portfolio. 

Publishing Journey

Then I started submitting my work, and I became a member of the Society of Childrens Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI)–the closest thing to a guild for creators of kid lit and YA. My first book was discovered in the “slush pile.” BeachHouse Publishing acquired The Sleeping Giant: A Tale From Kaua’i which they published in 2006. Through the years, my work has been published in educational works (outside of kid lit) and poetry anthologies. Currently, I’m working on middle-grade stories, picture books and poetry. My latest book, Honu And Moa, came out in 2018 and was awarded a 2019 Aesop Accolade by the American Folklore Society.

Check out some of my books, view my artwork and read my  blog.