My new picture book, HONU AD MOA, launched in October and I’m so excited that it’s out. It’s a story I’d written and rewritten since 2012. I’ll bet I know what you’re thinking: “It took you 6 years to write a picture book?!!” Well, yes, it did. :)! Picture books may seem simple and minimalist but they’re not the easiest form of literature to write. I liken picture books with poetry. A good  picture book is written with the “best words in the best arrangement.”  Every word counts. And since picture books are 32 pages–this includes the front matter (title and dedication pages) and back matter (such as a glossary and author notes)–then an author whittles the word count down even further. One’s gotta make room for the art work which tells a good chunk of the story. Since HONU AND MOA is a retold Hawaiiana version of the Aesop tale about the tortoise and the hare, it is geared for the slightly older picture book audience (ages 4-7) and the word count is around 700. That’s a little longer than many picture books these days. I invite you to check out HONU AND MOA on Amazon and Goodreads