The Newbery?!

It’s been a wild couple of weeks.

Hi. Hello. Wow. It’s been a wild couple of weeks. 

My book won the newbery. My book won the newbery?!? 

When You Trap a Tiger–#tigerbook—the book I’ve been writing (okay, angsting) about in these letters for years now…it won the newbery. 

(You know how when you say a word too many times and it starts to lose its meaning? Yeah, that’s starting to happen.)

People have been asking a ton of questions, so here’s a quick lightning round. 

Have I slept since I found out? Kinda. 

How did I find out? Zoom and a ruse.

What am I writing next? Alien Book! And Mihi Ever After! 

What was the writing process like? Josh reminded me that I posted Instagram stories throughout the process, which I’ve left up in my story highlights. I get less awkward as it goes on, I promise. (And I say “basically” less. Oh my goodness.) 

But the question I’ve been getting most is: How do you feel?

How do I feel? 

That’s the hardest question to answer because I’m feeling everything, all at once:

Grateful, first and foremost—to the committee, to the people who've supported me, to the authors who wrote books that captured my heart. 

Stunned, still. It only feels kind of real.

Overwhelmed, too, because this is all so incredible but it’s also so much and I’m worried I’m not ready. All this wonderful attention comes with pressure, and I don’t want to let anyone down. 

But the feeling I keep coming back to is that I’m eager to write. I’m excited about the projects I’m currently working on, as well as the projects I want to write in the future. 

So even if I’m scared of the pressure, even if I’m nervous about what comes next, I’m going to keep working hard to create stories I’m proud of. I’m going to write the books I needed as a kid—the books I need now—and hopefully they reach some readers who need them, too. 

I’ve been dreaming up stories that feel big and ambitious and somewhat impossible—but impossible things don’t feel quite so impossible anymore.

 ❤

The Secret Project 

Before last week’s news, I was drafting a newsletter about the disorientation and anxiety of public attention, which now feels both ironic and truer than ever. 

I was writing this in the context of announcing my secret project, which I promised to talk about in last month’s letter, so...here we go! The secret project! 

Bah na na na (drumroll??)

It’s a podcast. Called Movie Culture. With my husband, Josh. 

More specifically, it's a podcast where we dissect the way stories are constructed, and how the messages they deliver both reflect and impact our culture.

We're starting with the Pixar movies, and we just posted our first four episodes, about Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, and Monsters Inc. 

As one of my best friends so kindly pointed out, This is a pretty anti-climactic announcement after last week. 

Ah, thank you, friends. You keep me humble and I love you.

But the reason I was nervous about the podcast before (and am even more nervous about it now) is that Josh and I…don’t know how to make a podcast. This is totally uncharted territory. We’re figuring it out as we go. 

And even though my books are public, I’m used to editing them relentlessly, twenty times, over the course of multiple years, before anybody sees them. 

This podcast is kind of just…us. 

But it’s me nerding out about story and what makes it work or not work. It’s us analyzing theme and the way scenes and character arcs come together to say something bigger than the sum of its parts. 

It’s Josh talking about social issues and how these movies relate to public policy. (It is, also, Josh doing a truly terrifying Boo impression.) 

So, the podcast isn’t perfect, but these are the things we know and love. If there’s one thing I’m passionate about, it’s discussing kids’ media. 

And if 2020 has taught me anything, it’s that trying to do something and failing is not even close to the scariest thing—even when you’re trying in public. 

If you’re interested, you can find Movie Culture here. We’ll be releasing an episode every Tuesday until we go through the entire Pixar catalogue. 

We’ll figure it out as we go, as with all things. We’d love it if you joined us.


With all the gratitude, love, and good health, 
Tae

P.S. If you have one of my books and you’d like a signed bookplate, respond with your address and I’ll mail you one. Thank you for being on this journey with me. 

The moment I found out about the Newbery <3

[img: the full front and back cover of WYTAT!]


Some stories refuse to stay bottled up…

When Lily and her family move in with her sick grandmother, a magical tiger straight out of her halmoni’s Korean folktales arrives, prompting Lily to unravel a secret family history. Long, long ago, Halmoni stole something from the tigers. Now, the tigers want it back. And when one of those tigers approaches Lily with a deal—return what Halmoni stole in exchange for Halmoni's health—Lily is tempted to accept. But deals with tigers are never what they seem! With the help of her sister and her new friend Ricky, Lily must find her voice… and the courage to face a tiger.

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