Welcome to my blog!

I’m excited for this to be a space for updates, musings, lists, travelogues, and more.

I’m especially keen to chat with and help boost writers and others in the publishing community.

So, grab a cup of tea, get comfy…and let’s dig in!

I am thrilled to share this discussion with my friend (and “agent sibling”), author Christine Alemshah, whose picture book, Bea’s Balikbayan Box of Treasures, illustrated by Dream Chen, will debut on July 15 with Free Spirit Publishing and is now available for pre-order!

Mother to two spirited daughters and classically trained vocalist, Christine Alemshah writes children's picture books that celebrate innovation, music, and her biracial Filipino American heritage. She hopes readers will see themselves in the stories she writes. When not writing, Christine enjoys singing karaoke and reading with her husband and two daughters under cozy blankets at their Lake Forest, California, home. She is represented by Vicky Weber at Creative Media Agency.

Christine gives back to the KidLit community through her invaluable Grow Your Writing Challenge, which is a trove of resources, links, and opportunities for learning. Be sure to check it out!

SR: Hi Christine! I'm so excited to chat with you.

CA: Hi Stacey! Thanks so much for having me on your blog to share about my debut picture book, Bea's Balikbayan Box of Treasures, and my writing journey.

SR: Let’s jump right in! First, for those who might not know, could you tell us what a balikbayan box is?

CA: Of course! In the Philippines, the term "balikbayan" means "back home." Balikbayan boxes are international care packages sent by overseas workers to their friends, family, and loved ones in the Philippines. Their contents might include chocolates, canned goods, cosmetics, toys, diapers, household gadgets, and hard-to-find items. Families often send balikbayan boxes home for the holidays and at other times throughout the year. Balikbayan boxes are also the ultimate expression of connection and love to faraway family members.

SR: It’s such a lovely tradition, and one that I had never even heard of until I married into a Filipino family myself! I love that children with Filipino heritage will be able to see themselves and their culture in your book, and that others who don’t know about balikbayan boxes will learn about them!

CA: The silver thread through all my stories is "connection." I longed to share this honored family tradition with a broader audience. One of the wonderful things I've discovered is that many families and cultures share similar traditions. I love finding the universality that connects us all.

SR: What other traditions do you love that you practiced as a child and/or that you currently practice with your own children?

CA: I'm biracial, and so are my children, so my favorite thing has been sharing traditions and honoring our heritage. My children are learning to speak Armenian and learn Armenian dance, while I learn Tagalog. We love attending festivals that celebrate our cultural traditions. We enjoy preparing and serving foods from both our cultures on holidays. On a typical Thanksgiving for us, we tend to skip turkey in favor of a manti-making party with lumpia and pancit.

SR: Lumpia and pancit, yum. Ok, getting back on track after daydreaming about mouthwatering foods…

One of the many things I love about Bea's Balikbayan Box of Treasures is that the story is multi-layered. You have themes of cultural tradition, acts of giving, connecting with family in different ways (telephone, writing letters), waiting patiently, and using imagination. Did you set out to infuse all of those themes into the story, or did some of them take shape during revisions?

CA: This happened in part due to how it was acquired. Initially, the book was entitled "NO ORDINARY BOX" — a love letter to families who send Balikbayan boxes written in second person POV. The layers developed when I was asked to send in a series proposal. I combed through my repertoire of work and found this story and thought it would work well as part of the character-driven series they requested. It then switched to a first-person point-of-view narrative. In writing, the things that develop most organically, without being forced, are often the most well-rounded. Bea fit right in with the story's existing narrative, and the layers developed alongside this process. I am so happy with how it all turned out.

SR: It turned out beautifully, indeed! It’s always fun and helpful to get a look “behind the curtain.” You mentioned how the book was acquired - could you talk a little more about the publication process for Bea's Balikbayan Box of Treasures?

CA: Yes! So I was assigned an editor, and we worked through several drafts of the story together. Each round had different goals. One was for language. One was for adding art notes and art direction. We spent a lot of time fine-tuning details, such as establishing what the household might look like, how and where a balikbayan box ships from the U.S. to the Philippines (we reached out to the companies to make sure these details were accurate), and then the last rounds were line/copy edits. I loved the back-and-forth nature during the editing process and helping the story shine as brightly as possible!

SR: Aside from adding art notes, what was the illustration process like from your (author's) side of things? Dream Chen's illustrations are so vibrant and joyful.

CA: Enchanting! I'm thrilled that I was asked to be part of the process from the beginning. My publisher asked me about the art styles I was drawn to, and I provided a list of illustrators that appealed to me. They listened to all my wishes, and I am so grateful for Dream bringing Bea's story and family to life. There are all those unexpected little details that I didn't even imagine could leap off the page. For example — the swirling calendar pages sweep across the page to build anticipation as Bea waits. So precious!

SR: What else are you excited about these days? What other projects are you working on?

CA: I'm so grateful to be out on submission with several other stories right now. Some of them share a similar vibe and celebration of heritage with Bea's Balikbayan Box of Treasures. Another is an out-of-the-box, humorous, interactive picture book. Still others are inspired by one of my other passions — music! (I'm a classically trained vocalist turned karaoke singer.) I just revised several projects and sent them off to my agent. I've also just finished a first draft of a new picture book, which I've sent off to my critique groups.

SR: So many exciting things in the works! I couldn’t be happier for you, my friend. Where can readers find and connect with you?

CA: My social media platform of choice is Instagram, where you can follow me at @C_Alemshah. I've been teaching myself how to post fun reels and carousels about my writing journey, Bea's story, and the Grow Your Writing Challenge. I am also on X: @C_Alemshah and bsky: @christinealemshah.bsky.social on a less frequent basis. You can also find me on my website at: christinealemshah.com

Links:

Instagram: @C_Alemshah (You can find a SNEAK PEAK video of the book here, too!)

Website: christinealemshah.com

Bookshop.org

Free Spirit Publishing

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Goodreads