Interview with Author Amy K. Cheung
Amy K. Cheung is the author of The Mindful Cat a book about discovering mindfulness no matter the events during your day. All ages can appreciate it—preschoolers will enjoy the illustrations while older children can use the imagery of the ball of yarn as a way to talk about their emotions and feelings. Read on to learn about her experiences as a writer and her favorite childhood books. Visit our virtual events for a read-aloud with illustrator Paula Assadourian.
How did you come up with the idea for The Mindful Cat?
It first started with an idea about my pet cat Batsy and his adventures. I told the concept to my friend Paula, a talented illustrator, and we bounced ideas around for the story. I was in a practice of meditation at the time and discovered mindfulness. While meditating one morning, I had an “aha” moment and quickly wrote a poem that became the foundation for The Mindful Cat! I sent the poem to Paula who evidently had been practicing meditation for several years and it really spoke to her. From that point on, the collaboration and the story happened very naturally.
Do you and Paula work together? What's that like?
Paula and I have been friends for over a decade but never worked together creatively so this was beyond amazing and rewarding. The difficulty was finding the right time to work since we live on opposite coasts and both have our day jobs. A lot of the book was produced via Skype and email! We were able to have a few keystone meet-ups in person which were the most grounding sessions for the story. We’re grateful to have this partnership turn out to be so intuitive and proud to have created something we feel is very special.
What are you planning on writing about next?
Definitely have lots of ideas for future books! We want to continue creating in the mindful space as well as beyond it. I’m keen on writing more about emotion and developing stories that can help kids see the magic of mindfulness.
What advice do you have for aspiring authors?
As a new author myself, I’m learning every day. The best piece of advice I got from a book conference I attended was that even if the idea has been done before, how you write it is unique to you. Your story can’t be copied. I really took that to heart and it inspires me to write more stories. And, from that, I think the best thing to do really is to keep writing!
Have you always been a reader? What books do you remember loving as a child?
Absolutely! I remember spending whole summers reading book after book in my room. My dad would take my brother and me to the library every week where I would browse the children’s section and pick up as many books as I could carry! There are many favorites for different reasons. The first books that made an impact on my daily life were the Arthur Adventure series. I learned so much from Arthur’s eyes -- from Arthur getting a new puppy to Arthur getting the chickenpox! Other favorites include Charlotte’s Web, The Cat in the Hat, The Giving Tree, The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe, Where The Wild Things Are, and Harry Potter.
Describe your ideal reading experience (when, where, what, how).
Laying in a hammock on the beach with just the sound of waves calmly rolling in the background or sitting in a comfy chair by a cozy fireplace (with unlimited hot chocolate) is nice too.