📚Kyla's Musings: Week in an author's life

Questions I get on school visits + tips for book festivals

Friends,

Last week was a whirlwind—one of those weeks that makes me so grateful to be an author. Here’s how it went:

Being interviewed by South Dakota Public Broadcasting

Week in my life

• Monday: School visit

• Tuesday: School visit

• Wednesday: Travel to South Dakota

• Thursday: 4 school talks + 1 radio interview

• Friday: 2 school talks

• Saturday: A talk at the South Dakota Festival of Books

• Sunday: Travel back to California

(+ all the emails, deadlines, and book work squeezed in between)

But it was so much fun. Meeting students/young readers is one of the very best parts of this author life. They’re curious and unfiltered in the most endearing ways.

South Dakota Festival of Book

Some of the questions I got during my school visits in South Dakota:

• Do you have siblings?

• Do you have a pet?

• Who’s your favorite demon in K-pop Demon Hunters? (Cue outrage when I said Jinu.)

• Have you met Magnus Carlsen? (Yes.)

• Are you good enough to beat Magnus Carlsen? (No.)

• What lip tint are you wearing?

• Do you speak Chinese?

• Can you say something in Chinese?

• How did you learn English?

• Is Singapore part of China?

I wasn’t really surprised by the last four questions—this South Dakota town has a population that’s only about 0.5% Asian. In the 3.5 days I was there, I think I saw maybe two other Asians total. So of course kids were curious; for many, I might have been the first Asian person they’d ever met. I was happy I got to show them May the Best Player Win—with an Asian girl right there, front and center on the book cover. :)

But there was one question that really stayed with me. At a school that’s part of a children’s home, a boy asked: “You travel to all these cool places for your books. Why would you come here, to this small town in South Dakota, to this classroom?”

He said it in such a guileless, earnest way that struck me. The truth is, not all kids have the same access to books and literary resources. I grew up lucky in that way—but many (like the kids in this children’s home) don’t. And while a school talk might feel routine to me, to a student it could be something special (that boy even told me it was his favorite lesson ever).

This question was a really poignant reminder of why I write, and how humbling it is to be invited into their classrooms (and lives), even just for an hour.

So yes, by Sunday I was absolutely out cold—but my heart was incredibly full. I’ve signed paper, caps, shirts, shoes, even… skin. I’m truly grateful to the South Dakota Festival of Books for inviting me as a featured author! The organizers were the kindest and loveliest people, and the logistics were impeccable.

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8 Tips I’ve Picked Up for Book Festivals

1. Protein bars can be yum. Traveling to book events involves a lot of waiting around at airports, where the most convenient food options often boil down to convenience stores and fast food. I’ve tried just about every brand of protein bar at this point (my favorite is Barebells).

2. Pack books. Not every plane has an entertainment system, and delays are inevitable. On this South Dakota trip, I finished four books in just 3.5 days—half on flights, half while waiting around in airports.

3. Bring a copy of your own book. I forgot to bring one on this trip and immediately regretted it :( Students perk up when they can actually see and touch the book you’ve been talking about.

   

4. Bring a Sharpie. Most venues will have one, but not always. Sometimes they hand you a ballpoint pen instead (not my favorite for signing books!).

5. Arrive early to test tech. Every speaking venue has its own setup, and the scariest scenario is when your laptop won’t connect to the system. Arriving early meant I had time to troubleshoot or come up with alternatives.

6. When possible, have schools pre-load your slides. This avoids the last-minute scramble of plugging in unfamiliar laptops or adapters.

7. See other authors as more than their credentials! Don’t be the one flexing your publisher/agency within two minutes of meeting someone, and don’t pry into theirs right away either. Sometimes it’s genuine curiosity (I’ve asked before if I thought we might have mutual friends at the same agency), but sometimes it just feels like status-checking.

8. Watch and learn from other authors. Everyone presents differently—some pull out magic tricks, some rap, and some captivate a room for 45 minutes with 0 slides and just their voice. I found myself hooked by things that I might have otherwise dismissed as “corny”.

And that’s it for now, friends! I’m so excited it’s officially fall and the weather is cooling down. I feel my powers growing stronger… 😈

Love,
Kyla