8 Questions with Serene Chia

1. How did the idea for Mommy, Mommy, Where Is The Moon? land?

Every night, I pick Kaitlyn up from my parents’ and head home. We would look for the moon together in the car. Then it extended into her bedroom. And then whenever we were out walking.

2. In your dedication you wrote magically: We need to win our children’s hearts. Or someone else will. Tell us more about that!

To be frank, my daughter and I weren’t really close till about eight months ago. I felt my daughter was ‘robbing’ me of my identity and my alone time. Then, my husband reminded me that I had to make the effort to grow my relationship with my daughter or she wouldn’t grow up close to me or trust me.

I then made the decision to bring her out alone to spend time with her and get to know her. We went to the Botanic Gardens, Science Centre and cafes to hang out. This did wonders for our relationship and we are best friends now!

“We need to win our children’s hearts. Or someone else will” was printed on a tote bag we received from the church when my son got baptised. As parents, we need to play our part to win the hearts of our children before the world does. I hope we can build a good foundation for them to face the challenges of this life courageously

3. What were your feelings putting this book together?

I was excited as I wanted my daughter and I to create this memory together. The book would be a moment frozen in time, after she grows up, and we will be able to look back and know we shared those moments finding the moon together.

I was nervous and fearful as this was my first book, the whole process seemed really unknown and I had many occasions of self-doubt.

I doubted the story, the words, the illustrations and whether everything could come together.

Then I worried about the launch and if other parents would enjoy reading the book to their children and if the little ones would like it.

4. There must be so much to look into as a first-time author- where did you start, what steps did you take that were essential?

Working with a content editor and picking an illustrator were the essential steps.

I think the turning point was when my story was edited by my content editor Lisa. She provided many helpful tips and made my story more appealing for its age group (2-6 years). For example, she suggested adding humour, “You were little?” (Kaitlyn asked). It made the story more interactive.

The next pivotal moment was engaging my illustrator, Sinem. The illustrator gives life to the story based on their interpretation of the text. I was thankful we were aligned on the broad idea of the story and we spent many hours texting back and forth to refine the little details.

5. Do you any tips on identifying a suitable illustrator?

Spend some time to look for an illustration style you like.

When I found my illustrator, I had been following her for a few months on Instagram. I liked that the characters she drew have some semblance to my daughter and I was confident that she would be able to do the job.

Another tip is to commission an illustrator to do one drawing for you of your main character. This could give you sense of whether they have understood your story, their drawing ability and if you are comfortable working with them.

6. I loved that there are details in the illustration from toys to clothes that could help Kaitlyn identify herself!

Yes ,it was very important for Kaitlyn to see herself in the story. One of my most memorable moments was when she saw two of her favourite soft toys Pepero and Lucy in the book.

She knows Sinem, the illustrator of the book as ‘the auntie who’s really good at drawing’.

She always looked forward to the new pages being drawn and seeing part of her room come to life in the illustrations.

7. Reading the story as an adult. I was wondering: Do you distinguish the world of adults from the world of children? Do they live in different worlds?

Wow that’s a deep question. I think when I wrote the book, I meant it as journey for a parent to take with their child. First a journey of exploration, then learning new things and ending with chasing your dreams – even little gals can aspire to go to space!

Through the child’s lens, I guess it would also stir up a sense of excitement in the adult I am sure as Mom also went through the same journey.

8. Do you have a moon story from your childhood?

Nice question! I think my most memorable moon memory is gazing at the bright and full moon thinking there was a bunny and lady called Chang’er who lived there. I was always trying to catch a glimpse of the bunny hopping around.

This is a Chinese fable of a lady Chang’er who ate the pill of immortality and flew to the moon. In pictures of the story, she is often depicted holding a bunny. That I guess, shaped my memory of the moon when I was younger.

This interview was recorded by a friend, with love ❤️.