Frequently Asked Questions

I love egg rolls, just like Astrid! If you want to learn the recipe for Astrid's mom's amazing egg rolls, I made a video that teaches you how. Watch it here!

When I was a little girl, I loved books so much that I spent almost all of my free time reading. But I rarely saw Asian children in the books I read. I never saw any Hmong children in any books. I never saw myself represented. I dreamed of writing my own books someday and I knew I would write stories with Hmong characters so that Hmong children could see themselves represented. Representation is important to me but more important is authentic and updated representation. I wrote ASTRID AND APOLLO because I want Hmong people to be represented positively and accurately in books. I hope Hmong readers will see themselves and their families reflected in ASTRID AND APOLLO, and I hope readers of any background will enjoy these stories.

The Hmong are a group of people who lived in southern China. (Even though we came from China, we are not ethnic Chinese.) In the late 1800s, the Hmong migrated to Laos and other countries in Southeast Asia. Today, more than 350,000 Hmong people live in the United States, with the largest Hmong communities in Minnesota, California, and Wisconsin.

There are many Hmong restaurants, delis, and grocery stores in the Twin Cities and surrounding suburbs. If you want to buy Hmong food from a food court, visit Hmong Village and Hmongtown Marketplace. These shopping centers have food booths that sell many kinds of delicious Hmong meals, snacks, and drinks! Minnesota is also home to Vinai and Diane's Restaurant, two award-winning restaurants that serve Hmong cuisine.

Puppies are my favorite animal! In fact, Astrid and Apollo's pet puppy, Luna Gao Hlee, is based on my real-life Morkie* named Akamaru. 

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*Morkies are maltese yorkies.

Both Astrid and Apollo are inspired by the many lovely Hmong children I know in my life, from the amazing Hmong students I met when I worked in the local elementary schools to the wonderful children of my friends and relatives. 

When the U.S. joined the Vietnam War in the 1950s, they recruited the Hmong living  in Laos to help them fight. After the U.S. lost the war, the Hmong left Laos to escape the incoming government. After 1975, Hmong people arrived in the U.S. as refugees.​ 

I'm sorry, I'm not in the position to do that due to time constraints from writing, work, family, and other obligations. The great thing is there are so many excellent resources online for those who want to write books for children. Here are just a few you can check out: Kid Lit, Storyteller Academy, and Kidlit411. Good luck!