A children's chapter book series with Asian Latinx lead character who leverages history & archeology in her quest through San Francisco
Latest Updates from Our Project:
36 Hour Countdown!
over 3 years ago
– Wed, Sep 07, 2022 at 07:19:10 PM
Hi Everyone,
We have 36 hours left! I am grateful for this Kickstarter experience and hearing all the supportive encouragements from new and old friends all over the world. Please consider forwarding this update email to your friends and family. As an indie author, your support in sharing about Mika’s Quest to help expand my reach is how we make this book a reality. Anything is possible!
Mika’s Quest plays a part in my dream to remove borders, boundaries, and barriers. I hope to be fearless in my pursuits to support our underserved communities globally through Mika’s Quest. I have big plans to expand this series and bringing books to as many young readers as we can globally. One of the important reasons of pulling the Children’s literature lever is that not only are we able to make an impact to young minds through books, but expose the adults in their lives as well.
Mika’s Quest for the Lost Artifact creates a space for conversations between children and adults. These adults are the parents, teachers, librarians, caregivers, and many more people within the realm of supporting the development of that child. The topics of heritage, identity, history, culture, learnings, universal values (kindness, lifelong learner, and patience), exploring, and solving problems are weaved throughout the story and allow children (and adults) to discover new perspectives after each reading. One of the goals of Mika’s Quest is the idea that enchanting worlds are not found only in books. There are enchanting places in the real world we live in. There have been enchanting places from the past and it is all how we frame it. From a child’s perspective, there is so much wonder and possibilities! I believe in this magic and I hope to continue to foster that imagination to make learning enagaging for our future generation. Thank you for making this dream a reality with your support.
Cheers,
Cat
Happy Labor Day weekend | 6 days left!!!
over 3 years ago
– Sun, Sep 04, 2022 at 09:33:32 AM
Happy Labor Day weekend friends!
We have 6 days left of my campaign and the countdown begins!!!
I am indebted to all of you for your support and I look forward to making you proud to be part of this journey with me.
The visions that I have for this book, far exceed anything I have ever done. This experience, reaffirms my belief that there is a market for books like mine. I can’t wait to share with you all of the things I have in store!!
Here’s how you can help me end this campaign with a bang:
Share my book with your network. I’ve attached a graphic should you want to share it on instagram.
Consider increasing your pledge amount and adding a book to your order to gift/donate.
Know of any small retailers that might be interested in selling my book? Send me their info!
Know of any teachers that might want books for their classroom, send them my way!
Cheers,
Cat
P.S. Hey Explorers! I want to shine some light on another campaign that might interest you is Priya Kumari's lovely series about diverse holiday celebrations. It includes the Indian Spring festival, Holi (Festival of Colors) and Indian Fall festival, Diwali(Festival of light). The aim is to instill a positive sense of identity and create awareness and inclusion in communities. Priya's Kickstarter here.
Labor Day Sale - Pre-Order Now!
over 3 years ago
– Thu, Sep 01, 2022 at 08:53:38 AM
Hi Everyone,
I hope you are ready to ramp up for the Labor Day weekend! Time to kick back, relax, and not lift a finger. Well, you’ll need to lift one—to claim this NEWEST reward tier Labor Day Sale, that is. I was planning on releasing this new tier tomorrow, but I just can't wait!
I am releasing a new $20 reward tier TODAY in honor of Labor Day!
********************************
Labor Day Sale
First Edition Collector's Hardcover
Audio Book mp3 File
Digital eBook of Mika's Quest for the Lost Artifact
Digital thank you card from Mika and Polo
Digital downloadable activity sheets
Digital map of San Francisco
********************************
[insert happy dance!]
This is made possible by YOU and being the first explorers to join our quest! Since we met our goal, I am able to get my book in the hands of even more readers in multiple formats (physical, audio, digital). <3 Thank you for your support. Your backing means the world to me.
$10KS T R E T C H G O A L
Every backer who pre-ordered a physical copy of the book will receive a premium Double-Sided Dust Jacket AND BONUS GIFT the Audio Book mp3!This is in addition to receiving the Digital Bundle with all $26+ reward tiers. This is truly a stretch goal and I know WE CAN DO IT! ¡Podemos hacerlo!
Lastly, Happy Labor Day to the workers of every field! The world runs on your contributions and you all deserve respect, recognition, and a day to relax. And a special shout out to those who work hard to protect workers’ rights. Thank you all for making our world a better place to live and work in.
Forward Fund Badge + Signal Boosting
over 3 years ago
– Tue, Aug 30, 2022 at 09:32:00 AM
Happy Tuesday!
It is because of backers like YOU that are making all of these milestones happen! I am deeply grateful for your support and thank you for being a part of this incredible journey with me.
Our project Mika's Quest for the Lost Artifact was awarded the Forward Fund badge!
Forward Funders are foundations, nonprofits, and organizations that back Kickstarter campaigns related to their visions and missions around a more creative and equitable world. Each Forward Funder makes a public commitment and then backs projects just like anyone else—through single pledges that bring the works one step closer to reality. Creative Capital and the Skoll Foundation have partnered together in order to support innovative and impactful projects across all categories by Asian, Black, Indigenous, and Latinx creators in the United States.
SIGNAL BOOSTING
In the spirit to support innovative and impactful projects, I want to highlight other inspiring creators with Kickstarter projects that I recently backed and connected with.
ABC: Adobo, Boba, Chai (A Children's Board Book) by Angel Chang
"The whimsical art and nonsensical alliteration remind me of Boynton books but this is so much richer with all the cultural nods. I love it and hope they sell like hotcakes!" Cindy Liu
This is the first book of a new collection inspired by #VeryAsian values. This book also acknowledges grandparents from different countries as a sign of respect for the elderly, an important value to Asian cultures. The elderly in our community have been through a lot of trauma these recent years, so Angel wanted to show them some love here. ❤️️
A Little Bilingual's World Flash Cards by April Wu, Founder of Seedlingo
For those of you raising bilingual children, you may be interested in this campaign by Mandarin Dual Language Immersion teacher, April Wu. She has a project for Chinese-English bilingual flash cards with Montessori-inspired activities and a multi-level teaching guide. Check it out here!
The Very Airy Library is an independent children's show dedicated to instilling a passion for reading and writing in a diverse community of young people. The mission of The Very Airy Library is essential to our children and our society. Without shows like this, kids of all backgrounds could miss out on the chance to see themselves represented on screen. I urge you to check out this meaningful project!
The year of the cat is a bilingual retelling of the Chinese/Vietnamese lunar new year legend with a modern twist that teaches children about culture, resilience, and cooperation in a magical journey through the beautiful land of Vietnam.
We're basing our first print-run on how many copies of the book are pre-ordered here on Kickstarter, so...
If you'd like to add more books or add-ons to your order, you can update your pledge to add an extra copy (or a few!). All books pre-ordered through the Kickstarter will be guaranteed in the first print run.
Keep sharing the Kickstarter with your friends, family, and on your social media -- that's how they can guarantee their own copy in the first print run, too!
And THANK YOU!!!! Your support means the world to me. I cannot wait to make the best books on your kids' bookshelves. If you have any ideas or just want to say hi, please reach out to me on Instagram @bycatfan. I'd love to hear from you!
Cheers,
Cat
P.S. Stay tuned tomorrow for a major Labor Day Sale announcement!
First Stretch Goal
over 3 years ago
– Mon, Aug 29, 2022 at 05:23:48 PM
Hi Explorers!
In case you missed the good news, I met my Kickstarter goal in less than a week. Thank you again for your support!!! I am elated!! However, since I still have 12 days left of my campaign, I have decided to push beyond my initial goal so that I can get my book in the hands of even more readers.
With this in mind ....
*drum roll*
..... it's time to unlock the FIRST Stretch Goal!
First Stretch Goal
So, if my campaign meets the 10k mark, every backer who pre-ordered a physical copy of the book will receive a premium Double-Sided Dust Jacket AND BONUS GIFT the Audio Book mp3!This is in addition to receiving the Digital Bundle with all $26+ reward tiers.
Double-Sided Dust Jacket
This features a unique cover design on the exterior and an interior that showcases Mika's Map!
I envision this being a fun and interactive component of the book that can be carried with a child as they are role playing Mika's and Polo's adventures with their very own map of San Francisco or want to follow along as they read through the book.
Audio Book MP3
The mp3 Audio Book of the story, narrated by Cat Fan, will be included with every copy of the book. Remember those page-turn cues we used to have as kids for our books on tape?
Yep, we’re bringing them back.
To celebrate being fully funding and to continue to align with our mission to get Mika's Quest in the hands of even more readers, it is important to me to have Mika's Quest accessible in audio format for our readers so that we are inclusive all kinds of learners. The audio book is a great addition to new readers who want to follow along.
Consider increasing your pledge to help us hit this goal, or perhaps SHARE this project with your friends and family.
As of today, I am $3,657 away from 10k, my new stretch goal. Here’s how you can help me get there:
Share my campaign with a friend or two. The more eyes on my campaign, the more readers I’ll reach.
Consider adjusting your pledge and adding another book or one of the other add-ons. If you increase your pledge by even a dollar, it will help me reach my new goal faster. Adjust your pledge here:
