Penny Klostermann writes a story that's "out of this world"

by Sue Heavenrich

 If you’ve ever wondered what celebrating Christmas on Mars might be like, Penny Parker Klostermann has a book for you! Her newest picture book, Merry Christmas, Dear Mars (Godwin Books/Henry Holt) is an “out-of-this-world” story about the night before. Christmas, that is. And it hit the shelves with plenty of time to find its way under trees on Earth and beyond…

I’ve been wanting to chat with Penny about her newest picture book ever since I learned that her first draft was an entry to Susanna Leonard Hill’s Very First Holiday Contest! Way back in 2011. That’s like … a long time ago in human years, but not so long ago in book-creating years. So I had to know more. And Penny graciously answered her phone when I called.

Me: What inspired you to come up with the idea of Christmas on Mars?

Penny: I came up with the idea while participating in PiBoIdMo – Picture Book Idea Month – back when Tara Lazar hosted that in November. It was actually my twenty-fifth idea. I jotted down “outer space night before Christmas.” And then, in December Susanna Leonard Hill challenged folks to do a rewrite of the Night Before Christmas for her holiday story contest.

Me: I remember PiBoIdMo. It eventually morphed into StoryStorm and moved to January. It’s so much easier to focus on ideas when you’re not distracted by turkeys and pies… you can find out more about StoryStorm at Tara’s blog here. Susanna Leonard Hill’s winter holiday story contest is usually announced around this time of year – check her blog here.

I confess: this is possibly my favorite spread!

Penny: I started getting serious about my writing in 2011, and that’s one reason I wanted to enter the story contest. Also, I really like writing in rhyme, so a parody of Night Before Christmas seemed like a good way to start. I began with a question: what if that night happened on Mars? I wrote a draft, but the only “hook” was that the story took place in space. And it followed the original story pretty closely. So I created some word lists to help me find creative language. My story won second place. What a boost of confidence that gave me! I thought, hey, maybe I could get this published. I sent it to five publishers in 2012 and heard back from only one. They declined.

My next submission was to the SCBWI Barbara Karlin WIP grant, where I was a runner-up. I also got involved in a critique group which really helped me in the revision process.

Me: Submitting manuscripts is a long game. Did you have an agent? 

Penny: I got an agent in 2013 – Tricia Lawrence at the Erin Murphy Literary Agency. She sent the book out on submission, and boy did we rack up rejections. But Trish always believed in it. Later, I got some feedback from an editor at a SCBWI event suggesting that I give the narrator and Santa more agency. When I revised with that in mind, it took my story to a new level. Trish sent it out again in 2019 – and then the pandemic hit. Then, in 2021 it was acquired and the editors, Laura Godwin and Courtney Nash, brought wonderful energy to this book. I think we had 55 rejections before they acquired it. It’s all about the right editor seeing your book at the right time. And believing in your story.

Me: Do you still participate in StoryStorm and story contests?

Penny: I never miss a year of StoryStorm. I love the excitement and the inspiration behind it. But contests? No, I don’t submit to them anymore, though I do donate prizes.

I really believe in the value of contests. Back when I first started writing, I would enter anything to get words on paper. With contests, you’re given inspiration (prompts/words), parameters (word limits), and a deadline. It forces you to get that first draft down. It may not be good, but the goal of having a contest entry really makes you write. I would never have written Merry Christmas, Dear Mars without the push from a contest.

Me: I love the idea of creating Word Banks, and earlier you mentioned creating word lists. Can you talk about that a bit more?

 

Penny: The word lists reflect the project I’m working on. Because Merry Christmas, Dear Mars happens in space – or at least on a different planet – I needed a “space words” bank. And the sled had technical problems, so I needed a “mechanical words” bank. Plus there are the challenges related to solving problems, so I needed a list of strong verbs. And then there’s the holiday… so obviously I had a list of Christmas-related words. I taped my wordlists to the bottom of my manuscript so I had them right in front of me while I worked!

Me: Thank you so much, Penny. What a fun book – and folks, seriously, go find a copy to read. It’s a wonderful read-aloud and the rhythm and rhyme are spot-on!

Penny has been previously featured on the GROG in this post celebrating her book, There Was an Old Dragon Who Swallowed a Knight, and in this post where she talks about rhyme and her book, A Cooked-Up Fairy Tale

She has a new book coming out in 2025 from Calkins Creek called Spider Lady: Nan Songer and Her Arachnid WWII Army, illustrated by Anne Lambelet. You can find out more about Penny and her books at her website, where you can also subscribe to her newsletter and find her social media links.

Part 2 of The Other Side of Tomorrow: WHEN YOU WANT TO GIVE UP ON YOUR STORY--DON'T by Tina Cho

 Last week I interviewed the illustrator of The Other Side of Tomorrow, Deb JJ Lee. If you missed it, you can find it here. 

Today I interview myself. Giving myself a pep-talk and walk down memory lane, letting Grog Blog readers listen in. Perhaps, you're in a frustrated state with your manuscripts and want to give up. This is for you.

Tina,

You had a great story idea, wanting to share with readers about North Korean children who escape along the Asian Underground Railroad. You did lots of research and even interviewed two North Korean boys and several adults along with a pastor who helped with escapes. Remember, back in 2012 when you thought this could be a picture book story? You put your critique group through the wringer, revising and sending it to them over a two-year span, 16 drafts, until some of them said, it should be something bigger--a chapter book. Listen to your critique partners, especially, if they are wiser than you, in this publishing business!

The DMZ between North & South Korea

                            

But you didn't know how to write a chapter book or middle grade novel. But I'm glad you didn't let that get you down. You sought help. Thankfully, a writing mentor, Nancy I. Sanders, had a self-paced class on writing chapter books & MG novels in one month. While you homeschooled your two children in Korea, you applied what you learned and transformed this picture book story into a middle grade novel. You sent it out to some beta readers and revised 4x accordingly. Then, you were bold to take a chance on sending it to a contest! The Scholastic Asia Book Award at Singapore's Asian Festival of Children's Content. What a surprise when it was shortlisted! At this time, you were teaching at an international school in Uijongbu (S.Korea) & flew to Singapore. Your novel, titled Chasing Freedom: The Asian Underground Railroad won 1st Runner Up (2nd place)! And Leonard Marcus, the American picture book historian, author, & critic, was one of the judges! Scholastic Asia wanted to publish it. But in consulting other professionals, you decided to wait.

In 2016, you signed with an agent. Adria Goetz revised the novel with you, sent it out, and it received 11 rejections. You were wondering if it'd ever be published in the U.S. Listen to the editorial rejection comments. They might give clues how to fix the story. In July 2018, based on an editor's comments, Adria asked you to rewrite it as a novel-in-verse. But once again, you didn't know how to write a novel-in-verse. You were proactive and learned. You didn't let being overseas and not having access to an English library distress you. You took advantage of SCBWI novel-in-verse webinars. When you visited family in the states in summer, you read as many verse novels as you could. And you rewrote. Again. and Again. Adria even asked you to change the title (since there was another book by the former title). So you worked on The Tune Without Words until March 2019 when you hit a brick wall. Or maybe that brick wall should be the Korean mountains. Whatever it was, you got stuck. Afraid. Self-doubt. Who were you to be writing IN VERSE? You weren't even a poet. And you quit. There was silence between you and your agent. You quit revising. Adria heard nothing. And 5000 miles between Seoul and Seattle, she felt something was amiss. So she CALLED you! 

Tina with her agent, Adria Goetz

You remember sitting on your bed, listening to her pep talk, her encouraging words. And you picked your pen back up and got to work. Everyone needs an encouraging agent! You did 5 revisions as a novel-in-verse. And then...

Five months later you received the contract. More rounds of revisions with your editor. The book was to publish in 2022.

On June 19, 2019, an email arrived from editor Carolina Oritz of Harper Alley, Harper Collins new graphic novel imprint. Would you be interested in turning this into a graphic novel? You were amazed and flabbergasted. You had never read a graphic novel before. Would you be up to it? Carolina had the perfect illustrator, a Korean American, living in CA at the time who drew comics. You were flexible. You considered something outside your comfort zone. You went to the library and checked out Hidden: A Child's Story of the Holocaust. It was lovely! And beautiful! Nothing like comics from the Sunday newspapers you read growing up. After seeing a sample sketch of one of your novel-in-verse poems, you fell in love. 

However, illustrating a graphic novel takes a LONG, LONG time. More time was needed. More revisions. How about another title change? So the third and final title is The Other Side of Tomorrow. To publish November 12, 2024, about 12 years from the date you first interviewed those two North Korean boys. 

What did you learn? Never give up on your manuscript. You might need to find the right format in telling your story. Listen to your critique partners, agent, editor. Be open to change. Be flexible. When you don't know, find out. Take classes. Go to the library and study books. 

Because in the end, you now have a shiny work of art that has garnered 4 starred reviews (Kirkus, SLJ, PW, Booklist) is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection, with a French edition coming in March 2025, and many other great things that are still secret...

*Starred review from Kirkus: Told from their alternating perspectives in welcoming, conversational verse, Yunho’s and Myunghee’s suspenseful, harrowing journeys provide readers with a realistic and devastating portrayal of life under one of the most oppressive regimes in the world.

​*Starred review from ALA Booklist: Yes, Cho’s graphic novel in verse is an extraordinary dual-voiced narrative, but what makes this title unforgettable is phenomenal, Ignatz-winning artist Lee’s (In Limbo, 2023) breathtaking artwork...masterpiece.

*Starred review from School Library Journal: Cho’s vibrant, elegant writing style beautifully captures the pain, fear, courage, and resilience of the characters featured in this text. Lee’s illustrations greatly enhance the text’s mood and capture both the courageous adventure of a lifetime and the spirit of a community willing to risk their lives to give those seeking freedom a fighting chance.VERDICT This gut-wrenching story of hope and resilience needs to find its way to all readers’ hands.

*Starred review from Publisher's Weekly: This gripping graphic novel by Cho (God’s Little Astronomer) and Lee (In Limbo) about childhood under dictator Kim Jong Un balances horror and wonder in both its poetic language and vibrant imagery. Lee’s dynamic Procreate illustrations emphasize light and shadow to brilliantly illuminate the tweens’ harrowing situations in this intimate, cohesive collaboration.

Please read The Other Side of Tomorrow, leave a review, and request it at your library. For more information about the story, read this post on Harper Stacks which I wrote! And check out the Educator's Guide I wrote. Thank you! 

How did I celebrate the book birthday? At school til 8pm for parent teacher conferences! Thank you, everyone, for cheering this book on!

Tina Cho is the author of Rice from Heaven: The Secret Mission to Feed North Koreans (Little Bee Books), Korean Celebrations (Tuttle), My Breakfast with Jesus: Worshipping God around the World (Harvest House), The Ocean Calls: A Haenyeo Mermaid Story (Kokila/Penguin Random House), God’s Little Astronomer (Waterbrook), God’s Little Oceanographer June 2025, & The Princess & the Grain of Rice (FSG Fall 2025). Her lyrical middle grade graphic novel, The Other Side of Tomorrow, published from Harper Alley 11/12/2024. After living in South Korea for ten years, Tina, her husband, and two kids reside in Iowa where Tina also teaches kindergarten. 

 

Interview with Illustrator Deb JJ Lee of THE OTHER SIDE OF TOMORROW by Tina Cho

Today we welcome a new face to the Grog Blog--Deb JJ Lee. Deb is the illustrator for our middle grade graphic novel debuting November 12th from Harper Alley, The Other Side of Tomorrow. Each spread is a work of art! That's why the reviewer from ALA Booklist gave it a star and said, "Yes, Cho’s graphic novel in verse is an extraordinary dual-voiced narrative, but what makes this title unforgettable is phenomenal, Ignatz-winning artist Lee’s (In Limbo, 2023) breathtaking artwork."

This interview is part 1 in sharing about The Other Side of Tomorrow. This graphic novel is about two North Korean kids who escape along the Asian Underground Railroad to freedom. I thought it would be fun to interview Deb.

4 starred reviews so far!

                                                 

1. Tell us a little about yourself.

          Hi! I’m Deb. I’m a trans nonbinary Korean-American illustrator based in Brooklyn NY. I’m most well-known for my intricate illustrations and my graphic memoir titled IN LIMBO (2023), which have won and been nominated by multiple awards, including the APALA honor, Eisner (nominated), Harvey (nominated) and Ignatz (winner). 

2. What/who inspired you to be an illustrator? What steps did you take for your career?

          I always wanted to be an illustrator, but never really took action on it until I was a senior in undergrad late 2017. I’ve been drawing for about twenty years at this point, but took a two year hiatus during school. The summer after my junior year I purchased an iPad with the money I made from my tech internship and haven’t stopped drawing since. Luckily I had a job lined up post-grad, so I spent my senior year making my own illustration curriculum. I managed to be in the right place at the right time when I got a literary agent and an illustration internship at NPR the spring of my senior year.

 

3. What made you want to take on this book project?

          North Korea, Korean author, why wouldn’t I? Harper Collins, I was at the beginning of my career! Ironically the offer came in while I was in Seoul visiting family.

 

4. Please share with readers how you created the illustrations. (tools/medium)

I worked primarily in Procreate on my iPad!

 

5. How long did it take to illustrate The Other Side of Tomorrow?

          If we started in 2019, then it would have been five years. But one year was spent promoting and publicizing the book, and another 8-10 months or so was spent being at the ready for the manuscript and/or finishing my own graphic novel (IN LIMBO, 2023). So really, it took about 3 years to finish all the pages. 

6. How long does it take for one spread?

          I would say about 20 hours per spread. Which is crazy to think, because I could only realistically do 1.5 spreads (3 pages) a week to keep up with my other obligations to maintain an income! Illustrating a comic is so intense, especially when you have to keep it up for years at a time. 

 

7. What research did you have to do to illustrate this book?

          I had to rely on Google and what I could find on You Tube!

8. What is your favorite illustration/spread?

          Probably the moment they’re escaping the Chinese prison. I’m really happy with that color palette, as it is me becoming comfortable working in a more desaturated scheme. Normally I tend to rely on very bright colors, but here I didn’t even use those as accents. Since then I’ve been working in those more muted tones even in my freelance illustration work.

 

9. What was most challenging for this book?

Honestly just getting through it. It was the same with IN LIMBO too. Drawing comics takes a while and it’s a commitment–you have to be the director, the character designer, the storyboarder, the renderer!

10. Was there anything surprising that came about during your process?

          I was surprised that I can work with colors even in a graphic novel so consistently! A limited palette doesn’t come naturally to me at all, so I was apprehensive about how I can keep work in several colors in a way that is consistent through the book. But turns out, changing the palette throughout the story to depict night and day, calm and turbulence, comes in handy to subconsciously signal to readers what is going on.

11. What do you hope readers take away from reading and admiring this book?

         Aside from how excruciating it is to escape the country and that everyone is legally bound to be against you, the biggest thing that I would want the audience to walk away with is how there are multiple ways to deal with trauma. Religion and spirituality are two comforting places to feel at home but there are other methods of coming to peace with the humanitarian horrors one would deal with in such a restrictive country.

12. What advice do you have for writers? For illustrators?

          Hmm as someone who’s done both, I always advocate for illustrators to be given as much time and money as they need to complete their projects. Especially through the AI age that we’ve entered, it’s crucial for editors and writers to know that art is hard physical labor! A paragraph that can be written in a few hours might take a whole working week to illustrate. Always communicate early on if time is more needed, and please be patient with us!

13. What’s next for you?

          I’m currently working on my own picture books! They’re unannounced for now so you’ll have to keep an eye on this space :)

Deb JJ Lee (they/them) is a trans nonbinary artist based in Brooklyn, New York. They have appeared in the New Yorker, the New York Times, NPR, Google, Radiolab, and more. They are known for their award-winning graphic memoir, In Limbo, about mental illness and difficult relationships with trauma. Their cat, Marlie, has three teeth.

Portfolio / Instagram / Twitter 

 The Other Side of Tomorrow is available for preorders here.