First volume of Squirky the blue alien series.
Singaporean author Melanie Lee
IMAGINE yourself a blue-coloured alien in a world of humans. Surely, you must feel very odd, left out and all alone. You will probably question your very existence and yearn to find out why you are different from everyone else.
This has nothing to do with the Hollywood movie ‘Avatar’ but everything about Squirky, the leading character in a new book series.
The story of Squirky the blue alien begins in ‘The Adventures of Squirky the Alien Volume 1: Why Am I Blue?’ where he finds out that he is different from his human family members. Eventually, he learns that he comes from another planet far away from Earth.
To Squirky’s Singapore-based author Melanie Lee, he is more than just a character in a children’s series but a personal expression of a topic very close to her heart: child adoption.
“My husband and I adopted our son two years ago. Sometimes, we read him children’s books about adoption and I realised none of them featured Asian adoptive parents.
“I felt I wanted to come up with my own stories for him and other adopted children in Asia. I came up with Squirky, a blue alien who goes to space with his adoptive sister to search for his birth parents.
“One day, my son may want to find out more about his origins and birth parents. Squirky is my way of telling him that I’d support him in this quest,” she told thesundaypost in an exclusive interview.
Lee said adoption is still a very hush-hush topic in this part of the world, so she hoped that Squirky’s story will provide opportunities for adoptive parents to talk about adoption more openly with their young children.
“There is still this unsaid notion that it is better that children should not know if they are adopted. However, I feel that kind of secrecy can be very hurting, and one way to be more open with adoption is to come up with stories that people can relate to so that this topic becomes less awkward.
“‘The Adventures of Squirky the Alien’ is not just for young adoptees though. Any child who has questions and seeks answers will realise that any form of exploration is riddled with challenges and it is only by overcoming these hurdles that they can discover who they truly are as a person,” she explained.
Lee was surprised by the good response to Squirky since the release of the first volume by MPH Group Publishing just a few months ago.
She thought that only children who were adopted would relate to the book, but she has met children who were not adopted but have made Squirky their favourite bedtime story.
“I’d say this is very much due to the cute illustrations by illustrator David Liew. Many young kids who read it just naturally form an attachment to Squirky and I actually find that pretty amazing.
“There will be six volumes in ‘The Adventures of Squirky the Alien’ and the second volume is coming out in November,” she said.
Lee at a recent book launch in Singapore.
The 35-year-old is no stranger to writing, being a freelance writer specialising in content related to travel, food and heritage who has had her works published in TODAY newspaper, Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia, Singapore Tatler, Yahoo! Singapore and others.
Besides editorial writing, she has also been involved in several book projects. She co-authored ‘Quiet Journeys: Finding Stillness in Chaos’ and published a collection of short stories ‘Imaginary Friends: 26 Fables for the Kid in Us’ as an illustrated e-book and paperback.
“I write simply because often, I write to gain clarity. I try to inject humour because it is the best way to deal with the not-so-good things in life.
“For non-work writing, I try not to think too much about my target readers. I feel more ideas are explored that way. The short story collection ‘Imaginary Friends: 26 Fables for the Kid in Us’ is one example of me just really writing for fun and without thinking about the outcome at all.
“For ‘The Adventures of Squirky the Alien’ series though, I was and still am picturing preschool children while writing these books,” she said.
Lee promoting her new book series Squirky.
Playing the roles of a freelance writer, a part-time university lecturer and a full-time mother, Lee said it is a tricky balance but is managing well so far.
“At this point, I pretty much adopt the day-by-day approach: what are the important things I need to get out by today? It is not the most ideal solution, but for now, it helps me to fulfill deadlines.
“When I am not writing or working, I am taking care of my son and we love imaginary play (I really enjoy revisiting my childhood with him). In my own free time, I like to drink tea, walk, meditate, and read,” she said.
Like any writer, Lee has had her doubts and fears too – in a field where people could run out of steam and lose the passion to write if they were not careful.
“My greatest fear as a writer is that one day, I stop taking the risk to evolve as a writer because I know there is still so much to explore and improve upon in my writing journey.
“I would like to try writing a young adult novel next. I still have no idea what it is going to be about though,” she said.
Right now, she is trying to complete writing the stories for ‘The Adventures of Squirky the Alien’.
As a way to discipline herself, she will be taking part in the National Novel Writing Month next month with a friend.
“We will be writing 50,000 words in a month,” she said, adding: “Also, I am hoping to visit Malaysia early next year to promote the book series. Although nothing is set yet, it will most likely be through events planned by MPH Publishing.”
‘The Adventures of Squirky the Alien’ is available at MPH Bookstores or MPHonline.com.