7OMOKO

Art and words (and yes, flowers) are some of Tomoko's favorite things - and the intersection of the two, whether through illustration or design, is something she has worked towards as long as she can remember. She freely admits that she's bought books primarily for their covers, and nearly purchased a tin of smoked sardines once because of some truly impressive packaging design.

She honed her illustration and graphic skills as the head of art and design for Texas' largest independent bookstore, BookPeople - and previously as the lead graphic artist creating posters and promotional materials for Eastern New Mexico University's Student Activities - and is now pursuing her lifelong dream of writing and illustrating for children's literature.

The name Tomoko means a lot of things, but hers is written with the kanji for "bringing people together". She believes that books and drawing and design can do those things, too, which is possibly why she spends her life happily buried in all three, taking small breaks to walk with her rescue dog, Alice. Her favorite activities are poring through fonts to find just the right one, tinkering with the balance of a composition, and sometimes just sketching out characters in her D&D games.