It was about a man called Mr. Brown who went to the moon, walked on its surface, and returned home in time for tea...
As an adult, most of the writing I did were for my career, first as a lawyer, then as a corporate financier. Those prospectuses, due diligence reports and agreements that made people despair and stare into space...
The first story I ever wrote
was when I was six...
Meet Maureen
LOVELY to meet you
Baby Maureen...
I’m also lucky to have travelled and lived in lots of different countries, particularly Malaysia, Japan, England and Canada, so it’s become a habit that I record all the new and unfamiliar things that I see, hear, smell, taste and touch around me. Becoming a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) in Hong Kong opened my eyes to the wonderful world of children's literature and I am continually inspired to add my voice to the many amazing kidlit voices out there.
I'm Malaysian Chinese and have lived most of my life in Asia. As a diverse writer, I feel that I have a responsibility to help increase the diversity in children’s literature by writing stories inspired by my heritage and the cultures I am steeped in.
After joining SCBWI (HK), I started writing and publishing fiction and creative non-fiction
It was only in 2019
I don’t always start out with a truth when I write or when I take a photograph, but a truth always finds me in the end
I use a smartphone to capture the life around me and some of my pictures have been published. I have an author talk for teens that explores this rather surprising notion of creating art using a smartphone. In 2023, I was the Program Manager of the Hong Kong International Literary Festival, where I had the delight of programming and hosting a line-up of inspiring illustrators and photographers, as well as writers, from across the globe.
there's a story behind or inside each picture that I post on
my instagram and my substack
I don't only write.
I'm also a visual storyteller
Plot Twist
When I was a child, I didn’t see myself in any of the books I read.
I believe that each child deserves to see themselves in a story.
A few little footnotes...
Can't live without
My perfect room
Enduring loves
In another Life I'd...
Early beginnings
Endless bookshelves, with a big window, overlooking huge trees and a meadow.
As a real action-taker, I love being active in literacy communities, from organising school literacy events to holding book talks for parents and volunteering in bookstores.
... own a bookshop that sells children’s books and doughnuts and write children’s books about doughnuts.
I grew up in Ipoh, Malaysia's third-largest city. Its old town still houses Chinese shophouses, hawker stalls and street art.
Stationery and fountain pens and inks. Obsessed is not the word!
Read my musings as a Malaysian writer, wandering the earth, listening to the universe and writing the stories behind my photographs.
Freshly-brewed stories and photographs,
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"Maureen was agile, warm, brilliantly organized - a joy to speak with."
"I was stunned at how much time and thought she had put into preparing ...and then how spontaneous, fun and thoughtful she was as our conversations unfolded. Running and organizing the Hong Kong International Literary Festival in 2023, Maureen was as professional, kind and engaging as any such host i've ever known, and as a writer herself - as well as so many other things - she brought more to our interactions than I had any reason to expect. "
Pico Iyer, Author
© Derek Shapton
"What Maureen did on our days was the first of its kind"
"She showed our senior elementary girls how refreshing it is to read stories where the contexts are relatable, and the characters look like them and carry some of the same emotions as they do. To be seen and heard in a diverse world is comforting.
Maureen’s hands-on techniques were engaging and facilitated meaningful interaction during the workshop. The girls thoroughly enjoyed the sessions.
English Dept. Head
"Thank you for telling us that we should put down our phones and not be imprisoned by our phones.
"Nowadays actually many people use their phones all the time and never put it down, also I am one. After listening to you, I think I would like to try a day without my phone, and I can already foresee many new experiences in my ‘daily’ life
Secondary School Student
Kind words from cool people
