Author Chat with Abby Denson (My Tokyo Summer), Plus Giveaway~ US/CAN ONLY!

YABC:  What inspired you to write this book?

I was inspired by the power of art and DIY media, like zines and punk music, to connect people globally. It was literally life-changing for me to self-publish a minicomic in my twenties and it resulted in me traveling thousands of miles and making many lifelong friends! Almost nothing in my current life would be the same if I hadn’t created that comic.

YABC: What scene in the book are you most proud of, and why?

I want to give a huge amount of credit to the illustrator, Utomaru. Her art is simply stunning, so every page and scene is a joy to behold. The scene that hit me the hardest when I first saw her art for it, was near the end when I reunite with my friend Yuuko in Tokyo after many years of being apart. I cried!

YABC:  Thinking way back to the beginning, what’s the most important thing you’ve learned as a writer from then to now?

I think the most important thing I learned early on was how to script comics in a specific format before I started drawing them (as opposed to drawing them while writing them), so I could control the story pace and page count better. (Also, that’s industry standard for publishers). But there is still something to be said for just being impulsive and letting the story ideas flow with no rules. The ideas and inspiration are the most important thing!

Since My Tokyo Summer is my first book that is more like a memoir, I learned a lot about focusing my writing from this experience. Especially since I knew I couldn’t (and shouldn’t) include every mundane detail from that stretch of time, or even some major details. The main question I asked myself is: “What is the book about?”, and then I cut out anything that didn’t serve my vision for what the book is about.

YABC: What do you like most about the cover of the book?

The feeling of pure joy you get from the characters!

YABC:    What is the main message or lesson you want your reader to remember from this book?

That art produced by your own hand (not AI!) has the power to connect and move people across the world. Creativity is a universal and very powerful language, and self-publishing and other forms of DIY art expression puts that power in the hands of all people.

YABC: What kind of animal would your main character be and why?

A cat! Cats are my favorite animals, and I actually have written two books (also illustrated by Utomaru) with a cat character that is partially based on myself, living out some of my own creative fantasies (Kitty Sweet Tooth and Kitty Sweet Tooth Makes a Movie). Check them out!

YABC: What would you say is your superpower?

 Multitasking!

YABC: Which new-release book are you looking forward to in 2026?

Coming Out Perfect by Richard Mercado is one that I’m looking forward to.