Today we are very excited to share an interview with Author Steph Lau! (THE ABOMINABLE SNOW DANCER)!
Meet the Author: Steph Lau
Steph Lau is an Asian American author-illustrator and former pastry chef from sunny California. She lives in a hilly house by the bay with two beloved monsters, a ravenous pet rabbit, and a freezer stuffed with half-eaten ice cream. Steph works primarily in picture books and graphic novels—usually with a splash of mischief.
About the Book: THE ABOMINABLE SNOW DANCER
Everyone knows that yetis aren’t meant to be dancers…but that doesn’t stop Otto from dreaming of taking center stage. After keeping his favorite hobby a secret, Otto accidentally stumbles into a dance rehearsal featuring unicorns and one tough teacher. Will this yeti be able to impress these dancers with his passionate flair? Or will he learn that yetis truly aren’t meant to leap, spin, or tap? With each clumsy twirl and not-so-elegant stomp, young readers will giggle their way through this heartwarming tale of perseverance, self-discovery, and the joy of dancing to your own beat.
~Author Chat~
YABC: What gave you the inspiration to write this book?
It’s hard to point to an exact moment where I decided, “Aha! I shall write about a yeti who dreams of dancing, but he’s only ever seen unicorns dance before!”
But I can tell you the initial seed was planted when I jotted down “yetis get sweaty,” along with a little character doodle (although it was more of a Richard Simmons headband yeti and not the beefier, mountain climbing version that ended up in the book). From there, there was a mix of dance influence (I was never a serious dancer, but did take a few classes and was on a dance documentary crew in college) and unconsciously imbuing my long and tortuous journey to becoming an artist into the story.
While I wasn’t a hairy yeti who dreamt of dancing, I was a kid who secretly dreamt of making books. But growing up, I had never met an author in real life (much less one who looked like me!), and the last names on the book covers didn’t sound like mine, either – so for a long time, publishing felt intangible and out of reach. That’s probably where the unicorns came in. They’re sparkly and dreamy, and represent the type of magic we don’t always allow ourselves to believe in.
(Though I’m happy to report, I believed in myself, eventually!)
YABC: What research did you do to write this book?
Most of the research I did was for the art. I spent a LOT of time looking at reference photos and paintings and picture books, of snow, of trees, of unicorns and dancing and even aerial arts.
Did you know, you can actually color your tree trunks dark blue, but they will still look “correct” in a snowy white environment? (Thanks, Christopher Silas Neal and Kate Messner! Over and Under the Snow helped me a lot when I was figuring out my color palette!)
On the writing side, we decided during the editorial process that the main character for the book needed a real name (he’s “Otto” now, but previously he was just “Yeti”), so I spent a lot of time trawling the baby name websites, trying to land on a name that captured the perfect balance of beefy and sweet, and that still sounded pleasing in my existing manuscript.
A few that were fun, but didn’t make the cut: Snowlaf, Bergenfloof, Gunther.
YABC: What can readers expect to find in your books?
Readers can usually expect to find expressive characters and a healthy dose of hijinks. If there was a theme that ties all of my books together, I would say it’s “misfits and mischief.” I’ve always identified strongly with outsiders, and I love that giggly feeling you get when you’re doing something several notches sillier than the average Serious Person in your life expects.
YABC: What is your favorite snack when writing?
I’ve always got a jar of trail mix next to my desk. It’s tasty and convenient, but also doubles as a siren call for my pet rabbit (Sir Chestnut Floppington), who will hop over and beg for treats. So nutritious… and also entertaining!
YABC: What other age group would you consider writing for?
I’ve got a middle grade graphic novel in the works (girl gets sent to live with her estranged Chinese grandma in the monster and deity-infested swamp, after which magical and cultural shenanigans ensue), but I’d also love to write YA and adult someday. I miiiiiight have a pastry chef romance lurking in a drawer somewhere…
YABC: What daily thing do you see that brings you joy?
One of my favorite daily things is my bunny doing the zoomies when it’s dinner time. If you’ve never had the pleasure, happy bunnies do something called a binky, which involves leaping into the air and frenetically wriggling their whole body. Highly recommend watching a video! You won’t regret it!
YABC: What do you do when you procrastinate?
The floors get very clean and the bedsheets get changed and suddenly we have piles and piles of clean laundry.
YABC: What’s up next for you?
Coming out Fall 2026, I’ve got a picture book called Medusa’s Pet Rock. The premise is basically this: What would happen if Medusa was an elementary school kid, and kept accidentally zapping the class pets? It’s definitely got some dark humor, but it’s also a sweet story about found family, and how even a “monstrous” person can deserve love.
I’m also illustrating someone else’s words for the first time, with Clement the Two-Leaf Clover (written by former agent, Clelia Castro-Malaspina), a picture book about a supposedly unlucky clover surrounded by smug four-leafers. That one is slated for Winter 2028!
Title: THE ABOMINABLE SNOW DANCER
Author: Steph Lau
Release Date: November 4, 2025
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
IBSN: 9780593754375
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Age Range: 4-8
