My dear friends,

I’m in desperate need of smelling salts, for this past week has been a tsunami of thrill and fatigue. As I’ve hinted, I’ve been working on several big projects… and I can’t believe they’re finally official. You can soon expect Gothic Lolita Rococo Punk coverage straight from Harajuku… because I’ve just signed two book contracts, and one publisher is sending me to Tokyo!

La Carmina’s current state of mind: (@_@) + (*_*)!

As you may know, I published a book through Parallax Press in 2006. My love of Harajuku fringe fashions, especially Gothic Lolita, spurred me to start this blog in Sept 2007. I found that I loved the medium; the daily posts and conversations were a welcome creative outlet for my OCD, and I was able to try out ideas with instant feedback from you.

I fell head over heels for the bento-decorating trend, where Japanese lunches are made to look like Hello Kitty and Pokemon. Many of you expressed similar “awww!” and sent me links and tips. (I can’t begin to express how much I appreciate your encouragement.)

My fabulous agent and I put together a pitch for a recipe book that is a Western spin on character bentos. Remember my goofy Nintendo cheeseball recipe video (above)? That’s the idea in a nutshell!

We received interest from several major publishers… and in the end, I signed with Perigee, an imprint of Penguin Group USA. It’s a perfect fit – my editor worked on some of my favorite Japanese craft and food books, including Miyako Kanamori’s adorable Sock and Glove, several cookbooks by Harumi Kurihara (the Martha Stewart of Japan), and Tamie Snow’s titles on amigurumi (tiny yarn animals).

The photo-packed, four-color paperback – provisionally called Cooking Cute – will come out in 2009 or 2010. In additional to original recipes and entertaining ideas, my anime drawings will appear on every page! I haven’t really shared the graphic design side of myself, but from now on, I’ll post weekly examples of my kawaii art.

Another series of blog posts led to my second book deal. Many of you responded enthusiastically when I wrote about Tokyo’s over-the-top theme restaurants: Alice, Vampire, and Christon. I struck up a conversation with Mark Batty Publisher, a New York press that specializes in art/design books. Once again, we clicked over our love of J-pop culture – Mark Batty released the photo book Face Food (about character bentos) and the upcoming Graffiti Japan.

As of today, the agreement is finalized… which means I’ll be in Tokyo and Taipei this fall! I’ll be photographing and writing about kooky theme restaurants – including maid cafes, a haunted jail, an S&M hospital, and a toilet-themed eatery. I can’t wait to start on this surreal project, tentatively titled Tokyo Theme Restaurants. The full-color hardcover will be in bookstores March 2009.

THANK YOU THANK YOU to every reader – I couldn’t have achieved any of this without you. Your comments challenge and stimulate me, and so many of you have become my friends. I’ll be recognizing you at the front of both books, promise.

Rest assured that these projects won’t keep me from blogging. If anything, I’ll be filing more and better material straight from the source: soon, you’ll find me trying on clothes at your favorite Goth/Loli/Punk stores and living it up with the nightcrawlers!

You can read more about my books here (I’ve revamped my entire website, lacarmina.com – and I have more announcements coming soon). As always, I’m happy to answer questions in the comments or by email.