KCU Pitchfest Showcase 2023 (Top 50)

Land of Memories

Chen and her favorite toy, Tiger, have been together since the day she was born. But one awful day, the unimaginable happens. Tiger was lost and never ever found. Unable to move on, Chen refuses to play with other toys ever again. Wanting to feel close to Tiger, she looks at old photographs and falls into the wonderful and enchanting Land of Memories. There, she journeys through tender, beautiful vignettes of her memories with Tiger. After reliving all her birthday parties and playing all their favorite games, Chen needs to make an impossible choice. Stay here and relive old memories forever, or face the rest of her life without Tiger.

My Why:

I created Land of Memories from the aching sorrow and loving joy I felt while grieving my mom. After she was gone, I obsessively poured through photos and videos of her, hoping to grasp the deep warmth that she’d given me all my life. Writing this story through the eyes of a child who lost their favorite toy, was a deeply healing process. It enabled me to see how to move forward while honoring my mom.

I hope Land of Memories guides children and their grownups through loss of any kind, whether it’s the loss of their favorite toy or their favorite person.