Making Surf Soup: A Chinese American Story of Donna Kay Lau
Explore the World of Arts and Entertainment
Making Surf Soup: A Chinese American Story of Donna Kay Lau
TV Animator, Author, and Illustrator
In Making Surf Soup, Emmy-honored TV animator and creator of the Surf Soup series, Donna Kay Lau, shares the intimate story of her rise from a young Chinese American woman with big dreams to a pioneering creator in animation and children's literature. With over 30 years in the industry, Donna reflects on the hurdles she overcame—cultural expectations, creative struggles, and the journey of turning passion into a brand that celebrates diversity, imagination, and resilience.
This memoir isn’t just a story of success. It’s a testament to the power of perseverance. From the origins of the Surf Soupbook series to the making of the animated shorts, Donna’s journey is filled with lessons that will inspire anyone who dares to chase their dreams, no matter the obstacles. Making Surf Soup invites you to witness the heartache, triumphs, and cultural pride that have shaped Donna's path as a Chinese American woman in the competitive animation and publishing world.
Inside you'll discover:
Overcoming challenges as a Chinese American woman in animation and publishing.
The creation of the Surf Soup series—75 books, a TV series, and more.
Personal stories of resilience, self-discovery, and cultural empowerment.
Insights into the world of animation, storytelling, and entrepreneurship.
This memoir is perfect for aspiring animators, entrepreneurs, dreamers, and anyone navigating the complexities of life and career. If you've ever questioned your path, Making Surf Soup will reignite your belief in your vision.
Order your copy today and let Donna’s story inspire you to keep moving forward, no matter the hurdles.
Stay Connected
This memoir is more than just a success story—it’s a testament to resilience and perseverance. From the origins of the Surf Soup book series to the creation of animated shorts, Donna’s journey reveals the grit behind the creativity. Her path is full of lessons that will ignite your passion to pursue your dreams, no matter the challenges. Making Surf Soup offers a personal look at the heartache, triumphs, and cultural pride that shaped Donna’s rise to success.
Happy World Book Day!
Book Cover Launch
✨🎨 The journey behind Surf Soup—revealed! 🌊📖 On #WorldBookDay, I’m excited to share the cover of my most personal book yet: Making Surf Soup: A Chinese American Story of Donna Kay Lau! 💛
This book is a behind-the-scenes look at my journey as a TV animator, author, and creator of Surf Soup—from struggles to triumphs, culture to creativity. It’s about resilience, passion, and chasing dreams!
💬 What’s a dream you’re working on? Let’s inspire each other—
Making Surf Soup-Excerpt
Finding Value in Two Goodreads Followers: A Reflection on My Birthday Weekend
Finding Value in Two Goodreads Followers: A Reflection on My Birthday Weekend
As the sun sets on the day before Labor Day, I find myself alone in my studio, reflecting on my journey as an author. It's my birthday weekend, and while some may consider it a time for celebration, I see it as an opportunity to pause and contemplate the path I've chosen. You see, I only have two followers on Goodreads, but they hold a special place in my heart.
In a world obsessed with numbers, where follower counts and likes often define success, having just two followers might seem insignificant to many. However, to me, these two followers represent something far more valuable: genuine connections. These individuals took the time to discover my work amidst the vast sea of authors on Goodreads, and for that, I am truly grateful.
Writing can be a lonely gig, especially when you're undiscoverable amidst the literary giants. I've often found myself hidden beneath the towering tomes of others, wondering when it will be my turn to shine. But through it all, I've held onto a mantra - "no complaints whatsoever, thank you for everything." It's a reminder to keep my hope high and my spirits higher, even when the journey feels solitary.
I pour my heart and soul into writing books, especially those meant to inspire and uplift young readers. As a first-generation Chinese American, I have a unique perspective to share, just like the indigenous courage I admire. Dreams are indeed coming true, but in the midst of all this hard work, how do I find time to relax?
Yesterday, I embarked on a marathon day, starting at 4:45 AM and continuing until 10 PM. It was a day filled with writing, family caregiving, and unwavering focus. I had every intention of calling my friends, but the demands of publishing another book, "Surf Soup TV and the Magical Hair No Haircuts! The Botanical Garden Book 11 Volume 7," took precedence. There's also the pre-sale launch for "Surf Soup TV and the Magical Hair No Haircuts! Ocean Mane-ia and Hairylarious Odyssey Book 11 Volume 8," along with the creation of book trailers and the endless promotion on my author page and Google and IMDb etc.
In this whirlwind of activity, I've come to realize that sometimes, amidst the chaos of life and art, we overlook the small but significant things. I had thought my blog was seamlessly synced with my Goodreads account, only to discover that it wasn't. It was a humbling reminder that even in the digital age, there are still many places to update and maintain social author pages. Despite my relentless efforts, there seemed to be little traction.
About Surf Soup TV
Celebrate!
🌊🎉 It’s a Surf Soup Celebration! 🎉🌊
Happy Book Launch Birthday to Making Surf Soup! Today marks a special milestone in the Surf Soup journey, and I’m thrilled to share it with you!
Surf Soup is more than a book series—it’s a world of imagination, adventure, and creativity. With 75+ books and more on the way, this whimsical series takes young readers on exciting journeys filled with surfing unicorns, magical talking surfboards, friendship, and the power of dreams.
Inspired by my love for storytelling and animation, Surf Soup continues to grow beyond books with animated shorts and even more new stories on the horizon! Whether it’s riding the waves, exploring creativity, or learning heartwarming life lessons, Surf Soup is a place where magic and imagination come to life.
📚 Now Available: Making Surf Soup! 📚
This book is the heart of the Surf Soup adventure—the story behind the series that started it all! Get an inside look at the inspiration, creativity, and magic that made Surf Soup a reality.
🎈 Join the Celebration! 🎈
Be part of this exciting journey—explore the books, dive into the stories, and celebrate the magic of imagination with me!
📖 Available Today! Let’s make waves together! 🌊✨
🌊🚀 Join the Surf Soup Book Launch Celebration! 🚀🌊
The Surf Soup journey is growing, and I need YOU to be part of it! 🎉 Be the first to explore my latest book, Making Surf Soup, and help spread the magic. If you love Surf Soup, join my launch team to get early access to Advance Reader Copies (ARCs), exclusive updates, and behind-the-scenes content! 🌟
✅ Sign up for my newsletter & launch email to stay updated
✅ Be the first to read & review my newest book!
✅ Support Surf Soup by leaving an honest review
Your support means the world—let’s make waves together! 🌊✨ [Sign up now!]
Making Surf Soup
Read the “Making Surf Soup
Kindle Vella offers over 150 live episodes, with the first ten available for free. It's Amazon's dynamic platform for serialized storytelling, where I share the rollercoaster journey of creating Surf Soup and bringing it to life. Join me as I navigate the highs, lows, and unexpected twists of this magical adventure. Stay tuned for the revealing documentary, where Eli Reed captures the behind-the-scenes magic of the Surf Soup journey. Get ready to dive deep into the waves of creativity and discovery like never before! 📚🌊 WAIT! It’s now a book!
Short Documentary Film-Making Surf Soup…
Introducing an exciting upcoming short documentary film by Eli Reed, renowned Director of Photography, and myself, the producer, Donna Kay Lau—unveiling the remarkable journey behind "Making Surf Soup" – a deeply personal Chinese American narrative crafted by an author, animator, and illustrator.
Embark on an intimate exploration of my own creative odyssey as I share the highs, lows, and unexpected twists encountered while birthing my passion projects into existence. From the initial spark of inspiration to overcoming daunting hurdles, Eli Reed captures the raw authenticity of my journey with unparalleled depth and insight.
Delve into the behind-the-scenes chaos and creativity that fueled the making of my projects, as we lift the veil on the intricate tapestry of storytelling, animation, and illustration. Witness firsthand the cultural influences, personal anecdotes, and pivotal moments that have shaped my artistic vision and identity.
As the producer, I am thrilled to unveil the untold story of resilience, determination, and self-discovery that lies at the heart of "Making Surf Soup: A Chinese American Story...“ Join us for an immersive cinematic experience that celebrates the power of creativity, cultural heritage, and the indomitable human spirit. Get ready to be inspired, moved, and forever changed by this deeply personal journey of artistic expression and cultural pride. 🎬🌊 Forthcoming…
Prime Time Emmy Honored TV Animator Launches “Surf Soup”
The The beginning of Surf Soup Projects that Include: Two Podcasts, NFT Art, Animated Shorts, Vella
Prime Time Emmy Honored TV Animator & Author Launches “Surf Soup” Kids Book Series & Reveals More!
The beginning of Surf Soup Projects that Include: Two Podcasts, NFT Art, Animated Shorts, Vella and a Short Documentary Film:” Making ‘Surf Soup”-A Chinese American Story of Donna Kay Lau TV Animator, Author and illustrator
Prime Time Emmy Honored TV animator, author & Illustrator Donna Kay Lau launches “Surf Soup” children’s book series. Lau the creator of ‘Surf Soup” is a TV animator who produced shows from Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network animation studios: Dora the Explorer, Catdog, Oswald the Octopus, Generator Rex, Ben 10 & Generator Rex (Crossover), and Regular Show. Lau has produced children’s content for over 30 years.
The stories begin with Auntie, an animator inviting you into her art studio to play and use your imagination.
The “Surf Soup” series is based on a tropical island with Koa, a diverse character with a magical hair on his head, and his surfboard that farts rainbows. “Surf Soup” series is character rich, with many unique characters like a fuzzy purple pickle, a sea cucumber, Prana the piranha, and a pigeon that speaks pidgin to name a few. There are eight books currently in the “Surf Soup” series, for ages 6 to 12, and have bright colorful illustrations on every page, including unique, colorful end pages and fun creative activities and back matter. The Surf Soup books have, on average, 70 to 120 pages each.
Lau’s imagination will keep you surprised and laughing. Each story highlights character development, self-esteem, diversity, grit, inclusion, and an emphasis on caring for the island and the environment, and in the book “Surf Soup’ in the series you learn how to surf and the lessons you learn from surfing, and then the beach is closed. Kids learn the value of caring for the ocean and their friends. Parents and teachers will delight as stories teach SEL (Social, emotional learning) and teach S.T.E.A.M. (Science, technology, engineering, art, and math), with an emphasis of being compassionate towards each other and all living things.
“We are all in the Surf Soup Together.”
Lau, a first generation Chinese American, was inspired by her experiences and developed Asian characters for the Surf Soup series displaying a full age range with inspiration drawn from her elderly relatives. Lau has also launched a serialized “Vella” introducing one episode at a time later to be published as a book, and made into a documentary short film -” Making ‘Surf Soup”-A Chinese American Story of Donna Kay Lau TV Animator, Author and illustrator. Eli Reed, director of photography of the Surf Soup film, Eli Reed is an American photographer and photojournalist. Reed was the first full-time black photographer employed by Magnum Agency and the author of several books, including Black In America. Reed was recently honored with I.F. Stone Medal for Journalistic Independence Lucie Foundation Award Documentary photography, to name a few. Lau and Reed will produce the “Making Surf Soup” film. Lau writes about her experience producing the Surf Soup projects, and amazing coincidences, while following her purpose through perseverance and grit.
Lau also created and launched her Surf Soup NFT art collection, a unique collection of collectible animated shorts minted and sold on “Rarible” and Lau has also created a limited edition Surf Soup character merchandise and sold on Etsy (Surf Soup)
Lau recently launched and hosts two new podcasts: “Surf Soup-Talk Story” and ‘Surf Soup TV” podcast for children. Lau has produced a Surf Soup-Talk Story episode with Dr. Wallace J. Nichols, the author of “Blue Mind” and Lau will interview Eli Reed in the Fall of 2022.
For the Surf Soup TV podcast for children, Lau will read excerpts from the ‘Surf Soup” series starting in Fall, 2022 and available for live virtual book signing and appearances. Lau will introduce her Surf Soup series and teach about success as an artist and animation.
There is so much to be excited about. With the launching of the “Surf Soup” book series, podcasts, Vella, NFT art, short documentary, and forthcoming animated shorts, it’s just the beginning of more to follow. Stay informed by following Donna Kay Lau’s ‘Surf Soup’ series and projects at
https://Surfsoup.tv and follow @Surfsoup Instagram
Surf Soup series books are available in paperback, hardback, epub/Kindle, and wherever books are sold, book stores, online retailers, and Amazon books.
https://amzn.to/3AOTseX Bsrnes & Noble, Booktopia (AU), Alibris (Europe/UK)
SURF SOUP TV links: https://bit.ly/m/Surfsoup
For more information, email: surfsouptv@yahoo.com
Website: https://Surfsoup.tv
Click Photo to Read Full Press Release
