More About Mirka Hokkanen

Mirka Hokkanen is a Finnish-American author and illustrator who loves to create books full of humor and heart. She's the creator of several series: Kitty and Cat,a picture book series, Mossy and Tweed, an early-reader graphic novel series, and Little Seasons, a non-fiction picture book series about seasons in the garden. She is also the illustrator of Four Otters Toboggan: An Animal Counting Book by Vivian Kirkfield and Harmony Humbolt: The Perfect Pets Queen by Jenna Grodzicki. Mirka began her career as a fine art printmaker before transitioning to picture book illustration. Her topics usually circle around nature and animals, and she works mostly digitally, but also paints with watercolors and gouaches.

Mirka has lived all around the world as a military spouse, and loves to knit, sew, and explore the outdoors with her three energetic kids. Mirka is represented by Laurel Symonds at KT Literary Agency.

You can find Mirka online at:

https://www.mirkah.com

Twitter I Instagram I YouTube

Click to view Mirka’s Portfolio

Mirka’s strengths are…

Writing humor with heart
Nonfiction and fiction
Brainstorming and problem-solving
Building visual narratives
Finding where to edit/cut text to make sure illustrations have room to shine
Finding/adding hooks to a manuscript
Character development
Finding comp titles
Using mentor texts to help solve problems in your own work
Finding and pitching to agents and editors.

What Mirka is looking for…

Mirka is looking for a mentee who is serious about a career in traditional children's publishing and who is ready to work to improve their craft.

She is open to the level of experience a mentee has, and is more interested in the mentee's motivation to grow, and how they approach work with a can-do, problem-solving attitude.

A mentee could be in the beginning phases of their career, or someone who has been working for a while, but may feel lost and wondering what their next steps are, or someone who needs a bit of help to polish their work to start pitching.

For stories and illustrations, Mirka is drawn to humor, action, unexpected turns of events, inventiveness, absurdity and immersive worlds. She's most often drawn to animal/imaginary characters, and worlds that transport her to a different place. The best fit for nonfiction topics are nature, conservation and animals.

Mirka would love to set their mentee up for success, not just with a manuscript or a dummy, but with a deeper knowledge of the publishing industry, with vision for next steps leading into a long term career.

Mirka’s communication preferences during the mentorship:

- Video meetings, where you can receive feedback, brainstorm, and develop an action plan.

- Email communication in between meetings.

- Utilizing Google folders to keep work organized.

- Mirka’s not able to do phone calls or text messages.

A Note from Mirka:

“Breaking into publishing can feel daunting, with so much competition. There will always be some one, who can write or illustrate better than you on the surface, but you have a hidden advantage. You are creative, and you have lived a life that gives you a unique point of view. When you combine your distinct voice/life experiences with creative thinking, that's where sparks start flying. Think of what that sweet spot/combination is for you. (It could be in the topics you choose told from your experience, the way you combine story elements that's unique to you, unexpected reveals, or any number of things where your distinct creativity shines.) You'll find out you don't have to be the best author or illustrator in a room to get noticed - it's that spark from inside you that catches people's attention.”

Mirka’s Published Picture Books

Little Seasons: Autumn Leaves (fall 2024)

Four Otters Toboggan: An Animal Counting book (written by Vivian Kirkfield, illustrated by Mirka Hokkanen)

If Mirka created a Visual Wish List, it would be made up of …

*Unless otherwise stated, the below serves as a Wishlist only. Each mentor is excited about the opportunity to find an application they can’t stop thinking about. Please apply if you think you’d be a good fit.

Good-natured Humor like: