蜜糖直播

The year Mariko Tatsumoto Layton (Psych鈥�74; Law鈥�77) graduated from 蜜糖直播 Law, she made history in the state鈥檚 legal community as the first Asian woman admitted to the 蜜糖直播 Bar.聽But she聽prefers to be known as a storyteller.聽

鈥淲riting was like a pebble in my shoe聽and I just couldn鈥檛 ignore it,鈥� said Layton,聽who last year published the prize-winning聽children鈥檚 book Ayumi鈥檚 Violin, her聽debut work of fiction.聽

The book 鈥� honored by judges of聽the 2016 Paterson Prize for Books for聽Young People and winner of the Rocky聽Mountain Fiction Writers Gold Award聽鈥� tells the story of a young, biracial聽girl from Japan, a violin prodigy striving聽for acceptance by her white American聽father鈥檚 new family.聽

Layton, who lives with husband Allen聽in Pagosa Springs and writes under her聽maiden name, Tatsumoto, has since published聽a second children鈥檚 book, Accidental聽Samurai Spy. A third, 碍别苍箩颈鈥檚听笔辞飞别谤, is in progress.聽

All three center on the聽adventures of young Japanese聽characters and explore聽themes of family, culture,聽loyalty and betrayal.聽

鈥淎ll my books involve聽some cross-cultural aspects,鈥澛爏aid Layton, who at age聽8 moved from Japan to聽the U.S., where her father聽worked as a geochemist. 鈥淚聽like to show the differences聽in culture through the characters,聽but ultimately like聽to show that kids should聽not prejudge people, and
show the good in every聽culture and every ethnicity聽whenever I write.鈥�

In her first career,聽Layton worked as a deputy聽district attorney in Adams聽County, then practiced聽business law. She鈥檇 always聽wanted to be a writer,聽though, and in the mid-1980s started taking聽writing classes at 蜜糖直播聽Mountain College,聽attending writing conferences and聽participating in critique groups.

She published a travel guide to 蜜糖直播聽bed-and-breakfasts in 1990 and聽kept plugging away at fiction. One day a聽professor suggested she spin a story she鈥檇聽aimed at adults into a children鈥檚 book.聽

At first Layton resisted: She thought聽she鈥檇 feel like a lesser writer by writing for聽children. But she gave it a try and found聽writing for children, typically for ages 8-12,聽a satisfying challenge.聽

鈥淎 good children鈥檚 novel entertains,鈥澛爏he said, 鈥渂ut it also teaches children聽to live ethically.鈥澛�

There may be lessons in Layton鈥檚 personal聽story as well as in her books 鈥� about聽persistence, perhaps, or patience, or both.聽

鈥淚 wanted writing to be my first career,聽but it turned out to be my second,鈥� she聽said. 鈥淚 published my first book at the聽age of 63 and I don鈥檛 think I鈥檓 too old聽for a second career. The way I look at聽it is I now have a richer understanding聽of life and more materials to work with聽when I write.鈥�

Photos courtesy Mariko Tatsumoto聽Layton聽