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ENTRY TYPE: new
WORK TITLE: Squash, the Cat
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BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: https://sashamayerdraws.com/
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RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Married.
EDUCATION:Graduated from Massachusetts College of Art and Design (graphic design); attended University of California, Los Angeles (children’s book writing).
ADDRESS
CAREER
Designer, illustrator, and writer. Began working in the toy industry in Los Angeles, CA; Mattel, Inc., designer, became package designer in the doll division, including for Barbie Collector series, co-creator of Monster High (toy brand) and Ever After High (animated TV show), c. 2006-15; started a freelance design company, c. 2015.
AVOCATIONS:Psychology.
MEMBER:Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Creative Beasts (writing group).
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Kirkus Reviews, June 15, 2023, review of Squash, the Cat; November 15, 2024, review of Squash, the Cat: Stuck in the Middle.
ONLINE
Andrea Brown Literary Agency website, https://www.andreabrownlit.com/ (May 22, 2025).
Sasha Mayer website, https://sashamayerdraws.com (May 22, 2025).
VoyageLA, https://voyagela.com/ (January 4, 2023), “Daily Inspiration: Meet Sasha Mayer.”
HI!
I'm Sasha, an illustrator and writer with a background in design and children’s entertainment. I’ve worked in the toy world for most of my career. At Mattel I co-created Monster High, the multibillion-dollar tween doll brand, as well as Ever After High.
A few years ago, I left Mattel to start a freelance design company and also to pursue my passion for illustrating and writings children’s books. Through my writing and illustration, I like to tell stories that speak to the complexity of growing up, using humorous, playful characters and thoughtful color palettes. As a member of SCBWI and a wonderful writing and illustration group, I am constantly evolving my craft.
I am rep'd by Jen Rofé at Andrea Brown Literary Agency. You may contact her at through the website at:
andreabrownlit.com
or
Jennifer AT andreabrownlit DOT com
THINGS I LIKE:
Buddy stories
Big emotions
Rabble-rousers
Kids with character
Sasha Mayer
sashamayerdraws.com
Represented by
Jennifer Rofé
download tearsheet
Open to:
PB, BW interiors
Sasha is an author-illustrator with a background in design and children’s entertainment. She's worked in the toy world for most of her career and co-created Monster High, the multibillion-dollar tween doll brand, as well as the animanted TV show Ever After High. Sasha likes to tell stories that speak to the complexity of growing up, using humorous, playful characters and thoughtful color palettes.
January 4, 2023
Daily Inspiration: Meet Sasha Mayer
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Today we’d like to introduce you to Sasha Mayer.
Hi Sasha, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’ve always been interested in drawing and storyteller. I’d tell my parents I wanted to be an artist and a writer, and while they loved that idea for me, they would remind me that I also needed to make a living, ha! So I went to design school in Boston “ MassArt” to be a Graphic Designer. This was a profession that was practical and hopefully would be fulfilling too. Although illustration was my true love, I figured I could do design and “go back to it one day after I “built a comfortable career”.
After school, I moved out to LA for an adventure and immediately started designing in the children’s entertainment industry. In a few years, I ended up designing packaging for the doll division at Mattel. I LOVED working on dolls because each doll had a background story you could work with, and creating the packaging was like creating a window into each doll’s story. The Barbie Collector dolls were some of my favorites, so detailed, and I could be creative with the packaging!
The most exciting thing that happened at Mattel was that I helped to invent, pitch and sell-in a new brand called Monster High. This brand was just a spark of an idea in 2007, but it has since become a multi-billion dollar success for Mattel. The original idea was drummed up by a friend of mine in packaging, Garret Sander, who had the idea of doing dolls of “Monsters we all know and love, but in Highschool”. He told a few of us friends/co workers about the idea and we all knew immediately it was something special. We were all attracted to the storytelling element of a doll like this, and who doesn’t like monsters! We brainstormed, drew up the dolls, created names and characters and pitched the idea to management. Management flipped—they saw a hit. And it really really was. Once the pitch was done, many many people got involved in making that brand such a big success… But I loved that I was there at the very beginning.
After almost 10 years at Mattel, I started itching to work on my own and create my own stories. So I left Mattel in 2015 with the idea that I would do freelance design and I’d learn how to write and illustrate children’s books. (Children’s books seem like the perfect medium for me—a way to combine my lover of both storytelling and drawing!) I got very lucky. After one UCLA course on children’s book writing, I met a few amazing women. We all became part of this powerhouse writing group called—(yes we’ve given ourselves the name)—the Creative Beasts. Together we took more classes and started meeting every few weeks to critique our writing. What’s amazing about this group of six women is when we met, no one had sold a book yet, or even had an agent. Six years later, almost everyone in the group has sold (at least one) book!
A few years ago it was my turn. I’d been working on my book dummy “Squash”. I was dragging my feet about showing it to an agent. I was intimidated, I’d worked on different versions of this book for about 5 years before getting up the courage.
During the pandemic things went into full gear, I had a little more time to work, noodle, and rewrite… and I got up the hutzpah to send it out. The second agent I sent it to said she wanted to represent me… I was flabbergasted and of course over the moon.
Two years later the book is sold and it’s part of a two-book deal with Penguin Randomhouse. The first one: SQUASH, THE CAT comes out in the summer of 2023. The sequel I’m working on now, and it comes out in 2024. Honestly, I feel incredibly lucky to be able to do this. To be able to do this, get paid, and share my stories with children everywhere, that feels like a dream come true.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Struggles:
Leaving my corporate job– the golden handcuffs– for a freelance life took a huge amount of strength. I talked about it for many years, planned, got scared, held back, and finally made the leap with the help of my husband and good friends. But it was scary because I was raised on the belief that the best situation was a stable that paid. I had two kids, insurance, 401k, with my Mattel job. And my husband worked for himself, so there was no cushion. However, after years in the corporate world, I felt like my soul was slowly being deflated. Mattel can be a great company, but I had dreams to do something on my own, explore my own creativity, see what I could do as ME… not just a packaging designer. I am SO GLAD I made that leap but it was definitely not easy.
Even after I finally left, it was hard. I felt lonely. I had worked for a company that was all “go go go 24-7”. Hundreds of emails, hundreds of meetings weekly, lots of people all day every day. Suddenly I was alone in my home office. Who was I? It took many months and years of adjustment.
Other struggles: Not believing I had what it takes to write. My confidence improved with a lot of moral support from my husband, writing group, friends and community. I knew I had things to say but I didn’t know if it was really worth sharing. Putting yourself out there as a creative is never easy, it takes a lot of egos to keep going… a lot of “faking it to make it” self-talk.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a graphic designer, writer and illustrator.
I’m most proud of my childrens book coming out this summer called SQUASH, THE CAT. I wrote and illustrated it. It’s sequel comes out in 2024!
I love working for and with children. My drawings are loose and whimsical, the writing is simple, but I’m all about capturing big kid-like emotions in my writing. I want to explore the feelings kids are dealing with day to day and help them manage their big feelings through my stories.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I’m a total psychology book nerd. I am constantly reading books and listening to podcasts on neuroscience, attachment science, mental health, etc. I sometimes toy with taking on becoming a therapist as a “later in life” career. HA, another career switch!
Contact Info:
Website: sweettoothdesign.com (design site) sashamayer.myportfolio.com (illustration site)
Instagram: @sashamayer.draws
Mayer, Sasha SQUASH, THE CAT Random House Studio (Children's None) $18.99 2, 4 ISBN: 9780593566565
Maggie's cat, Squash, has difficulty adjusting to the child's new pillow.
The dynamic duo--consisting of energetic, flame-haired, light-skinned Maggie and her nap-loving orange feline--have returned. As in the first book, the text playfully and cleverly strings words together to spotlight the differences between the best friends. Squash is a "sleeping-in-the-sunshine, celebrating-from-the-sidelines, and then a nap-in-a-lap kind of cat," while Maggie is a "playing-pirates, sparkling-in-the-sunlight, and producing-powerful-potions kind of" girl. When the two cuddle up at bedtime, they form a "cozy Squash-Maggosh circle--just the two of them." Trouble arises when Maggie excitedly receives an eye-patched, squarish pillow shaped like a pirate. Squash's uneasy jealousy turns to desperation when Maggie cuddles up with Pirate Lou Pillow at bedtime. While the text slyly uses understatement to great effect, the scribbly cartoon art becomes laugh-out-loud funny as Squash unsuccessfully tries to get rid of Lou while Maggie sleeps. Readers will identify with the cat's feelings but also understand Maggie's reactions as she repairs a scratched-up Lou and banishes Squash from her bed. Next, the plump feline gets stuck in the cat door as he tries to drag Lou outside for morning trash pickup. When Maggie rescues him and gently puts him to bed, he realizes that he misses the soft pillow pirate. Once again, Mayer explores friendship and the often-complex emotions it gives rise to, using a light touch and bringing her tale to a warm ending.
Another hilarious romp with this undeniably charismatic pair.(Picture book. 4-8)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Mayer, Sasha: SQUASH, THE CAT." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Nov. 2024. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A815560532/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=22e9bb65. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
Mayer, Sasha SQUASH, THE CAT Random House Studio (Children's None) $18.99 8, 29 ISBN: 9780593566534
Squash the cat and his owner, a little girl named Maggie, are BFFs until Squash commits a big blunder.
While Maggie, a light-skinned child with a head of tousled reddish curls, is a bit more exuberant than nap-loving Squash, the two are nevertheless "perfect-for-each-other best friends." Each day they share a wonderful breakfast (Squash knocks a box of doughnuts off the top of the fridge, with Maggie waiting below to catch them), and Squash puts an end to Maggie's boring music lesson by coughing up a hairball on the minuet, to the music teacher's horror. The giggles will only increase--along with some apprehension--when Squash mistakes Maggie's new toy tunnel for a big snake about to devour the girl and acts accordingly. With the tunnel now slashed to ribbons, Maggie is furious, and Squash is "a can't-eat, can't-sleep can't-face-his-Maggie kind of cat." After several funny but sad pages depicting Squash's reaction to Maggie's anger, the narrator gently asserts that friendship is not perfect, and in a satisfying conclusion, the two literally and figuratively mend their rift. The colorful, sketchy, cartoonish art complements and extends the delightfully playful text that's full of alliteration and understatement as well as engaging strings of hyphenated words that describe the protagonists. This tale would make an excellent read-aloud in small groups so that little ones can pick out details in the artwork.(This book was reviewed digitally.)
Funny, clever, and heartwarming. (Picture book. 4-8)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Mayer, Sasha: SQUASH, THE CAT." Kirkus Reviews, 15 June 2023. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A752722816/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=36bfd6f1. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.