About the Author

Erin Murphy is Monty's Momma and she takes him on all sorts of adventures around Baltimore where they now live. She heads a Southeast Asia-centric business advisory firm and spends too much time in planes and airports. Carol Murphy is Monty's Nana and spoils him way too much. She previously was the international student advisor at Tufts University's Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. Carol is now retired and living in New Hampshire with Monty's Papa. Illustrator Sue Htet Aung was born and raised in Yangon, Myanmar and studied art theories and techniques from Sayar U Thu Kha and U Ba Lone Lay. He started his art career as a graphic illustrator, writing and illustrating graphic novels under the name "Sue," and later switched to painting under his full name "Sue Htet Aung." He started with night scenes of Yangon, focusing on markets and scenes from tea shops that are the ideal location for social gatherings to discuss politics, current affairs or just the latest gossip in town. He paints in mostly impasto style to capture the importance of the teashop and market culture in Myanmar, so that others can appreciate and contemplate the impact they have on the Myanmar culture. Sue Htet Aung has also been exploring new concepts with his "Wave Lines" series, inspired by the contemplative state of mind encountered when one sees reflection in ripples of water. He paints reflections of heritage buildings in Yangon in ripples of water, often adding ordinary people in the foreground going about their daily lives. Sue Htet Aung is moved by how the reflections remind him of the different facets of life. Sue Htet Aung has participated in 30 group shows and two solo shows locally from 2000 to 2015. His work has been exhibited internationally in four group shows in Hong Kong - 'Painting the Transition: Contemporary Art in Myanmar, ' University of Hong Kong, 2013; 'Myanmar Perspectives: 50 Paintings From A Changing Country, ' Lingnan University, 2014; 'Painting Myanmar: Ten Perspectives On A Changing Country, ' Baptist University, 2014; and 'Changing State: Imaging Myanmar In A Type of Transition, ' Chinese University, 2015. He is also First Prize Winner of the SME Art Contest in Yangon.