Specifically, a mouse in a picture book, preferably one who wears rose petal petticoats and lives in a tree stump. 

Unfortunately scientists have not figured out the whole body-switching thing yet, so Mary pivoted to storytelling.

Contrary to what the mouse thing might imply, she does not write (or paint) many mice. Most of her work is people-centric secondary-world fantasy for middle graders, inspired by various things such as (but not limited to):

-Economic justice

-Fairytales

-Natural phenomena that seem magical (eclipses are INSANE!)

-Forests and who (or what) might inhabit them

-Cities with tight, twisting roads

-Fairytales but slightly to the left

-Political and social hierarchies 

-Meta narration 

-Climate justice

-Interracial families

-Tea

-Protagonists you want to smack a little bit

-Multi-day rainstorms

-The feeling you get standing on a windy cliff as you look out into a roiling gray ocean

-Deep magical lore

Her illustrative work is done mostly with traditional elements, partially because she simply cannot stare at a screen anymore than she has to, and mostly because she loves the feel and texture more than words can describe. She firmly believes that any and every book should come with illustrations and loves the way pictures can build bridges for reluctant readers. 

Her illustrative work can be seen in magazines such as Christianity Today and The Nashville Scene. Her non-fiction writing has previously been published in The Belmont Literary Journal. Her original artwork hangs in acclaimed galleries such as her parents’ home, her grandparents’ home, and her friends’ homes. She has won no awards and has done interior illustrations for exactly one book, but she didn’t put in her contract that they had to credit her in the book (because she didn’t think she needed to), so her name appears nowhere in the finished publication.

She currently lives in Washington DC (yes, the mood is bleak right now) with her husband Joshua, who is out of Mary’s league and wishes Mary was a tattoo artist. She has enough thick fantasy books to make a shelf weep, an overworked kitchenaid mixer, hair that is usually participating in active rebellion against her, and two cats who spend most of their nine lives napping or being capital-M Menaces.

She is currently seeking representation for her middle-grade illustrated fantasy novel, Oliver Cahya and the Secret of the Arcane Tower.

She’s feeling a bit silly talking about herself in the third person, so she’s going to stop now.

Clients and Collaborators include:

A note on names:

Hiya! I’m happy you’re here!
I want to be as upfront as possible and clarify any confusion you might have regarding my last name! Putrasahan (Poo-trah-sah-han) is an Indonesian last name— I am not Indonesian! My husband’s family is originally from Indonesia. I come from a long line of white people who think certain toothpastes have a kick.

Diversity in the publishing industry (and everywhere else) is incredibly important. My work features characters of lots of different racial and ethnic backgrounds, but I never want to give anyone the wrong impression of my race (and therefore, my privilege).

If you’re looking to support authors and illustrators of Southeast Asian background, I highly recommend checking out creators like Lenny Wen, Christina Soontornvat, Patricia Tanumihardja, Hanna Alkaf, and Jesse Q. Sutanto!