Cynthia

Welcome to Comma Books!

My name is Cynthia Xinyuan Li. I have been a public school Mandarin teacher in New York for 11 years. I was born and raised in Inner Mongolia, China. I earned my bachelor’s degree in English from Beijing Language and Culture University, during which I studied in Kentucky for a year as an exchange student. I moved to the U.S. to pursue my master’s degree in Foreign Language Teaching at New York University in 2012, and I started my journey as a Mandarin teacher after graduating. I live on Long Island with my two amazing children, Caitlin and Caden.

My love for children’s books started after my daughter was born in 2020. I read at least four books with her every day, and I was blown away by how creative children’s authors and illustrators can be. Watching her fall in love with certain stories and ask for them over and over again inspired me to dream about creating books that could spark the same joy in other children.

Two years later, two months before our son was born, my husband tragically passed away in a car accident. This devastating loss brought immense challenges and stress, ​​as I had to learn how to raise two little children on my own while grieving and keeping up with my full-time teaching job. But in the middle of all that, I felt a stronger call to chase my dream of writing children’s books. In late 2024, I finally went for it. I had no idea that this process could be so fulfilling and healing. Every night, after my children are asleep, I spend one or two hours learning, writing, editing, drawing (I'm not good enough at illustrating yet, but I will be someday), and figuring out how to share my work. Even though it all takes way longer than I expected, every step feels meaningful and brings a little light into my life.

And so, Comma Books was born. My motto is: Pause, Read, Plant a Seed. I hope my books inspire readers—children and adults alike—to pause in their busy lives and enjoy a moment of reading. We can all plant a seed in our hearts, and let our dreams grow.