About Us

Kobo

My name is June Atsuko Martel, but my Japanese nickname is Kobo. I was born and raised in Japan. I studied fashion design at Yosai Gakko Private College in Yokohama. I met my husband, Joe, while he was serving in the military in 1948, and we married in 1951. Shortly after, we moved to the United States where I earned an art drawing certificate from Art Instruction Inc. We now live in Bend, Oregon and have two children and four grandchildren. I have loved to draw since I was a little girl and was most inspired when seeing Yoshisuke Kurosaki’s art featured in a children’s subscription given by my mother. Taiji Harada and Chihiro Iwasaki are also among my favorite illustrators. I enjoy music, writing Tanka form haiku, fashion design and sewing, and I have made nearly a dozen picture books for my grandchildren and family weaving my love and prayers into every drawing as I am creating them.

Joe

Joe Martel was born in Connecticut. He joined the military in 1948 and served in Japan until 1952. He and Atsuko raised their family in San Diego, California, for over 30 years while he worked in the aerospace industry. Joe is now retired in Oregon and likes to spend time gardening.

Sandy

Sandy Beelmann is the daughter of Joe and Kobo. She grew up in San Diego, California, and has an MBA from the University of San Diego. She has worked in aerospace and retail marketing. She now lives in Bend, Oregon, with her husband Paul.

The books In My Day and the Japanese language version Watashi no Ichinichi are based on the childhood memories of the authors June Atsuko and Joe Martel. The color paperbacks were published in 2008 and the e-book version of In My Day was issued in 2011. The 2018 update includes new book cover design with additional page About The Author. The English editions now include Glossary of Japanese terms. The paperbacks have been enlarged to 8.5"x 8.5". All eBooks and paperbacks are sold on amazon.com