Meet MELISSA

Biography

Hi, I’m Melissa! I was born in California, the oldest of six kids (four brothers and one sister). My mom is Caucasian and my pop is Latino so our home was always a mixture of culture, language, and heritage. From the time I was tiny I have loved books, nature, music, and art.

In high school I moved to Utah and have been here ever since- almost 30 years. During that time I went to college, traveled, married my sweetheart, and started a family of my own. I danced Mexican Folklórico professionally and competitively for 12 years and still dance for fun and special occasions. I LOVE to dance.

 These days I spend as much time as possible in the mountains with my family and my puppy Lulu. I love hiking, backpacking, kayaking, mountain biking, camping, and drawing in my nature journal. 
Most of all, I love writing books for kids like me. As a kid I never had books that featured biracial families or celebrated Chicano culture. Now I’m writing them. So here I am, this is my voice, these are my stories. I’m singing my song and dancing my dance and I’m so glad you’re here with me. 

Questions & Answers

What inspired you to become a children's author?

My first job was in a bookstore, and I figured out pretty quickly that the picture book section was my favorite place to be. I loved the combination of art and literature, and the way the authors could tell unforgettable stories with so few words. Most of all, I loved watching kids fall completely in love with stories they connected with. It also made me sad to think how many kids still grow up like I did, never seeing their traditions or family structure portrayed in the books on the shelves. I wanted to change that.

How do you come up with ideas for your children's books?

For me, coming up with ideas is the easy part. I have SO many ideas that I get from everything around me. Weird looking bug? Story idea! Kids being wild at the playground? Story idea! For me the trick is playing around with the stories long enough to know whether or not there is something special enough there to become a book that others would fall in love with, too. That’s the hard part.

Do you have a particular theme or message that you aim to convey through your stories?

Absolutely! I think a key phrase from my second book FIVE WORDS THAT ARE MINE really sums it up: ¡tú puedes! In Spanish that means “you can!” or “you can do it!”. Whatever you’ve been through, whatever you’re going through, wherever you’re from, wherever you’re going, no matter how hard it is don’t give up. You’re amazing and you’ve got this. I see you. ¡Tú puedes!

How do you engage young readers and make your stories relatable to them?

I’ve spent most of my life around kids. I have five siblings, three kids of my own, and lots of kids I help take care of. I love kids, and I love trying to see the world through their eyes. Sometimes when I write, I picture telling the story to one of them. It helps me stay focused.

Have you faced any challenges or obstacles in your journey as a children's author?

Children’s literature is a very hard genre to write for, and very hard to publish in. One of my first writing teachers told me I couldn’t do it, and I believed him. It took me a long time to fight that idea and decide I don’t need anyone’s permission to do what I love. Years later when I was having a hard time selling my stories about biracial, bicultural kids it was hard to keep going. But I had taught myself to keep doing what I love without anyone else’s permission or approval, so I didn’t quit.