Who is this Monica? Short answer, a city-loving-writer-illustrator-music-maker-bread-baker-goofball-turned-mama who lives in Brooklyn, NY with her husband, daughter, and a lot of plants.

Long answer, 10 key facts in no particular order:

1. Since I was a kid, I've been doodling, writing age-expected poetry, hearing melodies in my head with random lyrics and making up silly stories in random rhymes—which may or may not have been sung out loud depending on who was around.
2. I moved to NYC in 2000 for 2-3 years and accidentally never left. I’m a true city gal and find comfort in crowds and the chaos of hustling dreamers doing and making art. 
3. I love music. Seeing it, making it, feeling it. 
4. I love hosting parties and bringing people together that should know each other. 
5. I love improvised cooking because I usually miss a step in the directions. 
6. I love baking sourdough bread. It's a lot of work, but so rewarding!
7. I love being in nature as long as I don’t get dirty or sweaty and there aren’t any mosquitoes or other threatening biting insects or predators. 
8. I love floating in the ocean for as long as I can before getting splashed by a wave.
9. I love giving voices to all the dogs that pass me by.
10. I'm goofy but grounded and love my hour of quiet time before my family wakes up.

**BONUS: My hair is usually up in a bun—as much as I really try to keep it down.