Hi! My name is Chelo Manchego and I’m an author-illustrator living in Los Angeles, CA. I grew up in El Salvador and moved to the US when I was eighteen years old. I studied visual arts at Pasadena City College. My first book, The Want Monsters: And How They Stopped Ruling My World , was inspired by what I learned at a Buddhist meditation center I volunteered at running an arts program for children. I created Little Royal in Ojai, CA. I love spending time in nature. Other places I like to visit are Santa Cruz and Portland—nothing like making art with a cup of hot coco and some rain outside!