Maria was born in Holland, where she lived until she attended George Washington University studying Communications Design. Before becoming a children’s book author and illustrator full-time, Maria worked as a graphic designer for the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum and then doing marketing and branding for Coca Cola, first in Holland and then at Headquarters in Atlanta where she finally won the green card lottery! She now lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and son. She has written and illustrated twelve children’s books to date, including Hopper and Wilson, Bloom!, and Flight 1-2-3 and has also illustrated several more!