Monica Zepeda

Monica Zepeda is a third generation Mexican American from Southern California who lives by the beach with her husband and their unbelievably cute cats. She earned an MFA in playwriting before working in the entertainment industry as a segment producer for reality television and a dialog editor for video games. Her other jobs have included a bookseller in London, a researcher of miracles, and a Teen Services Librarian. Monica’s debut YA novel, Boys of the Beast (Tu Books, 2022), has won multiple awards including Lee & Low's New Vision Award, International Latino Book Award Gold Medal Winner for Young Adult – English, Paterson Prize for Books for Young People – Young Adult Winner, and was named one of the Best Children’s Books of the Year by Bank Street College of Education. In addition to writing, Monica enjoys making crafty things and loves to travel.