Hema Penmetsa (pronounced hay-ma pen-met-sa) grew up in India to bedtime tales of its queens, kings, and castles; tales that made her young imagination soar high as those castles (which is a good thing to happen to a future storyteller!).

She loves both science and art. She has a bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering and a master’s in computer science.

Hema speaks three languages—Telugu, English, and Hindi—and dreams fluently in many.

She lives in Texas with her family and draws inspiration for writing from her diverse cultural background as well as the day-to-day experiences of bringing up two children and a cat.

Speaking of cats, this is Mira (pronounced: mee-ra). She is Hema’s timid-but-sassy writing buddy, though she believes she’s the boss. (She really is.)

Hema loves to travel. The cultures, cuisines, and cool stories she absorbs on her travels also seep into her stories.