Olga Herrera

Olga Herrera was born in Miami, Florida, to a Cuban mother and an Ecuadorian father. She grew up in Ecuador and returned to the United States as a teenager. From a young age, she displayed an artistic ability and a love for cartoons that would shape her future career path. She earned her bachelor's of Fine Arts from the Ringling College of Art and Design, in Sarasota, Florida, with a major in Illustration, graduating with honors in 2003. She began her career as an illustrator; using traditional media, and sculpture. As her career progressed she fell in love with digital illustration and concentrated more in storytelling and narrative illustration. The next natural step was to write her own stories to illustrate, inspired by quirky characters and situations in her life. Her husband's military career relocated this Florida native to the North, trading year round summers for the fun of experiencing every season. She now lives in Southern Maryland with her husband, two children, two dogs, a bearded dragon, Kiwi the parakeet, and many fat goldfish. The Unwelcome Surprise is her debut picture book.