Illera Martinez, Susana: - Susana is an award-winning Colombian author, creative designer, and bilingual writer living in Miamwi, Florida.In 2018 she independently published her first book titled Clara, a collection of poems written in her early life, which marked the beginning of her public career as a writer. In 2019 she published Lala. A Different Lizard (Una lagartija diferente). A bilingual picture book that has been awarded and recognized in multiple literary contests and became the first book in the Lala the Lizard(R) Series, which already includes three titles published in the US (Snow Fountain Press), Spain (Hola Monstruo), and PalBooks (Colombia).Her short stories book: Lo que escribo en la arena (Cuentos y otras cosas que se olvidan) beautifully showcases the author's versatile storytelling abilities and introduces the audience to a brand-new range of topics and emotions. Due to the text's lovable relatability and the raw vividness of the accompanying illustrations, Lo que escribo en la arena has captured audiences ranging from YA to Adult readers alike. It has been awarded a gold medal for best interior design and an honorable mention for best short storybook in Spanish at the International Latino Book Awards (ILBA).Since 2021 Susana has been collaborating with Disney Publishing Worldwide writing original stories based on the movie Encanto. Her bilingual story El don de una familia (The Gift of Family) was published in the United States with Penguin Random House.In 2022 she was invited as a guest of honor to the 7th Edition of Cali (Colombia)'s International Book Fair. During the event, the Governor of the Department of Valle del Cauca: Clara Luz Roldán, honored the author with the Vallecaucano Order of Merit for her work in favor of the promotion, preservation, and strengthening of the cultural affairs of the region. Susana is a member of ISLA (International Society of Latino Authors) and Cultural Ambassador of the Hispanic Heritage Literature Organization/Milibrohispano, a non-profit foundation dedicated to promoting literature in Spanish and Latino authors in the United States and throughout the world.