Renee Riva writes humorous stories with a message, for both children and adults. Having been raised in a large Italian family with a great sense of humor, she has much to draw from for developing quirky characters. She shares her secrets for story starters at Young Author events, helping to spark the imagination of young minds. A former greeting-card verse writer and popular speaker, Renee has two published picture books for children, and a trilogy for general audiences, ages 12 to one-hundred. Renee and her husband live in Richland, Washington, with their three daughters, a dog, a cat, and a baby box turtle named Buster.