ABOUT MONA LIZA

Author • Publisher • Educator • Advocate

Mona Liza Santos is a Filipina American children’s author, publisher, educator, and founder of World Love Press. Her work centers on emotional literacy, kindness, confidence, cultural identity, and belonging. With 42 books and counting, she creates stories that help children understand their feelings, believe in themselves, and feel proud of where they come from.

Becoming an author was never part of her original plan. It began with something much more personal: being a mother.

Family, Roots, and Belonging

Born in Chicago, Mona Liza spent part of her childhood in the Philippines before returning to the United States. She was raised largely by her grandparents, whose influence continues to shape her life and writing.

Her grandmother gave her warmth, love, and a strong sense of family. Her grandfather taught her discipline, courage, responsibility, and resilience. Those lessons became part of the values she now shares with young readers.

Growing up between Filipino and American cultures also shaped her understanding of identity. Today, she wants children to know they can be proud of their roots while remaining curious about the world and respectful of people whose stories differ from their own.

A World Beyond the Familiar

Mona Liza has always had many interests. As a child, she imagined becoming a doctor, nurse, tour guide, fashion designer, musician, or singer. That curiosity followed her into adulthood.

In high school, she studied French and enjoyed learning about other countries and cultures. She later studied Travel and Tourism in college. Early trips with her mother, including visits to Hawaii and Europe, helped turn that interest into a lasting love of travel.

After her grandmother passed away, exploring new places gave her something to look forward to while carrying the loss of someone who had helped raise her.

Her travel experiences now span more than 70 countries and destinations. She values the memories, conversations, and lessons those journeys bring. Sharing many of them with her son has made them especially meaningful.

Travel has also deepened her appreciation of her Filipino heritage. Across different cultures, she has found familiar hopes: to feel loved, safe, respected, and connected. That understanding shapes the way she writes for children.

The Story That Started It All

Of all her roles, motherhood remains the most important to Mona Liza.

During the pandemic, she began creating stories for her son, Michael, as school, routines, and everyday life changed. She wanted to give him comfort, imagination, and something positive to hold on to.

One of those stories became Mama, I Love You, published in 2021.

More stories followed, exploring friendship, family, safety, resilience, self-worth, culture, kindness, and imagination. Some are playful; others help children navigate feelings they may not yet know how to explain.

Across her children’s books, Mona Liza keeps the language and lessons accessible. She believes a meaningful message can be simple: you are loved, your feelings matter, and you can be proud of who you are.

Building World Love Press

As her collection grew, Mona Liza established World Love Press as an independent publishing home for her work.

The imprint gives her room to develop books, educational resources, activities, and workbooks for children, families, and educators. Its purpose reflects the values behind her stories: kindness, emotional understanding, confidence, cultural pride, and connection.

She hopes her books can help parents begin important conversations and give teachers useful ways to explore feelings and relationships in the classroom.

Recognition Along the Way

Mama, I Love You received a Mom’s Choice Awards® Gold Award and three Honorable Mentions from the Purple Dragonfly Book Awards. Receiving those honors years after publication made the recognition especially meaningful to Mona Liza.

The Filipino in Me: Celebrating What Makes Us Proud brings together her love of children’s literature and her Filipino heritage. It was named a 2026 Stevie® Awards for Women in Business finalist in the Book of the Year category.

Her wider work has also received recognition from TOFA, the TITAN Women Leadership Awards, FACCGSD, and the Stevie® Awards for Women in Business.

She is grateful for each honor, while remaining focused on the children, families, and communities her work hopes to reach.

Kindness Beyond the Page

Mona Liza founded National Intentional Kindness Day, observed on August 24, to encourage people to make kindness a deliberate part of everyday life.

She also created Heritage and Heart Day, observed on October 15, to celebrate culture, traditions, family stories, and identity while encouraging respect for the heritage of others.

Through her advocacy, she hopes to see emotional literacy become a regular part of children’s learning. She also supports easier access to counseling and mental health resources, recognizing that a book can begin a conversation and a trusted adult or professional can help carry it further.

In 2026, she brought children’s storytelling to Seafood City in Chula Vista, connecting books, families, and cultural pride in a place where the community already gathered.

For Mona Liza, opening a door is especially meaningful when others can walk through it too. She welcomes opportunities for more authors to share their stories in community spaces.

Music, Creativity, and Everyday Life

Books are a central part of Mona Liza’s creative life, but her interests extend beyond writing.

Her grandmother enrolled her in piano lessons during childhood, beginning a connection to music that continues today. Through Momo’s Sphere, she explores lyric writing, song ideas, sounds, and other creative projects. She also enjoys journaling and design.

Away from her work, she loves spending time with her son, family, close friends, and animals. Travel, beaches, parks, movies, new foods, and quiet time at home all have a place in her life.

To her, success includes meaningful work, peace, close relationships, and time to enjoy the memories she is making.

Looking Ahead

Mona Liza’s path has moved through motherhood, loss, travel, creativity, and a career she never expected. She continues to learn, create, and look for ways to contribute through stories and community work.

What she hopes lasts is the connection those efforts create: a child who understands a feeling, finds the courage to ask for help, feels proud of their culture, or chooses kindness when it matters.

Explore her books, discover her events and appearances, or get in touch about author visits and collaborations.