Monica Surrena
Author / Illustrator
A little about myself: I initially intended to craft a long, formal biography that sounded impressive, but sometimes simple is best.
As a child, my three favorite things in the world were art, literature, and music—well, I also loved science, but that is not the road I chose to follow.
Anyway, because cinema is a rich tapestry of art and music, I decided to attend film school. I studied hard and managed to be inducted into the USC Cinema program where I met many amazingly talented people. After graduating, I even messed around in the industry for a bit. I wrote screenplays and dreamed big dreams. Eventually, I applied my skills to marketing, i.e., web design, social media, and video production, with some of my favorite work being for the mechanical construction industry. In my spare time, I continued to write screenplays.
The Cats of Old San Juan began as a spec television series in 2011 when I was inspired by the many cats that lived along El Morro. I wondered if perhaps they lived in a great cat kingdom within the hillside behind the wall. That is how the stories began.
In 2017, I was staying with my mother in Culebra, Puerto Rico when Hurricane Maria knocked at our door. It was at that time that I began to seriously consider turning my television show into a book.
I hope that you enjoy my novel. I look forward to writing the rest of the series and sharing my journey along the way.
I’m currently in the process of writing Book #4 in The Cats of Old San Juan series. .
Yes, there are currently three ways for you to get a signed copy of The Pirate’s Revenge:
All of the hardcover copies of The Pirate’s Revenge have full color pictures. Paperback prints are in black and white with thinner paper. I had to omit the artwork from these. I’ve tried to keep the cost for the hardcovers as low as I can. The best deals can be found in my online shop or in Puerto Rico.
All digital books have full color images. Keep in mind that certain readers will not display color.
It’s being translated into Spanish now.
Yara Melendes Ordóñez
Translator (Spanish Edition)
Born to artists, Yara revealed her gift for acting and singing from a young age. A graduate of the Escuela Libre de Música, she studied cello there and discovered her passion for choral music. She later studied Drama at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras campus, and went on to work as a singer, actress, and voice talent.
Over time, her path expanded into another universe: words. Today, she lives happily among them, joyfully playing with language. Her journey first led her into advertising, in the early days of social media and digital marketing, collaborating with major brands and companies in Puerto Rico and Latin America.
With a master’s degree in Translation from her alma mater, she has worked as an interpreter in legal settings as well as in conferences and training sessions. Although she rarely visits the stage these days, she has never truly left that world; as an editor and translator, she remains immersed in the subjects she’s most passionate about: music, art, literature, and Puerto Rican cinema. She has translated and edited children’s books, novels, art catalogs, exhibition texts, and screenplays, among others. She is proud to be part of the translation and editing team for the Casals Festival and the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra. She has also created subtitles for documentaries, lectures, docuseries, short films, and feature films.
Yara grew up in Old San Juan, among the Cats of the Wall and streets steeped in history, where she still lives with her family and two children.
Rico Paul Vallejos
Copyeditor (Spanish Edition)
Rico Paul Vallejos is an award-winning writer and translator specializing in American English and neutral Spanish for the U.S. and Latin America. He serves as Chief Creative Officer at RicoLatino LLC, a creative boutique and consultancy in Wayzata (Twin Cities), Minnesota.
An educator and communicator at heart, Rico brings an expertise trifecta of marketing, culture, and language to communications projects. Rooted in sociolinguistics and cultural anthropology, his work encompasses a wide range of content, including literary material, social media, ads, radio and video scripts, speeches, screenplays, press releases, and other marketing assets. He is a Certified Translator (American Translators Association) and a multilingual professional with native fluency in English and Spanish, conversational ability in Portuguese, and basic knowledge of French, Italian, Finnish, and biblical Hebrew.
Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, his academic background includes degrees (with honors) from Metropolitan State University and Lakewood College. He is Trustee Emeritus at Hamline University and taught Multicultural Communications at the University of St. Thomas Graduate School of Business (Master of International Management). Also, he designed a Conversational Spanish Coaching service incorporating Neuroplasticity and Natural Language Acquisition.
Rico has written, copyedited, translated, and transcreated for brands such as Verizon, Coca-Cola, Target, Best Buy, Walmart, American Express, Radisson, American Family Insurance, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Regis Salons, Great Clips, Girls Scouts, Cargill, Toro, Lasik Vision Institute, BreatheRight, Neutrogena, Lupient Automotive Group, Thrivent, United Health Care, Optum, Fingerhut, Starkey, Miracle Ear, Pearson, 3M, Hazelden, Starkey, Gold’n Plump, Land O’Lakes, Jostens, Rexona, Disability Council, U.S. Agency for International Development, Hazelden Publications, Tango Society, Origin, and several General Mills, Conagra, Unilever, and Gap Inc. brands.
He is a NAHREP 10 Certified Trainer (Hispanic Wealth Project) and regularly serves as Toastmaster, presenter, trainer, MC, and guest lecturer at business, educational, and community conferences and events.
The Cats of Old San Juan was originally written as a television series! While the series did not make it into production, Monica has eight of the original screenplays detailing the many adventures of Campeón and his friends, Cali and Alfie.
Learn how it all began and see how the stories and characters evolved from the first ideas to the finished novel.
