Rhiannon Ally
"Mommy, Please Don't Go to Work!" is Rhiannon Ally's debut children's book. This is a plea she has heard hundreds of times from her children, Roman and Camila. She wanted to write a book addressing this topic and explain to kids that while mommy has to work, they are always #1.
When she's not writing or chasing her kids, Rhiannon is also an Emmy Award-winning news anchor. Rhiannon joined 41 Action News, the NBC affiliate in Kansas City in June 2015. Prior to that, she was a news anchor for CBS in Miami, Florida and a host/entertainment reporter in New York City. Rhiannon is married to her co-anchor, Mike Marusarz, making them the first husband and wife anchor team in the history of local news in Kansas City.
While at CBS in Miami, Rhiannon anchored breaking news from across the country including the Boston Marathon Bombing and Hurricane Sandy. She also started a weekly series focusing on modern day parenting, and incorporated Miami hot spots for fitness, food and fun for moms.
Prior to CBS, Rhiannon co-hosted the nationally syndicated lifestyle and entertainment program "Better TV". As co-host her list of accomplishments included interviews with a long list of news makers including Madonna, Denzel Washington, Caroline Kennedy, and Gloria Steinem. Rhiannon traveled to New Orleans to help rebuild during the 5th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina special. She reported from the red carpet at the MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles and for the world premiere of “Avatar” in London. She also had the opportunity to perform on stage in a Las Vegas Show and cooked with celebrity chefs, including Guy Fieri and Bobby Flay. She was featured in a music video for musician Matt White’s song, “Falling In Love (With My Best Friend).”
Rhiannon, who attended the University of Missouri-Kansas City, grew up just outside of Kansas City, Missouri. Her mother was an avid reader and taught Rhiannon to read at a very early age and you could always find her with a book in her hand. Upon becoming a mother herself, Rhiannon fell in love with children's literature. She reads to her children nightly hoping to pass her love of reading to them.
