Caryn Doti Chavez

Caryn Doti Chavez has been writing since she was 9 years old. She didn't begin writing children's books, however, until her daughter Gia was about 4 years old.

After reading several books every night to Gia, she realized how much she enjoyed many of them. She thought about how books should be fun for the child AND parents. So she put her writing skills to use and began her series with the fun character, Jimmy Pizzelli (a nod to her Italian roots).

Caryn has so much fun writing about Jimmy Pizzelli and all the imaginary friends he has who always seem to get him into trouble. Her stories came to life after she found her amazing illustrator, Rosemarie Gillen. It was a match made in heaven!

Caryn earned her Bachelor's degree from Chapman University in Orange, CA. She then went on to earn her Master's degree from California State University, Fullerton. Caryn's favorite place to be is home in Carpinteria, CA with her husband Marcos, and daughter Gia. She loves animals and spends time with her own fur babies (Bunny, Leya, Mia, and Roadie) in addition to hanging out with some super sweet mini donkeys at Seein Spots Farm.

Caryn is also the Vice President of Professional Development Institute, where she works to offer quality online courses for K-12 teachers. Caryn loves to hike, bike, and run in her free time as well as read and learn through continuing her education.