Maria Elena Alvarez Vasquez was born in Ecuador on July 6, 1955. She studied Language and Literature at the Catholic University of Guayaquil and Basic Education at the State University of Guayaquil, where her love for words first took root. Today, she lives in New York, surrounded by her five children and five grandchildren, who continue to inspire her writing every day. Her favorite pastime has always been reading and writing for both children and adults, and after years of putting stories on paper just for family, she finally shared one with the world. Little Mateo, A Great Gift of Christmas is her first published book, born from a grandmother's love and her belief that some gifts arrive in our lives by something far greater than chance.