Jake Perez

Jake Perez wrote and helped develop the artwork for his Sweet Coco children's book series.

Creating SWEET COCO's world truly was a labor of love. Jake wrote the first book, Chocolate Maker's Apprentice, while his sisters were expecting their own little girls. The book is as much a tribute to his sisters as it is a love letter to his nieces. It is, at its core, a celebration of parenthood and family.

In the "sweet-quel," Dessert With Dad, Coco takes a trip to the tropics to explore her Latina heritage through her father's treasured, top-secret flan recipe.

When he isn't writing kids' books, Jake is a TV journalist (He's a writer & producer at CNN). He also co-founded Wink, a series of project-based wordplay workshops that transform Atlanta's inner-city kids and teens into published authors. For more information about the program, check out The Wren's Nest, Wink's literacy partner, at wrensnest.org.