Helena is an award-winning author of children's books and an essayist for publications such as the Los Angeles Times and Salon. She received the 2024 Ezra Jack Keats Award Honor for her picture book, Sora's Seashells. Her bestselling picture book, The Paper Kingdom, was on many year-end Best Books lists, including NPR, BookPage, Kirkus, Parents Magazine and the Los Angeles Public Library, among others, and featured on Good Morning America, Entertainment Weekly, and ABC-TV. Helena draws story ideas from her travels as well as her childhood, and she loves speaking with audiences about the power of imagination and creativity. She currently lives in Los Angeles, her hometown.