The spirit of Seven Seas Press is our creativity; the heart of Seven Seas Press is our charitable foundation.
Creating meaningful, inspiring books to share with others is our passion and mission.
Every book begins with an idea or divine inspiration and becomes a project-based collaboration. Our directors, authors, artists and translators collaborate to create content with sensitivity and depth that honors and reflects our diverse humanity. We strive to reach and represent a wide and inclusive audience.
Through our 501c3 we also create partnerships with other nonprofits, local and international organizations, who share our vision to empower, nurture and contribute to the lives of others. Through these partnerships we are able to gift books directly to children.
The strength of Seven Seas Press is our team, which collectively represents a wide range of gifts, resources, expertise, and perspectives.
Erika Römer
Executive Director
Executive Director of Seven Seas Press, Erika grew up on the Dutch island of Curaçao. Erika speaks English, Dutch, Papamiento, and Spanish. She has lived in Curaçao, the Netherlands, Australia, India, and in different corners of the United States. Erika currently lives in Santa Barbara, California with her family, where they immerse themselves in books and nature, and live happily by the sea.
Janet Lucy
Communications Director
Janet Lucy, MA, is the award-winning author of Makana is a Gift / Makana es un Regalo, Mermaid Dreams / Sueños de Sirena, and The Three Sunflowers / Los Tres Girasoles; the co-author of Moon Mother, Moon Daughter ~ Myths and Rituals that Celebrate a Girl’s Coming-of-Age, and two companion books, a Moon Mother, Moon Daughter ~ Moon Circles Facilitator’s Guide and By The Light of the Moon journal. She is the Founder / Director of Women’s Creative Network (WCN) in Santa Barbara, CA, where she offers consulting for intuitive, creative and professional development; facilitates women’s weekly writing circles, workshops and trainings, and international retreats. Janet teaches and guides "Divine Ink ~ Illuminating the Heroine's Journey,” a divine feminine path to transformation. Janet is the mother of two radiant daughters. www.janetlucyink.com www.divine-ink.com
Colleen McCarthy-Evans
Creative Director
Colleen McCarthy-Evans is an award-winning writer, illustrator and board game inventor. She’s a co-founder and former Director of Operations of the Santa Barbara Charter School (est. 1993), whose mission is to teach Conflict Resolution along with Academics and the Arts. She lives in Santa Barbara, California with her husband and their dogs, loves to practice and teach Yoga, and enjoys being in and out of the garden with her two grown sons, extended family and friends.
Arturo Flores
Arturo Flores was born in Cuernavaca, México, and has made the United States his home for over thirty years. He is the Spanish Department Chair at Laguna Blanca school in Santa Barbara, California, where he teaches Spanish to middle and high school students and leads student trips to Mexico. Passionate about music, Arturo not only plays several string instruments, he makes his own guitars, ukuleles and jaranas, which are traditional instruments from Veracruz, México.
Sarah Dietz
Sarah Dietz is a graphic designer and illustrator living in Leipzig, Germany. After completing her Bachelor of Arts in Communication Design, she became a freelance illustrator and lost her heart to children’s book illustration. She loves to create lovely dream-like worlds inspired by nature, cute animals and her colorful imagination. See more of her beautiful work on Instagram @sarah.dietz.illustration and also at sarahdietz.de
Melina Aceves López
Melina Aceves López has Bachelor's degrees in Theatre Acting and Art History, and a Master's in Education. She lives in Mexico City, where she teaches English as a Second Language and works as a freelance translator. She incorporates her decades of practicing yoga and meditation into her work and is passionate about supporting others in their lifelong journey towards wholeness.
Eva Herrera Hernandez
Hernandez Herrero is a Spanish biologist and nature journalist. She works on wetlands protection, as well as freshwater and agriculture policy at an international environmental NGO in Spain. She earned her Masters degree in Environmental Management and Policy (Universidad Carlos III, Madrid). She enjoyed a Fulbright scholarship at UCSB, collaborated with the Forest Service at Los Padres National Forest, and she also has family in Santa Barbara, California.
Alexis Cantu
Alexis Cantu is an artist based in The Netherlands, originally from Mexico. She has a degree in Industrial Design from Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM). Her passion is art. She is an advocate for women’s rights, animals, and environmental protection, especially the ocean. She supports her community by giving free online watercolor workshops. Follow her on Instagram @alexiscantu and visit her at www.alexiscantu.com.
Marcos Martinez
Marcos Martinez is a literacy advocate and Spanish translator. He is a proud first-generation Mexican-American with family roots from Oaxaca and Guadalajara, Mexico. With a BA from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Master’s in Library and Information Science from the University of Denver, Marcos is a dedicated advocate for social equity, community engagement, and the power of public libraries.
Janneke Ipenburg
Janneke Ipenburg, born in the Netherlands and raised in Amsterdam. Since a few years she lives at the countryside with her boyfriend, two ginger cats and chickens. As a child she was always drawing but secretly wanted to be an acrobat. After graduating from the School of Arts (because she wasn’t that flexible) as a theatre designer, a beautiful field of arts. After some years in the theatre she entered the world of illustration, which turned out to be the love of her life. Her favorite subjects are animals, specially the cranky ones. Fascinated by nature and all living creatures she loves to put nature as a scenery in her paintings.
Iryna Demchyshyna
Translator of Три Соняшники - The Three Sunflowers and a Ukrainian blogger based in California, U.S.A. She fled the war in Ukraine with her 4-year-old daughter Solomiia in April 2022, and stayed with an American host family for 5 months. She studied translation at the Open International University of Human Development «Ukraine». As a volunteer in her community, Iryna makes and participates in fundraisers, shares information about people in need, and helps newly arrived Ukrainian immigrants in the U.S. You can follow her on Instagram @iryna_demchyshyna.
Inna Yasynska
Master of Psychology practicing psychologist in Ukraine, and editor of Три Соняшники - The Three Sunflowers. She dedicates her life to working with adults and teenagers, helping them to improve the quality of their lives. Inna is an active volunteer psychologist for people who are in crisis because of the war in Ukraine. Inna and her husband are building their dream life in Ukraine, working to win. She cultivates the values of love and nonviolence in her work and life. Follow her on Instagram @soullogia
Terrie Adden
Terrie Adden, JD, is a writer, avid reader, and lawyer specializing in immigration law who is fluent in Spanish. Her lifelong interest in other cultures was sparked while living and working in Mexico after graduating from UCSB, where she double majored in Cultural Anthropology and Sociology. She was an editor for the "International and Comparative Law Review" at Loyola Law School, Los Angeles. She offers Seven Seas Press a depth of experience in research. Her writing has been published in The Sun and Skirt! magazines. She recently completed her first novel The Opal, set in Mexico, inspired by an opal ring that has passed through three generations. She lives in Santa Barbara with her husband, where she bird watches from her backyard.
Laurie Dean
Laurie Dean is actively involved in the Bodhi Path, a lively meditation center in Santa Barbara, where she explores her deep respect for Buddhist practice and teachings. She brings decades of experience in group facilitation, business coaching and money management to Seven Seas Press. For the last 15 years Laurie has managed a multifaceted wellness center where she supports the ever-expanding technology available to help people move toward health, vitality and well-being. In her free time you will find her hiking the mountain trails of Santa Barbara which renews her spirit and connection to mother nature. You might even catch her sitting beneath a tree reading the newest addition to her library, Braiding Sweetgrass.
Tara Rizzi
Tara Rizzi was born in Melbourne, Australia and throughout her childhood always had her nose in a book. She worked for 20 years for an international non-profit that taught yoga and meditation, travelling all over the world administering and teaching retreats. In 2002 she moved to Santa Barbara for her second life, where she currently serves as Executive Director of the American Institute of Architects, Santa Barbara chapter.
