Amaia S. Li grew up in Lima, Peru. But Hawaii is the place she calls home, sweet home.  She loves reading but did not think about writing until her family moved to the United States, and she attended her first English class at a community college in Honolulu.  "I think I was very lucky that I had two great teachers there who believed in my ability and potential when I was not quite able to see that yet," Amaia says. “I will always be thankful to them for teaching me the fundamentals of good writing and for their encouragement. Because of them, I fell in love with writing."  

Amaia earned a degree in the Humanities with a specialization in English and a Master in Library Science from the University of Hawaii.  She has always felt drawn to legends, folk tales, and myths.  They are the sources that inspire and inform her books.  Writing is her favorite pastime, and she thinks of herself as a weekend writer warrior.