Kerri Maniscalco: Hello, my name is Kerri Maniscalco. My parents are both second generation Americans, and being bi-cultural is something I'm really proud of. Kerri comes from a county in Ireland and is a nod toward my mother's side of the family, who are mostly Irish with some Eastern European roots. The Maniscalco side of the family is Sicilian, and they're from a little town called Sciacca, which is near Palermo. When I started my writing career, my family asked if I was thinking about possibly creating a pen name. They worried Maniscalco might be too hard to pronounce, too difficult to spell, and maybe a little too ethnic, but I disagreed. I believe names have stories of their own and they're ours to share. So if you got a difficult first or last name, I encourage you to be proud of it. I'm Kerri Maniscalco and no matter how many times people call me Maniscalo, Manicuso, or even Manicotti, I will always be proud to Kerri Maniscalco.