Home > Meet the Authors > Elena Patrice

Authors Elena Patrice and sister Elizabeth Sills are co-founders of ee publishing & productions, llc., the laugh-friendly company™, specializing in high-quality nostalgic children's books and toys. The Nana Star series is the heartbeat of ee publishing. Elena and Elizabeth consider it their company's mission to cultivate children's imaginations and celebrate the wonderment of childhood in everything they do.

Elena explains the genesis of this fun-loving company: "We began asking each other what we wanted to do with the rest of our lives. We knew it would have to be something that would make a difference, where we'd be giving back, as well as something we'd find joy in every day." To this end, ee has established The Nana Star Foundation, which donates a portion of the proceeds from all Nana Star merchandise to help terminally ill children and inner-city schools.

What does it mean to be "laugh-friendly"? Elena (not surprisingly) laughs, "To find joy in your work and treat everyone with the dignity and respect by providing great customer service and a smile! We believe that people don't smile or laugh enough, especially in business. We said that we'd find something to laugh about every day. If we don't, we don't need to be doing this work."

As businesswomen and moms, the ee (pronounced "double e") sisters take having fun seriously. They live in Northern Virginia with their families.