Monica de Camargo Coutinho was born on July 20, in a beautiful sunny morning, in Lagoa Santa, Minas Gerais. Before completing 2 their years old, your parents, Jesualdo Soares Camargo and Eurídice J. Ferreira had moved to Itabira, the larger poet's earth Carlos Drummond de Andrade, that hereafter would be her literary patron in the Academia Municipalista of Letters of Belo Horizonte. In Itabira Monica spent part of her childhood studying, running behind butterflies and arising in trees, in the spare times. she began the taste for the reading when hearing the histories that her maternal grandfather counted, close to the firewood stove, surrounded of grandchildren, in his farm, in Cauís, outskirts of Minas, and also the ones that her father, and the brother Rafael read for her, when she still didn't know how to read. As soon as she learned how to read a book she took taste for the reading, and the first book that she read was "The Ranch of the Yellow Woodpecker". Monica was so charmed with the history, that dreamed to grow and to write so beautiful as Monteiro Lobato did. But she didn't wait for her growth, so fascinated was for the letters. To the 8 years old, still in Itabira, she began to write "Diary of Kika", using scenes of her childhood to compose it. To the 9 years old, their parents moved to Belo Horizonte, and her life changed. Here she learned how to ride a bicycle, skates, skateboard, frequented Cine Free, installed all of the weeks, close to the School D. Pedro II, in front of her house. She ate popcorns and gave good laughters with the friends, seating in the ground of the square, where the films were exhibited.
The childhood and adolescence of Monica were and they are unforgettable. The footings in the Raul Soares Square, the boyfriends, even the years passed at the internal school, where she studied for 3 years, in Araçuaí, north of Minas, in the Nazareth School, driven by Dutch nuns. Of that time she was inspired to write the book "Love For Two", published in 1992.
In that school Monica felt again, a literary tingling, and she began to write stories, that she never kept. In there, she wrote a play, entitled Madam's" Maid, staged by her and their best friends. The piece was exhibited, first, for the interns, and as it was of the pleasure of all nuns, it was made other staging for the external students, their parents and family.
Leaving vacations, in December, when it finished the first degree didn't return to school, because she met a boy calleed José Geraldo Coutinho, with who fell in love, and with their parents' consent, they got married on July 8, in the vacations of the first semester, of the second year, of the second degree. Her first child, Marcus, was born in October, almost on the eve of finishing the third year of the second degree. With hir birth Monica postponed for 18 years, the dream of studying an university of letters. One year and two months later Jacques was born. Three and a half years later, Luiz Cláudio was born, and five years later, the youngest child Monica Patrícia was born. When she was 7 years old, already more independent of the mother, Monica made college entrance exam with the face and the courage, and she passed in third place.
In the Catholic University of MG, Monica felt new itch for the literature and she began to write poetries, participating in several national anthologies. Her husband, noticing her love for the literature asked her why she didn't write a book herself. How? She asked him. Any publisher will publish a book of an unknown writer. You cmay write, I support a book a year, but you have to promise me that will publish a book a year, because I like everything you write.
In 1988 she began her true literary career, with the book MOMENTS, with poetries, chronicles and stories. And she didn't stop more.
But... and the "Diary of Kika", that she had to start writing at the 8 years old, what happened to it? Well, that book was kept inside a trunk of black leather, for years and years, by her father. Before dying, he gave it to her, that soon afterwards shelved it anyplace. In 1993, reading in the newspaper the regulation of a childish book contest, the Prize Joao of Mud, she wanted to participate. But infantile literature? How difficult it is, she had never written anything for children. The period was finishing, she´s mind swarming. So she remembered the small diary. She caught the original, typed what was ready, in the computer, and finished with that 8 year-old child's same speech. She made the necessary copies, ordered them to the Infantile Library, and forgot about the contest. It made another copy and ordered it for an infantile publisher, in Belo Horizonte. For her happiness, it was accepted immediately by Formato Editorial, already with Joao of Mud stamp, because she was the winner of the so coveted prize.
Besides the literature, Monica has other happiness in the life: Her husband, their 4 children, and the 5 grandchildren: Camila, with whom wrote "Heart of Adolescent", in her 13-14 years old. Bianca, camila`s sister, with whom wrote "Soccer of Dogs", tends her 8 years old. Still, Marina and Lucas, Marcus´children, and Julia, 1 years and 9 months old, Monica Patrícia´s daugther. Camila and Bianca are Jacques daughters.
Monica is also fanatic for sports. Besides watching soccer games, volleyball and tennis on television, she plays tennis 4 times a week, participating in internal and open tournaments.

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