Meet the Publisher

Welcome, friend. I’m Samantha Cabrera, founder of Calla Press Publishing. My love for stories began early in life, when books became both my refuge and inspiration. In middle school, I read a story about a young girl who survived the Holocaust, and it opened my heart to the profound power of storytelling. Not long after, a pastor gifted me my first Christian fiction novel one Sunday morning after he found me staring at all the books on the wall—Sunrise Song by Catherine Palmer—which sparked a lifelong passion for faith-filled literature that reflects the heart of God.

In ninth grade, I wrote a letter to my Nana sharing my dream of becoming a writer and starting a Christian publishing house. She still has this letter! I went on to study journalism and art at the University of Mary Hardin–Baylor and then graduated from Lindenwood University with my MFA in Writing. After 21 years of writing that letter as a 14-year-old girl, God led me to pursue what had always been on my heart—and Calla Press Publishing was established as a publishing house.

In 2017, Calla Press began as an online literary journal, later growing into a print publication and, in 2023, a traditional publishing house. Calla Press Publishing is now a proud member of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA). What started as a small creative venture has become a thriving community of writers, readers, and dreamers united by a shared love for truth and beauty. Our mission remains simple and steadfast: to publish books that are pure, lovely, and noble—stories that point hearts toward Christ.

As a certified 7-12 (ELAR) former classroom teacher turned homeschool mother, I love writing books that teach young minds the truth of God’s Word. My first children’s book, A Child’s First Book of Bible Words (2024), has been displayed in stores across the nation. To God be the glory! As a former studio artist, I also enjoy designing all of our book covers.

Today, I live in the Texas countryside with my husband, an OB/GYN, and our three beautiful children. Alongside working as the publisher at Calla Press Publishing, I find joy in homeschooling, cooking, and hospitality. My greatest calling is as a wife and mother, and everything I do flows from the foundation of glorifying my Maker.