Richard Keep first learned to write and illustrate a children's book in Mrs. Mengert's 6th grade art class. His interest in art began as a 50s boomer kid watching the "Winky Dink and You" TV show on Saturday mornings. Sending in fifty cents for the green-tinted plastic sheet to cover the TV screen, he drew on it with 'magic' crayons, connecting the dots to help rescue Winky Dink from certain doom. One day, his dad brought home a fat pack of construction paper with every color. Hundreds of peculiar paper airplanes, masks and wizard hats later, Rick earned his graphic and studio arts teaching creds from the University of Wisconsin.

While teaching in Lake Geneva, WI, Rick began collaborating on books with his wife, children's author/illustrator Linda Lowery. Published by Penguin Random House and Peachtree Publishers, his books demonstrate his two preferred media styles: digital illustration and cut/painted paper collage.

Rick and Linda resided for eight years in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico – a cobbled, colonial enclave for artists and writers, lush with vibrant color and corazón. There, they completed several book projects, most with Mexican themes. San Miguel remains an evergreen source of inspiration for the authors. Rick and Linda currently reside in eastern Tennessee.