About Us
Carob Tree Publishing is a new indie publishing house out of Monaco founded in March 2024 by Lacey Da Costa, an IEFTA film producer, and Nancy Heslin, Editor-in-Chief of The Monegasque™ and host of Monaco Info The Podcast.
We share the belief that empathy fuels connection. As the first 100% women-owned book publishing house in Monaco, we champion the voices of women authors and elevate women-led projects that spark change, inspire communities, and ripple impact across the globe.
For Carob Tree Publishing, profit and purpose go hand in hand. Our first title, 100 Years of Women: Motorsport & Monaco, is a not-for-profit book released January 24, 2025, in the presence of H.S.H. Prince Albert who wrote the introduction. A portion of sales support women in motorsport.
​
The latest release hit the market September 15, 2025. It’s a Dog’s Life Monaco is a not-for-profit book in support of the association Society for the Protection of Animals (S.P.A. Monaco). The association’s President, H.SH. Princess Charlene, wrote the foreword and was guest of honour at the book launch.
​
We are creating our editorial slate for 2026-2028 with a focus on fiction and literary nonfiction. Submit your manuscript here.
Managing Director
Lacey Da Costa has been an avid reader since childhood and a passion for storytelling has been a driving force in her personal and professional life. Originally from Texas, she left behind a medical career in cardiac care to come to Monaco in 2010. An unexpected role as a documentary film producer with the Monaco-based International Emerging Film Talent Association (IEFTA) launched her into the world of film and non-profit foundations.
A decade on, Lacey is currently the President of IEFTA and has overseen two critical international UN Refugee Campaigns (in print, broadcast and new media) while developing IEFTA’s engagement with the educational and industrial capacity of emerging economies in Sub-Saharan Africa. She has represented IEFTA at various international film festivals (Cannes, Berlin, El Gouna). Film credits include: Latin Four Plus (2022); Beyond the Raging Sea (2019); Refugee Voices in Film (Editions 2017-2024); and Gray Matters (2014).
As a mentor to up-coming filmmakers from under-represented regions and through her work with the UN, she has seen first-hand the influence film can have on shifting perceptions and creating positive change.
Carob Tree Publishing is her way of continuing to tell inspirational stories that reach a global audience of all ages, all genders, through another medium – books.
​
Nancy Heslin
Publishing Director
Nancy Heslin is the Editor-in-Chief of the English-language arts and culture magazine, The Monegasque™, and was formerly Editor-in-Chief of the bimonthly Forbes Monaco.
The gifted moderator hosts Monaco Info The Podcast and cohosts Nancy & PJ Finally Get Together, a podcast reaching listeners in 139 countries.
​
As the founder of the not-for-profit Good News, Monaco, Nancy shares positive human interest stories that support women and the Monaco community.
With 25 years of journalism experience, she has distinguished herself as the go-to media personality in the region, whether taking the TGV with Tom Cruise to Marseille for People Magazine or talking to Cherie Blair about financial empowerment for women. She has been featured in documentaries by ARTE and Channel 5.
Additionally Nancy is president of Swimrun Monaco and a 2022 French Coastal Rowing Master Champion for Monaco.
​