Introducing Isabel Quintero


It's that time of year again -- The Ontario Teen Book Fest is taking place Saturday, March 9th, 2019, from 9 am to 5 pm at Colony High School, 3850 E. Riverside Drive, Ontario, CA 91761. As always you can find info at http://www.ontariotbf.org/. No tickets are needed, the event is free, and you will even get free lunch courtesy of Panera Bread! Please use hashtag #OntarioTBF when sharing information and photos of the event.

This event is sponsored by Once Upon A Time. They will have books available for purchase at the event. There will also be t-shirts and posters available for purchase as well. Find them at  http://www.shoponceuponatime.com/

You can enter to win a poster signed by all of the authors at the bottom of this post!

In today's blog tour post, we're introducing you to keynote speaker Isabel Quintero.


Isabel Quintero writes fiction and poetry. Raised in Corona, CA, she attended Cal State San Bernardino and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English. She loves pizza and tacos. 

Her debut novel, Gabi, A Girl in Pieces, has garnered a long list of accolades, including a California Book Award Gold Medal for Young Adult Fiction (2014), YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults (2015), and the William C. Morris award for YA Debut Novel. The diary of a Mexican-American teenager chronicles the events of her senior year in high school: her best friend's pregancy, another friend's coming out, her father's meth addiction, and her own coming of age.


She has also written a graphic novel with illustrator Zeke Peña: Photographic, The Life of Graciela Iturbide, about the Mexican-born photographer who would become one of the most accomplished photographers in the world. They have another collaboration, the picture book My Papi Has a Motorcycle, coming from Kokila Books in May 2019.


Q&A with Isabel Quintero

RNSL: Was there a person who introduced you to a love of reading/writing? Who was it and how did they do it? 

My mom. My fondest and earliest complete memories of being with my mom reading Amelia Bedelia. When I was a kid my mom worked a lot, and when she had nights off she’d read to me. Those early memories of my reading with my mom made reading and words a type of love language because it was so special to me. 


Do you listen to music when you write? Why or why not?  

Sometimes. It depends on what I’m working on. There’s a young adult novel that I’m working on and because it’s a road trip story I listen to music that the characters would be listening to on their drive. It helps me stay close to the characters and their story. Other times, I prefer to write in silence or in a coffee shop or an art supply store I work in sometimes. The customers and music playing at both places serves almost as white noise. 


Isabel Quintero (far right) at OTBF 2018, with (l-r) Brandy Colbert, Abdi Nazemian, Jennifer Brody, and Amy Spalding. 

You can find more about Isabel at her website, www.laisabelquintero.com, or find her on Twitter @isabelinpieces. 

Find her books linked below and at Once Upon a Time's pop up shop on the day of the event (while supplies last): 

(Please note, not all books may be available at the event, such as the picture books linked below. I recommend ordering them from OUAT--they ship, too!)
Ugly Cat & Pablo/Feúcho y Pablo (with illustrator Tom Knight)
Ugly Cat & Pablo and the Missing Brother (with illustrator Tom Knight)



Be sure to get to OTBF early so you can catch Isabel's keynote speech!

Come back throughout the week to read more spotlights on this year's OTBF.


Official Blog Tour Schedule

February 26th - Spotlight on Abdi Nazemian -What A Nerd Girl Says

February 27th - Spotlight on Cindy Pon - Bookchelle

Spotlight on Suzanne Young - Movies Shows N Books

February 28th - Spotlight on Isabel Quintero - Read Now Sleep Later

March 1st - Spotlight on Amy Spalding - Nite Lite Book Reviews

Spotlight on Julie Buxbaum - My Fangirl Chronicles

March 2nd - Spotlight on Demetra Brodsky - Adventures of a Book Junkie

Spotlight on Kayla Cagan - Movies Shows N Books

March 3rd - Spotlight on Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka - BookCrushin'

March 4th - Spotlight on Jeff Sweat - Movies Shows n Books

Spotlight on Robin Reul - What A Nerd Girl Says

March 5th - Spotlight on Jessica Brody - The Readers Antidote

March 6th - Spotlight on Stephanie Garber - Adventures of a Book Junkie

March 7th - Spotlight on Jennifer Brody - Bookschief Managed

Spotlight on Carrie Arcos - Read Now Sleep Later

March 8th - Spotlight on Nicole Maggi - Bookchelle

Spotlight on Mary Weber - BookCrushin'



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