Connie Spenuzza, M.S. Ed, received first place from the International Latino Book Awards for her novels Lucia Zárate (2017), Missing in Machu Picchu (2013), and Traces of Bliss (2012). Her travel memoir Jubilant Journeys (2019) was awarded second place, following first place winner and Nobel Peace Prize nominee José Andrés. At the London Book Festival, Chocolate Runs Through My Veins (2022) was runner-up for the nonfiction and memoir award categories. The Association of American Publishers and Las Comadres selected her novels to the National Latino Book Club. Foreword Reviews selected Lucía Zárate as an INDIES Book of the Year finalist. The Smithsonian Institution endorsed her children's bilingual fable Olinguito Speaks Up. In 2021, her art history book Spanish Colonial Paintings Paired with European Engravings debuted with an immersive multimedia exhibit at the California landmark Mission San Juan Capistrano. Connie serves on the board of directors of the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, the Orange County Museum of Art, the South Coast Repertory, and the Preservation Foundation of the Mission San Juan Capistrano. The Newport Beach Public Library Foundation selected Connie, and her history book Chocolate Runs Through My Veins, as the 2022 featured speaker. She has been invited to speak at the Los Angeles Times Book Festival, Book Expo America, the Guadalajara Book Festival, the Big Orange Book Festival, and the Smithsonian Institution. Connie was born in Ecuador and raised in California and France. She received her graduate degree from the University of Southern California, speaks four languages, and has traveled to 128 countries. She lives in Dana Point, California.
