Libros Publishing, LLC, has announced that its author, Cecilia Velástegui,M.S. Ed., is a finalist in four categories of the 2017 International Latino Book Awards, the nation’s oldest Hispanic literary awards. Her 2017 novel LUCIA ZARATE: The odyssey of the world’s smallest woman, is a finalist for Best Historical Fiction, and is in competition for this award with highly acclaimed, bestselling author, Arturo Pérez-Reverte, whose novels have been adapted to film and television.

Cecilia Velástegui is also a finalist in the following categories of the International Latino Book Awards: Best Latino Focused Fiction, Most Inspirational Fiction, and Best Adventure or Drama. The award ceremony will take place on September 9, 2017 at California State University - Dominguez Hills.

Prior winners of the ILBA have been Nobel Prize laureates: Gabriel García Lorca, Mario Vargas Llosa, and Pablo Neruda. Other past high profile, finalists are: Isabel Allende, Paulo Coelho, Rudy Anaya, Oscar Hijuelos, Reyna Grande, and Victor Villaseñor, Francisco Goldman, María Dueñas, and Javier Serra. Cecilia Velástegui has received first place for her previous novels:
Parisian Promises, Missing in Machu Picchu, and Traces of Bliss.

LUCIA ZARATE chronicles the poignant life of the tiniest woman who ever lived (1864-1890) and who still holds the Guinness World Record for the smallest human. We follow the adventures of Lucía Zárate and her governess as they grapple with life and death, finding joy and adventure in their bumpy sideshow journey of more than fourteen years, from Veracruz, Mexico to Victorian England. This is an artfully balanced novel that is a mesmerizing tale of survival, resilience, and the uplifting force of friendship.

Foreword Reviews acclaimed LUCIA ZARATE as: "lyrical and riveting, painting Mexico with vivid brushstrokes, bringing the sights, sounds, and the smells of Veracruz and its vanilla bean industry to life. Velástegui’s writing has been praised as "dreamlike and evokes comparisons with the best writers of modern magical realism. Hers is a celebration of language that readers have come to expect from Latin American writers; Velástegui deserves to be recognized as a distinguished member of that group." (Foreword 5 Star Review)

For more information visit http://ceciliavelastegui.com/