Noemi Gamel was born and raised in south Texas along the Mexican border in a Spanish-speaking, multigenerational household. After completing her pediatrics training, she practiced as a physician for eight years before putting her career on hold to write diverse children's fantasy books and to travel the world with her partner, Chris, and their two children. She wrote The Black Rose and Other Scary Stories That Happened To Me! as an homage to the Mexican folktales of her childhood. The Iris of Issoria, a children's fantasy, is her debut novel. For more information, visit her at www.NoemiGamel.com or follow her on Twitter at @NoemiGamel.