Betty Viamontes was born in Havana, Cuba. In 1980, at age fifteen, she and her family arrived in the United States on a shrimp boat to reunite with her father after twelve years of separation. "Waiting on Zapote Street," based on her family's story, her first novel won the Latino Books into Movies award and has been selected by many book clubs. She also published an anthology of short stories, all of which take place on Zapote Street and include some of the characters from her first novel.

Betty's stories have traveled the world, from the award-winning Waiting on Zapote Street to the No. 1 New Amazon re-leases "The Girl from White Creek," "The Pedro Pan Girls: Seeking Closure," and "Brothers: A Pedro Pan Story."

Other works include:
Havana: A Son's Journey Home
The Dance of the Rose
Under the Palm Trees: Surviving Labor Camps in Cuba
Candela's Secrets and Other Havana Stories
The Pedro Pan Girls: Seeking Closure
Love Letters from Cuba
Flight of the Tocororo

Betty Viamontes lives in Florida with her family and pursued graduate studies at the University of South Florida.