About/Contact

At age twenty-one, Ilsa Rey packed everything she owned into her little red Ford Focus and drove from Cleveland to California for good. She is now a recovering chicken owner and a martial artist with a black belt in Taekwondo and a blue belt in Jiu-Jitsu. Her favorite things are writing, training, and teaching self-defense to young women. She lives in southern California with her husband, four children, and the ghosts of chickens past. Her first novel, Wish I Was Here, will be published through Black Rose Writing in December 2025. Also at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Contact me: ilsareyauthor@gmail.com for autographed copies or a group rate for schools or book clubs.

Find me online:

Facebook: Ilsa Rey Author

Instagram: Ilsa_Rey

X: @IlsaReyAuthor

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36 responses »

  2. Hi Betsy, Thanks for coming by my blog when I tapped on your shoulder. I found you on Carrie Rubin’s page. I’m pretty sure I married the right person THIS time. We’ve been together for nearly ten years (married eight come October), but I’m sure I could use some tips for keeping things happy. He’s a much more intellectual conversationalist than the pug, the Aussie cattle dog or the cokatiel.

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  3. Hi Betsy, Just wanted to stop by and personally thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to read me and comment. I feel so honored and humbled when talented people like yourself do that…I am so very, very touched and appreciative. Thank you from the bottom of my heart! ❤

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  6. Thank you so much for “liking” my post on what 30 minutes mean. I am writing because….well, I am just wondering how you found that post. I mean, I “liked” your introduction page, so I thought that maybe you checked out my blog because of that. That would seem like a typical route. Then again, that particular post is quite old, and unlikely to come up if you click on my gravatar or whatever that hockey puck picture is called.
    See, the funny thing about that post is that it is rather popular. Several times a week, people stumble upon it, but I don’t know how. I have seen it appear in different formats (different to the way the blog looks–very plain, with no links to myself). Anyway, I didn’t mean to bother you, I was just curious.

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  7. Enjoyed looking through your posts. Parenting is truly challenging and yet rewarding. Being a grandparent is truly rewarding as well. I see some things from our grandchildren that are similar to our children and I chuckle inside. Excellent work.

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  12. Hey / I have been following you for a while and finally made it to the about page
    But who is that lady in the photo ? The Betsy I know is t-shirt queen…. just kidding
    Nice to see your about page!

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  16. ‘Or laugh trying’ — This is hilarious, because the fact is – we continue to laugh trying 🙂

    Also learning martial arts makes since nowadays with being a parent 🙂

    Happy to come across your blog, Betsy.

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    • Thanks, lady! And I remember that when I last visited my family you gave me a hard time for not coming to see you. I didn’t realize you were that close. I wouldn’t have minded a Diane meal!!! 😉

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