Mary Castillo's Blog: News from Mary Castillo, page 11
February 22, 2014
101 Nook Books
Girl in the Mist is one of 101 Nook Books priced under $2.99. Catch up with dori and Gavin on your Nook!
It is also available on Kindle, Kobo, iBookstore, Smashwords and All Romance ebooks.
Filed under: Lost in the Light
January 10, 2014
Learning to Fall | Tricycle
So I took heart, thinking that at least someone was playing, that these children were carrying on where I no longer could.
via Learning to Fall | Tricycle.
Filed under: Awareness
December 31, 2013
With gratitude, thank you to 2013 and wi
With gratitude, thank you to 2013 and with an open heart, welcome 2014! http://ow.ly/sb5b9
Filed under: News
November 4, 2013
Between the Pages with Larissa Reinhart
Back in May, I had the pleasure of featuring Larissa Reinhart and her wild and wacky heroine, Cherry Tucker from Still Life in Brunswick Stew on this blog. Today, Larissa is back with the third book in her series, Hijack in Abstract. As I’m writing Lost in Whispers, I’m intrigued – okay nosey – to find out how my fellow authors keep up the momentum with an ongoing cast of characters and their adventures. Larissa shared a few insights.
Q: With Hijack in Abstract, how do you stay fresh as a writer?
A: I try to let the characters do the work. A lot of my thinking is based on WWCTD, What Would Cherry Tucker Do? Followed by WWTVD, What Would the Villian Do, and so on through the cast of characters. It’s a lot more fun that making a list of plot devices. I guess it’s the method acting version of writing.
Q: What are your favorite qualities in Cherry?
A: Cherry Tucker’s loyal, courageous, and willing to put herself on the line for folks other people might scorn. She’s proud of her roots and loves her little hometown. Cherry’s very creative, both in terms of her art and solving mysteries. She cares deeply for others, sometimes making it hard for her to let go and move on. For example, her ex-husband who’s moved in with her. And her ex-boyfriend, who can’t seem to . And her mother. She’s a people collector.
Q: Your least favorite qualities in Cherry?
A: Cherry’s really stubborn. So stubborn that she’ll put herself at a disadvantage to prove a point. She puts herself in unreasonable danger. She doesn’t listen to reason when she thinks she’s right. (I’m quoting her friends and family here). Sometimes she’s snobbish about art, even though she hates snobbery in others. She has commitment issues and abandonment issues, which means she can’t settle down and feel content. But if she settled down, Cherry wouldn’t make such an interesting character.;)
Q: What will happen next?
A: I’m writing book 4 now, DEATH IN PERSPECTIVE. Cherry’s been asked to design original art work for the set of an alien-styled, musical comedy version of Romeo and Juliet by an overeager drama teacher at a posh, private school. He’s also being cyber stalked, as well as other faculty at the school, causing one staff member to commit suicide. Cherry eagerly seeks the phantom stalker while dealing with her own Romeo and Juliet styled tragedy in the making. Another fun ride for me!
Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway
Get your copy of Hijack in Abstract
About Larissa
Growing up in a small town, Larissa Reinhart couldn’t wait to move to an exotic city far from corn fields. After moving around the US and Japan, now she loves to write about rough hewn characters that live near corn fields, particularly sassy women with a penchant for trouble. HIJACK IN ABSTRACT is the third in the Cherry Tucker Mystery Series from Henery Press, following STILL LIFE IN BRUNSWICK STEW (May 2013) and PORTRAIT OF A DEAD GUY, a 2012 Daphne du Maurier finalist. QUICK SKETCH, a Cherry Tucker prequel to PORTRAIT, is in the mystery anthology THE HEARTACHE MOTEL (December 2013). She lives near Atlanta with her minions and Cairn Terrier, Biscuit. Visit her website larissareinhart.com or find her chatting with the Little Read Hens on Facebook.
Connect with Larissa:
Website: larissareinhart.com
Blog: larissareinhart.blogspot.com
Facebook page: facebook.com/RisWrites
Goodreads author page: goodreads.com/author/show/5806614.Lar...
Twitter: twitter.com/RisWrites
Publisher: henerypress.com
https://www.facebook.com/LittleReadHens
Amazon: amazon.com/author/larissareinhart
email: reinhartlarissa@gmail.com
Filed under: Between the Pages, Chick Lit Tours
October 29, 2013
Taking Tea with Friends of the Fullerton Public Library
Afternoon tea, talk and book signing
Sunday November 3, 2013 1:00 p.m., Fullerton Public Library. Visit their site for details.
I’d love to meet you in person as I talk about my adventures as an author and sign copies of Lost in the Light provided by Mysterious Galaxy Books.
Filed under: Dori Orihuela Series, Lost in the Light, Mary's Books, News
October 17, 2013
Check out 30th Annual San Diego State Writer’s Conference
I know a few of you are aspiring writers, or you have a manuscript that is ready to make its way in the world. I highly recommend the Writer’s Conference San Diego State College of Extended Studies. Thirteen years ago – left is a photo of my name tag from that conference which I’ve kept on my desk – it put me on the road to publication.
http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/1529895
Filed under: Between the Pages, Writing Wisdom
October 10, 2013
#ThrowbackThursday excerpt from Lost in the Light
“With the rain pattering on the roof of her car, she pulled up the semi-circular drive of the house the county of San Diego declared was legally and financially hers. Her Rav-4 looked ridiculous in front of the three-story, 19th century mansion that stood tall and proud even though one earthquake could send it into a smoking ruin.”
LOST IN THE LIGHT is available at:
Amazon Kindle http://amzn.to/Pgt7bN
Barnes & Noble http://bit.ly/1bgJ67s
Kobo http://bit.ly/SOlOrr
Filed under: Dori Orihuela Series, Lost in the Light, Mary's Books
October 6, 2013
Mary to sign Lost in the Light at The Laguna Playhouse
You’re invited to meet great authors & get some great books for the Fall!
Hey everyone! I’m so excited and honored to join five renowned authors on Monday, October 21 from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. for the 3rd Annual Laguna Playhouse Women Author Event. Your donation includes delicious food from Muldoon’s Irish Pub as well as the opportunity to ask life and career questions of some pretty accomplished authors. Proceeds will benefit children’s theater programs which was essential to my development as an artist and writer.
I will be reading from and signing Lost in the Light. If we haven’t met in person, I would greatly love the chance to personally thank you!
I’ve copied the details below. To order your ticket please visit The Laguna Playhouse.
Filed under: Dori Orihuela Series, Lost in the Light, Mary's Books, News, Self Publishing Wisdom
October 1, 2013
Review: Last Diner Standing by Terri Austin
Rose Strickland of Last Diner Standing by Terri L. Austin will appeal to fans of Stephanie Plum. She’s not quite as street wise as she’d like to be, but she has heart. Her friend has been arrested for braining her good-for-nothing ex husband, leaving two young children at the mercy of the social services system. When the lawyer explains that the odds are against her friend, Rose will do whatever it takes – even put her own life on the line – to exonerate her friend.
It is a cute mystery with a heroine you can’t help but root for, light comedy and some emotional moments that make you want more adventures with Rose and her band of kooky friends!
Author Bio:
As a girl, Terri L. Austin thought she’d outgrow dreaming up stories and creating imaginary friends. Instead, she’s made a career of it. She met her own Prince Charming and together they live in Missouri. She loves to hear from readers. Find her on Twitter, FB, TerriLAustin.com, Goodreads and Henery Press.
Buy the Book!
Filed under: Between the Pages
August 2, 2013
Excerpt from Front Page Fatality
Crime reporter Nichelle Clarke’s days can flip from macabre to comical with a beep of her police scanner. Then an ordinary accident story turns extraordinary when evidence goes missing, a prosecutor vanishes, and a sexy Mafia boss shows up with the headline tip of a lifetime. As Nichelle gets closer to the truth, her story gets more dangerous. Armed with a notebook, a hunch, and her favorite stilettos, Nichelle races to splash these shady dealings across the front page before this deadline becomes her last.
Enjoy the Excerpt from Front Page Fatality:
I hurried to Bob’s office and tapped on the doorframe. “Yeah?” He didn’t turn from his computer monitor. “Did you need me to make any changes to my piece before it goes?”
“No. Not a lot of bite, but it looked like you didn’t have much to share. What happened to the vigilante?”
I kept my eyes on my shoes. “They didn’t have it. Not yet, anyway. Maybe Monday,” I said, making a mental note to come up with a plausible story to put him off again before then. “The cops are trying to figure out if these guys were connected. Hopefully they’ll get lucky this weekend.”
“Just as long as Charlie Lewis doesn’t have it Sunday.” Bob’s eyes never left the screen—I’d bet he didn’t even lose his place in the story he was editing. “Have a good weekend, kiddo. See you Monday.”
Not even sticking around to chat with Melanie at the city desk as I normally would, I called a goodnight to anyone who happened to be listening as I unplugged my laptop and slid it into my bag. Striding to the elevators, I waved at our features editor, a grandmotherly woman whose home cooked treats could’ve come straight out of Aunt Bea’s kitchen. She carted in batches of various baked and fried goodies at least once a week (twice, if she was stressed or there was an upcoming holiday) and was thereby solely responsible for any widening of my ass that might occasionally occur.
“Have a good one, darlin’.” The “g” disappeared into Eunice’s native Virginia drawl. “Enjoy your Friday night.”
“Friday night, hell, I’m out of here until Monday,” I stepped into the elevator with a grin. “See you then.”
The promise of a whole weekend with nothing to do was thrilling all by itself. I parked my little red SUV in the Carytown shopping district and melted into the collection of people who made up the city I had come to love in the six years since a stinging rejection from my dream employer brought me south to look for a job.
There were impeccably-dressed mothers pushing babies in hip strollers along the sidewalks, teenagers still high on the excitement of school letting out the week before, and couples walking hand-in-hand looking in the shop windows. The eclectic storefronts beckoned passersby with everything from toys and Christmas decorations to maternity clothes and jewelry.
A cobblestone sidewalk led to the heavy oak door of Pages, so picturesque it could have been conjured from the narrative of a nineteenth-century novel. The shop was housed in an old stone cottage that had surely been someone’s home in a previous life, the door flanked by mosaic stained glass windows half-hidden behind climbing roses and jasmine vines, growing thick in twin shoebox-sized gardens and mak- ing the summer air sweeter with their perfume.
I turned the brass knob and shoved the stubborn old door, instantly overtaken by a very different fragrance. The smell of ink and paper and aged leather inside the little shop bordered on intoxicating. There were no maps, no sections, no pretty directional signs. Just tall shelves stretching from wall to wall and floor to ceiling in the small space, cluttered and piled with a fantastic collection of great stories. Jenna was the store’s buyer, and she spent hours each day hunting down rare volumes and first editions. Pages was no generic bookstore; it was a book lover’s haven.
“Hey.” My friend waved from behind a stack of books perched on the sales counter. “You’re early! How’d you manage that?”
“There was annoyingly little to be written of the story I spent the whole day chasing. I’ll tell you all about it at dinner.”
Want more? Get the book: www.lyndeewalker.com/bookshelf
Author Bio: LynDee Walker grew up in the land of stifling heat and amazing food most people call Texas, and wanted to be Lois Lane pretty much from the time she could say the words “press conference.” An award-winning journalist, she traded cops and deadlines for burp cloths and onesies when her oldest child was born. Writing the Headlines in Heels mysteries gives her the best of both worlds. Her debut novel, FRONT PAGE FATALITY, is an Amazon new humor #1 bestseller. LynDee adores her family, her readers, and enchiladas. She often works out tricky plot points while walking off the enchiladas. She lives in Richmond, Virginia, where she is working on her next novel. You can visit her online at www.lyndeewalker.com.
Connect with LynDee!
Twitter: @LynDeeWalker
Facebook: www.facebook.com/lyndeewalkerbooks
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/lyndee_walker
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/lyndeewalker
Filed under: Between the Pages, Chick Lit Tours
