Mary Castillo's Blog: News from Mary Castillo, page 14
April 1, 2013
Coming soon: Girl in the Mist
Short story 1.5 in the Dori Orihuela
paranormal mystery series
Available April 11, 2013
But sign up for Mary’s newsletter and get this short story on Friday, April 5.
E-book only $1.99
From the back cover:
When we last left Dori Orihuela, she received a shocking message slipped to by her high school flame, Gavin Salazar.
Girl in the Mist picks up where we left these two lovers as Gavin sweeps Dori off to a romantic weekend in Carmel, California. Their charming cottage, hidden in the cypress trees, holds a dark secret. A young woman appears in the mist, not knowing her name or how long she’s been dead. When Dori tries to find out what happened to this broken young spirit, everyone she encounters refuse to speak of what happened.
Dori also has a few secrets of her own that she’s hoping never to tell Gavin … even if holding onto them could destroy the best thing that’s ever happened to her.
Haven’t read Lost in the Light? Get the book today and catch up before Girl in the Mist is released!
Filed under: Dori Orihuela Series, Lost in the Light, Mary's Books, News
March 25, 2013
Writers need strong arms and shoulders
Writers, designers, executive assistants and basically anyone who sits at a desk the live long day need strong arms and shoulders. I don’t know about you but I don’t like the wings under my arms or want to become a hunchback. I tried this workout and my arms feel like noodles. But my back is straight and even though I’ll be hurting tomorrow morning, this is a workout to stick with!
Filed under: News
March 11, 2013
Excerpt from Staged by Ruby Preston
From the pages of Staged by Ruby Preston:
Scarlett rallied the Swan Song troops for an emergency meeting at the bar above Sardi’s restaurant. Her favorite theater hot spot always cheered her up. The hundreds of caricatures which lined the walls – portraying decades of showbiz glitterati – always gave her a healthy dose of rejuvenating perspective. She gazed out the window of the second floor bar in time to see the two Jeremys, Swan Song’s composer and lyricist darting past yellow cabs, toward Sardi’s front door below.
“Hey guys,” Scarlett said. “Thanks for meeting up on such short notice.”
“Anything for you, Madame Producer,” Jersey Jeremy said, with a mock bow as he sat down across from her.
“What can I get for everyone?” Lawrence said, arriving just in time.
His question was greeted with a chorus of “white” and he headed to the bar to secure their late afternoon libations.
The four of them had become a tight knit group in the past several months while working hard to bring the musical Swan Song to Broadway. In fact, their journey together had provided career breakthroughs for all of them. Swan Song’s off-Broadway success had given Scarlett and Lawrence the excuse they needed to open their own producing office. It had also made the Jeremys one of the hottest young musical theater writing teams in town.
“Cheers,” Lawrence said, when they all had a full glass in front of them. “To Team Swan Song. “Next stop Broadway!”
“So… about that…” began Scarlett, as three sets of eyes turned to look at her. “It seems we’ve hit a few snags. I’m having a hard time getting a theater. It seems that even though we have the funding and a great show, it’s not enough.”
“How can that not be enough?” Jersey Jeremy asked.
Lawrence explained, “We need a green light from one of the theater owners.”
“So you can have an awesome show, but if it doesn’t float the boat of some…” Buff Jeremy sounded disgusted as he searched for the right word “… real estate exec at one of those three companies, you’re just S.O.L.?”
Scarlett shrugged. Though the system was frustrating, she knew that so much of Broadway came down to dollars and cents, and this was just more of the same.
Before Scarlett could answer, more bad news walked in the door.
“Fancy meeting you two here,” Reilly said. It took a second for Scarlett to register Reilly’s appearance. Her ex was the absolute last person she wanted to see.
Her brief but intense relationship with the celebrity theater columnist, Reilly Mitchell, had imploded several weeks earlier. There had been an undeniable and thrilling attraction between Scarlett and Reilly from the second they had met. But things had gotten too complicated. In the end, a Broadway producer dating a Broadway gossip columnist turned out to be a recipe for disaster.
“Hi Scarlett,” Reilly said with his signature cocky charm. Though it didn’t quite ring true as their eyes met. She wondered what was going through his head. Was as awkward for him as it was for her, she wondered.
“Reilly, hi,” she said, trying to get her wits about her. “Good to see you. Still keeping the theater world on its toes?”
“You know me,” he said. They both registered the awkward choice of words. “If you’ll excuse me.”
With that, Reilly turned away without another glance and headed back across the room to his usual table.
“You OK, Gorgeous?” Lawrence said, wrapping a protective arm around Scarlett.
“I’m fine. It’s just weird. First time since the break up and all,” Scarlett said, finishing off her glass of wine in one gulp.
Scarlett couldn’t help stealing a quick glance toward Reilly’s table, wondering how she’d feel if she had to see him already wooing another girl. Scarlett’s eyes widened. His drinking companion had just arrived.
She grabbed Lawrence’s arm and whispered in his ear. “Look who that is with Reilly. It’s Bobby Stewart.”
“Ah, yes. Just the very theater owner we were talking about. In the flesh,” Lawrence said, with a glint in his eye. “Who knew he and Reilly were friends?”
In that moment, Scarlett realized there was, in fact, one more thing she could do to try to get her Broadway plans for Swan Song back on track. She hadn’t been willing to even consider it, but it was beginning to look like the only option. This wasn’t going to be pretty.
All Rights Reserved
@BroadwayRuby
Buy SHOWBIZ and STAGED in paperback or Kindle on Amazon
Filed under: Chick Lit Tours, eBook News, News
Five questions with Ruby Preston
I love finding a new favorite character and author. I found them both in Scarlett Savoy, the heroine of Showbiz by Ruby Preston. Ruby is the pen name of a Broadway producer and her second book, Staged, of her Broadway trilogy is available tomorrow! She kicks off her Chick Lit Plus blog tour with us.
Q: What is the hardest part of writing your books?
Ruby: Time! I absolutely love writing and treasure the hours I get to spend with my characters. My busy Broadway producing schedule leaves less time than I’d like to focus on my books. However, I love my job so I really can’t complain. I just wish there were more hours in the day.
Q: As a Broadway producer, how do you write such great books?
Ruby: Thank you! Theater people are all natural storytellers since it’s our job to bring stories to life on stage. As a producer, it’s my job to find amazing stories and characters that will resonate with audiences. As a writer, I’m doing the same thing. It also helps that I’m writing books that, though fiction, are based on many of my real life experiences!
Q: Would you share a little known fact or superstition among the Broadway crowd that the public may not know about?
Ruby: Good question. Many Broadway theaters are considered to be haunted. I’ve never seen a ghost but I’ve heard lots of creepy stories from backstage. Supposedly, one the one night a week when the Broadway theaters are “dark” (aka, not running a performance) the ghosts get their turn on stage. That’s something I’d like to see! Also, it’s considered bad luck to put peacock feathers on stage in costumes, sets or props. Something about the evil eye…
Q: Is there a musical or book that you dream of bringing to the Great White Way?
A: Like many people, I’m a huge fan of the musical, CHESS. It’s never found success despite having amazing music and an intriguing plot. I’d love for it to get another chance at Broadway success.
Q: Is there a Broadway legend whom you wish you could go back in time to meet?
Ruby: I couldn’t pick just one. I’d love to have met ruthless producing icon, David Merrick. I’d love also to have spent time with legendary musical theater writers Rogers & Hammerstein and most definitely Cole Porter!
Read the excerpt of Staged!
Author Bio:
Author Ruby Preston is an award-winning Broadway producer who has helped to bring many musicals to the stage. Her first novel “SHOWBIZ,” described as “The Devil Wears Prada” meets NBC’s Smash, received widespread praise. Now a promising talent in the literary as well as the theater world, Preston’s newest release is the second book in her Broadway Trilogy. For more information on Ruby Preston and her novels visit www.rubypreston.com or www.dresscirclepublishing.com. Follow Ruby on twitter: @BroadwayRuby
Buy SHOWBIZ and STAGED in paperback or Kindle on Amazon
Filed under: Between the Pages, Chick Lit Tours, eBook News
March 8, 2013
Rising to the Challenge: Cool Heroism | Tricycle
“People are afraid that if they let go of their anger and righteousness and wrath, and look at their own feelings—and even see the good in a bad person—they’re going to lose the energy they need to do something about the problem. But actually you get more strength and energy by operating from a place of love and concern. You can be just as tough, but more effectively tough. It’s like a martial art.”
via Rising to the Challenge: Cool Heroism | Tricycle.
Filed under: Taking a breather
March 6, 2013
After a long day of writing & killing of
After a long day of writing & killing off characters, it’s so much fun to hang with Bella Andre’s street team! http://ow.ly/itcV1
Filed under: News
How I Almost Didn’t Sell Hot Tamara
In July 2004 I attended RWA’s National Conference during what had to have been the gloomiest, muggiest New York summer ever known to a woman in heels and nylons. Even worse, I almost did something very stupid. Actually two. First, I hadn’t signed up for any agent and editor appointments to pitch my 100,000-word contemporary romance known at the time as, “Her Mother’s Daughter.” Second, I almost didn’t attend Harper Collins Avon publisher spotlight during which all of the editors would talk about that their books and what they were looking for.
You see, I arrived in New York having just been rejected by an agent the week before. We had been working together exclusively on revisions for nearly six months. After three drafts, she decided that my book was not a project she could get behind.
On day two of the conference, I knew that drastic measures needed to be taken to achieve my childhood dream of seeing one of my stories in the hands of readers. So I sat down at the Avon Spotlight session and during the Q&A I almost didn’t raise my hand. But I must’ve channeled the spirit of Wonder Woman to stand up in front of 300 people to ask if the editors if they were looking for a book that sounded suspiciously like mine. Selina McLemore, one of the editors on the panel, grabbed the mic and said, “SEND IT TO ME!”
Selina read the manuscript in record time and then we discussed the changes she wanted me to make. I listened with mounting horror as she suggested that I cut the story line of Tamara’s best friend, Isa. But I took one last look at that story and said farewell to Isa after promising her that she’d get her own book. During my lunch hour, at night and on weekends, I trimmed that 100,000-word manuscript down to 89,000 words.
Three weeks later, the book went back to Selina. For two more weeks I pretended that it was perfectly normal to check my email, my cell phone and my answering machine every two minutes. But then on Monday, Nov. 10, 2004 I came home after a really busy day at work and saw that I missed Selina’s call. Talk about a long night.
At 7:10 a.m. the following morning I got a good luck kiss from my husband, went into my office and held onto my good luck rock as I called Selina. While my husband and our two pugs waited at the door, I braced myself for the old line: “We really like your writing, but this book just isn’t Latina enough for us. Keep us in mind for future projects.” So it took a moment for the words to process after Selina said she wanted to buy my book. I might have even asked her to repeat that, but I’m not really sure. I do remember saying, “thank you” and “may I call you back” before hanging up. I think I cried. I know I hugged my husband and then called my mom, my best friend and then my grandma. But I kept thinking it couldn’t be real. The next day, I said yes to Selina’s offer with absolutely no idea that Hot Tamara would become a “Red Hot Read” in Cosmopolitan Magazine, or that it helped other authors publish their books.
Eight years and seven books later, I’m still a bit surprised when a reader emails me out of the blue to tell me how much they loved Hot Tamara. I’ve never quite gotten used to the idea that people I may never meet in person are really reading my words and entering the secret world of my characters! But it’s truly a pleasure to connect with you. For me connecting is what publishing – whether through the traditional publishers or not, print or e-book – is really about. When the reader takes the journey with the characters and then puts it down with a smile on her face, my job has been done. Thanks so much everyone for giving me the opportunity to be in your lives, even if for a moment. I can’t wait for you to read what is coming next!
Filed under: Between the Pages, Hot Tamara, Mary's Books
March 4, 2013
Read an E-Book Week Deal: Lost in the Light for $2.50
Haven’t read the book that Samantha March called “captivating?” Like gothics, paranormal mysteries, haunted houses and ghost stories? Then you’ll love Lost in the Light that takes from my family history as well as my own experiences living in a haunted house. Also, you might want to get caught up before its short story sequel, Girl in the Mist arrives sooner than you think!
Use the discount code: REW50 at Smashwords to get a copy for your Kindle, Nook, Kobo, iPad, etc! Offer expires at 11:59 p.m. on 3/9/13.
Praise for Lost in the Light:
“This book captivated me. The ending might have been my favorite. One of my favorite mystery reads of the year, and one to get your to-read list!”
- Samantha March, Chick Lit Plus
4.5 Lightning Bolts
“Lost In The Light is an enchanting story that takes the reader from present to the past. Full of mystery, emotion, and a plot that keeps the readers on their toes, I couldn’t peel my eyes away. Ms. Castillo, you’ve got a new fan. I can’t wait for more!”
- Storm Goddess Book Reviews
Four stars
“I haven’t read a mystery novel in quite some time. This one definitely reminded me of why I enjoy them so much. Lost in the Light is an enjoyable story that flips between the Prohibition in the 1920′s/1930′s and the present. And who doesn’t love a good ghost story! Ghost shows up in your house, haunts you, asks you for favors and basically tells you what to do constantly… gotta love it!”
- Lost in Literature
“The story is a page turner with old flames, sexy ghosts, family obligations that we all contend with, humor, and bonds with new female friends.”
- Sandra Ramos O’Briant
Four stars
“I think that the author weaves a fantastic tale through both worlds and we kind of see Dori evolve and grow through her experience and even able to allow her self to depend on others. I think this book is definitely worth picking up if you like a good historical mystery, with a touch of paranormal and a dash of romance. I will have to check out more of Ms. Castillo’s novels in the future.”
- Ramblings of a Semi Housewife
“Castillo created an interesting, and expertly woven tale that is fraught with romance and mystery. Dori’s guardedness, Vicente’s rough edges and Grammy’s spunkiness all made for very real characters and good story telling. Castillo knows how to dish up a story with some spice, and I’ll be looking forward to more adventures from Castillo in the future.”
- Cellar Door Lit Rants & Reviews
“Mary Castillo has written such a rich and compelling novel… I was pretty much glued to this book. To say I was behind Dori the whole way is an understatement. I love her!”
- Whoopeeyoo! Reviews
Filed under: Deals and Steals, eBook News, Lost in the Light, Mary's Books
Q&A with GT Herren
Click on the image to read Mary’s thoughts on Fashion Victim … hint, it’s a great read!
As a former reporter, I can catch a writer when they’ve never had newspaper experience. But Paige Tourneur is spot on. Were you a reporter in a past life, or just a really good researcher?!?
Oh, thank you so much! No, I was never an actual reporter. I wanted to be one, but changed major my freshman year in college. I do know a lot of reporters and former reporters, and my editor, Julie Smith, was a long time journalist, first with the New Orleans Times-Picayune and then with theSan Francisco Chronicle. Any time I had a question, all I had to do was ask. She was a HUGE help to me.
Paige has a secret past. How much longer will you make us wait to find out her back story?
The story of Paige’s past is going to slowly play out over the course of at least a few more books. There’s a lot of back story there, and I don’t want to just dump it all out in one fell swoop. But there is definitely going to be a big pay-off for the readers, so I certainly hope they’ll buckle their seatbelts and come along for the ride!
Was there a challenge in writing from a woman’s POV?
Well, I was a little worried about authenticity. But I’ve always been surrounded by women—I had a sister who was very close to me in age, and I’ve always had a lot of women friends, and still do—so I was pretty sure I could get the voice right. I also had, as I mentioned before, an amazing editor who is a woman, and I knew if I made a false step she’d be on it like a duck on a june bug.
Author GT Herren
For the writers out there, do you write by the seat of your pants, or outline?
With my first few books, I outlined everything. But I stopped around Book 5, I think it was, because I kept straying away from the outline so it seemed like a waste of time, since I kept coming up with new ideas and changing everything. Now, I just have it all in my head and if I get stuck, then I sit down and outline what I’ve already written and then go from there. I may not actually use what I come up with, but it usually unsticks things. I always know how it’s going to end—it’s the getting there that changes a lot.
New Orleans is a character unto herself in Fashion Victim. Allow us into your world and describe your perfect New Orleans day.
Well, to me every day in New Orleans is perfect, but I think the most perfect day I’ve ever had in New Orleans was Fat Tuesday in 2006. It was amazing. It was after Katrina, and most of the city was still in ruins—and there had been a lot of criticism nationwide of the city for not cancelling it. But for all of us, that Mardi Gras was a symbol of perseverance and determination, a way for New Orleans to announce to the world that we weren’t going to let what happened get us down, or keep us down, to let everyone know we loved them for their help and their concern and their love and we weren’t going to let them down. And it was a spectacular day, in the high 70’s, no humidity, no clouds, just sunshine and blue sky everywhere you looked. I’ll never forget walking to the French Quarter from my house along the parade route, and all the signs like “504ever” and “Atlanta Thanks and Loves You, NOLA” and “NOLA Is Down But Never Out”—my eyes filled with tears several times that day (even now remembering I get teary) and I just knew in my heart that day that New Orleans was going to be back. Everyone was so happy, that wonderful feeling of community we always felt on Fat Tuesday was really strong that day, and everyone was in costume and celebrating. It felt like coming home.
Excerpt from Fashion Victim:
Fashion shows are not my thing, as a rule. But this had been Marigny Mercereau’s first show in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina, and my boss decided this was a big enough deal to warrant putting Marigny on the cover. She was getting the full treatment—coverage of the runway show, a cover shoot, and an in-depth interview. I wasn’t convinced she deserved it, frankly. Don’t get me wrong—I knew it was agood thing that the House of Mercereau was open for business again. Any business coming back since Katrina was terrific, a sign that things were getting back to normal—whatever that meant in New Orleans.
But a cover story on a business whose primary clientele was rich w
omen, drag queens, and high school girls in the market for a prom dress?
I pointed out to my boss this was hardly a newsworthy enough story in our post-Katrina world to warrant such coverage—even if Marigny was a huge advertiser, which she never had been and was unlikely to become. Since I’d gone to work at Crescent City we’d moved away from being a fluff magazine about the city to doing more in-depth investigative pieces—because as a monthly, we could do the kind of in-depth reporting the city’s daily and weekly papers couldn’t, and we were doing quite well with this kind of hard-hitting journalism.
I didn’t understand the return to fluff, but gave in with good grace.
Choosing your battles wisely is becoming a lost art.
I didn’t even bat an eye when the interview was assigned to me—at Marigny’s request. I knew her—I’d dated one of her sons briefly in the pre-Katrina world, and for some reason Marigny liked me. She seemed rather pretentious to me, and her sense of humor was odd…and it’s not like I was really into the entire fashion scene. But before I had a chance to say okay, my boss gave me the whole ‘team player’ speech.
Obviously, she was expecting me to pitch a fit of some sort.
But I loved working at Crescent City, and I really liked my boss. It was a great job, and a huge improvement over working at the city’s daily paper—and besides, there was that whole choose your battles wisely thing. I figured I could use the good will I’d earn doing the Marigny Mercereau interview to my advantage later. We’d scheduled the interview for later this afternoon—so I really needed to pull it together. Marigny had also sent me tickets to her fashion show last night—enclosing them in a card with the note so looking forward to seeing you again, xoxoxoxoxo Marigny—in what she called her ‘trademark’ pink ink.
After all, nothing screams ‘professional’ like pink ink, right?
Author Bio:
Greg Herren is a New Orleans-based author and editor. Former editor of Lambda Book Report, he is also a co-founder of the Saints and Sinners Literary Festival, which takes place in New Orleans every May. He is the author of ten novels, including the Lambda Literary Award winning Murder in the Rue Chartres, called by the New Orleans Times-Picayune “the most honest depiction of life in post-Katrina New Orleans published thus far.” He co-edited Love, Bourbon Street: Reflections on New Orleans, which also won the Lambda Literary Award. He has published over fifty short stories in markets as varied as Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine to the critically acclaimed anthology New Orleans Noir to various websites, literary magazines, and anthologies.
Filed under: Between the Pages, Chick Lit Tours
Now reading: Fashion Victim
Click on the image & get this great mystery today
Paige Tourneur is a heroine you can get behind. She’s smart with a few rough edges to make her interesting in her solo debut, Fashion Victim by GT Herren. Even better, she has a dark past that Herren promises will play out in a series of dark comedic whodunits set in New Orleans. As a fan of cozy mysteries, I’m loving this new generation of heroines who are savvy and may appear to be tough, but inside they have a core of integrity that can’t be broken. The misdeeds are dark and gritty. The supporting characters keep Paige embroiled in uncovering secrets. My only complaint was that the bad guy reveal was over so fast that I didn’t feel Paige was in any real jeopardy. But I’m hooked and can’t wait for the second book. I may just need to read Herren’s backlist of mysteries with PI Chanse McLeod that first introduced Paige in a supporting role.
Excerpt from Fashion Victim:
Fashion shows are not my thing, as a rule. But this had been Marigny Mercereau’s first show in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina, and my boss decided this was a big enough deal to warrant putting Marigny on the cover. She was getting the full treatment—coverage of the runway show, a cover shoot, and an in-depth interview. I wasn’t convinced she deserved it, frankly. Don’t get me wrong—I knew it was agood thing that the House of Mercereau was open for business again. Any business coming back since Katrina was terrific, a sign that things were getting back to normal—whatever that meant in New Orleans.
But a cover story on a business whose primary clientele was rich w
omen, drag queens, and high school girls in the market for a prom dress?
I pointed out to my boss this was hardly a newsworthy enough story in our post-Katrina world to warrant such coverage—even if Marigny was a huge advertiser, which she never had been and was unlikely to become. Since I’d gone to work at Crescent City we’d moved away from being a fluff magazine about the city to doing more in-depth investigative pieces—because as a monthly, we could do the kind of in-depth reporting the city’s daily and weekly papers couldn’t, and we were doing quite well with this kind of hard-hitting journalism.
I didn’t understand the return to fluff, but gave in with good grace.
Choosing your battles wisely is becoming a lost art.
I didn’t even bat an eye when the interview was assigned to me—at Marigny’s request. I knew her—I’d dated one of her sons briefly in the pre-Katrina world, and for some reason Marigny liked me. She seemed rather pretentious to me, and her sense of humor was odd…and it’s not like I was really into the entire fashion scene. But before I had a chance to say okay, my boss gave me the whole ‘team player’ speech.
Obviously, she was expecting me to pitch a fit of some sort.
But I loved working at Crescent City, and I really liked my boss. It was a great job, and a huge improvement over working at the city’s daily paper—and besides, there was that whole choose your battles wisely thing. I figured I could use the good will I’d earn doing the Marigny Mercereau interview to my advantage later. We’d scheduled the interview for later this afternoon—so I really needed to pull it together. Marigny had also sent me tickets to her fashion show last night—enclosing them in a card with the note so looking forward to seeing you again, xoxoxoxoxo Marigny—in what she called her ‘trademark’ pink ink.
After all, nothing screams ‘professional’ like pink ink, right?
Author Bio:
Greg Herren is a New Orleans-based author and editor. Former editor of Lambda Book Report, he is also a co-founder of the Saints and Sinners Literary Festival, which takes place in New Orleans every May. He is the author of ten novels, including the Lambda Literary Award winning Murder in the Rue Chartres, called by the New Orleans Times-Picayune “the most honest depiction of life in post-Katrina New Orleans published thus far.” He co-edited Love, Bourbon Street: Reflections on New Orleans, which also won the Lambda Literary Award. He has published over fifty short stories in markets as varied as Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine to the critically acclaimed anthology New Orleans Noir to various websites, literary magazines, and anthologies.
Filed under: Between the Pages, Chick Lit Tours
