Mary Castillo's Blog: News from Mary Castillo, page 30
April 23, 2010
Going back in
Bravely turning my back on laundry, dust, piles of old magazines and unmade beds, I go into my office, sit down and get into the story.
But first there's ritual that must take place. You know, to ease my mind into what I'm doing. (Yeah I know, it's just me BS-ing myself but humor me, please.) It's been four days since I've been in the world of The Guy Upstairs. Who knows what they have planned for me? I'm not one of those kids who complain that too much time has passed for a productive...
April 1, 2010
Today's the Day
Veronica Lake Wearing Corset by Peter Stackpole @ Art.com
My contribution to Orange County Noir began with an email from some guy named Gary Phillips. He said that Barbara DeMarco Barrett had recommended me to write a short mystery set in Santa Ana. After some disappointments and hard lessons, Barbara and Gary's gift was nothing short of angelic.
In his introduction, Gary wrote that the sunny land of beautiful people (aka Orange County) is a place where "nobody is who they seem to be."...
March 25, 2010
Parental supervision advised
by Alfred Eisenstaedt @ Art.com
Earlier today, Perez Hilton reported that Danny Osmond criticized Lady Gaga's new video, Telephone. Donny asked Gaga to consider her core fan base when making a video that includes profanity, nudity, sexuality and all that stuff that we parents fret over.
But Donny, don't you realize that Gaga's core audience are gay men and adult women?
Before I get too comfortable on my high horse, let me tell you about the workshop I gave with Ruth Livier and Sarah Rafael...
March 18, 2010
Welcoming what comes in
"Barn with an open door" by Joel Sartore
Not only am I revising The Guy Upstairs, I'm also weaving new pages into the story. New pages – from what I've heard from other writers and experienced with every single book and article I've written – strike fear in all of us. That blank page stares back at me like the unblinking eye of a sea monster. It can see me long before I realize it's been waiting in the dark, ready to eat me.
When I sit myself down and begin typing what I see in my head, I'm...
March 10, 2010
Bursting Into Spring
"Tightrope Walker" by Auguste Macke from Art.com
March Update by Janice Roper, Intuitive Counselor
Creativity means more than painting or writing, it is a way of thinking and living. You were born with creative ability. So staying in alignment with the new energies during this major planetary transition requires balance at the core level. Our life is what our thoughts make it!
This is the year of the White Tiger. It began on the New Moon in Aquarius February 13, 2010 which is rich in...
March 2, 2010
It took awhile…
But it was worth the wait.
Last Thursday I opened two very special packages. The first was a minty fresh copy of Kathy Cano-Murillo's debut novel, Waking Up In the Land of Glitter. Kathy was one of the first reporters to interview me five years ago when Hot Tamara was released. I thought I had perseverance but she took it and ran with it! She emailed me through the revisions her agent requested and when she hit "send" to ship off her proposal. We've sat on "chica lit" panels together and...
February 17, 2010
What Lent Has Taught Me
"Therese Martin as a Carmelite Nun" @ Art.com
Lent has not taught me that I'm weak or full of sin. It's taught me how to be here not way over "there."
When I was a kid, Lent was a time when I gave up candy, TV and meat on Fridays, which was cool because mom would sometimes drive to McDonalds for fillet o'fish meals! But somewhere in my 20′s I would realize I'd forgotten Lent when Easter sprang out of nowhere. In my 30′s I resurrected (oh, bad word choice!) … where was I? In my 30′s I practiced ...
February 1, 2010
A post everyone should read…
The link to Deborah Schneider's courageous and inspiring story, "Long Time No See" landed on my Facebook feed this morning. It's a gift I'd like to share with all of you!
January 25, 2010
And then what happens?
"Sleepless Night by Natalie Kilany @ Art.com
According to my to-do list, I'm supposed to fix up the outline for Act III. After all the books (published and otherwise) I've written, Act III is still the toughest for me to untangle. There are three reasons why: (a) I don't want to let go of that world (Orange County Noir, Hot Tamara, In Between Men), (b) I'm so tired of those characters' problems that I want them to leave me alone (Names I Call My Sister & Friday Night Chicas) and (c) I have a n...
