Mary Castillo profile picture

Mary Castillo

Buy my book or you'll regret it!

About Me

..

In the backyard of her parents home in National City, CA, Mary imagined she would grow up to be Wonder Woman, or the first woman to win the Academy Award for Best Director. When she didn't grow up to look like Linda Carter and then realized she really didn't like working with people (as a director, one must unfortunately, work with lots and lots of them), she looked back on what her Grandma Margie had said to her.

"The best job in the world has to be an author. You can live wherever you want, while wearing what you want, and write stories."

Mary took stock of the fact that 96% of her worldly possessions amounted to books and 99% of her time to her imagination. In 1994, a career was born. Two screenplays, four manuscripts, 21 rejection letters, and nine years later she sold her first book, Hot Tamara, to HarperCollins Avon Trade.

And Grandma was right: writing books is the best job in the world!

Meet Mary and get between the pages at www.marycastillo.com!

My Interests

Writing (of course), reading (obviously), pugs, art, jazz, movies (especially the classics) and cooking.

I'd like to meet:

Readers of my books, fellow moms who work their bums off for themselves and their families, writers and other friendly folks.

Music:

Linda Ronstadt, Dixie Chicks, La Pistolera, Mala Rodriguez, Sacha Boutros, Bebel Gilberto, Santana, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Norah Jones, Diana Kral, Sixpence None the Richer, The Beatles, Johnny Cash, Billie Holiday, No Doubt, Sarah Vaughn, Ella Fitzgerald

Movies:

Casablanca, Cinema Paradiso, Notorious, The Ghost & Mrs Muir, Vertigo, LA Confidential, Walk the Line, Sense & Sensibility, Nightmare Before Christmas, Kill Bill vI & II, Empire Strikes Back, Scream

Television:

The Closer, The Office, Weeds, Ghost Hunters (TAPs), Simply Delicioso, Rachael Ray, Paula Deen and Everyday Italian

Books:

Recently loved: The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen by Syrie James (coming to stores in December!)

Heroes:

My mom, my Grandma Margie, Wonder Woman, the Dalai Lama and Oprah Winfey

My Blog

When You Think You Know Everything

This happened to me when I wrote In Between Men... I went through two full drafts and with each draft something died inside me when I hit Act II. But I was persistent back then and thought I could for...
Posted by Mary Castillo on Thu, 17 Apr 2008 09:00:00 PST

Today on Connecting Moms

I'm one of the Featured Moms! It's an honor to be included with some hard-working women who are raising families and making a difference in their communities. Check it out!...
Posted by Mary Castillo on Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:46:00 PST

Storyland, pop. ???

When I’m deep into a story - novella or novel - I go to a place in my dreams that I call "Storyland."It’s a town like Monterey, California with homes that crawl up from the bay to the hill...
Posted by Mary Castillo on Thu, 10 Apr 2008 09:18:00 PST

Check out this event: Dia de los Madres: a celebration of women & words

Hosted By: Margo Candela & Rachel SaldivarWhen: Saturday May 10, 2008 at 2:00 PMWhere: Gallery Chimaya5283 E Beverly BoulevardLos Angeles, California|5 90022United StatesDescription:Margo Candela & Ra...
Posted by Mary Castillo on Tue, 08 Apr 2008 09:55:00 PST

Mary, Margo & Jamie sign books at the California Regional Comadrazo

Hosted By: Las Comadres Para Las AmericasWhen: Saturday Apr 26, 2008 at 8:00 AMWhere: Sage Restaurant6511 Greenleaf AveWhittier, California|5 90601United StatesDescription:Las Comadres Para Las Americ...
Posted by Mary Castillo on Tue, 08 Apr 2008 09:44:00 PST

It’s One of THOSE Days....

...when your number is called and your first thought is, "is this really happening to me because this sort of thing only happens in the movies". But then you realize it really is happening and everyth...
Posted by Mary Castillo on Thu, 03 Apr 2008 10:56:00 PST

On PBS: CompaƱeras

If you regularly read this blog, you’ve heard me talk about a Mariachi book that I’ve been working on. (If this doesn’t sound familiar, check out the sneak peek that was part of the ...
Posted by Mary Castillo on Fri, 28 Mar 2008 03:19:00 PST

Get 20% Off Switchcraft, In Between Men, Hot Tamara & more!

Get 20% off all of my eBooks at Diesel eBooks! Enter this code at checkout: CAST87148.    ...
Posted by Mary Castillo on Thu, 27 Mar 2008 09:33:00 PST

Some Things Never Change

PW Daily and Shelf Awareness reported this morning that Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels signed a new law requiring mainstream bookstores to register with the government if they sell "sexually explici...
Posted by Mary Castillo on Wed, 26 Mar 2008 09:19:00 PST

This weekend: La Misma Luna (Under the Same Moon)

Mea culpa. I’m one of those people who complain that there are never any good movies out there. Maybe it’s that they now cost $10 to see in my area and I’m just cheap. Or really, rea...
Posted by Mary Castillo on Thu, 20 Mar 2008 11:10:00 PST