Being Recognized

It's extraordinarily RARE for me to be recognized as a writer by people, but that's exactly what happened to me last night.

I went into Walgreen's to pick up some prescriptions, and at the pharmacy counter, a young-looking black female asked if I needed help.

I told her, "I'm here to pick up a prescription for Bacon, B-A-C-O-N."

She went to the computer, a smile on her face. "What's your first name?" she asked, steadily smiling.

"Shonell," I said, "S-H..."

"Do you write books?" she interrupted.

I rose an eyebrow and answered, "Um, yeah."

"Oh my God," she said, clapping her hands. "My daughter recognized your name (note: don't ask me HOW the daughter saw my prescription info), and she was like Ma, her books are so good."

I smiled, said thank you.

When she gave me my prescription, she said, "I'm definitely going to check you out."

I left out Walgreen's chuckling to myself and slightly happy. It's been a few years since I've had a book out, and it was nice to have someone still recognize me...:-)

Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot: Interview with Author Mary Castillo

Photo by: Suzanne Mapes, for The Register

Pitch your latest novel, IN BETWEEN MEN to us in 50 words or less.

Just goes to show, you're never done with pitching! Okay here we go: Single mom and ESL teacher Isa Avellan's world is turned upside down when she's been voted the un-sexiest woman alive by the entire student body. Suddenly, a soccer ball to the head gives her an unlikely guardian angel in the form of Joan Collins and then her ex-husband reveals every intimate, humiliating detail of their sex life to an infamous shock-jock . . . on national radio!

She takes matters into her own hands and submits to a total makeover, from lipstick to toenail polish to lacy lingerie. But the new Isa is about to find out that it's not so easy juggling motherhood, career, and sex-symbol status.



What was the initial spark that created IN BETWEEN MEN?

Isa's story evolved over many many drafts. The spark that really turned it around happened while I was in a meeting at work. Bored beyond belief, I thought what if her students vote her the unsexiest teacher alive? From there, it took off.



What's the best thing about being an author?

Finally getting paid to day dream!



You write, as your site, marycastillo.com states, "sassy comedies for Avon Trade and Latina Lit for St. Martins." In addition to those, you are also working on young adult fiction and a mystery series. Many people tend to stay within one genre, maybe two within their writing careers. What allows you to challenge yourself to write in a myriad of genres?

I'll admit that I haven't written them yet because I've been too busy writing my "chica lit" novels. Those stories and characters for the mystery (less so with the young adult) are rolling around in the back of my mind, but they haven't demanded stories like the other characters.



In the past, has there been a struggle for you to get published because you're a Latina writer?

When I first started writing in 1994, I remember my screenwriting teacher advising me to change my characters' ethnicity. He said that there weren't any big Hispanic actors to play the roles and my work had a greater chance of being produced if they were more neutral. Sadly, he was right. Look at how many movies are produced by Hispanics, about Hispanics. Not many.

I didn't change them. I couldn't.

When I was trying to sell Hot Tamara, I was told by non-Latinos that the book wasn't Latino enough. Growing up, I usually heard that comment from Latinos!



What CDs are currently in your personal rotation?

Lately I've been writing without music. That's a huge change for me. But I have a six-month old son who loves music, especially Johnny Cash, The Beatles and Ray Charles.



What are your three guilty pleasures?

Chocolate, romance novels, and sleep.



At your site, I read about your rejections and your determination to seek your goal of publication. Now that you have reached your goal and continue to forge ahead, what three pieces of advice would you offer to aspiring-to-be-published authors?

First, discipline protects the talent. You're not a writer unless you're writing. Second, don't write to get published. Write to find your voice and hone your instincts. Third, join a writer's association. The turning point in my career happened when I joined Romance Writers of America.



What is the one thing that makes you feel the most feminine, and why?

Lotion. I love scented lotions and I try to take good care of my hands.



What can we see next from you?

I have two releases set for 2007.

The first currently has no title and it's a female buddy story. It's about two best friends - a single girl looking for love and a SAHM looking for a way to balance her life - who each think the other has the perfect life. They switch bodies and then have to live each others' lives till the next full moon. It's about the grass not being so green and how even the
closest of friends can grow apart.

The second is part of an anthology titled, Other Names I Call My Sister. "Till Death Do Us Part" is about two sisters who are ostracized at their brother's wedding and decide to play a game as to who can land the blue-eyed hottie at the bar. They realize that the hottie may or may not know a secret about their bitchy sister-in-law.



Dream-on: You've been greenlighted to do any creative project you want. What project would that be?

The new proposals that I'm about to start working on this weekend!

Interviews, Writing, and Stuff

It's about 6:10 p.m., and I'm home. YAY. Had a meeting today, and I'm VERY tired. Been busy with grading and unruly students, "interesting" surprises at my office, and much much more.

I'm in a good mood right now because I'm listening to Naturally 7. Last weekend, I, along with my sister, my teaching mentor and her niece went to a Naturally 7 concert my school put on as part of its Banners Series. Well, the concert was BEYOND awesome. This concert was RIGHT up there with my MFA graduation and my getting to introduce my literary shero, ZZ Packer. The group is a vocal band, in all its meanings. Their voices are the vocals, the drums, the bass, the flute, the violin, the electric guitar, etc. They are AWESOME. They do original music, and their own versions of songs like "Broken Wings," "More than Words," and some songs of Simon & Garfunkel. I really can't say enough about them; it doesn't hurt that they are attractive as all get out, too! LOL Check them out at their website!

Let's see--OH YEAH...I have two great interviews coming to you...SOON--one with Monica Jackson and one with Mary Castillo, :-) Be on the lookout for them!

I'm still "mentally" working on the next book I have in my head. I did finish the synopsis for "To Catch a Cheat," so now, if I can get some time away from teaching, grading, writing academic books, and meetings--oh, and being mother to the world, I may actually have time to W-R-I-T-E!

I do have the title for my next novel, and I have a rough idea of what the major plot and a sub plot or two are. What I need to do, and what I'm usually too tired to do is work on my character sketches. The two main characters are complicated and for me to make sure their stories come across the right way, I know I will have to do thorough sketches. Typically, I know the basic stuff about my characters when I jump into a story, like name, age, likes, dislikes, etc, and I build on that, but there are some psychological issues with both main characters, so I want to make sure I don't get myself confused as I'm working. The novel is an erotic thriller, so I'm excited about working on it. Once I finally get something written and begin getting into a rhythm, I'll share with you.

What I have realized as I'm writing this post is this: I could be working on my freaking character sketches instead of writing this! LOL But I love y'all, so I wanted to say WASSUP.

Now, I'm going to read a student's essay, grab my coffee, and do a bit of work on the character sketches before "24" comes on. If you don't watch that show, you seriously don't know what's what!

Peace Out Til Laterz.

Writing & Goals

Hey Gang.

It's a Friday night, and I thought I would blog real quick and tell you all what's up with the writing thang.

I recently sent a non-fiction piece to a literary magazine, and it's a good chance it will be published. It's not definite, but there is a brightness in the horizon. This is good news; I'm slowly working on doing more creative non-fiction to try to get published in magazines and lit journals so that I can compile some of these pieces into a non-fiction book I'd like to write. This will be my first "literary" publication, so if I get it, it will be great for me, :-)

In addition to that, I'm prepping my thesis, a literary novel titled "The Greyhound Chronicles" for several book award competitions. I've revised/rewrote the book about four times since 2004, and it's as ready as it can be right now. I feel confident in it, so I thought why not try the literary book award track? It's so hard to get literary works published and it seems even harder if you're a black author, so we'll see where these award competitions will get me. If I don't out and out win, perhaps an honorable mention, a third place prize, something acknowledging the book (in a good way) can't be a bad thing!

Let's see, I'm also working on finishing up the synopsis to my latest novel, "To Catch a Cheat." I finished a revision and a query letter, and now I have to wrap the synopsis up. I wrote a List of Works Sheet that keeps me abreast of what works I have completed, which works have submission packages ready to go, which works are in various stages of completion, and which works I have general ideas for. Once I finish the synopsis for TCAC, I will have four novels heavily revised with submission packages. My powerhouse lit rep is about to finish her marketing pitch and will begin barraging every editor in the world on TCAC while I submit Greyhound to book awards and she strategically begins seeking publication for my other projects.

I guess all my rambling is to talk about GOALS, specifically GOALS for WRITING. It is so easy to become discouraged, to think you might get the brass ring only to come into contact with people who don't seem to want to represent you in the correct manner, or people who use your talents to get ahead then discard you, or people who seem to have less talent but manage to not only grab a brass ring, but grab YOURS, too. It's hard. It's devastating. It can break you. If you let it.

I go up and down like the worst rollercoaster; some days I think I have the talent and the fortitude, and some days I just want to realize I'll never make it as a writer and be perfectly happy being a teacher or being SOMETHING else.

TODAY is a day I choose to believe that I CAN write, that I DO have the talent, that I WILL get published. We all need to think that way. We all have to set forth the goals. Today, I'm setting forth the goals.

The goals stated above and the goal to CONTINUE writing. A new idea for a story has been percolating in my mind for about a month, and once I finish the TCAC synopsis and feel confident with it, my mind will be able to flow with this new story.

What I realize through this crazy writing journey is that all I can possible do is continue writing, continue persevering, and continue keeping my goal alive. At some point, the goal will be accomplished...even if I have to knock someone off to do it (lol--j/k--or am I?).