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Author Profile: Mary Castillo
Chick Lit Authors

Author Profile: Mary Castillo

Author Name: Mary Castillo
Website: http://www.marycastillo.com/index.html
Bio: Mary Castillo can remember the exact moment when her destiny to write smart, sexy stories for women began. (And no, it was not the day this photo was taken!) Her Grandma Margie gave her a copy of Forever Amber by Kathleen Winsor (banned in 14 states and then when it was made into a movie starring Linda Darnell, condemned by the Hays Office, which controlled decency in movies) and said, “If you have any questions about what they’re doing in that book, just ask me!”

While Forever Amber is hardly a book for a high school freshman (frankly the heroine makes Scarlett a model of propriety and modesty in comparison), Mary was fascinated by a character that seized life with no apologies … and looked doing it.

After a few minor distractions (poor dating choices and pre-med studies), Mary committed herself to writing on February 10, 1994 and then sold her debut to Harper Collins Avon A in 2004. Hot Tamara was selected by Cosmopolitan magazine as the Red Hot Read of April 2005. The book wasn’t banned but Grandma was proud!

A lifelong professional writer, including a stint as a reporter for the Los Angeles Times Community News (second best job in the world), Mary is the proud author of three novels (Switchcraft, In Between Men and Hot Tamara) and three novellas featured in the anthologies, Orange County Noir, Names I Call My Sister and Friday Night Chicas. Her latest book, a paranormal that goes back and forth between modern day and Prohibition, Lost in the Light is now available.

Latina magazine called Mary “an author to look out for” and selected In Between Men and Names I Call My Sister for the Top 10 Summers Reads in July 2009. OC Metro magazine named Mary one of the hottest 25 people in the O.C. (the first but certainly not the last time her hotness has been publicly confirmed). She has also been profiled in Orange County Register, Coast, The Arizona Republic and San Diego Union Tribune.

Mary grew up in a haunted house in National City, CA. She cries every time she sees the movies, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir and Casablanca, and feels that Joan Collins is by far the preeminent TV villain (which is why Joan plays such an pivotal role in the novel, In Between Men).

A graduate of USC, Mary lives in The O.C. with her family.

Also, she may have a mild addiction to Pinterest.

See my 4.5 star review for Lost in the Light!

Visit Mary’s tour page!

Connect with Mary!
Website: http://www.marycastillo.com/index.html
Twitter : https://twitter.com/MCastilloWrites

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/marycastillo
GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/47331.Mary_Castillo

January 19, 2013
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Lost in the Light by Mary Castillo
Chick Lit Review

Lost in the Light by Mary Castillo

I am kicking off Mary Castillo’s tour on CLP Blog Tours for Lost in the Light. This book captivated me. The story brings in some of my favorite elements – mainly being mystery and the past. Detective Dori Orihuela buys a 120 year-old Edwardian mansion to restore while she waits to get back on duty after she was shot. She has no idea when she moved in that she was going to be visited by the ghost of Vicente Sorolla, who is seeking Dori’s help to find a woman named Anna. Dori begins to worry about her sanity, but through time and proof that Vicente and his story is real, an unlikely friendship forms between the two.
The story shifts back and forth from present day and 1932, and readers understand Vicente’s story more and more as the book whips along. There is a lot of history in this book which I loved. The mystery aspect really drew me in, and I liked that readers could get into Dori and Vicente’s head both. The ending might have been my favorite. No spoilers, but it wasn’t drawn out, too quick or anything cheesy, which I’ve seen happen with mystery novels like this. One of my favorite mystery reads of the year, and one to get your to-read list!
[Rating: 4.5]

October 1, 2012
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On Tour: Lost in the Light by Mary Castillo
CLP Blog Tours

On Tour: Lost in the Light by Mary Castillo

Mary will be on tour October 1-22 with her novel Lost in the Light No one remembers… One October morning in 1932, Vicente Sorolla entered…

September 30, 2012
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Future Tour: Lost in the Light by Mary Castillo
CLP Blog Tours

Future Tour: Lost in the Light by Mary Castillo

Mary will be on tour October 1-22 with her novel Lost in the Light One October morning in 1932, Vicente Sorolla entered the white house…

August 30, 2012
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Blog Tour Sign Up: Lost in the Light by Mary Castillo
CLP Blog Tours

Blog Tour Sign Up: Lost in the Light by Mary …

DETECTIVE DORI ORIHUELA is on the verge of losing everything: her badge and now her sanity. Under investigation for a fatal shooting and recuperating from a bullet wound, she concentrates on restoring up her dream home – a 120 year-old Edwardian mansion. Expecting a few creaky stairs and drafty rooms, all of Dori’s beliefs on life and death are challenged when she not only sees a ghost, but he asks her to find a woman named, Anna.
The ghost and former bootlegger, Vicente Sorolla is trapped in the house where he was brutally murdered in the fall of 1932. By discovering what happened to the woman he loved and died to protect, both Vicente and Dori learn the undying power of love.
Dori and Vicente’s unlikely friendship takes us back to the waning days of Prohibition in San Diego and the dusty barrio of National City. Mary Castillo’s new novel, featuring the wild Orihuela family that first delighted readers in Names I Call My Sister, weaves romance, history and mystery into a humorous, touching and unforgettable story.

July 21, 2012
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