Novelista

A Christmas themed flash fiction based on my characters from Where Pirates Go to Die.  On display at the Mount Pleasant Public Library. The Xmas Log By: IE Castellano My crew and I returned to the Tigerlily tonight without having to maim anyone. A Christmas miracle. The Christmas party slogged, especially since Dirk made us take anti-poison nanos that blocked me from getting an eggnog induced buzz. His caution is not unfounded, though. No one knows how this new Milky Way Consortium will act even with the different aliens represented alongside humans in the government. My idea of caution is armored formal wear that hides a few blades from the entrance scanners and bringing along our alien crew member. Gogi turned heads in her native regalia. Her feathers sparkled as if she rubbed in some of the pink quartz dust of her home planet. We were the epitome of what the Consortium tried to achieve with their “share Christmas with aliens” party: Humans and aliens work...

This year, my writers’ group wrote flash fiction or poetry or whatever for July 4 th about freedom and liberty.  The writings get framed and displayed in the local library.  Since, although it’d be a fun trip to the country, visiting my small town library isn’t in your summer plans, I’ve posted my flash here. They Came By: IE Castellano I was a small child when I witnessed their ship land—war torn and ragged.  These people emerged from malfunctioning airlocks not all that different than us, only where it mattered.  They knelt in the soft dirt, crying.  When they rose, they asked for sanctuary—a place to start over—a place to live their lives in peace.  Their elders had seen peace.  Their young knew it not.  They relayed stories of war and ravaging, of death and destruction.  They wanted better—to provide a future for the next generation. We sympathized.  We offered them the chance to make new lives on our planet....

My short story, Sector Three-Three , is going to be in Laurel Highlands Publishing's next anthology, Across the Kármán Line . Vace has a dream—to get to space.  At the moment, she is a kreel well worker with a past she’d rather forget.  An incident at the kreel lines forces her to face her past and tempt her fate. Across the Kármán Line In space, fate rests in the hands who created the craft.  Wits and creative risk separate life from death while navigating the three-dimensional sea or marooned on an alien planet.  The trust between captain and crew unifies a mission.  And sometimes, the final take-off is the hardest. Across the Kármán Line will be released 19 May 2015.  Ebook pre-orders are available at Amazon ,  Barnes & Noble , Kobo , Apple iTunes , and Google Play .

To be cliché, I’ve been writing up a storm—even during a storm.  Pages of edge to edge ink have been stacking quickly atop my manuscript pile.  My pen only paused to do some research and take a few notes.   Whispers  (The World In-between, book 4) is coming along well.  These last few scenes I’ve been writing are so much fun. I typically write Whispers , as well as others, far from the distraction of my computer.  When I’m sitting in front of the keyboard, I type.  Supposedly, typing the piles of pages that form my manuscripts.  However, I recently opened a new file.  And, I began to type something different. I couldn’t help myself.  The idea just came to me.  It’s going to be a science fiction short story for the anthology Across the Kármán Line .  I wasn’t going to write a story for it.  I told myself I didn’t have the time.  I have other books to finish. But, here I am.  Writing a story I was...

January is a good month to evaluate and re-evaluate.  I don’t know about you, but the cadence of falling snow helps me think.  Not that my mountain rural community has had much … yet.  Snow or no, I’ve never been one to make resolutions.  Deviating from convention, my system of doing things has always been a little different.  Even the process I use to write my books sways away from the norm. As I fill out this year’s calendar, I am finding that not everything I did last year will fit.  The things that I need to accomplish are taking me down a different path than the one on which I currently stand. 2015 Plans Read as much as possible.   I tend to read books that strike my fancy in cover and description.  The majority of the books I pick up are fantasy of some kind, but I like to read most genres.  What keeps me going to the very end are good, solid characters.  Without them, the plot is lost, and so I am. Hav...

One ship, a small band of Pirates, and an entire Galaxy in pursuit Where Pirates Go to Die The Chase Begins The elusive and calculating Pirate known as Naria escapes from Torquor Prison, throwing the Galaxy into a panic.  Dignitaries of the Milky Way Circle employ any means necessary to recover what Naria stole.  After the pursuit across the Galaxy, will justice finally be served? The space opera is available at Amazon , Barnes & Noble , Apple iTunes , Google Play , Kobo , and Smashwords .

Recently, I was asked which one of my books is my favorite.  With the upcoming release of Where Pirates Go to Die , I have seven titles—plenty from which to choose.  My easy answer:  how can I? The World In-between series is my baby.  With three novels and a short published, I am waist high into this epic portal fantasy.  Each book adds layers of complexity and a few new characters.  When I was talking about the series, someone asked why I wrote a male protagonist as a female author.  I told him it suited the story.  He looked at me strange.  The male main character tells the story from his point of view.  But is it his story or another’s?  Perhaps by book six, all will be revealed. After writing Tricentennial , the avenue to science fiction opened before me.  I enjoyed the straightforward story line and the faster pace.  Laurel Highlands Publishing is releasing the second edition by the end of the...

My space opera, Where Pirates Go to Die , has a cover and a release date of 12 Nov. The elusive and calculating Pirate known as Naria escapes from Torquor Prison, throwing the Galaxy into a panic.   Dignitaries of the Milky Way Circle employ any means necessary to recover what Naria stole.   After the pursuit across the Galaxy, will justice finally be served? Countdown to launch T minus 27 days. The ebook can be preordered at Amazon , Google Play , Kobo , Apple , and Barnes & Noble .

After receiving an obscene down payment of lons  to begin his search  for the elusive Naria, Dirk takes his ship to Doran—considered an insignificant planet by many—to pick up some regulars for the hunt and then some. From Chapter 9 of Where Pirates Go to Die : Bars and scorpions littered the dusty streets of New Arizona.   Dirk passed the General Store without a peek through the grit-laden windows.   New Arizona was a well-worn city, although no one would admit to ever being there.   It did not have the glitz or glamor of Galaxis.   No fancy boutiques lined its unpaved avenues.   People traveled there to get away from the prying eyes of the Patrolbots and savor more unsavory delights.   A battered wooden sign swung over Dirk’s head.   Reading, “Fox and Hound,” he entered.   An older woman greeted him from behind a desk in a cozy, sterile lobby.   “May I help you?” she asked with a smile.   “I have an ap...

A monologue from a main character in my upcoming space opera, Where Pirates Go to Die . Name:   Dirk Occupation: Bounty Hunter I know what you’re thinking.   How is it possible to be a Bounty Hunter in this day and age? DNA tracing just shows where a person has been, not where that person actually is.   Full or partial facial recognition doesn’t give you much unless you know the person’s pattern.   Thermal imaging can’t tell exactly who is there. All this data that tracks our every move needs interpretation.   Sure, there are algorithms and all this other schmact that I don’t care about to analyze our thoughts and future actions.   However, they can’t do my job. When a Patrolbot enters a less than reputable den, criminals scatter like cockroaches.   I enter like I’m one of them.   And they always give up information for the right price. Not everyone is cut out to be a Bounty Hunter.   My connections keep my...

The Blue Angels against a blue sky. The roar of engines tearing through the blue. The smell of jet fuel mingling with sunscreen. Fighting against the tidal wave of the hordes. Yesterday, I attended the Air Show. The flying was amazing. What I learned: What people can train their bodies to endure is incredible. 5 Gs? Most of us would have passed out well before. In a large crowd, half will be pushing strollers. The only shade lies under the planes on display. Unless you have a hangar into which to duck. Everyone holds up their phones or tablets to take pictures. No one uses a real camera anymore, including yours truly, unless equipped with a telescopic lens. The only thing that surpasses my not so great picture taking is my attempt at video taking.  (My brother took the pic above.) I should invest in a portable phone charger. Just by watching how the planes do those tricky moves, my mind begins to roll. I am very excited to get my pen gliding a...

There’s a lot of flying in a space opera.   (I know, you’re shocked.)   Where Pirates Go to Die mainly centers around one non-Galaxy-regulated ship, the Tigerlily.   To watch some spectacular flying in person, I’m heading to the Air Show this weekend.   As many of you know, my brother is a pilot.   The aviator’s club to which he belongs gave Air Show VIP passes and is throwing a hangar party all afternoon and into the evening.   And, as a good sister, I get to go, too!   (Yay me!)   There’s a rumor that the Blue Angels will be guests at the hangar party.   Their flying is nothing short of awesome.   (Need to remember to bring earplugs for when those jets pass.)   I hope the rumor is true.   How cool would it be to meet them?   Hopefully, they will be able to give me some of their limited time to ask them plenty of questions about flying those fighter jets.   What I won’t do for research. I’m hoping to pick ...

After launching Secrets of the Sages , I have no time to rest on my laurels.   Not wanting a big celebration or party, I simply pick up my pen and keep writing. Four books are all at different stages of completion.   First, I am writing Whispers , the fourth book of the World In-between series.   It begins a couple of weeks after Secrets of the Sages ends.   Escalating war leads to a high body count and to happy occasions being crashed.   Second, I can see the end of my space opera, Where Pirates Go to Die .   Think of it as kinda like Firefly meets Pirates of the Caribbean .   It includes some interesting characters, cat and mouse chase scenes, robots (including androids), and high tech thievery. Third, I am thoroughly researching a contemporary fantasy.   And by thoroughly, I mean I read and take notes until my eyes pop out and become bloodshot.   Quite fun.   I am getting some great fodder for continuing the scene that ...

Character Building Exercise: A monologue of one of the main characters in my upcoming space opera, Where Pirates Go to Die . Naria : Captain of the Tigerlily The rumors are true. I have no man to complete me, nor a child to fulfill me. That is probably why I turned to pirating. If you believe that, I also have a moonshare to sell you. No one is going to tell me what kind of life a woman is supposed to lead. I bought the Tigerlily. I restored her and enhanced her. I also handpicked her crew—the best of the best at what they do. You think I care what anyone thinks about how I live my life? I am the Captain of this ship. My ship, my rules. Don’t like them? There’s the airlock. My ship is my pride and joy. Yes, it’s old, but she’s modified. What is so special about the Tigerlily? First, it has a hematite alloy bonded to the titanium hull. Gives her that pretty black sheen. Second, it can maneuver out of the Flyers’ laser snare. How? Like I’m going to tell you....

When people discover that my manuscripts are first handwritten, they cannot believe that I do all that extra work. Most writers type their first drafts. Very few of us bother with pen and paper. The funny thing is that I type my blog posts directly into Word. No pen, no paper and no ink on my hands. Blog posts are relatively short. I type them. Read them over. Read them aloud. Fix typos. Format. Preview. Post. One day, an idea popped into my head. It was the beginning scene for a new story. The kind of story I did not know if I would do. Sure, I wrote a dystopian science fiction, but would I touch a space opera? I did. And I decided to write it solely on the computer. Opening my extremely old version of Word, I typed my typical manuscript title page. When I started page 2, I changed the normal style to my self-made manuscript format style. I typed, “Chapter 1,” then hit enter. My opening scene sprang to life magically from the blinking cursor. Black letters in times ...