It turns out, there is life after Halloween for The Root Witch! Several wonderful things happened for my eco-horror novel set in a spooky aspen forest in Utah. Book Riot included it in a list of plant-based horror titles. Which was so amazing! I didn't pitch it, so I was [...]
The Copper Man, the third novel in the Dark Earth Rising Series, is due for release in late February or early March 2023. And that is the cover! It’s the first one that has a creepy figure and not just a hidden face (The Devil’s Shallows), red eyes (The Monsters [...]
If you read The Root Witch: An Urban Legend Caught on Tape short story, I thank you! If you left a review saying the story was too short and wanted more, as many did, you got your wish! Those comments rattled around in my head. But could I do it? [...]
First off, thanks for stopping by. I’m going to do my best to update this as often as time allows. The purpose is to answer any questions you might have. If it doesn’t, shoot me an email at debracastaneda831@gmail.com. I may write scary books, but I’m a friendly person who [...]
Did The Monsters of Chavez Ravine hit the bestseller list? No. Did I make a lot of money publishing the urban fantasy novella? Hell no. Did I get all sweaty and clammy waiting for the first reviews to roll in? Oh yeah. By the little plumed hat of El Santo [...]
The Monsters of Chavez Ravine will always be my favorite “book child,” so I was thrilled to learn that it’s an International Latino Book Awards finalist for Best Novel Fantasy/Sci-Fi English. Empowering Latino Futures will announce the awards in October. Here’s why it’s such a big deal to me: 1. [...]
May 8, 1959 is a day that Rachel Cantu will never forget. It’s the day Los Angeles sheriff’s deputies forcibly evicted her family from their grandparents’ home in the Palo Verde neighborhood of Chavez Ravine. The media had turned out in force, so there are lots of photos from that [...]
My mother always wore her hair short. Really short. It looked fantastic on her with her high cheekbones and high-bridged nose. Then I was scrolling online and saw one of those clickbait galleries that show you what a famous person would look like today. Love those! My big takeaway is [...]
The Monsters of Chavez Ravine is an urban fantasy, but it's based on real events that happened in Los Angeles. I had some choices to make in writing this story with its theme of social injustice. I wrote about it for the online literary magazine, "Women Writers, Women's Books." If [...]
Starting out as an independent author publishing her own books, I quickly came to realize how important reviews are to attracting more readers. One learns fast. MUST. GET. REVIEWS. If a potential reader happens upon your book and sees it has no ratings or reviews next to it, well, it [...]
