Title: SONG OF THE BORICUA
Author: Olivia Castillo
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 335
Genre: Fiction
Author: Olivia Castillo
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 335
Genre: Fiction
BOOK BLURB:
Elena: Resilient and ambitious, but trapped by duty to her children.
Maria: Passionate and headstrong, but married to a man she does not love. Josephina: Optimistic and romantic, but in love with an alcoholic.
Isabella: Clairvoyant and spiritual, but denies her heritage and roots.
Like the land these women are held hostage, unfulfilled and unable to find their happiness. Each generation like the land is cursed. Can they defy the powerful bond of the curse and free themselves to find love everlasting?
New Author, Olivia Castillo, like the jibaros of the past weaves a tale of sorrow and joy. Castillos’ fiction is timely, offering a glimpse into the islands rich history and offering insight into the story that has plagued women for all of time, the search for true love and acceptance of self.
ORDER YOUR COPY:
Amazon
Book Excerpt 1 - Chapter 1
Maria
Bronx,
NY, 1957
Maria
stared into the mirror, enchanted by the face that was reflected before her.
Her high cheekbones accentuated full, papaya-tinted cheeks. Large doe-like eyes
were framed by a double set of lashes. She smiled at her reflection, a small
Shirley Temple dimple playfully accenting her plump lips. She liked what she
saw.
She
danced in front of the chipped mirror that hung above the crumbling Art Deco
sink to a mambo playing on the radio. Maria Isabella Sierra had just turned
sixteen and was excited to be going to her first high school dance. Her dress
was a crimson satin that showed off each one of her perfect curves. Mami had
gotten the material for a good price from the clothing factory where she
worked.
The
fabric’s hue enhanced her coloring and her dark-chocolate hair hung in waves,
softly caressing her back. Corinna, her little sister, watched Maria as she lay
draped across the bed.
“That
dress is too tight on you; makes your wazoo look enormous,” she said snidely,
suppressing a fake yawn and stretching her arms above her. Corinna resented her
older sister Maria, who always acted like she was better than everyone else.
Corinna
was two years younger and was as thin as a stalk of sugarcane. Her black-button
eyes peeped out from under a bushel of dark, curly hair. She was also unhappy
because she had to wear a polka-dotted dress that tied in the back. “Cállate.
You are just jealous,” Maria said with a sneer as she continued to do her
makeup, perfecting her cat eyes.
“Geez,
don’t go ape. Mami says I’m gonna be your chaperone,” Corinna responded
gleefully. Maria, ignoring her, applied ruby-red lipstick onto her full lips.
Corinna, who had inched her way toward Maria, pretended to slip, causing Maria
to smear her lipstick. “Coñio,” Maria cursed, her Bronx accent mixed with
inflections of the melodious up-and-down canon of Puerto Rico.
Olivia Castillo is a New York
native. After going to the prestigious Fiorello H. Laguardia High School of
Music & Art and Performing Arts, she went on to study graphic design at
Otis Parson's College in Los Angeles. Along with being an entrepreneur, she is
the mother of three children, and grandmother of two. When not writing or
spending time with her family, she travels the world and paints. Song
of the Boricua is her first novel.
Website Address: www.oliviacastillo.org
Blog Address: https://www.oliviacastillo.org/blog
Twitter Address: https://twitter.com/oliviacauthor
Facebook Address: https://www.facebook.com/songoftheboricua/
