Ani Castillo

My dear friend, it's so nice to meet you! And I'm so very glad you found my books. You see, I made them so very full of love that I just hope you'll feel it while you're reading through their pages! I dreamed up, drafted, wrote, sketched, inked and painted every single page with lots of care and lots of heart. If you'd like to know a little bit more about me, well, let me see: Let's start from the beginning. I was born in Guadalajara, Mexico. And I loved it there! It was raining extremely hard the day I came out of my Mamaita, and I think maybe that's the reason why I adore the rain so much. My Mom is a psychologist and my Dad is a musician. For many many years I had really bad social anxiety, and that's why I wrote PING! (Little Brown, 2019). Because I realized that I can only put my heart out into the world, and I cannot control how the world is going to receive it. I can only Ping! Then, while going through a very difficult divorce, I wrote SPARK (Little Brown, 2021). I wrote it when I realized that, even when things feel dark and scary and painful, if we are alive, then, we still have something to celebrate. Life is a gift and a chance and a humongous, mysterious miracle. We need to let the spark shine!!! Then, the pandemic happened!! And through loneliness and isolation, I learned that PEOPLE ARE MY FAVORITE PLACES! And that became my third book. I realized how, no matter where we go, the tenderest and most special places in our hearts are touched only by the connections we make with other humans. Places come alive when we share them with those whom we love. Before writing books, I was a cartoonist for Mexican and Canadian newspapers. Pupa and Lavinia was a printed cartoon that ran for 10 years back home in Mexico. Since my work relates to love for our fellow humans, self love and care towards one another, I've had the opportunity to work with institutions like Mental Health America, CAMH and Doctors Without Borders. Right now I'm writing a book about dating! And I hope you'll stay tuned so I can tell you about any new books that I dream up in the future. Thank you for your support and for your reviews! Your love means a lot to me. Big hugs!! Ani