SELENE CASTROVILLA

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” – Gandhi

I always knew I was a writer. The first time I held a pencil, I knew it was my instrument. I followed the scent of words the way other people salivate when inhaling fresh-baked pie.

Through my writing, I’m being that change Gandhi spoke of. Though I choose varied topics, humanity is at the core of everything I write. "What" happened is not nearly as interesting as "why" it happened. Whether I’m writing about the Revolutionary War or last week, I’m really writing about people, about us. What’s in our hearts never changes. So what’s the change I wish to see in the world? Love. We need more love, and compassion.

The Dalai Lama said: “Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive.”

Success hasn’t come overnight for me. I’ve worked hard, and experienced mega rejection. But I always believed in my work, and knew it would prevail. This is my strongest advice, no matter what you choose to do: believe in yourself.

Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.”

The other thing you have to do besides believe is to study your craft. I did that too. I hold a Master of Fine Art degree in Creative Writing from New School University, and a Bachelor of English degree from New York University.

My favorite writer is William Shakespeare. If you groaned just now, that means you didn’t have a great teacher to introduce you properly to the genius that Shakespeare was. I was fortunate enough to have such a teacher in tenth grade, and I fell in love with Macbeth (the play, not the character. The character is not very lovable, nor is his wife.) Thank you, thank you, Mrs.Israel of Lawrence High School, wherever you are. You helped shape my life. If you read my novel SAVED BY THE MUSIC, you’ll get the gist of why I love Shakespeare so much. (Don’t roll your eyes, there’s lots more going on in the book, too.) Shakespeare’s most famous quote is how I try to live my life: “This above all: To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man.”

My favorite book is THE CATCHER IN THE RYE. Read it and you’ll know why. It never gets old.

My favorite color is purple, and I tend to surround myself with it.

My favorite dessert is flan, but I don’t have it often because I avoid dairy and sugar (also wheat, but it’s not an ingredient in flan.)

I live on Long Island with my two sons, who sometimes think it’s cool to have a mom who writes at home. Sometimes, though, they hate it. This is because it’s hard to write and listen simultaneously, and so they get "shooshed" a lot. Sorry guys, but I need to get those thoughts down!

Oscar Wilde said: “Anyone who tells the truth is bound to be found out sooner or later.”

It is my aim to tell the truth, at least as it appears to be, to me.

I’m quite blessed to be able to do this daily.

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