Librarian’s corner: Author Linda Castillo

Linda Castillo. Photo from www.lindacastillo.com

by Amelia Herron, Manchester District Library

From a young age, Linda Castillo knew where life was going to take her. At 13, she wrote her first novel! It was about twin sisters who ran away from home on their horses, which mimicked her relationship with her own horses. However, she never finished that novel.

Castillo started publishing novels in 2000, and has since written over 30 books. Her most famous series is called the Kate Burkholder series, which contains nine books so far, and one short story. The first novel in that series, Sworn to Silence, became so popular that it was adapted into a two-hour long original movie, retitled An Amish Movie. She moved from Ohio to Florida, where she met her husband, and then to Texas, where they both currently live.

Even though her Kate Burkholder series is set in Amish country, Castillo doesn’t actually have a personal connection to the Amish community. Her brother-in-law is actually responsible for the series being written in the first place, when he took Castillo to the Amish community in which he grew up. She realized what stark contrast murder mysteries would be, displayed against the pacifist nature that is usually associated with the Amish community. She continues to visit Amish communities and read up on Amish culture to be as accurate as possible.

Castillo has published three books this year; Lay Down the Law, In Dark Company, and A Gathering of Secrets. The latter two are part of the Kate Burkholder series. 

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by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and founder of the Manchester Mirror.