Castoro, Laura (Ann) 1948-

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CASTORO, Laura (Ann) 1948-

(Laura Parker)

PERSONAL: Born September 18, 1948, in Fort Worth, TX; daughter of David Edward (a dentist) and Mary Dell (a teacher; maiden name, Guinn) Parker; married Christopher Castoro (in middle management), June 8, 1968; children: Theresa Marie, Anthony David, Christopher Michael. Education: Attended Howard University, 1966-68, and Texas A & I University (some sources cite University of Texas—Kingsville), 1971-73. Politics: Independent. Religion: Roman Catholic. Hobbies and other interests: Reading, travel, theater, movies, listening to rhythm and blues and classical music.

ADDRESSES: Home and office—Plano, TX. Agent—Denise Marcil, Denise Marcil Literary Agency, 316 West 82nd St., New York, N.Y. 10024.

CAREER: Writer, 1979—. Teacher of creative writing at University of North Texas and Collin County Community College; speaker at numerous conferences and workshops. Member of Higher Arts Council in Dallas, TX, and and Fort Worth, TX, both 1981-85.

MEMBER: Texas Writers Association (past member of board of directors), Greater Dallas Writers Association (cofounder, 1979; past chair).

AWARDS, HONORS: Golden Leaf Award, best historical romance, New Jersey Writers, 1995, for Impetuous; National Readers Choice Award, best long contemporary romance, 1995, for Tiger in the Rain; two "Literary Lion" citations, Southwestern Booksellers Association; several Reviewers Choice Awards, Romantic Times.

WRITINGS:

under name laura parker

Silks and Sabers, (historical romance), Dell (New York, NY), 1980.

Jim Bridger: Mountain Man (western), Dell (New York, NY), 1981.

Kit Carson: Trapper King (western), Dell (New York, NY), 1982.

Emerald and Sapphire (historical romance), Pocket Books (New York, NY), 1983.

Until Love Is Enough (contemporary romance), Avon (New York, NY), 1983.

The Perfect Choice (romance), Silhouette (Buffalo, NY), 1983.

Moth and Flame (historical romance), Pocket Books (New York, NY), 1984.

Dangerous Company (romantic suspense), Silhouette (Buffalo, NY), 1984.

Rose of the Mists (historical romance), Warner Books (New York, NY), 1985.

A Rose in Splendor (historical romance), Warner Books (New York, NY), 1986.

The Secret Rose (historical romance), Warner Books (New York, NY), 1987.

Rebellious Angels (historical romance), Warner Books (New York, NY), 1988.

A Wilder Love (historical romance), Warner Books (New York, NY), 1990.

For Love's Sake Only (historical romance), Dell (New York, NY), 1991.

Moon Shadow (historical romance), Dell (New York, NY), 1992.

Beguiled (historical romance), Dell (New York, NY), 1993.

Stranger in Town (contemporary romance), Silhouette (Buffalo, NY), 1994.

Caprice (historical romance), Dell (New York, NY), 1994.

Impetuous (historical romance), Dell (New York, NY), 1995.

Indiscreet (contemporary romance), Harlequin (Buffalo, NY), 1995.

Tiger in the Rain (contemporary romance), Silhouette (Buffalo, NY), 1995.

Together Again (contemporary romance), Silhouette (Buffalo, NY), 1995.

Risqué (historical romance), Zebra Books (Buffalo, NY), 1996.

My Own True Love (historical romance), Walmart Books, 1996.

Found: One Marriage (romance), Silhouette (Buffalo, NY), 1996.

Tempest (historical romance), Zebra Books (Buffalo, NY), 1997.

The Gamble (historical romance), Zebra Books (Buffalo, NY), 1998.

Everybody Loves Ramon (e-book; contemporary romance), MightyWords, 2000.

Mischief (historical romance), Zebra Books (New York, NY), 2002.

Notorious (historical romance), Zebra Books (New York, NY), 2003.

Contributor to anthologies, including For Auld Lang Syne, Longmeadow Press (Stamford, CT), 1995; and Summer Sizzler Anthology, Silhouette (Buffalo, NY), 1995.

other

(With David M. Bailey) Careers in Computers (young adult nonfiction), Julian Messner (New York, NY), 1985.

Crossing the Line (novel), Penguin/Putnam (New York, NY), 2002.

Castoro's books have been published in Italian, French, German, Spanish, Swedish, Russian, Polish, Dutch, Portuguese, Czech, Japanese, and Chinese.

SIDELIGHTS: Laura Castoro once told CA: "When I was growing up in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, I never had thoughts of becoming a writer. One day in the third grade I was elected secretary of my class. I was so excited that I showed the minutes of the first meeting to my father. He was happy for me but sent me back to recopy the notes because of spelling and punctuation errors. His exact words were, 'Anything worth doing is worth doing right.' After the third trip back to recopy the notes, I decided that I didn't want to be secretary of anything and I certainly didn't want to write for a living!

"Years later, when I began writing my first novel, my father's words came back to haunt me. Over the years my father had used that phrase so often in connection with any project I undertook that it had become second nature. My first book was written only for myself, but I found I was not satisfied with only guessing what people wore and ate. I went to the library to do research. Little did I know then that my book would later sell and be published.

"Now that I have several published books to my credit, I still retain that desire for perfection that makes me write over and over again until I've done the best I can do. It's a special legacy from my father and I hope to pass it on to my three children."