CHILDHOOD FEARS: ​LA LECHUZA BY V.CASTRO

South Texas is hot. Even at night the temperatures can be too stifling for a deep, wakeless slumber. Too poor for air conditioning, imagine trying to sleep with all the windows open and every midnight sound wafting through the house. This is after you’ve been told she is out there, La Lechuza. They say Lechuzas – there are more than one- have the body of an owl and the face of an old witch. Long talons cling to tree branches while sharp eyes that have mastered the dark peer into homes. They keep open ears for crying infants or misbehaving children.

So there I am, a kid thinking it was either La Lechuza or La Llorona that was going to get me for creating a fuss before bedtime. Both heard and saw all. I didn’t want to create a fuss. Yes, living in a small cramped house with extended family was uncomfortable, at best, but it was still a home. My mother didn’t need any more worries placed upon her as a single mother to two children. The food stamps and fried bologna sandwiches got us just by, just.

I would look into the night wondering what terror awaited. What horror wanted to rip away the box fan from the window to snatch me away. All my worry for my mother, our future, bullies that made it clear I didn’t fit in, not knowing where my father was or who he was with; all these nightmares had a face. She was an ugly thing that had no soul or mercy. Crying made her salivate. Pain made her cackle. I had to behave. I had to be a good girl for my mother’s sake because God knows she had cried so many tears since I could remember. But mostly I had to help with my baby sister so the evil things that you don’t see in the dark, but see you, wouldn’t steal her away.

I’m a mother now and I would never tell my children about demons. Taking away an Ipad or no sweets after dinner is enough of a warning. Thankfully, their world is a world without fear or worry. They sleep so soundly I usually call them at least three times to wake them up for school.
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I sleep better knowing they dream peacefully instead of dreading the nightmares they can’t control.

​V.Castro​

V.Castro is the author of Maria The Wanted and the Legacy of The Keepers - her debut vampire novel series and The Erotic Modern Life of Malinalli the Vampire- an erotic novella series. You can also find her horror film reviews on

​www.scifiandscary.com.

She is a Mexican American ex-pat living in the UK for the past 12 years. As a full-time mother, she                                                     dedicates her time to her family and writing.
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              Violet can be found on Instagram and Twitter @vlatinalondon or                                                                       www.vvcastro.com
                                                   Contact: vvcastro100@gmail.com

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Maria The Wanted and the Legacy of The Keepers (The Keepers Series Book 1)

Maria is a wanted woman. She's wanted by and Aztec trafficker, a cartel boss, the people she fights for, and now the Devil she can't resist.Her journey begins as a would-be immigrant turned vampire in Juarez, Mexico until the injustices of the world turn her into somehting else. She's not just out for blood, she wants answers.Maria spends twenty-two years in motel cleaning purgatory trying to keep her faith and sanity intact. When she feels all hope is lost she meets an ex-boxer that offers her a new job and teaches her to fight. During this time, she becomes an unlikely bad ass enforcer of justice for the community that has embraced her. Is she a saint or an old God from a forgotten past?

Not only does she evolve into the woman she always hoped to be, but she finds her creator – Adam- he is nothing like she imagined.  He invites Maria to travel with him to England to join The Keepers, a vampire organization led by the ancient Mordecai and Dr. Elizabeth Appleton.
Learning that the true vampire way isn’t destruction but the safety of humanity, Maria joins The Keepers as they uncover a plot set into motion by Lucifer himself. The Keepers must end his corruption through political manipulation or watch as the world hurtles towards self-destruction.

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