“Not Only for ‘Paranormal Romance Girlies’”: A Review of Submerged (A Something in the Water Story) by Ashley Castañón
(self-published, 2025). ISBN: 979-8-9989790-2-6 First novels are a very big deal, especially when the Author’s Note at the conclusion explains that it was five years in the making. That it wasn’t always easy. That there was lots of support and assistance from family and friends and moments of tear-provoking doubt. I wrote my first novel 17 years ago. Although I’d already had four nonfiction books published, I still remember the disappointments. The struggles. The moments of tear-provoking doubt. And the celebration when the author’s copies arrived. I have written fourteen books, fiction and nonfiction, since, and each one feels like it’s the first. I briefly met Submerged ’s enthusiastic, well-spoken author several weeks ago at an indie author event in our local town square. She spent some time looking over my books, selected two, and asked if I wanted to do a trade. Knowing only a little about what she wrote—Ashley is NOT one of those authors who goes into way too much d...
