I’d save some money, quit, travel for a while, and then find another job.

I didn’t go to college, I went to work-in a drapery factory, a massage studio, and a pizza parlor. MC: When I was fourteen, my aerospace engineer father was transferred from Charlotte, North Carolina to Southern California and then laid off with hundreds of other aerospace engineers when I was a senior in high school. Can you share a bit about your background? She lives in Huntington Beach, California with her husband, who plays ukulele, and their terrorist cat, Riley.

Mary joins me today to chat about her new novel, her short stories, and her poems which have appeared in publications such as The Sonora Review, 166 Palms, Lunch Ticket and The Ear. She and I first met virtually while taking online classes from Stanford University’s creative writing program. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn a small amount from qualifying purchases at no cost to you.Mary Camarillo is the award-winning author of the debut novel The Lockhart Women published by She Writes Press in June of 2021. This post may contain Amazon Affiliate links. The Lockhart Women (She Writes Press, June 1, 2021) is available through: The ending is satisfyingly rich as these women overcome their emotional issues and become their best selves, strong and emotionally independent. The men here, with one exception, are egocentric, poor providers, physically and/or mentally abusive, and heavily into alcohol or drugs. Told in alternating points of view, the novel shows the inner workings of the three women, their motivations, their consistently poor judgment (even Peggy’s part) and misplaced loyalties to men who aren’t worthy. Though they never seem particularly close-knit as a family, the sudden change in their lifestyle causes an increasing distance between them. The main characters are the mother (Brenda), the older, more serious daughter (Peggy), and the younger, more flighty daughter (Allison). His loss is more than an emotional deprivation as it increases their emotional stressors as it cuts their income and forces them to move to a less desirable neighborhood. The character development is excellent, showing how a wife and two daughters handle the father moving out to live with a new love.

The reader can see the parallels between the life of the high-and-mighty Simpson and that of this commonplace family and realize that domestic abuse crosses all classes. Simpson murder and later his robbery trials, and each woman becomes obsessed in her own way with the televised legal morass. Stranded through the novel is the television coverage of the 1994-1995 O.J. She captures the epitome of a modern dysfunctional family. The Lockhart Women by Mary Camarillo doesn’t read as a debut novel.