The First Sandcastle: A Novel

Marlo Clemente is a young remarkable artist—a prodigy you can say. At age six, he can sketch freehand portraits and elaborate landscape settings—though neither his mother nor father ever acknowledge his extraordinary talent. Caught between his parent’s constant tribulations at home, Marlo matures only to doubt whether his "sandcastle dreams" will ever live beyond fairy tale legend. 

Desiree Castillo, with dazzling green eyes and clumsy lisp, has big dreams of her own. She even tells of a story of the first sandcastle ever—one which, legend has it, was built long ago near the Yucatan Peninsula. Faced with a strong fascination towards Desiree and his dreams of castles that never fall, Marlo battles his most passionate fears of countless tides, lonely moons, and wishful stars.