Zoraida Córdova

Zoraida Córdova is an Ecuadorian-American author of children's books and romance, best known for her Brooklyn Brujas series. She also writes romance as Zoey Castile.

Personal life Córdova was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador and came to the United States when she was five or six years old. English is her second language.

She grew up in Hollis, Queens. Her favorite books in high school were In the Forests of the Night and Demon in my View by Amelia Atwater Rhodes, which she first read at age 13.

Córdova attended the National Book Foundation’s writing camps in high school, with the help of a supportive teacher, and the Summer Solstice writing conference at Pine Manor college.

Selected works Córdova wrote her first query letter to a literary agent when she was 17. She wrote two more novels before writing the novel that ultimately made her able to get literary representation.

The Vicious Deep Series

Córdova wrote what would become her debut novel, The Vicious Deep, as part of the National Novel Writing Month in 2010.

Brooklyn Brujas Series

Her second young adult series, Brooklyn Brujas (Witches), originally began as a Latinx version of Charmed and has been inspired by Córdova's Ecuadorian heritage. Córdova says that she wanted to write about identity, family, and magic, while being inclusive of people of color, without taking from preexisting mythologies, ultimately creating a fictional pantheon of gods, inspired by many different Latin American cultures. She worked on multiple drafts of what would become the first novel, Labyrinth Lost, for years before it ultimately sold in 2014. It was published by Sourcebooks in September 2016 and received a starred review from School Library Journal. In April 2017, it was announced that Paramount had acquired movie rights to the novel. the project is still in early development and no producer or writer has been attached yet. This book, titled Wayward Witch, followed a new character named Rose that was pulled through a portal into the land of Adas. She has to work to try and fix the problems of that land in her attempt to return home.

Star Wars

She wrote the short story "You Owe Me a Ride", included in the short story collection Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View, featuring 40 authors' takes on stories taking place during the first Star Wars film, Star Wars: A New Hope, as told through the perspective of supporting characters. The collection was released in October 2017.

Córdova is also the author A Crash of Fate, a Star Wars canon universe novel released by Disney-Lucasfilm Press in August 2019. It tells the story of Izzy and Jules, two best friends on the run from vengeful smugglers and pirates.

In October 2018, it was announced that she would be co-editing a young adult fantasy anthology featuring called Vampires Never Get Old together with author Natalie Parker, featuring stories by authors Samira Ahmed, Julie Murphy, Rebecca Roanhorse, Laura Ruby, and Victoria Schwab. Publication is planned for fall 2020.

Her middle grade debut, The Way to Rio Luna, about an eleven-year-old who finds a book that transports him to a fairyland, was announced in October 2019 and planned for publication with Scholastic in summer 2020.