by Twila Bergania The first thing I told Elaine Castillo when I met her for an interview in a cozy corner of Long Bar at the Raffles Hotel was that I haven’t read her novel yet. As a journalist, it’s standard protocol to research and read before going out for an interview so I felt a little bad but she was very understanding, nodding with a smile that seemed to glow because of the tiny candlelight flickering in between us. Perhaps it wasn’t so surprising given that we were there to witness her book launch. The event was presented by…