Laura Esquivel is not only an author, she also directs children's theater and writes children's shows for Mexican television (Esquivel, Laura). Esquivel began writing the screenplay for “Chocolate Water,” but when the producers told her the screenplay would be too expensive, she turned the story into a novel (Esquivel, Laura). “Like Water for Chocolate” uses magical realism and domestic gothic to tell a romantic story. The novel quickly became an international best seller. Esquivel was born the third of four children, and as a child, storytelling was very important in childhood (Esquivel, Laura). She grew up in Mexico City with her father, Julio Caesar Esquivel, who worked as a telegraph operator, her mother, and three other siblings (Esquivel, Laura). Esquivel and his father made up stories together and recorded them with his reel-to-reel tape recorder (Esquivel, Laura). She grew up in a Catholic family, but describes her religious background as “eclectic” (Esquivel, Laura). Furthermore, the feminist movement of the 1960s and 1970s greatly shaped Esquivel's perspective on gender relations and artistic expression. When writing his novels Esquivel used two types of writing, domestic gothic and magical realism. The first type of writing is domestic Gothic. Domestic Gothic is a female-centered hybrid of Gothic horror novels that blends the sensational with sentimental fiction (Domestic Gothic). In the 20th and 21st centuries, domestic angst pervaded literature as women sought independence and self-realization (domestic Gothic). Esquivel's novel “Like Water for Chocolate” uses domestic gothic when the mother mistreats Tita because she is the youngest daughter in the family (domestic gothic). was Laura Esquivel's best-selling novel. Domestic Gothic and magical realism are what influenced Esquivel to write this book. Her husband also helped her a lot by giving her inspiration to write screenplays. Thus “Like Water for Chocolate” was written. Works Cited Esquivel, Laura. Like water for chocolate. First Anchor, 1989. Print.Gaydosik, Victoria. "magical realism". Bloom's literature. File Web Facts, Inc.. March 26, 2014.Hutchinson, Glenn. "Esquivel, Laura." Bloom's literature. Web Facts from File, Inc.. March 26, 2014.Hutchinson, Glenn and Linda Loya. "Like water for chocolate." Bloom's literature. File Web Facts, Inc.. March 26, 2014.Snodgrass, Mary Ellen. "Domestic Gothic". Bloom's literature. File Web Facts, Inc.. March 26, 2014.Snodgrass, Mary Ellen. "Esquivel, Laura." Bloom's literature. File, Inc. Web Facts. March 26. 2014.