Greetings and welcome to the first in a series of author interviews!
As most of you know, I recently changed publishers. After the endless hours of self-doubt and the entire range of emotions, I realized that the deed is done (don't worry about it now), and I have an entire new crop of authors to get to know. How do you get to know so many people in a short amount of time? Interview them, of course.
Over the next several weeks, I will be interviewing a few of the authors from Line by Lion Publishing (linebyline.com). These authors cover every genre and age group.
First off, let's meet Cassie.
M: Hello Cassie, and welcome. You are the first of my interviews...my guinea pig, as it were.
C: Thank you. Its great to be here.
M: Tell us a little about yourself?
C: Well, I’m a 36 year old mom of two girls. I currently live in Michigan but I’ve lived in Colorado and Washington state as well as several places across Michigan. I’ve been married for 10 years this year (which is crazy because I never thought I’d get married OR have kids! I planned on being a wondering soul my whole life), I met my husband after he finished active duty in the Air Force.
I LOVE animals, we currently have a small zoo with ferrets, cats, dogs and turtles! I also like dirt-biking, singing, and hiking.
M: Singing? I've been told I have a voice for silent movies, so kudos for that talent! When did you
start writing?
C: I’ve been
writing my whole life. I actually wrote the original version of The Stone
Doorway while traveling with my dad when I was in 3rd grade! I
tinkered with it over the years and when Line by Lion approached me, I rewrote
it again and here we are! I’ve also kept all the things I’ve written over the
years in this old trunk my brother in law got off a sailboat years ago, it is
full of notebooks and even old floppy discs of my writing.
M: I have those same notebooks! The series I'm writing now actually involves the characters I wrote in Jr. High and High School. Sounds like a lot of authors I've talked to. So, lets talk about your writing. What is your writing routine?
M: "Mid-novel blues." Haven't heard it put like that before. So, we know your writing style and routine, but w hat is your
genre, and what inspires you to write that
genre?
C: The Stone
Doorway is a young adult fantasy, many of my other unfinished works are either
adult or older YA horror or dystopian. But what I like about The Stone Doorway
is that when I rewrote it this last time I realized there was a stronger
message I could tell apart from the characters being trapped in a parallel
universe. I found I could show my main character, who is a teenage girl,
getting over bullying and abuse and finding her inner hero. She never gives up
and finally realizes she doesn’t need someone to save her, she can save
herself. And I thought that was so important right now, especially with the
bullying epidemic in our country. So, I like that in the young adult genre you
can tell a story, even a fictional one, that can deeply impact kids and teens
in a positive way.
M: Sequels can be tough. All the matching to the first book, and foreshadowing for the next. Best of luck on that!
Let's talk a little more about you. What makes you...you?
C: That’s a hard one. I tend to be very happy and always laughing but have a severe passion for truth and justice. It seriously bothers me when people are deceitful or are getting away with doing something that is just wrong. I make friends wherever I go, if I go to the store I will leave having met at least one new person. I try to smile at everyone, especially people who look like there are having a horrible day. I’ve had those days and sometimes kindness and a smile can turn it all around. I am also very passionate about fairy gardens.
C: Well, apart from
raising happy and healthy kids, I definitely want to travel more. I want to see
Stonehenge and the Redwood forests. I would also love to buy an RV and just
travel the country someday. And of course, publish more books!
As most of you know, I recently changed publishers. After the endless hours of self-doubt and the entire range of emotions, I realized that the deed is done (don't worry about it now), and I have an entire new crop of authors to get to know. How do you get to know so many people in a short amount of time? Interview them, of course.
Over the next several weeks, I will be interviewing a few of the authors from Line by Lion Publishing (linebyline.com). These authors cover every genre and age group.
First off, let's meet Cassie.
C: Thank you. Its great to be here.
M: Tell us a little about yourself?
C: Well, I’m a 36 year old mom of two girls. I currently live in Michigan but I’ve lived in Colorado and Washington state as well as several places across Michigan. I’ve been married for 10 years this year (which is crazy because I never thought I’d get married OR have kids! I planned on being a wondering soul my whole life), I met my husband after he finished active duty in the Air Force.
I LOVE animals, we currently have a small zoo with ferrets, cats, dogs and turtles! I also like dirt-biking, singing, and hiking.
C: I’ve been
writing my whole life. I actually wrote the original version of The Stone
Doorway while traveling with my dad when I was in 3rd grade! I
tinkered with it over the years and when Line by Lion approached me, I rewrote
it again and here we are! I’ve also kept all the things I’ve written over the
years in this old trunk my brother in law got off a sailboat years ago, it is
full of notebooks and even old floppy discs of my writing.
C: I am old school. I hand write my first draft, then type it in and use that as my editing process.
M: I've used that process. Hard on the carpel tunnel, lol. Do you
outline, or do you fly by the seat of your pants when you write? Why?
C: I tend to
just fly by the seat of my pants but when I began working on the sequel to The
Stone Doorway I outlined it and the third installment, just so I knew
where I was going. I didn’t want to get to the end and not have things line up
or not make since. Doing that has made me realize the benefit of outlining
though. I used to get “mid-novel blues” and I realized that outlining helps me
get through that rough patch during the thick of story.
C: The Stone
Doorway is a young adult fantasy, many of my other unfinished works are either
adult or older YA horror or dystopian. But what I like about The Stone Doorway
is that when I rewrote it this last time I realized there was a stronger
message I could tell apart from the characters being trapped in a parallel
universe. I found I could show my main character, who is a teenage girl,
getting over bullying and abuse and finding her inner hero. She never gives up
and finally realizes she doesn’t need someone to save her, she can save
herself. And I thought that was so important right now, especially with the
bullying epidemic in our country. So, I like that in the young adult genre you
can tell a story, even a fictional one, that can deeply impact kids and teens
in a positive way.
M: Sounds fantastic! Is that what you are working on now? Your current work in progress?
C: Yes. Right now I am working on a sequel to The Stone Doorway which will be called The Stone Doorway: The Children. I have one dystopian book in the works and one horror story that I haven’t decided on an ending to, but I plan on doing the sequel next.
M: Sounds like some good ol' southern hospitality...in Michigan. I bet that attitude helps at conventions. Do you go to conventions in your area?
C: I do! I tend to stick to the Midwest (Michigan, Indiana, Ohio etc.) but recently started looking at Colorado and Washington so I can bring my book to my west coast homes.
M: That's right, you said you lived on the west coast a while. But, let's get a little more...personal. What kind of
things...are on your bucket list?
C: Well, apart from
raising happy and healthy kids, I definitely want to travel more. I want to see
Stonehenge and the Redwood forests. I would also love to buy an RV and just
travel the country someday. And of course, publish more books!
M: Stonehenge is exceptional, and inspirational. The RV idea is awesome, I mean, you can write anywhere! So, who is your favorite author?
C: Marie Lu wrote an amazing trilogy call Legend and it was seriously the best series I had read since Hunger Games. Another great one is Taherah Mafi. I read her Shatter Me series shortly after I finished the final draft of The Stone Doorway and her main character Juliet is so perfect. I was actually jealous because she so perfectly wrote a character that I was trying capture with Tori. Mafi did such a great job I would stop reading and be like “AH! Why didn’t I think of that!”
And of course, I have to shout out to Poe. He’ll never get old.
M: Sounds like some serious influences. What are you reading now?
C: Right now I’m working on my masters in early childhood education so I’m mostly reading scholarly articles. I typically read dystopian novels, but loved Gone Girl and Girl on a Train.
M: I know your time is valuable with kids, school, writing and thinking about writing, so just a few more questions, if that's alright?
C: Of course.
M: Let's get back to writing. Any advice for
up and coming authors?
C: Writing is
hard. Coming up with an idea is the easy part, getting it out of your head onto
paper is the hard part. But just write. Write gibberish until the real stuff
comes out. Make yourself write. And never worry about what the final draft will
look like while you’re writing the rough draft.
M: Those are true words, couldn't have said it better! Anything else
you want the readers to know?
C: I still get
ridiculously happy when I hear people talk about my characters. It’s very
strange for me to hear characters I’ve known almost my whole life being talked
about by other people, it makes me giddy. I love to hear from fans too. It
makes my day.
M: Well, Cassie, thank you for taking the time to meet with me today. Where can we
learn more about you? Find out more
about your books?
C: I am all over the web. You can check out:
I even have a book trailer at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVzXR2Rdzto
And, the first two chapters are also on youtube. read by me!
M: Well, if you can sing, I'm sure you can narrate! Thanks for dropping by, and best of luck to you.
C: Thanks, Kyle.
A big thanks to Cassie for volunteering to be the first victim for this series. It was a lot of fun, and I hope that you--the reader--will check out the links above and find out more about Cassie and her books.
And stay tuned! Another Line by Lion author will be interviewed next week!
Until then,
Write On!
Kyle
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