Blog Post 6 Five Authors I’d Like to Meet

1. Devika Fernando. She’s been an amazing inspiration for me, and I’m honored to have done some collaborative work with her. As a new writer, I was shocked when SHE reached out to me, and told me she admired MY work. *thud* ME? I’m new at this? I have no idea what I’m doing! In the last eighteen months, I have learned so much through our friendship, and it’s great knowing she’ll give me helpful and honest writing advice. Living on opposite sides of the world makes things complicated, and lately our schedules are off, I miss REALLY getting to talk to her. But it’s also a kick to know I can send her a little blurb or sneak peak, and she’ll see it when I’m sound asleep and I’ll wake up to messages like, ‘I hate you; you are evil’ or ‘sfkfdksaf DEAD.” (That’s my favorite!)
2. Monica Corwin. Monica is also a great friend to go to for advice! I lucked out with a writing group I fell into nearly two years ago, when I was still just writing drabbles and fan fics. Monica has always been so kind to me, and encouraging. I’d love to pick her brain and ask her the important questions, like ‘HOW DO YOU DO IT?’ Seriously, she has a new book nearly every two months and she is SO GOOD at the marketing game. I swear, the woman never sleeps… And I just feel like we’d get along, hanging out at Barnes and Noble, talking writing, Doctor Who or Harry Potter…
3. Amanda Samaroo. She’s a screenwriter and her scripts are PHENOMENAL. She truly writes from the heart and holds true to the theory ‘write what you know’ and uses it as a way to work through life's big issues. I read a scene and I just wanna wrap a blanket around her and hold her in my arms. When one of her pieces finally makes it to the big screen, I’ll have the tissues ready. Added bonus? I could talk to her all day. I LOVE her Southern accent! She always apologizes for it when we chat, but it’s really the most adorable thing about her.
4. Bridget Blackburn. Ok. Call it a cheat. I’ve met Bridget once at Penned Con, for about five minutes. We bonded over my fangirl bag with a mintmintdoodles drawing of Captain America and Wonder Woman! But through the course of social media, we’ve had a chance to chat several times, and every time I reach out to her with a question, she’s been SO AMAZING to answer back and take time out of her busy day to talk with me! (Which is why I feel SO TOTALLY GUILTY I have an email she sent me I just found two days ago with some stuff to read, but life got super crazy and I’m planning to read it TODAY!) And Bridget totally rocks the mermaid hair look, with blues, pinks and purples and she just looks so great! How could I not want to sit down with her again?! Imo’s pizza, Bridget? (giggles)
5. The Lucky Seven girls! That’s what we’ve taken to calling the group of writers who are working on the 52 Week Blog Challenge! I’m so happy to call Lisa Andrew (thewife101) my best friend, already. She’s mine! I found her first. Y’all should just be happy I share her with the rest of you. She’s really an amazing writer, and if she hadn’t encouraged me when I started sharing stories with her, I wouldn’t be here today. She believed in me, and shared everything she knew about writing, posting and how to do the PR game. We’re kinda on this journey together. When my friend Gisela Grey started talking about this blog challenge, I thought it would be fun. I had no idea it would lead me to a new group of writer friends! It’s all fallen into place in just the last few weeks, during a period when I’ve been on a real life roller coaster of emotions and setbacks, so I’ll be honest, I haven’t had a good chance to really connect with the other girls yet, but it’s nice knowing they have my back! And the fact we all are fans of Supernatural is just an added bonus!

I think my general theme is 'authors who are friendly and helpful.' I’ve encountered some who want to act like everything is a big secret, or they’re better than me because they have a publishing company and I’m ‘just self-published.’ To that, I say ‘screw you.’ I spent just as much time writing AND I had selection over my own book cover! *shrugs shoulders* At the end of the day, the market is big enough for us all, and hopefully, one day I’ll be named on someone’s list like this, as someone who was willing to help other up and coming writers…

If you wanna know how the Lucky Seven feel about this week's topic, check out the following blogs for other inspiring authors!
​
Gisela Gray
​giselagreywrites.wordpress.com/
twitter.com/GGwritesromance

Lisa Andrew
twitter.com/TheWife101
lisaandrewerotica.wordpress.com/category/52-week-blog-challenge/

Autumn McKayne
https://autumnmckayne.com/secrets-of-a-romance-writer/
https://twitter.com/autumnmckayne

Charlie Knight
http://cknightwrites.com/
https://twitter.com/CKnightWrites

Felicity Davenport
https://felicitydavenport.com/category/52-week-challenge/
https://twitter.com/FelicitysQuill

Thanks!
Love, 
​Cass​

​                SOOOO MANY BOOKS! But if I had to narrow it down to one book that influenced me, I’d have to say it was Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone.
                So let me tell you my Potter story… I’d read books 1-4 because the kids I worked with liked them and told me I should read them. I did. *shrugs* No big deal.
                Fast forward about 6 months. Hubs got a new job. In the process of moving across the state and leaving my city life behind to move to the country, the kids stayed with family friends and were in a car accident. I spent two days in the Peds ICU with one of the boys. When we finally got to the new house, I was a mess. Hadn’t slept in two days and couldn’t even find my favorite clothes to wear. Boxes were everywhere. Everything was a mess. And I was alone.
                I sat on the floor crying, needing something to ease the pain. I had the overwhelming urge to read, but didn’t know where my boxes were. From where I sat in the new den, with my back against the couch, I could see in the dim light (it was around one am) a box labeled ‘Boys Books.’ I crawled over and pushed off the other boxes on top. I pulled off the box lid and sitting on top was Harry. I pulled it out and started reading it. Something about it sucked me in, called to me, spoke to me in a way a book never had before…
                Over the next few days, as I unpacked box after box, I would take reading breaks and catch up with Harry and his friends. The story was addictive. Jo wrote in such a way that I could see everything, almost reach out and touch it… I sped through the four books we had, and made my first online purchase, ordering Book 5. It was all I could talk about.
                Driving around our new town, exploring, the kids were excited to discover a small movie theater was showing Prisoner of Azkaban.  I challenged the oldest two children to read the books and then we could see the movies. For weeks they read, and we kept returning to the little library in our new town, checking out more books and the other movies.
                For me, it was something to do. I was a stay at home mom. After working for so many years, once the house was settled, I was honestly a little bored. The three-year-old kept me busy while the older kids were in school, and he loved when I’d read him the stories. While he played, I would find early internet chat rooms to discuss Potter plots and theories.
                The series helped keep me grounded when I was going through some depression from all the changes in my life. I was able to connect with other people and talk about the stories. My kids saw my enthusiasm for the books, and they wanted to read more.  Our oldest son had the most struggles after the move and the books also helped him a lot. It was a bond we shared, and I even took him many months later when Order of the Phoenix came out to a midnight book party.
                It’s often said Harry Potter is the gateway drug… It’s true. It was my first taste at fandom life, being a part of a bigger group invested in something. It was amazing. It led me to liking other ‘nerdy’ things, reaching out to others to share a mutual love and adoration.  It always amazes me that words on a page could bring people together in such a way, worldwide. That’s an amazing feat!
                I often think of where Jo was in her life when she started writing, and how the story fell into place… Her attention to detail still astonishes me, and when I write, I want readers to be able to see the room in much the same way Jo helped us to see Hogwarts…
                Her story inspired me simply to keep going. In times of hardships and darkness in my life, I often quote from the books. But as someone who also works with children, the quote ‘What an idiot!’ also has its place.
                The books will always have a place on my shelf, but most importantly in my heart. Now, not to seem dramatic, and I’m not even making this up, but I’m going to log off now, because my youngest just came in the room and said, ‘Mom, it seems like a Harry Potter day- let’s watch Goblet of Fire.”
                I can’t say no to that…

​Want to know about other author’s thoughts? Lucky for you, my fabulous friends are part of this challenge too. Hop over to their blogs and/or Twitter to find out more!

Gisela Gray
​giselagreywrites.wordpress.com/
twitter.com/GGwritesromance

Lisa Andrew
twitter.com/TheWife101
lisaandrewerotica.wordpress.com/category/52-week-blog-challenge/

Autumn McKayne
https://autumnmckayne.com/secrets-of-a-romance-writer/
https://twitter.com/autumnmckayne

Charlie Knight
http://cknightwrites.com/
https://twitter.com/CKnightWrites

Felicity Davenport
https://felicitydavenport.com/category/52-week-challenge/
https://twitter.com/FelicitysQuill

Thanks!
Love, 
​Cass

           I had the opportunity on vacation recently to announce “I’m a writer” to a random stranger! It felt so amazing. In the book shop in New York, when all my purchases were items with quotes about writing and editing, the clerk laughed and said, “I take it you’re a writer?”
                I happily said “Yes! I’m a writer.”
                I don’t think I’d ever said it that way before. In my ‘real life’ I typically keep it to myself, or act like they’re just little drabbles for fun. Very few people I know face to face have knowledge that I’m a published author of two novels, with two more in the editing stages.
                I think back three years ago, to the person I was before I started writing again. She was really close minded, a bit judgmental… Somehow, as my fingers started to fly over the keyboard, pouring my heart and soul into the little black keys, so my blood and tears spilled onto the screen, a new ME was born.
                The new ME laughs more, and loudly. My friends are more diverse and have helped open my eyes to so many new things and experiences. I make inappropriate comments, lewd references and share my opinions more, to the point of arguing to be heard. Some days I feel like I have no filter and I’m not afraid of anything.  I’m the quiet, shy, passive person I once was…
                I like the new ME. I’ve worked hard to become her. To answer the prompt for today, I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t write because the little hobby has taken over my life, and changed me, for the better.

Want to know about other author’s thoughts? Lucky for you, my fabulous friends are part of this challenge too. Hop over to their blogs and/or Twitter to find out more!

Gisela Gray
​giselagreywrites.wordpress.com/
twitter.com/GGwritesromance

Lisa Andrew
twitter.com/TheWife101
lisaandrewerotica.wordpress.com/category/52-week-blog-challenge/

Autumn McKayne
https://autumnmckayne.com/secrets-of-a-romance-writer/
https://twitter.com/autumnmckayne

Charlie Knight
http://cknightwrites.com/
https://twitter.com/CKnightWrites

Felicity Davenport
https://felicitydavenport.com/category/52-week-challenge/
https://twitter.com/FelicitysQuill

Thanks!
Love, 
​Cass

I think the better question is, how much of me ISN'T in my stories?  In my first creations, still unpublished works, many of the characters are close to me, in their actions and beliefs.  In some ways, the characters come off as "Mary Sues," almost too likable to be believed. In edits, I need to go back and more real challenges to these original characters.

I'm generally a happy person, and believe in the good in others. I find with writing romance, this is good! As a reader myself, I want the characters to find their own happiness, despite any little hardships along the way.

Each story has bits and pieces of my real life. Family anecdotes or memories I'd like to preserve. Only those closest to me will be able to pick out those details. Sometimes choosing fact from fiction is difficult, but my readers should know me a little better after reading my works.

​Love, Cass

I know some of the girls wrote about their earliest memories of writing, but that's not how I took this prompt. While I was wracking my brain to remember about writing, I saw a tumblr post about smells and memories. The memory that came to me was the smell of the hardware store. My childhood smelled like this... My dad traveled a lot when I was a kid, but ever since I can remember, if he was home, we would get up on Saturday mornings, watch morning cartoons and have cereal. My brother and I would wait for Mom and Dad to wake up and we would run errands together, always stopping at the hardware store. I remember the sweet smell of fresh cut wood and the pungent, harsh smell of the nuts and bolts aisle.

After leaving the hardware store, we always went to the "fancy" McDonald's on the other side of town. It was fancy because it had a section of the restaurant where we had to walk down steps to get to the booths.. On Saturdays with McDonald's with Dad, we always paid with orange money. I didn't know till years later, those orange slips were coupons from the bank. At the bank Mom used, for every $5 a parent put in a child's savings account, the family was given a free happy meal coupon.

After lunch, we'd go home and watch Soul Train and the Muppets, play 'Old Maid,' and fix popcorn while waiting to watch Love Boat on TV.