Cassie Scot is the ungifted daughter of powerful sorcerers, born between worlds but belonging to neither. At 21, all she wants is to find a place for herself, but earning a living as a private investigator in the shadow of her family?s reputation isn?t easy. When she is pulled into a paranormal investigation, and tempted by a powerful and handsome sorcerer, she will have to decide where she truly belongs.

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ABOUT CHRISTINE AMSDEN

Christine Amsden has been writing science fiction and fantasy for as long as she can remember. She loves to write and it is her dream that others will be inspired by this love and by her stories. Speculative fiction is fun, magical, and imaginative but great speculative fiction is about real people defining themselves through extraordinary situations. Christine writes primarily about people and it is in this way that she strives to make science fiction and fantasy meaningful for everyone.

At the age of 16, Christine was diagnosed with Stargardt’s Disease, a condition that effects the retina and causes a loss of central vision. She is now legally blind, but has not let this slow her down or get in the way of her dreams. (You can learn more here.)

In addition to writing, Christine teaches workshops on writing at Savvy Authors. She also does some freelance editing work.

Christine currently lives in the Kansas City area with her husband, Austin, who has been her biggest fan and the key to her success. They have two beautiful children.

Her latest book is Cassie Scot: ParaNormal Detective

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The Interview

Could you please tell us a little about your book?

I’ll start with the blurb:

?Cassie Scot is the ungifted daughter of powerful sorcerers, born between worlds but belonging to neither. At 21, all she wants is to find a place for herself, but earning a living as a private investigator in the shadow of her family?s reputation isn?t easy. When she is pulled into a paranormal investigation, and tempted by a powerful and handsome sorcerer, she will have to decide where she truly belongs.?

To get real about the story: This is the first novel in a four-part series. Each book is framed by a mystery (helping it come to a stopping point, if not exactly a conclusion). The series is about Cassie herself ? about a girl stuck in the middle, not sure who she is or what she is. It’s going to take all four books for her to figure that out, and a lot is going to happen to her along the way. It’s a coming of age story. A romance. And a lesson in learning to be yourself, instead of who you think you should be.

I confess I find it difficult to talk about the first book without talking about the series. I’ve written all of it, so I’m just itching for people to find out what happens.

The good news is that the books will be coming out with only months in between release dates. Secrets and Lies (book 2) is expected to come out September 15, 2013.

Did something specific happen to prompt you to write this book? Who or what is the inspiration behind this book?

I hope you don’t mind me combining these questions because the answers overlap significantly.

Cassie came to me, I didn?t go to her.

I finished The Immortality Virus late in the fall of 2008, and though I took pride in my second novel, I felt worn out (creatively). When the new year came, bringing with it the opportunity for all kinds of writerly resolutions, I decided I needed to take the year off. I would read, blog, journal, but otherwise give my muse time to heal.

I didn?t make it a year. It turns out, I really am a writer. Writers write. We can?t not write. Taking the pressure off my muse did turn out to have been a great idea, but putting a time frame on it was a bit naive.

Cassie came to me in mid-February, as I played on the floor with me (then) 9-month-old daughter. I won?t go so far as to say she popped into my head fully formed, but it was close. I sat bolt upright, my eyes probably doing that cartoon bulge, as a light bulb appeared over my head.

What if? What if the hero of a fantasy story was the only one in it without magic?

I suppose I had been reading quite a bit of urban fantasy at the time. I had just finished a Dresden Files novel by Jim Butcher (highly recommend), so it would be fair to say there was some influence there. I definitely made this my own, though.

I wrote the first line of the story as soon as my daughter went down for a nap. It read: ?My parents think the longer the name, the more powerful the sorcerer, so they named me Nicolas Merlin Apollonius Roger Scot. You can call me Nick.?

Okay, so it needed work. It didn?t take me long to realize I wanted a female heroine. Nicolas (who does not go by Nick and might set you on fire if you tried) became the oldest of Cassie?s siblings.

After that, Cassie told me new things about herself every day. I had a rough draft by the end of June.

Who is your biggest supporter?

Your biggest critic?

My husband. Me.

My husband is the one who encouraged me to follow my dream when we got married almost ten years ago. He told me to write full time and really make a go of my dream. Without him, this never would have happened.

I have the typical love/hate relationship with my own stories. If you’re an artist, you probably understand. Somehow, simultaneously, we feel like we’re the BEST EVER and ABSOLUTELY AWFUL. It’s a frustrating but also highly motivational dichotomy.

What cause are you most passionate about and why?

I think I’m passionate about a wide range of things ? my family, my writing career, teaching writing workshops, the treatment of women in certain countries, recycling (and other ?green? efforts)…

If you judge passion by how much time I spend working on something, then in recent years I would have to go with breastfeeding support. With my youngest now 4, I’m ready to find a new focus, but I haven’t found it yet.

A few years ago, I wrote a series of articles called ?Breastfeeding 101? (that you can find floating around the Internet). My intention was to call attention to certain myths and misinformation so women who wanted to nurse their own babies could be successful. I offered expert resources and links to support my information.  I wanted to try to help women nurse in the real world ? especially working around jobs that might not make full time nursing feasible. And I wanted to do all of that without making anyone feel bad if it didn’t work for them. (That’s very hard to do.)

I spent years on breastfeeding forums, helping women individually with a wide variety of problems. (Which is why I knew so much when I wrote the articles.) I felt proud that I helped hundreds of women make it work.

It’s ironic, perhaps, that I was proudest about the time I encouraged a woman to quit. But it was a defining moment for me. I’m naturally non-confrontational, but when a woman came onto the forum describing a 4-month-old baby who had gained 12 ounces (OUNCES) since birth and who was demonstrating clear signs of lethargy, I believe my exact words were, ?FOR GOD’S SAKE FEED YOUR BABY!? She got mad at me and disappeared for two weeks while I worried. (The trouble with anonymous Internet sites.) When she came back, she was all apologies and thanks. She’d switched to formula and her baby had gained 2 pounds in two weeks. Plus, he was smiling, laughing, and generally acting like a baby should.

I got into this because I was so eager to breastfeed my own children, but struggled early on. I would have quit if not for the help and encouragement of others. I wanted to give back.

There’s are just a few breastfeeding references in the Cassie Scot series. (I don’t think there are any in the first book, though.) I find breastfeeding examples in fiction to be ridiculous. Many make it out to be cupcakes and roses. No problem! You’ll just know what to do. In truth, it is something that has to be learned. Natural and instinctive are not synonymous. In the last book, I showed a woman having some difficulty getting started. (Not something I dwelt on, but it was there.) I’ll also tell you that Cassie’s mother nurses her babies for 2-3 years each, only weaning one when just before the next is born. Think it’s squicky if you want, but there are a lot of good reasons to nurse that long if mom and baby are both game, so I wanted to slip it into the book. Part of an insidious plan to normalize the concept.

In the last year have you learned or improved on any skills?

I hope so! I hope I never stop. One of the things I’m working on right now is focus. I’m actually writing for less time each day, but I’m focusing my energy during that time to be as productive as possible. Today, I set my timer for 45 minutes. (Forty-five minutes with no interruptions. Just write. Don’t stop.) I was 12 words shy of 2,000 words at the end of that session. Without the tight focus, it may take me 2-3 hours to write that much.

Do you have any rituals you follow when finishing a piece of work?

No. Now that you mention it, I see that sort of thing in movies, but I’ve never been remotely tempted to create one for myself. It may be, in part, because ?finished? is such a slippery term. Do you mean after I finished a rough draft? Or a revision? Or when I think it’s ready to go to a publisher/agent? I first ?finished? Cassie Scot: ParaNormal Detective in 2009. Then I revised it. Then, in 2011, I revised it again. Twice. Then last summer (in 2012), I revised again in response to editorial feedback. Then, last week, I found a typo in the ARC and slipped it into the publisher just in time to fix for the final version.

It’s a process that never really feels done to me. It’s not done now. I still have to convince people to read it!

Who has influenced you throughout your career as a writer?

I attended a by-audition ?boot camp? with Orson Scott Card in 2003. I consider that the start of my professional career. He gave such great advice, I could hardly process it all! I’ve developed my own stylistic ideas since then, but his were foundational.

What is the most important thing in your life right now?

My kids. I guess that’s two things, really, but I can’t choose between them!

What are you currently working on?

Since Cassie Scot is done, I am working on a new series about people who can walk through others’ dreams. I also have a (very) rough draft for a spin-off sequel to the Cassie Scot series. Cassie’s story is done in the four books I wrote, but she has two friends whose stories may not seem quite done to you. It’s my own fault. They were supposed to be minor characters but I overdeveloped them and now they’re like real people.

I’m not in a rush to complete these spin-offs. I’m getting excited about working on something new, and besides, I still don’t know how well Cassie will do. But if you get to the end of the series and wonder aloud what happened to Madison and Kaitlin ? don’t worry. I’ve got one book in mind for each. And Madison’s story is well on its way.

Do you have any advice for writers or readers?

Plenty! Check out my blog http://christineamsden.com/wordpress/?page_id=200 for periodic writing tips. Or look me up at Savvy Authors where I teach workshops. I am also considering putting together a non-fiction book. (It hit me recently that after teaching workshops and writing articles for 5 years, I almost have a book written!)

Is there an author that inspired you to write?

No. There are authors who inspired me to read, but I was born a writer. I was making up stories to go with my picture books before I could read, and I wrote my first short story at 8. (It involved Cabbage Patch Dolls going to Mars.)

What do you feel has been your greatest achievement as an author?

I cannot tell you how thrilled I was that my second novel, The Immortality Virus, won two awards and was a finalist for a third. I mentioned above the dichotomy of artists, thinking we’re awesome and suck at the same time. So it can be hard for us to truly believe in our work. When I won the first award, I was happy, but my inner-doubter started thinking, ?Well, maybe the other entries just weren’t that good.? When I saw my book became a finalist for two more awards, and won one of them, my inner-doubter had no choice but to shut up.

It really was a good book. Wow. That’s an awesome feeling.

What do you feel is your biggest strength?

Characterization.

Biggest weakness?

Description. (Although I’m getting much better.)

What do you feel sets this book apart from others in the same genre?

My heroine. She doesn’t kick ass. She’s not destined to do anything. There’s no prophecy. She’s not the most powerful (whatever) to have been born in a thousand years. She’s normal.

Well, not exactly. She’s intelligent, clever (not the same thing), brave, compassionate, and dedicated to those she loves.

She’s a different kind of heroine. She does get herself in scrapes she has to get herself out of, but what I wanted to show (through Cassie) was that it doesn’t take power to be a hero. It takes…all those other things I said she was.

You know the scenario ? you?re stuck on an island. What book would you bring with you and why?

I would bring a blank journal. That way, I can make up my own story. Not only will it fill up those endless hours of waiting, but if I write small, maybe I can fit in a couple of stories.

What is your favorite past-time?

When I’m not reading or writing, I like to play games. I’m quite good at card games like spades and bridge, though I don’t find games as often as I used to. I also play board games like Dominion and Seafarer of Catan. Actually, I’m up for almost any game.

Thank you so much for the interview! You asked some interesting and insightful questions.

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Pump Up Your Book and Christine Amsden are teaming up to give you a chance to win a new Kindle Fire HD!

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