Please give a warm welcome to author Cassandra Featherstone

Tell us a bit about yourself…

I grew up in the Midwest as an English teacher’s kid, so I’ve always ben a writer. The arts have been a major part of my life—I’ve danced, sang, played instruments, and acted since I was two.

I moved to NYC for college in theater, but I came back to the Midwest when I got married. I’m a victim of gifted kid burnout, so I’ve done a little bit of every thing since HS, including being an indie bookseller, a nanny, a piercer, a bartender, a manager, a teaching aide, and lots more.

I’m a dreamer and a lover of all things magical, glittery, and fantastic.

Currently, I live in a tiny shoebox with my geeky gamer husband (Mr. Cass) and my college aged clone. We have five cats and more cred crew than should be legal between us.

Have you always wanted to become an author?

Yes, I’ve always wanted to be an author. I wrote my first short story at three (my mom still has it), and I’ve loved to write ever since. I didn’t think I could deal with the trad pub world, so I didn’t pursue it in college. After working an indie store that got smashed by COVID in March, I decided to give indie publishing a try. I’m so happy that I did!

What was your inspiration for your current book/series?

My current series has been in the works for years. It’s based on characters created while in a writing group many years ago. There’s a hint of homage in some of them if you look hard enough.

What are you working on now?

Right now? Oh, dear. So MUCH. I’m getting ready to release book two in the Riftverse series on 2/19, so I’m finalizing that. I’m starting a short story in universe, a new parallel timeframe series in the universe, and juggling all of the indie author mess–social media, appearances in groups, etc– at the same time. I feel just as packed as before the lockdowns, just more stationary.

Do you have any quirks while working?

Quirks? Definitely. I like music–both books have playlists on Spotify– and I like to be set up exactly so. I can write anywhere if I take my laptop, but I need to focus if it’s editing. So I have headphones, pillows, lap desks, a desk area, etc setup to my specs when I do work. I can’t stand to work without a mouse, so I always have one along.

What are your hopes for the future?

My greatest wish is for readers to fall in love with my ‘brain gremlins’ as much as I did. If that happens, I’ll be able to continue to write from home after this pandemic mess ends. That’s the real goal. Because I love this, and I want to do it forever.

Do you have any advice for new authors about the publishing world?

Advice? Lots. I thought I knew everything going in–I didn’t. I took missteps that it’s taken me months to fix. I’m just starting to really get my feet under me and it’s been a year. I will say two things have helped IMMENSELY: one, finding other authors and PAs in the RH community that are helpful and kind, and two, joining the 20Booksto50K FB group to learn about resources and successes of other authors. Those two things have really been invaluable.

Do you have anything to say to your followers?

I ALWAYS have things to say to my followers! Number one, I love you, thank you for reading, you are the most amazing folks! Number two, help keep indie a place where we can all learn and grow. Support one another, don’t gatekeep, and help us all succeed. There’s nothing more satisfying that lifting each other up and seeing all of our glitter sparkle. Number three, don’t ever be ashamed of what you read and what you love. You do you, boo.