Please give a warm welcome to author Cassia Briar

Tell us a bit about yourself…

My name’s Cassia Briar and I write dark paranormal romance with reverse harems and couples who find their happily ever after. I grew up in Portland, Oregon and I’m still in love with the Pacific Northwest where I live with my husband and our kitties. I might be addicted to coffee. Slytherin. In my free time I like to read, watch Lucifer on Netflix, and take trips to the Oregon coast, especially when it’s stormy weather. 

Have you always wanted to become an author? 

The short answer? Yes. I wrote my first story when I was eight years old. It was about a goat that got lost and the little girl who went to find it. Gradually, my writing turned to more fantasy with darker themes. I started my first real book when I was thirteen, but never finished it. Then school and life got in the way. I finally revisited writing in my mid-twenties, joined a critique group, and spent eight years working on my craft before self-publishing my first book in 2019.

What was your inspiration for your current book/series? 

My current series is called Harem of Redemptions and it was inspired by the themes in Beauty and the Beast. That’s always been one of my favorite fairytales partly because of the darker storyline, enemies to lovers trope, and because of the idea of the beast within us all.

Of course, I had to turn it into a reverse harem romance. I was inspired by the different types of beast themes to play with for the characters. Multiple main characters and love interests made that work better and gave me plenty to explore!

What are you working on now? 

A few different projects. I’m working on book two in the Harem of Redemption series, Beastly Desires. I also joined a couple of multi-author anthologies this year. My current project is an MF vampire/human, enemies to lovers, revenge novella. I’m liking writing MF paranormal romance between my reverse harem books.

Do you have any quirks while working? 

Yeah, I need silence. I know a lot of authors write with music, but can’t do it. I also need a window to look out. For some reason that inspires me, or helps me think. LOL. And, I guess it’s a quirk, but I write better when I also take time to read. I try to read every evening for a couple of hours.

What are your hopes for the future? 

Well… I hope my author career keeps moving along at a steady pace. I have a ton of book ideas and I hope that I get to write all of them! One day, I’d like to get that USA Today Bestseller tag. That’s one of my big dreams.

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

Yes, lots. I think the most important bit of advice is that this is a long, slow process. It takes time and patience as well as hard work and dedication, so try to breathe and enjoy wherever you’re at on your journey. Celebrate each milestone.

Also, figure out early on if you’re writing just for the fun of it or if you want to turn your writing into a career. If it’s just for fun, then do whatever you want! But, if you want writing to be your career, then learn your craft, choose a popular genre and stick to it, and write to market. I just want to note here that writing to market does not mean having to write stories you don’t like. It’s also not “selling out”. Writing to market is writing in the genre you like and giving your readers what they expect, and love, from that genre. Simple.

Do you have anything to say to your followers? 

Thank you! My readers rock my world and I’m so grateful for each and every one of you. I, obviously, wouldn’t be where I’m at today without. You’ve made my dream of being a full time author a reality.