Author Bio
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Cassandra Rose Clarke grew up in south Texas and currently lives in a suburb of Houston, where she writes and teaches composition at a local college. She holds an M.A. in creative writing from The University of Texas at Austin, and in 2010 she attended the Clarion West Writer’s Workshop in Seattle. Her latest novel is the YA adventure fantasy The Pirate’s Wish.
Favorites
1. What is your favorite color? I honestly can’t say I have a favorite. I know that’s a cheat answer, but I love art and design and so “favorite color” is sort of based on whatever I’m trying to accomplish at the moment. I love all colors equally!
2. Favorite food? I love food so asking me to pick a favorite is pretty mean. I’m going to go with cheese curds because they’re delicious and I can’t really get them in Texas, which means they’re a true treat when I actually do get to eat them.
3. Favorite movie of all time? This is a toughie! It’s probably a tie between 2046, which is a Hong Kong movie about a science fiction writer overcoming the loss of his true love, and Aliens, which actually is science fiction. And awesome.
4. Favorite song? This changes based on about a billion different factors, but right now I’m going to go with Body Electric, by Lana Del Rey.
5. Favorite book of all time? One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It blew my mind when I first read it, the idea that you could write books like that.
All about Writing
1. How did your interest in writing originate?
I couldn’t pinpoint an exact moment when I got interested in writing. It probably happened when I was too young to remember. But I’ve always loved reading (and watching movies, which is just another form of storytelling). As a kid I would tell myself elaborate ghost stories when I was bored, and eventually I started writing them down, and things just spiraled out from there.
2. What is your work schedule like when you're writing?
I always start my day by writing 500 words on my minor project, which is always a non-deadlined novel that I can take my time with. For other, more pressing projects, I like to parcel my day out on a schedule. So, for example, I’ll say I’ll work an hour on revisions, then another hour on drafting. Then I have to work in the preparation I do for my day job teaching at a college. It’s a lot of work, but since it’s all work I love, I don’t mind doing it!
3. Do you work with outline or just write?
I used to be of the “just write” camp, but after completing a couple of nonsensical first drafts I realized that I probably needed to break down and start outlining. Now I rather like outlining. It helps me cut through the part of writing that’s difficult for me (coming up with a plot) and get to the stuff I enjoy (character work and writing pretty sentences).
4. What was the hardest part in writing your book? The easiest?
The easiest part in writing The Assassin’s Curse was Ananna’s voice and narration. She has a really casual, grammatically loose way of speaking, and it was so easy to get into the flow of her voice. The hardest was probably getting the plot hashed out. Plot’s not my strongest area, and I actually wrote The Assassin’s Curse as a way to practice my plotting skills. A lot of Excel sheets went into drafting The Assassin’s Curse! I found they were the best way to look at my plot all at once.
5. What do you like to do when you're not writing?
I love drawing, painting, cooking, and going to the movies. I’ve also been known to start craft projects that (often) don’t ever get finished.
Finish the sentence
1. The difference between fiction and reality is fiction has all the boring bits snipped out.
2. Research is what I'm doing when I go to a museum, watch a documentary, or explore a place I’ve never been before.
3. I can write better when I’ve got complete silence and minimal distractions. Except for snacks. Snacks are acceptable distractions.
4. Sleep is an excellent way to spend eight to nine hours a day.
5. A room without a book is like a body without a soul (you can tell I took Latin in high school).
Books
Title: The Assassin's Curse (The Assassin's Curse #1)
Genre/s: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Released Date: October 2, 2012
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Synopsis:
Ananna of the Tanarau abandons ship when her parents try to marry her off to another pirate clan. But that only prompts the scorned clan to send an assassin after her. When Ananna faces him down one night, armed with magic she doesn't really know how to use, she accidentally activates a curse binding them together.To break the spell, Ananna and the assassin must complete three impossible tasks--all while grappling with evil wizards, floating islands, haughty manticores, runaway nobility, strange magic...and the growing romantic tension between them.
Title: The Pirate's Wish (The Assassin's Curse #2)
Genre/s: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Released Date: June 18, 2013
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Synopsis:
After setting out to break the curse that binds them together, the pirate Ananna and the assassin Naji find themselves stranded on an enchanted island in the north with nothing but a sword and their wits. But Naji has unseen enemies, and Ananna must face the wrath of the Pirate Confederation.Together, they must travel afar, defeat their foes and break the mother of all curses. With all this going on, falling in love would be such a bad idea... All of this and much, much more await, in the swashbuckling sequel to The Assassin's Curse.
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