Thoughts & Ramblings

I know many authors do newsletters, and that’s great for them, but I’ve never been much of a newsletter kind-of girl, so I figured I’d have a separate spot on my site for me to just ramble about my current season of life, specifically what it’s like to be a mom, teacher librarian, and an author because I get that question A LOT. “How do you do it, Cassie? How do you find time to write?”

Here’s the God’s honest truth, y’all: I have no idea…

November, 2025

I guess I’ve always loved being busy and bouncing around to different hobbies and activities. When I was younger, I could do this AND be social at the same time, but now, my elder Millennial self has become more introverted, leaving me to need more time to decompress and recharge my batteries after “events.”

I do think this—the bouncing around bit—is what has given me the creative fuel to be a writer and to always be thinking about my next project. The more people with whom I surround myself, the more new experiences I have, and thus the more my creative tank is filled.

My debut, MEET ME UNDER THE LIGHTS, has two main characters, and while I can identify with both, there is one that definitely feels like a kindred spirit. Eliza does not crave the spotlight but rather she chooses to use her artistic flair to lift others into the spotlight that she, herself, controls.

That’s me, folks.

I love a good karaoke session and flouncing around on the stage or reading a story with dramatic voices to my students, but at the end of the day, I am most happy illuminating those gifts in others. It’s why I enjoyed doing stage lighting design for several years.

I don’t have the ability to paint or sketch my every vision, but I can freaking blend the heck out of colors on a stage.

In this way, I have learned there are MANY ways to tell a story. I have been so blessed to know and work with people who tell stories through not only their words but through their musical gifts, their dancing, their culinary skills, and so much more.

So when we artists find ourselves in a rut or a dry spell, maybe we should stop forcing the art that we have been doing and instead, try our hands at a new medium with which to make our voices heard.