Today we’d like to introduce you to Cassie Sanchez

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?

As a retired stay-at-home mom, I struggled with identity and having purpose. My son challenged me to write a book since I loved reading, so I attended a writing class and fell in love with the craft of writing. Taking webinars and reading books on writing, I began working on my first book, which is a mess and currently shelved.

One day, my boys were playing a video game and one of the character’s backstory intrigued me. The creativity bug smacked me in the head, and I wrote a scene about an assassin betrayed by his team, hanging in a dungeon. Thus, Chasing the Darkness, my debut romantic fantasy novel, was born. A year later, Embracing the Darkness was published and a year after that, the final book in the trilogy, Conquering the Darkness was released.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?

There have been some twists and turns, highs and lows, but the journey has been relatively smooth. The pressure of making important and fairly permanent decisions was a struggle for me. For instance, designing the covers of the books and picking the narrator for the audiobooks was stressful. Between the first and second book, I switched from a hybrid publisher to self-publishing, so there was yet another learning curve I needed to tackle.

But I’d say my biggest struggle was and is self doubt and the dreaded imposter syndrome. Despite having written three books, despite having won awards and receiving great reviews, I still battle the negative thoughts of “I can’t do this” or that I’m a pretend author. It’s not a fun feeling, but I have to remember that feelings do not equal facts and to get my butt back in the chair and write.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?

I’m an author of an award-winning romantic fantasy trilogy. I’ve been told that my books make you feel like you’re in a movie with engaging descriptions and realistic (but not too gory) fight scenes. I’m also known for having witty dialogue and adding humor to break up the more intense scenes.

Something that makes me proud, with a heavy dose of exhilaration, is when readers find me at events to let me know how much they loved my books. I had a reader tell me I was one of the reasons they came to a certain convention. Hearing that made my day, and I possibly squealed with joy.

The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?

During Covid, I wasn’t fearful, but I definitely was angry, and I learned not to depend on the government or the media but to trust my own common sense. I also learned I liked expensive red wine thanks to a neighbor’s driveway happy hours.

An important lesson: Trust your body and don’t make decisions based off fear.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.cassiesanchez.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cassiesanchezauthor/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cassiesanchezauthor
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@cassiesanchezauthor