Meet Cassandra Hendricks.
Hi Cassandra! Thanks for joining us today. Tell us a little about yourself.
Cassandra Hendricks has always been a lover of all things books. Choosing to stay up in the wee hours of the night, literally under the covers reading books like Little Women or Anne of Green Gables and following X-men, Spiderman and Hulk comics until she passed out. Yeah, she had eclectic taste. Still does.
Her love of reading was only rivaled by her affinity for writing. Poems, short stories and editorials were written in her free time. Somewhere along life’s journey she’d happened upon the idea that she wanted to become a lawyer. Her parents as well as her pursuit of a “real” job may have had a little to do with that, but after graduating realized she didn’t want to argue for the rest of her life. Five kids and a husband later she found her way back to her first love. For Blood & Glory is her debut fantasy novel and is the first book of the Chronicles of the 13th Tribe series, set to release March 19, 2019.
Web: http://www.cassandrahendricks.com
Twitter: @casstheauthor
Instagram: @casstheauthor
Facebook: @casstheauthor
The Interview.
In your opinion, what is the most important element of good writing?
This is a hard question to answer. I’m stuck between character and plot development. My first instinct is to say character development because you want the reader to be drawn into the characters and care what happens to them. On the other hand, great characters with flimsy plots don’t work well either.
What comes first in your writing, the plot or a character(s)?
This is like one of those chicken or the egg questions. This is my first novel so I can’t say I have a lot to draw upon. If I can recall, the plot came first. I had a few ideas rolling around in my head that I was intrigued by and began to flesh out. I had a vague idea of whom the main characters might be and they began to reveal themselves after the basic plot was outlined.
What does your writing schedule look like? Does it often clash with everyday life commitments?
My writing schedule is pretty crazy. I’m an Indie author that works full-time and has a family to tend too, so basically I write whenever I have a spare moment. That means writing in my car during lunch breaks, in the wee hours of the night after everyone has fallen asleep, while sitting in chairs, waiting for doctor or dental appointments—I think you get the picture. For me, finding time to write wasn’t easy but it’s cathartic and well worth it.
Do you have any writing quirks that you’ve noticed or someone pointed out to you?
Yes, I use “well” excessively. Yeah, it annoys me too.
Do you enjoy using social media to interact with other writers and your readers? Or do you find it challenging?
Do I find it challenging? Well (there it is again, hehe), once I figured out how to use it, it became fun. The world of social media is so weird when you think about it. You talk and confide in complete strangers, sometimes more than you would people you actually know. I like it because I don’t feel as if I’m in a bubble anymore, especially as it relates to writing. It’s nice to hear people voice feelings and opinions that I can relate to and I enjoy learning from fellow authors and readers alike. I think it’s a great platform and I look forward to hearing from readers in the future.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with the readers today?
I hope the readers enjoy the book! I tried to write characters that were easy to relate to and ethnically diverse. That was very important to me. So often we pick up books where everyone looks the same. Like one homogeneous pool from which all main characters are drawn from. Especially, in the realm of fantasy and the supernatural. I hope to change that.
Thank you Cassandra!
Raven C. Eckman 