Dear Reader,
When I finished Stolen
Drams, I honestly thought it would be the last Cassie Scot book. I wrote Madison’s
Song and Kaitlin’s Tale because her friends had grown too big to be
footnotes in Cassie’s story, and that, I decided, was that.
Then I moved on to other
things. Or tried to. What actually followed was the longest, darkest period of
burnout I have ever experienced. I didn’t write anything for eighteen months,
between the spring of 2015 and fall of 2016, though I tried over and over
again. Nothing would come.
Recovering from burnout and
yes, depression, takes time. I did not wake up one day and feel better, though
I noticed a sharp turnaround in August/September of 2016 due to some new
treatments I was trying. My daily schedule now includes mindfulness meditation,
walking, and yoga. Since Cassie has been meditating from the beginning, it
might seem strange that it took me so long to work it into my daily schedule. I
can only say that some part of me knew how important it was, but another part
of me – the type-A part – refused to let go of the precious time. Now I know
that taking time for me every day increases efficiency, focus, concentration,
creativity, health, and happiness. All of which means I have more time in my
day, not less, and the time I have is precious.
Between fall of 2016 and the
end of 2017, I completed two novels and drafted two more. I have never written
so much in such a short space and ironically, I did it by letting go of
expectations. Years of focusing on goals, focusing on results, had kept me from
enjoying the moment and from letting writing be the artistic outlet I needed.
Now, I set myself daily word count maximums instead of minimums, to keep me
from falling back into that race to the finish line that hurt me so deeply. I
write first thing every day, putting “me first” ahead of all my other
obligations, then I let it go to focus on freelance editing, marketing,
correspondence, social media, household chores, and everything else that makes
up my day.
Frozen was one of the two books I completed, obviously. It
lived in the back of my mind for years before it made it onto the page, pretty
much ever since I finished Stolen Dreams and swore I was done! But Frozen
is not something I could have written while I was focusing on goals instead
of on writing for me, and writing what I love. All signs suggest that a new
series would benefit my career right now, and that a new Cassie book will only
appeal to true Cassie lovers.
I happen to be a Cassie lover.
:)
I know there are others out
there as well. I’ve heard from some of you over the years, and I would love to
hear from more of you. Nothing puts a bigger smile on my face than hearing from
a fan with something as simple as, “I loved your book.”
I wrote Frozen for me;
I published it for you.
There will probably be more
Cassie books, but I can’t make any promises about when and how often. I am
writing two other series at the moment, hoping to build my audience through new
tales, and I’m enjoying the heck out of those too. Cassie fans should
especially enjoy the new science fiction story Metamorphosis, even if
you think you’re more into fantasy than science fiction. There’s a super fine
line between those genres, and I like to straddle it.
For now, I’m brainstorming
the next Cassie book and welcome your ideas. My current thought is that she
needs an arch-nemesis. Not Alexander DuPris; she already beat him for all
intents and purposes, but someone who could be a real challenge. It’s got to be
a woman, right?
If you liked Frozen,
or any of my other books, please take a few minutes to post an honest review.
I cannot overstate the importance of reviews.
Sincerely,
Christine Amsden
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Christine Amsden has been
writing fantasy and science fiction for as long as she can remember. She loves
to write and it is her dream that others will be inspired by this love and by
her stories. Speculative fiction is fun, magical, and imaginative but great
speculative fiction is about real people defining themselves through
extraordinary situations. Christine writes primarily about people and relationships,
and it is in this way that she strives to make science fiction and fantasy
meaningful for everyone.
At the age of 16, Christine
was diagnosed with Stargardt’s Disease, which scars the retina and causes a
loss of central vision. She is now legally blind, but has not let this slow her
down or get in the way of her dreams.
Christine currently lives in
the Kansas City area with her husband, Austin, who has been her biggest fan and
the key to her success. In addition to being a writer, she's a mom and
freelance editor.
Social
Media Links:
Book description with link
to book:
Apparently, life
doesn’t end when you get married.
When a couple freezes
to death on a fifty degree day, Cassie is called in to investigate. The couple
ran a daycare out of their home, making preschoolers the key witnesses and even
the prime suspects.
Two of those
preschoolers are Cassie’s youngest siblings, suggesting conditions at home are
worse than she feared. As Cassie struggles to care for her family, she must
face the truth about her mother’s slide into depression, which seems to be
taking the entire town with it.
Then Cassie, too, is
attacked by the supernatural cold. She has to think fast to survive, and her
actions cause a rift between her and her husband.
No, life doesn’t end
after marriage. All hell can break loose at any time.
Buy Links
Frozen (Cassie Scot Book Seven)
Print Release: July 15, 2018
Audiobook Release: TBA
Cassie Scot: ParaNormal
Detective (Cassie Scot Book One)
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