Author has written 19 stories for Romance, Life, Religion, Fantasy, Supernatural, Spiritual, and Fantasy.

A Message From the Loverly Writer, Cassandra(Jan. 16, 2012): I know I've been MIA for the last few months. I'm working on catch up now. I spent about two hours replying to reviews, but I still have quite a bit more to go. Sorry to all of my amazing readers for the long wait in hearing from me, but I will get back to each of you (so long as you provide me with a way to do so) before I update. As for new updates coming your way. I want to finish posting "The Sea Witch's Song" which is already written. Hopefully complete "A Lasting Storm"--that'll be the day!. And I've also started writing a continuation of "Unfading Beauty." That's all for tonight; it's past my bedtime. Happy MLK Jr. Day to all and I'll update this update soon.

As you may have noticed, I deleted Chance Encounters (along with a some one-shots). I had been thinking about taking it offline every since I posted it in the first place. lol. But it was one of my favorite things up here, to tell the truth, so I dragged my feet. That being said, I have enjoyed writing these so much that I do continue to write them as I meet new males. My goal in writing these was to actually continue writing them until a chance encounter turned into something more. THAT being said, I do want to continue sharing these encounters . . . and my journey . . . with you (as well as sharing those that I refused to put up in such a public forum). In the next couple weeks, I'll be putting together a site for these vignettes where you can follow me if you so wish to. I'll let you know when that happens.

UPDATE: I will be posting Chance Encounters on my site: http://cassandrawrites.livejournal.com/ Add me as a friend to read entries. My only requirements are that you have a livejournal and you tell me who you are on this site. (Don't worry, I won't be moving all my stuff over there. The majority of it will stay here. I just wanted to clean up my fp page a bit.)

As for my longer stories . . . particularly A Lasting Storm and Shattered Dreams. I really DO wish to start updating again. Things have just been terribly busy lately. And I have been without Internet for a time. But my (new!) goal is to finish Shattered Dreams by the end of Feb. As for A Lasting Storm . . . I had continued discontinuing it, considering my rewrite is taking me in a different direction with the sequel. But I don't think that's fair to any of you. And to be honest, it's been so long since I looked it over, I don't rightly remember where I am. But I will start writing it again soon. The snag I'm hitting is trying to find a way is to make an ending that won't lead on into a third book. I was originally going to write a trilogy, but now that I'm taking the series in a different direction . . . well, let's just say that there's some plot devices that I had that no longer make sense. But I am committed to FINISHING A.L.S. before I graduate from college. (That's in early May . . . here's hoping, eh.)

Hope this clears up a few things. Til Death will also be getting some updates soon. I'm not sure how long it'll take me to complete it though, because I still have some murky places where the plot isn't quite as well developed as I would like.

Thanks for reading!! And know that if you reviewed or PMed me, I WILL get back to you. I just have to find a block of time in which I can give each reader the time they deserve for a response.

Author Bio

Authors usually write about themselves in third person, but I figure that I will keep to a first person narrative until I have actually published something worth reading—or for that matter, published something at all. I have loved reading since before I started school and somewhere through my elementary years, I grew an affinity for writing as well. My love for writing began with journaling and soon escalated toward composing fiction, poetry, and even the occasional song. When I happen to come across an old notebook, I cringe at how terrible much of my work was, but every once in a while, I find a piece that I cannot believe I wrote.

My biggest fear in writing comes from reading other people’s works; sometimes when I read a particularly inspiring novel, I go weeks without writing anything, because I know that I could never measure up to that kind of work. I also have a fear of putting my greatest ideas on paper; I can think of nothing worse than ruining a potential bestseller.

In my free time, I enjoy being a college student—which really leaves for little time to do anything else—I get little sleep and tend to write seven page research papers overnight. I would not recommend my particular brand of procrastinating. I am a triple NaNoWriMo winner. In the little spare time I have, I enjoy spending time with people, helping others, browsing the Internet, shopping (although I've learned that when I buy something overtly expensive, like say a 150 swimsuit, I get so guilty every time I look at it that I'm forced to take it back), drinking coffee in an attempt to seem sophisticated, and, of course, reading and writing.

Feel free to drop me a note any time; I enjoy hearing from new people and reading new pieces. Thanks for your time!

Sites of Interest

boltfromtheblue.blogspot.com (My loverly blogger about my loverly story Bolt from the Blue.)

Some Kind of Wonderful (Fiction Press Romance Awards. Summer nominations are happening now. So go check out the stories that are being picked; they're sure to be fantastic!)

Monster Reviews: This is a wonderful site ran by Terra. Basically you submit a story and one of the reviewers there will send you a mega, ultra, amazing, no holding back review. It's pretty flippin awesome. Also! Check out my story: Salt and Sweat and Freshly Mowed Grass, which made it on the A-list.

Bolt from the Blue made highlight story of the week on Undiscovered. This is an amazing site that looks for little-known stories on FP and gives them some of the spotlight they deserve. I've found some AMAZING stories on this site. You should most definitely check it out!

And I was recently nominated for: Best Romance, Funniest Characters, Best Plot, and Most Memorable Characters on FP Supernatural Story Awards. Look them up on FP or check out their outside website: Fiction and Prose Supernatural Story Awards

Follow (Stalk) Me on Twitter: CassandraRose

Favorite Writing Quotes

"If there's a book you really want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it." Toni Morrison

"If I don't write to empty my mind, I go mad." Lord Byron

"It is impossible to discourage the real writers - they don't give a damn what you say, they're going to write." Sinclair Lewis

"The beautiful part of writing is that you don't have to get it right the first time, unlike, say, a brain surgeon." Robert Cromier

"Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia." E.L. Doctorow

"An author in his book must be like God in the universe, present everywhere and visible nowhere." Gustave Flaubert

"The story I am writing exists, written in absolutely perfect fashion, some place, in the air. All I must do is find it, and copy it." Jules Renard

"I start with a tingle, a kind of feeling of the story I will write. Then come the characters, and they take over, they make the story." Isak Dinesen

"Last, but not least, avoid cliches like the plague." William Safire

Most of my work I have on here is badly written poetry, but I do have some decent stories.

Short Stories

The Merpeople's Account: Work of prose/poetry. Simply written as if taken from the Bible. The lost story of Hali, the mother of the merpeople. It was her faith in God and her love for her children that created this majestic race. (My personal rating: I love this story. I want to one day make it into my EPIC Christian fantasy novel.)

Salt and Sweat and Freshly Mowed Grass: First person POV, one of my longer one-shots. The main character, Samantha, is a closet romantic who wants nothing more than to stay at home and cook and clean, even though her mother is staunchly against a woman's dependence on a man. The thing Samantha hates most is mowing her lawn. But one day a kind stranger walks up and offers to mow it for her . . . and subsequently asks her out on a date. She turns him down; even though she makes him freshly-squeezed lemonade. Nonetheless, he comes back the next week and mows her lawn again. And then again. And before Samantha knows what happens, she is doing the one thing her mother always warned her not to do: falling in love. But is it truly better to have loved and then to lose?? (My personal rating: I could be wrong, but I think this is one of the best pieces I have ever written. I hope that you agree!!)

Unfading Beauty: Limited Third Person POV in MC, Tanya's perspective. Tanya is committed to wait until she is married to have sex. Her friends think that she needs to get it over with and have sex. So for her thirty birthday, they decide to hire her a prostitute. What does a woman who is trying to follow God's plan in her life do when a Brad Pitt lookalike (circa 1990's, the good years, of course) shows up in her living room and starts stripping? Play Parcheesi?? (My personal rating: It's a solid piece and I tend to think it's creative--at least, I have never read anything like this on this site before--I am fairly satisfied with it. I am seriously considering expounding on this piece after I finish some (many) of my other writing projects.)

Fair Trade: First Person POV in Miriam's perspective. Miriam loves to help others . . . not only does she love to help others, but she is very conscious by the way her lifestyle can hurt others. And the lifestyles of those around her. Miriam doesn't like Hugh. She doesn't like his name, she doesn't like his Porsche, and she doesn't like the fact that he blew a lot of money bu vacationing in the Bahamas. Can she learn to get over the fact that he doesn't seem to care about the needy in the world and that he DOESN'T buy fair trade coffee. Can she learn to look behind the Porsche he always drives and see that their relationship could be a Fair Trade? (My personal rating: Miriam isn't the most likable MC, but I do love this story and it was awhile in the making--I mean, I wrote and edited it all in a 24-hour period, but the idea has been in my mind for weeks!)

Love, Hate, and Ale-8: Third Person POV, with present tense introductions in First Person POV from both MCs. A one-shot in four parts. The story of two college students who love to hate each other; when one moves away, they form a strange bond over their favorite drink, Ale-8-One. The first half outlines their college years in non-chronological order. The second half is their reunion. This story is near and dear to my heart because the setting is at my dear university. (My personal rating: so I really like this story, although there's a few things I want to change about it. I don't know if you can relate all that well, since it's about my college. But it makes me smile when I read it.)

An Honest Answer: A humorous piece written in limited third person about a girl who has a boyfriend that wants to save his first kiss for marriage; it's based off a scripture passage in psalms. (My personal rating: I heart this story. It makes me giggle every time I read it.)

The First: A very short piece--under two hundred words--that focuses on a girl's first kiss. First person POV. (My personal rating: eek! This is only up so I remember exactly HOW bad my writing was.)

Novels

Shattered Dreams: First person POV. Once upon a time, Eloise had a dream. But dreams are for the hopeful and she has long since lost hope. With a mother dead and a father who abandoned her, she is completely alone. Her wicked stepmother married an even more evil man who regularly uses and abuses her for sexual profit. But in an unexpected twist of events, Eloise finds herself being swept off her feet at an extravagant masquerade ball. But when midnight strikes will Eloise break free from her life of slavery or will her fairy tale dream shatter like every dream before? Post as I write . . . planning on writing a lot more soon.

(My personal rating: I love this story. I even like the writing. Although there is a lot of drama in the beginning . . . and will be some more later . . . this story isn't really so much about the drama as it is a story of one woman's journey of healing and of understanding love. This is probably my favorite story I've written.)

Bolt From the Blue: First person POV; there's more spark to Adaline Sparks than just her name. She's spends her days as an average high school student and her nights as the superhero, Volt. But how will she survive when her family is forced to relocate to small town, Indiana? She thought Indiana was going to be the death of her, but through the time that follows, Adaline finds herself apart from her super-enigma. And even stumbles on a bit of romance. But is there something more than meets the eye with her father's boss and can a mysterious flying super who knows her secret identity truly be trusted? Complete

To learn more about my story, Bolt from the Blue, go to http://boltfromtheblueseries.blogspot.com/ It is a WONDERFUL site I'm making about all things Bolt from the Blue. Although it's a work in progress, I currently have posted the playlist that goes with the first book, as well as celeb. photos of many of the characters. So! Go check it out!

(My personal rating: if I could marry a story, I would probably marry Bolt from the Blue. LOL. Not really, but I've been itching to write a superhero novel since high school and the story finally came to me.)

Update: I also happen to be rewriting this story . . . don't know what I'm going to do with it yet, but eh, it's fun!

A Lasting Storm: First person POV, sequel to Bolt from the Blue. Adaline thought her life would be easier now that she knows Flyboy's secret identity, but their friendship becomes a bit messy as she continually tries to balance her relationship with Josh and her growing feelings for the masked man. Life as a super isn't any easier now that she has turned herself in and must go to court for a crime that she did not commit. And to top it all off, Bentley decided to give her her own super-team. The last thing she wanted! Post as I write, but not writing much these days . . .

(My personal rating: I think I like this plot--and the writing--even more than Bolt. Now it's just a matter of getting the rest on paper!)

A Bit Touched in the Mind: 2007 NaNoWriMo winner. Typical fluffy young adult romance with the ever-important spice of murder. First person POV; the story of a girl who struggles with her ability to read minds. Too afraid to confess this to her uber-Christian mother, she keeps this secret to herself until she meets a guy who has a secret of his own. When one of her friends is murdered, she must learn to trust her heart, even when nobody else believes. Complete!

(My personal rating: love this plot. Adore the characters. However, this was a nano story so the writing could be greatly GREATLY improved. Plus there were a lot of things that were rushed. Good but not great.)

Til Death: First Person POV. And my attempt at a zombie tale. Serene dreamed of a normal and happy marriage with her husband, Isaac. But just days after their wedding, they find themselves thrown into a zombie apocalypse. It's not long before the honeymoon period is over and they must learn how to negotiate through the swarms of undead people who would just as soon as make them their next meal. Even the best of marriages would be a bit strained when battling zombies, but can it survive the trial of Isaac joining the undead?

Mr. Right: Limited third person POV switching between the two main characters. This is a story is about what happens AFTER the reality tv show is over . . . particularly, what if the wrong girl was chosen. CURRENTLY IN HIBERNATION . . . I do not know if or when I will continue this story!! (My personal rating: I really love the plot of this story but cringe every time I read the terrible writing. If I do finish this, I will start by rewriting the first chapters. They desperately need it! And probably reworking the entire plot line.)

All works on below are the original ideas and property of Cassandra Rose Ernst. They are not to be copied, distributed, sold, etc without my written permission. In other words, don't plagiarize. Or else . . . And else is never good.