Genre Chick Interview: Cassie Alexander

My dear friend Cassie Alexander is up next in our little May 2001 Month of Writers Blog Festival. She and I both sold our first novels right about the same time. We were even announced in the same issue of Locus, which is kind of like the equivalent of a Geek Debutante Ball.

Of course, mine was only a one-book deal and hers was a whopping three books, so it’s a bit more impressive… But we girls don’t hold that against each other. Much. πŸ˜‰

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Mac or PC?
PC

Coffee or Tea?
Tea — preferably Darjeeling.

Travel the World or Travel Outer Space?
The world — I’m frightened of vacuums ;).

Fantasy or Science Fiction?
Fantasy!

Music or Silence (while you write)?
Music — something with a high BPM.

What weird food do you like?
Sushi’s not weird anymore, but I love it more than anything else.

What is one of your most irrational fears?
Dying in vacuum! Or drowning.

Will you be watching the Royal Wedding? Why or why not?
I missed it ;). I was at work that night, anyhow ;).

How many novels/short stories/screenplays/poems/etc have you published?
My book coming up’ll be the first book. There were some short stories before that though — ten?

How much do you write every day?
Rough draft time – 1-4,000 words. Final edit time, not so much spent writing, mostly sitting and staring at screens thoughtfully.

How much do you WISH you could write every day?
I wish I could write 2k a day of final draft level work. Then my life would be so much easier!

What are you working on now?
Moonshifted, the sequel to Nightshifted.

If you could write like one author, who would it be?
Sergei Lukyanenko — The Night Watch series are my favorite books. I love his pacing, and sense of fantastic mixed with poignant everyday realizations.

If you could be one superhero, or have one superpower, who/what would it be?
The power to be ignored. Completely. Or maybe to cast a Somebody Else’s Problem field. Then I’d just do whatever I wanted anyhow, only without any pressure or societal constraints. It’d be lovely.

What’s the coolest thing you’ve ever done?
Helped to save someone’s life at work.

What’s the coolest thing you’re about to do?
Get published? Ha ;). No, really, probably go to work. I love being a nurse. It gives me a chance to be a hero every day.

Name three things on your List of Things to Do Before You Die.
Hmmm. Visit all the international Disneylands. Get a membership for Club 33. Stay in the Dream Suite at Disneyland. (It appears I really like Disneyland πŸ˜‰ . Try not to judge me. πŸ˜‰ )

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Cassie Alexander is the author of the Nightshifted trilogy coming out from St. Martin’s Press in Jan 2012. She is also a registered nurse.