Behind The Author – An Interview with Cassondra Murray
It has been awhile since we took a look at what goes on behind the scenes to help an author write, promote and publish their books.
Today we will learn how valuable an Assistant to an Author is, and what their job entails.
The Reading Café would like to welcome Cassondra Murray, who is an assistant extraordinaire for a busy and successful author. Cassondra, who is also a writer herself, is here to give us a look at what an assistant does behind the scenes in helping the author.
I can personally vouch for Cassondra, as she is a fantastic person to work with.
Let’s meet Cassondra.
TRC: Cassondra, we are happy to have you here today.
Cassondra: Hi Barb, it’s so nice of you to invite me. I can’t think of anything more fun than hanging out in a café, talking about books and writing.
TRC: Would you please tell us something about yourself?
Cassondra: I’ve been writing one thing or another since I was eleven years old, and I started proofreading for a small newspaper at about that same age. I love barns, cows and tractors–all things country. I stare at the rows of corn across from my house, listen to the frogs on the pond at night, watch lightning bugs flicker in the field, and read books with happy endings because that’s what feeds my soul and makes me want to write.
TRC: Being a writer yourself, can you please tell us how you decided to become an assistant?
Cassondra: I never set out to be one. I met Dianna Love in (I think) 2003 when she spoke to the Nashville chapter of Romance Writers of America. We became fast friends and I started reading her manuscripts as a beta reader.
Flash forward to 2009. I was in a horrible job, but afraid to quit. Pushed into a corner one evening, I finally turned in my notice. The next morning I sent emails to my network of friends. I typed, “I don’t know what I’m gonna do, but I’ve quit. Here are my skills… and I’m looking.”
Two minutes later the phone rang. Seriously..two minutes. It was Dianna. She said, “Be my assistant.” I was overwhelmed, but at first I said no, because even though I needed a job, I was not willing to risk my friendship with her for anything. She said, “We’re both strong women. We can be honest with one another. We’ll work it out.”
And so far, we have.
TRC: How would you describe your job as an assistant to an Author?
Cassondra: It’s crazy, nutso, balls-to-the-wall project work (when she’s releasing a book) with a little bit of routine busy work in between. The non-schedule and the crazy are actually the parts I thrive on. But the truth is that Dianna Love is the most organized person I know. She does fine without an assistant, and she watches my back as much as I watch hers to keep the train rolling down the tracks on schedule, so although I send her “don’t forget” reminders sometimes, I really don’t play the typical “assistant” role in that way. Basically I do some reading/editing for her, and I try to take some of the busy work so she can have a little more time to write. I figure my job is to care as much as she does about her career, her readers, and the quality of the books she releases. Whatever that entails, if I can do it, I’m there.
TRC: If you were to take us through the steps you do on a daily basis, what is a day in the life of Cassondra Murray like?
Cassondra: Every day is different, which is good. I’d rather dig my eye out with a spoon than do the same thing every day. Dianna gets up at 4 in the morning — that’s about when I go to sleep because I’m a vampire by nature. So I get up mid-late morning, mainline coffee to wake up my brain, and check email. I’ll have several from Dianna since she’s been up for hours already. I start working through the emails, deal with whatever she needs from me first, then emails coming in from other people, and then move to spreadsheets or ads.
BUT…If I’m working on a read or an edit for Dianna, I roll out of bed and go straight to the manuscript. I’m a slow reader, so when I’m reading for her, anything that’s not bleeding to death gets put off ‘til later, and I read straight though, long hours (that’s totally my choice, btw. It’s just how I like to work—by staying completely immersed in the story without getting distracted). Dianna gives me plenty of time for the read, and never has gotten used to how I stay up all night reading. It bothers her when I do it. Even after all this time, I think she still worries that I might be an alien.
TRC: Are you a beta reader for your author? If so, when you read the finished novel, do you make recommendations, help with editing or changes/suggestions?
Cassondra: Once Dianna gets a draft of the story where she believes it’s close, she gives it to me and I read. I make notes if I see parts of the story that I think she needs to look at again. She takes those notes and uses those as she does her next revision, then it will go out to her fantastic team of beta readers.
Once she gets the story the way she wants it, I do a last read for continuity errors (think eye color, height of characters, age, name spelling etc). Then she makes her final edits.
TRC: Are you involved in the promotion aspect of the author’s book? We know you work with sites like ours, but do you work with the publishing house in helping with the promotions?
Cassondra: Dianna coordinates everything with her publisher and all promotions that happen through them. I try to take as much as possible of the “outside” promotions—once again with the goal of giving her time to write.
TRC: Do you have to travel a lot, or can you do most of your job virtually or on the telephone?
Cassondra: I’m in Kentucky and she’s in the Atlanta area, so a lot of my work is via email, but we talk on the phone a lot. Once or twice a year I travel to her and we spend a few days just planning the upcoming months of writing schedule, travel, and promotions. But Dianna takes me with her on a lot of trips, and we use that time for face-to-face work too.
TRC: What do you feel are the challenges in assisting the author in preparing & finalizing their book?
Cassondra: For me, there are two main challenges.
The first is reading and editing for her without touching what writers call her “author voice.” Real people don’t speak or think in perfect English, so her characters won’t either. The rules of grammar have to be fudged, and every now and then just tossed out the window. When to do that–and when not–is a strange mix of editing science and writing art, sort of. All authors get so immersed in the story that they sometimes can’t tell if a point is confusing. If that happens, I have to suggest edits that make sure the meaning is clear and understandable for the reader, hopefully without affecting Dianna’s “style” of telling a story. That style—that “voice” is what makes a Dianna Love book unique. My aim is to allow her to use my notes and suggestions as she polishes to make the story better, because that’s always her ultimate goal. Make the story the best it can be.
Second challenge? I get really bad “story brain”. When I work on my stories, I get buried in my characters and their world, and I live there. I turn into Zombie Assistant. I lose track of time. I forget things. This is when Dianna watches my back too, so hopefully everything gets done.
TRC: What is the best part of being an assistant to an author?
Cassondra: I get to work with one of my closest friends, doing something I truly enjoy, and I actually feel like my work has a positive impact on the final result—more great books for readers.
I have to earn a paycheck so I can pay bills, but if I didn’t, I would still work with Dianna for free if she’d let me.
TRC: On a personal note, as the writer Cassondra, are you working on anything you would like to tell us about?
Cassondra: I am! I’ll be releasing my debut romantic suspense late this year, and I’m very excited about that. It’s the first in a series about undercover operatives and the love that can bring an abandoned, tortured heart back to life.
TRC: Do you feel working as an assistant to an author helps you with ideas for your own writing?
Cassondra: Not ideas per se, because I have more ideas than I could write in three lifetimes. But the opportunity to work with a writer at NYT Bestseller level, to learn her philosophy of storytelling and her approach to her readers, to have her feedback on my stories and on how to work at the business of publishing–Oh… and to call her for help when I’m stuck—there is no dollar amount a writer could place on that. The most valuable part of it is her constant encouragement.
TRC: How do you feel the rise of e-books will effect the author in publishing their books. Is this something you feel will enhance your author’s ability to sell more books?
Cassondra: It’s an exciting, scary time in publishing, that’s for certain. In spite of the challenges, I think it’s a fantastic thing for authors, and for readers. And the bottom line is yes, with the advent of eBooks, Dianna is able to publish more books faster on her own than the publisher can manage. That means more Dianna Love stories for the readers.
TRC: Besides the author you work for, who are your favorite authors or series?
Cassondra: My best friends are all writers. I’m not scared of much, but no way am I brave enough to answer that question. *grin*
TRC: Is there anything else you would like to add and share with us?
Cassondra: Y’all can usually find me hanging out in the lair at Romance Bandits, and I blog there at least once a month about lightning bugs, fence rows, truck nuts, or whatever else strikes me as interesting. It’s a fun, easygoing place where we all love happy endings. Come on over and ‘set a spell’. Links to my old blogs are in my Bandit Writing Cave. You can also find me on facebook as Author Cassondra Murray.
TRC: Thank you, Cassondra, for taking the time to talk to us. This was fun, as it gives everyone a chance to see what is behind the author and meet them personally.
Cassondra: I had a great time! Thanks again for the invitation! I’ll hang out to answer questions if anybody wants to chat. You can ask me pretty much anything.
Cassondra is graciously offering one lucky member of The Reading Cafe a giveaway. “I’ve got a big box of books here. Leave a comment to be entered. I’ll mail a surprise grab bag to one of you. Two books (both romance), I’ll grab at random out of my box of new, unread conference giveaway books, and I’ll mail them to you if you live in the Continental US.”
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4. Giveaway open to US Only
5. Contests runs from July 8 to July 11, 2013
