Author Interview - Allison Cassatta

I had the pleasure of sitting down with my dear friend Allison Cassatta and she told me some fun facts about herself. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Do you have a favorite character that you’ve written? 

Yes, I think—despite all his issues—Dorian Grant (from Sin & Seduction) is my favorite. He’s not a nice guy at all. He’s a violent drug addict, but he’s very real. He came alive more for me than anyone else did. And even after falling in love, he stayed true to his nature. He didn’t wuss out. My second favorite would have to be Cash from the League of Slayers books. I thought Deacon rocked, but when it came time to write Cash, that man just did something for me. He’s the broken hero who is all strength and tries like hell to hide his heart. He fails of course, and he has a hell of a time letting people in, but he gets there eventually.

What time of day is the most productive for you? 

Early morning or late at night. Well, any time I have an empty house, really. I can pretty much sit down and go to it if I’m in the mood to do so.

Do you remember your very first professional review? If so, was it good or bad? 

I want to say it was on Sins of the Heart, which is a bittersweet romance and people don’t seem to like those unless you tell them up front that’s what they’re reading. The reviewer said she/he felt every single emotion in that short story,

Where would your dream vacation spot be? 

Honestly, I don’t know there are a ton of places I want to go, like Australia and New Zealand, Europe, Thailand, The Caribbean. Right now, my main destination is Boston to visit family, and of course, like a good little witch, Salem.

What’s your favorite Disney movie? 

Aladdin. Hands down. Wait. I liked Lilo and Stitch too.

When I was growing up, I wanted to be Laura Ingalls from The Little House on the Prairie. Was there someone like that for you? 

A female Perry Mason. No kidding. My grandfather was a lawyer, and I was always told I could be a good lawyer because I could argue a point until people saw things my way. *shrugs* Then, when I started reading vampire books, I wanted to be like Lestat. *swoons*

How much time do you spend on research? 

Not as much as I should. Then again, I don’t write much about things I don’t know. Places are researched more than anything, and it usually happens when I get to a scene somewhere specific and don’t know how to describe it.

Describe your writing process. 

Sit down at my desk or at Starbucks, crank up some music and make sure there is plenty of coffee nearby. I don’t know what it is about caffeine, but it’s like brain fuel. No kidding. I don’t do outlines or plot maps or any of that. I tried once and it didn’t get me too far. I just start writing and hope the characters keep telling me how they want their story to go. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t.

Allison's links:

Website: www.allisoncassatta.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/allison.cassatta.page?ref=hl
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4417507.Allison_Cassatta
Shelfari: http://www.shelfari.com/allisoncassatta
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/allisoncassatta