A Dreamer in the Real World
by
Christine Amsden
by
Christine Amsden
I'm
a dreamer. I'm not sure how a fiction writer could not be a dreamer, at
least to some extent, but I confess that I've lived my life on the
edge of reality. Most of my memories from childhood involve me making
up stories in my head. I have far more of those stories to tell than
stories of what actually happened to me.
I started writing those ideas down young, as early as eight (I regret I did not keep my first stories). And it didn't take long for dreams of becoming a bestselling author to join my myriad other fantasies (many of which involved me suddenly discovering the truth that I am an alien princess who needs to return to my home world to save the planet from certain destruction).
I started writing those ideas down young, as early as eight (I regret I did not keep my first stories). And it didn't take long for dreams of becoming a bestselling author to join my myriad other fantasies (many of which involved me suddenly discovering the truth that I am an alien princess who needs to return to my home world to save the planet from certain destruction).
If
there's one thing I've learned now that I have become a published
author, it's that reality has little in common with the dream. I can't
pinpoint the instant my dream bubble burst. Maybe it never did. Maybe it
just sort of expanded until it faded away.
There
is a big difference between being a dreamer and sharing the product of
those dreams
(stories) with the world. I suppose there's a certain irony to the fact
that I originally hid inside my fantasies because I was such a
painfully shy child, and now I've put myself out there for the world to
heckle or admire as they choose.
The
dream is J.K. Rowling. The reality is that she's probably made more
money than every author who ever wrote a book in the history of the
world combined. She's a fluke. A one-off.
The
reality is that I spend less time dreaming than ever before. Most of my
dreams are focused on my next project, although I do indulge myself in
the daily fantasy that Cassie Scot will go viral. (Psst... feel free to
tell people about my book!) The reality is that she's selling well by
all reasonable standards, but reasonable standards are not dream
standards. The reality is that I spend more than half my day working as
an editor in order to make ends meet as an author and
that this is not likely to change anytime soon.
And yet...
I have fans. :) :) :)
The
reality is harder than the dream, but the pay-off is immeasurably
sweeter. There is no joy without pain, no success without risk, no
reward without sacrifice.
I am a dreamer living in the real world, sucking people into my fantasies one reader at a time. Thank you for your support.
***********
Mind Games (Cassie Scot Book 3)
Beware your heart and soul…
Evan broke Cassie’s heart two months ago, and she still doesn’t know why. She throws herself into family, friends and her new job at the sheriff’s department, but nothing helps. The only thing that finally allows her heal and move on is the love of a new man, mind mage Matthew Blair. Cassie finds him…irresistible.
Matthew may also be the only one who can help keep the non-magical residents of Eagle Rock from going crazy over the murder of a beloved pastor’s wife. It looks like a sorcerer is to blame, but while Cassie tries to figure out who, others take matters into their own hands. With tensions running so hot, a single spark might set Eagle Rock ablaze.
First Chapter: http://christineamsden.com/wordpress/?page_id=3118 (Warning: Contains series spoilers. New readers to the series would be better off checking out the preview of book one below.)
Buy Links
Mind Games (Cassie Scot)
Barnes and Noble
Audible link coming soon! See this link for more information.
Other titles in this series:
Cassie Scot: ParaNormal Detective
Cassie Scot is the ungifted daughter of powerful sorcerers, born between worlds but belonging to neither. At 21, all she wants is to find a place for herself, but earning a living as a private investigator in the shadow of her family’s reputation isn’t easy. When she is pulled into a paranormal investigation, and tempted by a powerful and handsome sorcerer, she will have to decide where she truly belongs.
First Chapter: http://christineamsden.com/wordpress/?page_id=1712
Buy Links
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Audible (audiobook)
Beware your heart and soul…
Evan broke Cassie’s heart two months ago, and she still doesn’t know why. She throws herself into family, friends and her new job at the sheriff’s department, but nothing helps. The only thing that finally allows her heal and move on is the love of a new man, mind mage Matthew Blair. Cassie finds him…irresistible.
Matthew may also be the only one who can help keep the non-magical residents of Eagle Rock from going crazy over the murder of a beloved pastor’s wife. It looks like a sorcerer is to blame, but while Cassie tries to figure out who, others take matters into their own hands. With tensions running so hot, a single spark might set Eagle Rock ablaze.
First Chapter: http://christineamsden.com/wordpress/?page_id=3118 (Warning: Contains series spoilers. New readers to the series would be better off checking out the preview of book one below.)
Buy Links
Mind Games (Cassie Scot)
Barnes and Noble
Audible link coming soon! See this link for more information.
Other titles in this series:
Cassie Scot: ParaNormal Detective
Cassie Scot is the ungifted daughter of powerful sorcerers, born between worlds but belonging to neither. At 21, all she wants is to find a place for herself, but earning a living as a private investigator in the shadow of her family’s reputation isn’t easy. When she is pulled into a paranormal investigation, and tempted by a powerful and handsome sorcerer, she will have to decide where she truly belongs.
First Chapter: http://christineamsden.com/wordpress/?page_id=1712
Buy Links
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Audible (audiobook)
Secrets and Lies (Cassie Scot Book 2)
Cassie Scot, still stinging from her parents’ betrayal, wants out of the magical world. But it isn’t letting her go. Her family is falling apart and despite everything, it looks like she may be the only one who can save them.
To complicate matters, Cassie owes Evan her life, making it difficult for her to deny him anything he really wants. And he wants her. Sparks fly when they team up to find two girls missing from summer camp, but long-buried secrets may ruin their hopes for happiness.
Buy Links
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Audible (Audiobook)
Author Bio
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, a condition that effects 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.
In addition to writing, Christine teaches workshops on writing at Savvy Authors. She also does some freelance editing work.
Christine currently lives in the Kansas City area with her husband, Austin, who has been her biggest fan and the key to her success. They have two beautiful children.
Social Media Links:
Website
Newsletter
Blog
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads
Google+
Praise for the Cassie Scot Series
From Publisher’s Weekly:
“Amsden continues the story of the only mundane member of a supernaturally-gifted family in this middling sequel to Cassie Scot: ParaNormal Detective. Cassie, stubborn and proud, is bravely trying to live on her own after her family disowns her. Struggling to make ends meet, she accepts a case involving a pair of magical girls who disappeared from summer camp. With the aid of the handsome Evan Blackwood, to whom Cassie is attracted despite her family’s disapproval and her own better judgment, she follows the trail of the missing girls. What she finds is a dark side of the magical world, and the hidden depths of her family’s past force her to reconsider long-held assumptions. The growing complexity of Cassie’s world makes this an entertaining installment, focusing as much on the will-they, won’t-they romantic chemistry between Cassie and Evan as on the primary mystery. An inconclusive ending is clearly intended to feed into the next volume.”
Kim Falconer, bestselling author of The Spell of Rosette, Quantum Enchantment Series, had this to say:
“When sorcerers call the shots, what’s a girl without powers to do? Get ready for a ripper of a murder mystery full of romance and intrigue, where magic potions bubble, passions spark and vampires are definitely not your friend. Cassie Scot: ParaNormal Detective grabs you by the heart and won’t let go until the very last page. Well written, immersive and unputdownable. This is urban fantasy at its best. More please!”
Book Specifications
Title: Mind Games: a Cassie Scot novel
Author: Christine Amsden
Author web site: http://www.christineamsden.com
Publisher: Twilight Times Books
url: http://twilighttimesbooks.com/
Genre: paranormal fantasy
*Print ISBN: 978-1-60619-279-5
Format: 5.5x8.5 trade paperback; 276 pages; $17.95 USD
*eBook ISBN: 978-1-60619-278-8; $6.50 USD
Format: ebook in pdf, ePub, Kindle, Mobi, PRC, etc.
Distributors: Amazon Kindle; Apple iBookstore; BN.com Nook; Kobo Books; OmniLit, etc
Release date: April 15, 2014 ebook; June 15, 2014 trade paperback
Secrets and Lies (Cassie Scot - Book 2) (December 2013)
Cassie Scot: ParaNormal Detective (May 2013) 2013 Global Ebook Award winner
The Immortality Virus (June 2011), winner of the 2012 Eppie Award
Touch of Fate (November 2007)
Cassie Scot, still stinging from her parents’ betrayal, wants out of the magical world. But it isn’t letting her go. Her family is falling apart and despite everything, it looks like she may be the only one who can save them.
To complicate matters, Cassie owes Evan her life, making it difficult for her to deny him anything he really wants. And he wants her. Sparks fly when they team up to find two girls missing from summer camp, but long-buried secrets may ruin their hopes for happiness.
Buy Links
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Audible (Audiobook)
Author Bio
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, a condition that effects 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.
In addition to writing, Christine teaches workshops on writing at Savvy Authors. She also does some freelance editing work.
Christine currently lives in the Kansas City area with her husband, Austin, who has been her biggest fan and the key to her success. They have two beautiful children.
Social Media Links:
Website
Newsletter
Blog
Goodreads
Google+
Praise for the Cassie Scot Series
From Publisher’s Weekly:
“Amsden continues the story of the only mundane member of a supernaturally-gifted family in this middling sequel to Cassie Scot: ParaNormal Detective. Cassie, stubborn and proud, is bravely trying to live on her own after her family disowns her. Struggling to make ends meet, she accepts a case involving a pair of magical girls who disappeared from summer camp. With the aid of the handsome Evan Blackwood, to whom Cassie is attracted despite her family’s disapproval and her own better judgment, she follows the trail of the missing girls. What she finds is a dark side of the magical world, and the hidden depths of her family’s past force her to reconsider long-held assumptions. The growing complexity of Cassie’s world makes this an entertaining installment, focusing as much on the will-they, won’t-they romantic chemistry between Cassie and Evan as on the primary mystery. An inconclusive ending is clearly intended to feed into the next volume.”
Kim Falconer, bestselling author of The Spell of Rosette, Quantum Enchantment Series, had this to say:
“When sorcerers call the shots, what’s a girl without powers to do? Get ready for a ripper of a murder mystery full of romance and intrigue, where magic potions bubble, passions spark and vampires are definitely not your friend. Cassie Scot: ParaNormal Detective grabs you by the heart and won’t let go until the very last page. Well written, immersive and unputdownable. This is urban fantasy at its best. More please!”
Book Specifications
Title: Mind Games: a Cassie Scot novel
Author: Christine Amsden
Author web site: http://www.christineamsden.com
Publisher: Twilight Times Books
url: http://twilighttimesbooks.com/
Genre: paranormal fantasy
*Print ISBN: 978-1-60619-279-5
Format: 5.5x8.5 trade paperback; 276 pages; $17.95 USD
*eBook ISBN: 978-1-60619-278-8; $6.50 USD
Format: ebook in pdf, ePub, Kindle, Mobi, PRC, etc.
Distributors: Amazon Kindle; Apple iBookstore; BN.com Nook; Kobo Books; OmniLit, etc
Release date: April 15, 2014 ebook; June 15, 2014 trade paperback
Secrets and Lies (Cassie Scot - Book 2) (December 2013)
Cassie Scot: ParaNormal Detective (May 2013) 2013 Global Ebook Award winner
The Immortality Virus (June 2011), winner of the 2012 Eppie Award
Touch of Fate (November 2007)
Sounds really good. New author for me but sounds like one I'd like. Thanks for the heads up.
ReplyDeleteI haven't been reading a lot of young adult books lately but I enjoyed the first two in the series and am looking forward to reading this one. Thank you for visiting, Mary.
DeleteThanks so much for being a part of my tour! I'm looking forward to your review stop in June.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting, Christine and good luck on the release, this is a fun series!
Deletethanks for such a great post and congrats to Christine on the new release!!! Sounds fantastic :)
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteThank you for taking the time to visit, erin!
DeleteThere are times I would like to be able to read minds. However I bet there are a few people's minds I wouldn't enjoy reading :) LOL
ReplyDeleteI'm sure there are! I don't think I'd want to know what people think of me sometimes. Or I don't know, maybe I'm harder on myself that anyone else is!
DeleteI figure it's always a good thing that people can't read MY mind...because I would always be in trouble with my sarcastic sense of humor, lol. Thanks for visiting, Crystal!
DeleteInteresting books; not really
ReplyDeleteSorry, bn, I don't remember what question you are answering...but thanks for visiting!
DeleteGreat looking books..
ReplyDeleteThat's a nice compliment, thanks for visiting, teena.
DeleteI would not like to read minds. Life is frightening enough as is. But these do look like interesting readings.
ReplyDeleteSometimes, it would be nice to know what people are thinking just so there aren't any misconceptions but I think it might be awfully noisy to hear so many thoughts. Thanks for visiting, Marsha.
Delete