You Oughta Know: Cassandra Carter

by Symphony, WAOD Contributor


Meet Cassandra Carter. At 18 years old she is preparing for the 2008 release of her second book. Her first novel, "Fast Life," was published in July as part of the "Tru" series from Kimani Press, a division of Harlequin that focuses on African-American young-adult fiction.
*
She started "Fast Life" when she was just 14, after a dream. And the young teen followed her gut instinct, "I woke up and - I hate telling people this because it makes me sound crazy - but I heard a voice ... saying, 'Cassandra, you should write a book about that.' So I created this character. It was about this girl and she's ... got to go and move real quick, and everything else just kind of came."
*
By the age of 15 the book was complete and it was her grandmother who not only supported her but encouraged her to get it published. Carter gave the book to her uncle, who is in the book business, and he thought highly of her work so he passed it on to a friend who was a literary agent.
*
That second book, "16 Isn't Always Sweet," is due for publication in March, and she is working on a sequel to "Fast Life." She is even flirting with the idea of making "Fast Life" a series around its heroine Kyra Jones.
*
Last words from Cassandra: "They say that people who are successful at creative ventures like this are the ones who've been doing it since they were born, and that's me right there, so I'm willing to take the risk."
*
Find out more about Cassandra and her work at: Amazon, Barnes and Noble and her Myspace page.
*
Its never too early to encourage a child to pursue a passion. Encourage a young girl to express herself through the written word with the following sites:

Scriptito's Place
Midlink Magazine
Writing Den
The Young Writer's Club
Girls Write Now (New York City)