Welcome to another edition of our On Writing series of Forsaken Press collaborator interviews. For this edition I sat down with Sci-Fi/Fantasy writer Cassandra Castaneda to discuss reading, writing and what makes her tick, as a writer of course.
When did you first start writing and what got you into it?
I was really young actually, the first “book” I wrote was a short story I made for a school contest, where you made a short picture book about any story you wanted to tell. Me, being the ubernerd I was decided to write a book about dinosaurs, about the different types of dinosaurs, and different theories on how they went extinct. I won first place for the school, although, as far as I recall I didn’t make it at the county level. Beyond that, I continued to be a heavy reader and writer all the way until adulthood, although the last few years I have slacked quite a bit.
What’s your favourite novel?
Without a doubt, The Neverending Story. More than any book I have read has this one influenced the way I write and how I develop worlds. The book in and of itself is sort of a love letter to the art of storytelling, with the Nothing representing the lack of imagination that often comes with adult life. I would almost call it a proto-Millennial mindset in many ways. If you’ve read The Neverending Story, you can pick up little hints and nods I throw towards it in my various writings. My character Storyteller, who appears in many of my stories, although in many forms and names is representative of the idea of certain beings being able to travel across worlds, be it from Earth to Fantastica, or in her case, from Earth, to the Aether, to the Nine Realms, etc.
Who are your greatest influences?
Aside from Michal Ende and his novel, I actually have quite a few literary influences. Kevin Dean Anderson, Michael Crichton, Dean Koontz and, of course, H.P. Lovecraft. It’s hard to say who has had the most influence on me, and they are a great many more I could list here, these are just the ones who come to mind.
You’re currently working on your debut novel Aether Station, what inspired the story?
This is a long story. So, I had been working on a tabletop roleplaying game, the original idea was actually to create something I could play for a Mass Effect themed game, but I decided it would be more fun to create something that was my own, although you can sort of see a small reminder of the influence in some of the races I created, the Arkdavieans and the Leirynn being similar to the Salarian and Turians, although much of that is superficial now. As I wrote down more of this universe I started to fall in love with it. I decided to write a series of short stories, that were meant to help the player (the novel takes place 100 years before the events of the game) immerse themselves in a universe that was rich in lore and not just a generic Sci Fi game. That is sort of why there are 4 parts in the novel, each part was originally a short story reworked into a novel.
What’s the most challenging thing about writing for you?
I have really bad ADHD, combined with anxiety and depression, its hard for me to motivate myself into writing. It really sucks when you have all these ideas and they seem to refuse to come out, like some sort of reverse writers block where its not that you don’t know what to write, but so many ideas you don’t know which one!
How do you create your characters?
Depends. Sometimes I create stories around characters I come up with, sometimes it’s the reverse. To narrow it down, in the case of Alicia I created her because I wanted a hero who was like me, a neurodivergent, Mexican woman. While I am not a super-scientist, many of her personality traits, especially her negative ones are very much mine. Comparatively, Rebecca was created to be a counterpart to her, to be the bad bitch I always wished I was.
What advice would you give to someone thinking about writing a novel of their own?
Read more. Not even kidding. When I started writing the first draft of Aether Station 5 or so years ago, I realised I had not read much in awhile and you can’t be a good writer if you don’t take the time to see what people want to read.
What kind of fiction do you like to read?
I’m not super picky, I do love Sci—Fi and Fantasy but I will read just about anything. I have been reading a bit of True Crime lately, most recently The Phantom Killer: Unlocking the Mystery of the Texarkana Serial Murders by James Presley.
What is it about Sci-fi and fantasy that you find so alluring?
The escape. I was bullied a lot, and as an awkward LGBT person, having a fantasy realm to escape to was an important coping mechanism. I think it’s a lot of why I fell in love with The Neverending Story, the idea I could just disappear into another world, if just for a bit, was more than I could ever ask for.
What is your favourite story you’ve ever written and why?
Bob the Dieting Turkey. Wrote it when I was 12 and it was about a thanksgiving turkey that came back to life and forced the family to go on a low-carb high-protein diet. I was 12 and have no fucking clue why I thought it was funny, but me and my mom still have a laugh about it now and then.
How would you describe your writing style?
Accessible. I try to use language that conveys ideas, emotions, actions, etc without being pretentious. I think this is something I try to take from JK Rowling, wording that tells a deep story while being understandable to all groups of people.
What’s your favourite thing about writing?
Being lost in my own head for hours, coming up with new stories, new places and new people to meet!
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