FAQ

Interviews:

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About Me:


Short:

C.A. Marshall is a freelance editor, lit agent intern, YA writer, and loves to play with her dog Mollie. She dreams of one day owning a small house near the water, preferably in England, with a shelf full of books she has written and has helped others to write. She can be found in Emmett, MI and at camarshall.com

Long:

C.A. Marshall gets to use her MA in Creative Writing from Newcastle University in her day job as a freelance editor. This means that she can set her own hours and lay around the house in her pajamas all day (not really) and snuggle with her dog Mollie whenever she wants to (really). She's seriously addicted to that dog.

She’s also addicted to reading queries for a literary agency in NYC. Some are funny, some are horrifying, and some are so awesome that it takes all her reserve not to jump around and shout about them. She does that anyway, but only in the privacy of her own home.

It took a year in the northeast of England to get that MA and even thought she’ll be in student debt up to her eyeballs for the rest of her life, it was worth every penny. And before that she attended Rochester College where she earned a BA in Professional Writing.

Cassandra has a few small things published here and there; a short story published in Lit by New Writing North in conjunction with Newcastle University, a few poems and short stories published in Blackberry Winter, an annual chapbook of Rochester College, and a personal essay in ExPatLit.com’s Autumn 2009 edition. 

She also has written guest posts for writerunboxed.com, letthewordsflow.wordpress.com, mandyhubbard.livejournal.com, and has been interviewed by caseylmccormick.blogspot.com. 

She was also the runner-up for The National Society of Arts & Letters’ Mid-Michigan 2010 Literature Competition, a competition that was last held in 2003 and won’t be held again until 2016.

Cassandra jokes about living in a cornfield, but it's true. Emmett, MI, USA is one giant cornfield with a few stoplights thrown in. This year it was soybeans instead of corn though. Crop rotation and all. Did you know soybeans are fuzzy?

She dreams of one day owning a small house near the water, preferably in England, with a shelf full of books she has written and has helped others to write. 


She blogs at http://camarshall.com.

FAQ

How did you like living abroad?
I loved it! Best time ever.

What were your colleges and majors?
I went to the University of Newcastle upon Tyne in England where I got my Masters in Creative Writing.  I also attended Rochester College in Michigan, USA where I earned my BA in English and Professional Writing with a minor in communication.


Is C. A. Marshall your real name?
No, it is a pen name made from my first and middle initials and my mother's maiden name.


Where did you grow up?
Lake Orion, MI, USA


Are you married?
Nope.  I'm very single.  It gives me lots of time to write.  I've got my puppy Mollie to snuggle with too.


Who are your favorite authors?
There are a few that I call all-time favorites, like C.S. Lewis, Lois Lowry, Douglas Adams, Richard Adams, and especially Jane Austen.  I'm pretty much obsessed with Jane.  I tend to think that whoever's book i'm reading at the moment is my new favorite because I like reading so much.


What do you do when you’re not writing/editing/interning?
I read a lot.  And I also sleep a lot. I do a lot of crafting like making terariums and working with metal to make things that I sell on etsy.com.  I also crochet and knit very badly.  I don't sell that stuff.  It would end up on regretsy.com faster than I could blink.  I'm into researching my family tree, too.


You're an intern for a literary agent, right?
Yes, I'm an intern for a fabulous agent and I read a lot of queries.  If you can apply for an internship I would highly recommend it.  I've learned so much about what works and what doesn't and it's ever so much fun.

No, I won't reveal who i'm interning for. 


What's the secret to getting published?
There is no "publishing secret" that everyone is hiding from unpublished authors.  Be friendly, meet people, build contacts, read and comment on blogs--just get your name out there and learn everything you can about the businees.  Remain humble, too.  No one likes a person who thinks they're God's gift to publishing.   That's the kind of stuff i'd recommend.


Are you a vegetarian?
No, but the only meat I like is turkey and chicken.  Other things like beef and pork taste icky to me.

 Do you really live in a cornfield?
Yep, i'm surrounded by acres and acres of it.

What kind of dog is Mollie?
She's half border collie/black lab and half spaniel/golden retreiver.  She's a heinz 57 and totally adorable.
 Do you talk about your dog a lot?
I do!

Do you have any other pets?
My family has Mollie's father Jones, her uncle Indiana, her mom Sandy and three cats, Kibbles, Ciggy and Baby.


On writing/editing/interning:

What time of day do you write?
Usually in the late evening until the wee hours of the morning.  I'm not a morning person at all.


Do you use any software to write, or do you use pen and paper?
I am not a pen and paper girl.  I wrote my first book using simple Word and the second book with  Scrivener.  I heart Scriv! I find the organizational tools handy.


Why do you write YA/MG books?
I read mostly Young Adult and Middle Grade books and I love them even though I am an adult.  It's not that writing YA/MG is any harder or easier than adult books, I just like reading YA/MG more and so it felt natural to write in those genre's as well.


How do you get an agent?
You do like I am and you write what's called a query letter.  Google it and follow the directions.  Agents don't like when you don't follow directions.  So make sure you do.


Are you a plotter, or a pantzer?
A little of both.  I make an outline of where I want to go but I don't follow it exactly.  If a character wants to go somewhere else i'll follow them and revise my outline accordingly.



Will you tell me how to get a book published?
No, but I will tell you to read the blogs of agents online and follow them on Twitter.  Learning is half the fun!


Can you recommend any good books on writing?
Yep, see the bottom of this page.


Will you read my stuff?
Due to time contraints and plagarism issues, I don't think this is a good idea.  I'd be happy to help with specific problems if you have them, but i'd recommend that you join a critique group or take a class or two to find someone who will read your stuff.

However, if you're looking for a freelance editor, I'm your girl.  I even have a contract that will protect both of us and our ideas.  Click the "editing services" tab at the top of this page for more information.

Will you help me with my query?
Only if you've worked on it for a very long time and you've revised it several times.  Send it to me like you would send it to an agent.  Remember though, I'm not an agent, i'm just a slush reader.  I can send you pointers about your query from my point of view but there are many people who may have different opinions.  Read agent blogs for loads of tips on query writing and never send a query to an agent without reading and adhering to their specific submission guidelines.
.Cassandra
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