Title: Finding the Cure

Author: Cassandra Giovanni

Published by: Show n’ot Tell Publishing

Date published: June 18, 2015

Genres: NA Contemporary Romance

Book Length: 349 pages

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Author Cassandra Giovanni

Ellie Abela’s life has been anything but easy. Tragedy follows her where ever she goes, and she’s been a lot of places. At twenty she’s lived in over ten different states, all because of her dad’s career in medical research. His career is just another list of the causes of tragedies in El’s life. He’s dying, and with every breath he takes closer to Heaven, Ellie dies a little bit inside too.

At twelve she lost her mom in a drunk driving accident, and in a matter of months she fears she’ll lose the last person she has in the world to cancer.

While Ellie’s life has been rife with sadness, Trent Wentworth’s has been a challenge. A drug-addicted mom and a dead-beat dad meant at twenty three he was the adoptive father of his two year old sister. Now at twenty five he’s working his way up the corporate ladder and a struggling single parent.

Each is searching for a cure to the things in their lives dragging them down.

Not all cures are black and white; not all cures save us–and sometimes saving isn’t what we need. Sometimes we just need to realize how lucky we are to be alive, at least for this moment.

Conquering Fears Through Writing

Being an author is a challenging path to travel down, and sometimes I find myself wondering why exactly I am doing it, and sometimes I find myself wondering exactly why I am writing a particular piece. Over the past two years I’ve come to terms with exactly why I chose to be an author, because it was that, a choice. At the beginning of every year I force myself into a self-evaluation. I look at what I wanted to accomplish, what happened and what I want to accomplish this coming year. In 2014 I set wild goals, that didn’t seem so wild at the time and those goals set me up for failure as an author.

I felt my books I published in 2014 were failures.

I felt I was a failure as an author.

I was frustrated and mad at the whole process, until I sat down and forced myself to really think about why I was so angry. Low and behold it had nothing to do with writing, and it had everything to do with money.

I hate to say it, but my husband was correct when he warned me in vehemence that I needed to stop watching numbers and just be writing. He warned me if I kept down that path I would end hating writing like he did music. Thank goodness I have him to put me in my place. He reminded me of the seven year old me giddy from wining a writing contest holding my freshly won Samantha doll to my chest while reading my chapter in a live book and knowing I was born to be an author; of eighteen year old me who sat at a laptop and wrote because she wanted to (rewrite a popular novel *cough*); of the twenty three year old me that published because I was going to write it anyways and why not share it with the world?

So this year, I promised myself nothing. I told myself if I reached one reader that was enough, and I stopped thinking about the fear I felt about publishing tons of novel with no readers to read them.

But I didn’t stop fearing anything. In my opinion, fear is what makes an author a good one.

Consequently, when Breathless Ink approached me and gave me a few ideas for guest posts, she suggested I write about why I wrote Finding the Cure. I kind of laughed to myself, because there were a lot of times my husband asked me exactly that about this novel. Then I came upon it, fear.

As an author I write to conquer my fears, and to understand human nature. With this novel I spent a lot of time crying as I wrote it. I distinctly remember one night where my husband pulled the laptop away from me because I was sobbing so hard and I just lay in his arms for an hour crying. I was attempting to conquer and understand one of my biggest fears—losing a loved one in a very painful way. I start the novel by having the main character, Ellie saying this:

I used to wonder if it was harder to know you’re going to die, or just dying without the ability to say goodbye.

Ellie actually has to go through both, and I forced myself to really feel what Ellie felt. At the end of the novel, I felt not only had my character grown, but so did I.

I’m not quite sure I conquered my fears, because I’m pretty sure if the things that happened to Ellie happened to me I would probably melt down completely. I think I did them justice, though, and I cannot tell you how amazing it was to have someone who went through a struggle similar to Ellie tell me I did it justice.

Another fear conquered.

Cassandra doesn’t remember a time when she wasn’t writing. In fact, the first time she was published was when she was seven years old and won a contest to be published in an American Girl Doll novel. Since then Cassandra has write an essay for me more novels than she can count and put just as many in the circular bin. Her personal goal with her writing is to show the reader the character’s stories through their dialogue and actions instead of just telling the reader what is happening. Besides being a writer, Cassandra is a professional photographer known for her automotive, nature and architectural shots. She is happily married to the man of her dreams and they live in the rolling hills of New England with their dogs, Bubski and Kanga.

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Title: In Between Seasons

Author: Cassandra Giovanni

Series: The Fall Series

Date published: July 28, 2014

Genres: New Adult Post-Apocalyptic Romance

Book Length: 312 pages

Main Characters: Kate and Hunter

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“Kate and Hunter tried to be what their families expected but ultimately chose to be true to themselves. In their own way, both did what they were told…until they found each other. ~Dylan

In 2021 the world as we know it changed. The government collapsed, and the worst characteristics of human nature were shown as the world fell into ruins. Years after The Fall, the Tribes that were established are still at war. They still fight to keep what they pillaged, and most of all, they fight to keep their lies a secret. In a world filled with deception, nothing is as it seems.

I was born into this world.

Hunter Marks was molded into this world; a General— a person cold and harsh. A person meant to kill me.

We were told to just believe.

We were taught to never question.

We’re supposed to be robots, and accept our roles in this altered society.

Too bad Hunter and I don’t follow the rules.

And we’re a hell of a lot stronger than they ever thought possible.

They’ve been searching for the world’s deadliest weapon.

It’s me.

And I’m not following the leader any more.

By Dylan Quinn

In Between Seasons by Cassandra Giovanni is set in a dystopian society after The Fall in 2021, which resulted after a government breakdown from the 2012 recession. The government has collapsed and Marshal Law has erupted, leaving the country a disaster. Those who survived the war chose sides by forming tribes and staking claim on land; building compounds in the middle of the country. Now twenty years after The Fall, Kate Ericson, daughter of one tribe leader faces the challenges of what comes next in a world she struggles to understand.

It’s Kate’s last day of school. She’s 18, and it’s time for her to take her place with the rest of the woman in her tribe, doing whatever it is women are supposed to do. The problem: Kate is not like other women. Although indoctrinated by the history books and legends told by her own father, she questions things that don’t quite fit. In a world where girls are taught not to question, Kate finds her voice and breaks the status quo only to find her an outcast in her own family.

Though Kate has been dating Trevor, a boy chosen for her by her family, she feels little for him. With not much of promising future ahead, Kate hopes for more than what happens to lie in front of her and seeks a way out by writing her own books. Since those she is supposed to trust refuse to give her any truthful answers, she spends her spare time filling books with her own conspiracy theory’s as to what happened before and during The Fall, and now what lies outside her tribe’s compounds. As Kate becomes brave, she soon realizes that the theories she thinks to be stories are closer to the truth than she ever imagined.

Within weeks of joining the women in her tribe, Kate finds her way out. When Hunter Marks, a sexy general from an opposing tribe is assigned to kidnap and kill Kate, they soon realize what follows will be the beginning of the rest of their lives.

In Between Seasons focuses on Kate and Hunter’s journey in a post-apocalyptic society, struggling to find where they fit in a world neither of them agree with or completely understand. I liked both of the characters. Both Kate and Hunter tried to be what their families expected but ultimately chose to be true to themselves. In their own way, both did what they were told…until they found each other.

This New Adult romance focuses more on the developing relationship between Kate and Hunter, as well as their individual journey’s of self-discovery rather than the “what happened” part of the story. Finding balance between character development and plot points can often be difficult in character-driven stories, but Giovanni pulled it off with an entertaining story.

Although at times there wasn’t much happening and the ending came and went a bit too quickly for my taste, I enjoyed the story. I thought the premise was intelligent, and the struggles Kate and Hunter faced were realistic and relatable. And the teasers—I couldn’t wait to see how Kate was the weapon they needed to survive. I’m looking forward to seeing what the rest of the characters in this series have in store for them.

Cassandra Giovanni

Cassandra doesn’t remember a time when she wasn’t writing. In fact, the first time she was published was when she was seven years old and won a contest to be published in an American Girl Doll novel. Since then Cassandra has written more novels than she can count and put just as many in the circular bin. Her personal goal with her writing is to show the reader the character’s stories through their dialogue and actions instead of just telling the reader what is happening. Besides being a writer, Cassandra is a professional photographer known for her automotive, nature and architectural shots. She is happily married to the man of her dreams and they live in the rolling hills of New England their dogs, Bubski and Kanga.

Cassandra Giovanni is published by Show n’ot Tell Publishing based out of Connecticut, USA.

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