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Cassietta Jefferson, Author |
Cassietta Jefferson is a contemporary Christian author,
publisher, and blogger. She is the newest Editor in Chief for Journey, the For
My Sister Friends newsletter, and the founder of Virtuous Ink Publishing. She
has a passion for reading and writing, and seeks to provide her readers with
the best in contemporary Christian literature. Cassietta is currently preparing
for the release of a collection of short stories as well as the
much-anticipated follow up to her first novel.
Thank you for making One
World Singles Magazine Blog one of your stops on your Virtual Book Tour and
for sharing your insights to writing with our readers.
What type of
characters do you enjoy creating? I enjoy creating characters that are quirky and a little
off kilter. A lot of the characters I create have a little something about
their personality that makes them slightly unlovable or difficult to like. I
think it makes them more relatable and may remind the reader of someone they
know.
Which authors have
influenced you the most? There are so many authors who have had an influence on my style and
voice, but I think I was most influenced by Francis Ray and Brenda Jackson.
Please tell our
readers something about yourself. For the last 15 years, I’ve been married to my wonderful
husband. We’ve raised three children (they’re all grown now) and have lived in
a couple of different cities across the United States. I’m really a simple girl. I love
my family; I love the Lord and have a desire to spread the message of Jesus
Christ.
Who or what inspired
you to become an author. I love to read! I really enjoy a good book, but as I grew older, I was
looking for something (a genre) that just wasn’t there. I figured if I wanted
to read something different then others may also, so I started writing the
stories that I wanted to read.
Have you ever
received a negative comment or review about your book, and if so, how did you
handle it? I
have! I write contemporary Christian fiction but there’s an element of realism
that some Christians don’t particularly go for. I write from a different
perspective in that I know that even as Christians, we don’t always make right
choices. One reviewer couldn’t get past some suggestive material, and I can understand
that. I have to let it roll off my back and continue to write what the Lord has
given me. I went into this industry, writing this genre, knowing that everyone
was not going like it, and that’s okay.
As a writer, what
has been your biggest challenge, trials or tribulations that you have overcome?
The biggest
challenge for me has been confidence. I just come to own the fact that I’m an
author in the last few years. I’m terribly shy and so approaching someone to
let them know that I’ve written and that I would love for them to read it has
been hard but it comes easier for me now.
Could you please
give us a blur about your present or upcoming book? I recently released Shades of
Brown, is a collection of short stories about a group of friends who face some
pretty incredible obstacles. The issues they face in their life changing and
test not only their faith but test their friendship as well.
How can our readers
get in touch with you? I love interacting with readers, so I am always on Facebook! :) Readers
can follow me there, ask questions, and get to a know a little bit about me.
They can also follow me on twitter and via my website.
About The Book
Bitterness and deception always manage to find their way
to the surface. Be Still & Know is a novel about finding love after
devastating heartbreak and the challenges of learning to trust again.
Kai Bennett never believed that she was worthy of love.
Too many years of being mistreated left her bitter and uncertain of her own
self-worth. Finding validation in men, money, and trinkets, she has little use
for a man becoming a permanent fixture in her life. That was until she met Alvin. What starts as a game of cat and
mouse quickly develops into something Kai is unsure she is ready to handle.
Alvin Reigns discovered long ago that in love, there were
no happy endings. He had fallen in love once, and vowed to never again allow
any woman that much control over his heart. Kai Bennett was an unexpected
surprise who made him want to believe in the possibility of a happy ending.
After many years of self-preservation, Alvin is unsure if he should trust Kai
with his heart. How will Alvin and Kai
learn to trust and create their own happy ending?
Links to purchase the book