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You are here: Home / 3Ws / 3Ws – Cassandra Dunn

3Ws – Cassandra Dunn

October 22, 2014 Filed Under: 3Ws, books are awesome, writing

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What do you create?

I write novels and short stories, and occasionally blog posts, but those are a tad inconsistent these days.

My debut novel, The Art of Adapting, came out this summer from Touchstone/Simon & Schuster. It’s the story of a family in transition: Lana is recently separated and seeking a balance between caring for her family single-handedly and caring for herself. Lana’s brother Matt, who has Asperger’s Syndrome, moves in with Lana after he suffers an accidental overdose. Lana’s children, Byron and Abby, are in the thick of their own teen dramas, reluctant to warm up to their quirky uncle, feeling distant from their estranged parents, and not sure where they fit in. As each of the four characters finds their own way, they also learn to pull together in their new, unconventional family.

 

Why do you create?

I honestly can’t think of a better way to spend my time. There’s something about following the paths of made-up characters, giving them challenges to overcome and moments of pure joy to keep them going, digging in until they are as real to me as actual people, that really fulfills me. I write every day, and a lot of it never leaves my notebook or Word file. It’s all part of a process for me, looking for the story I have to tell or character I can’t let go of. I’m writing even when I don’t have a blank page in front of me. I tell my daughters a story every night at bedtime, made up on the spot: maybe about a turtle who has a squirrel best friend, until the other turtles make fun of him for it, and how he convinces all the turtles that this is one awesome squirrel, and they all become friends. A simple story, a real issue, and a resolution, all dreamed up and delivered in five minutes. It’s my nightly creative mind workout. I love the short story form, and I’ve published a dozen short stories in various literary journals, but novels are the greatest challenge and passion for me.

 

What do you consume?

Books, books, and more books. And coffee. And chocolate. But mostly books. I have a dozen to-read books on my nightstand, another pile in my office, a couple in my car, and never enough time to get to all of them. In one of the piles right now is Tinkers, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Chalice and the Blade, Gilead, Conflict Resolution in the Elementary Classroom, Sharp Objects, and Is Everyone Hanging out Without Me? My tastes are eclectic. I like movies, everything from dramas to comedies to action pictures–pretty much whatever Netflix has just added. I love yoga, hiking with my dog, and just sitting in the back yard sun listening to the birds for a peaceful moment. I’m a single mom to two amazing, busy kids, so I don’t have a lot of down time. Most of my non-writing time is about them: school drop off and pick up, homework, field trips, gymnastics, horseback riding, play dates, birthday parties, playing referee in their fights, and just sitting with them and listening to what they have to say. Their activities and outings get me out of my head and into the world, where I can observe new and different people, and then drift back into my head, dreaming up stories to stick them into.

 

Links

Website: http://www.cassandradunn.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cassdunn
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cassandra.a.dunn
The Art of Adapting: http://amzn.com/1476761604

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Allison Larkin

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Internationally bestselling author of three novels as Allie Larkin and THE PEOPLE WE KEEP. Look for HOME OF THE AMERICAN CIRCUS @gallerybooks May 2025

“Larkin abandons the typical story arc in favor “Larkin abandons the typical story arc in favor of a more naturally flowing up-and-down journey that basks in beautiful moments like a slice-of-life story. Whether it’s banter at the bar Freya’s working or a leaking roof that is simply one more thing than she can possibly handle right now, the characters and their experiences are so real and pure that their joys and sorrows are amplified tenfold.” 

So honored by this AP review of Home of the American Circus! 

https://apnews.com/article/home-american-circus-allison-larkin-book-review-79ea3d1fdb69ef16232a8dfb7d148ad6

#homeoftheamericancircus #booksbooksbooks
I’ve seen a bunch of references to Home of the A I’ve seen a bunch of references to Home of the American Circus as my second novel. It’s actually my 5th! Before The People We Keep, under the name Allie Larkin, I wrote three books: Stay, Why Can’t I Be You, and Swimming for Sunlight. Here they are in their various editions with some of their translations! (And @justjuliawhelan also narrated Stay and Why Can’t I Be You, if you’d like to listen!)

Fun fact: That gorgeous dog on the hardcover of Stay was actually our dog Argo, and I took that photo of him when @duttonbooks couldn’t find the perfect photo of a black German Shepherd. #booksbooksbooks #bookstagram
Pub Day Part One. The thing is, it’s really hard Pub Day Part One. The thing is, it’s really hard to be a creative person in the world, and the blessing, the salvation, the joy of it is the community around art: the writers who will call an emergency novel Zoom meeting when you’re stuck on a draft, the ones who roll up their sleeves and make sure your words are saying what you intend to say, the one who writes an interview to promote your book in the local paper, the reader who captures pictures of the event and makes a reel, the bookstore saints who plan a meal based on the story and serve blue and yellow cupcakes and sing happy birthday to your book on launch day, the readers who show up and get books signed and ask great questions and tell stories about their lives. That’s book magic. And thanks to @townecenterbks (especially Judy and Stacey although I know there are bookstore saints behind the scenes too) and @reneewritesnovels and @woolfmania and @cassandra.a.dunn and @lindalattelessons @aneedleinmybookstack and everyone who showed up to Read it and Eat, I will never ever forget the pub day for Home of the American Circus. You all made it so special. Thank you! I love you. I’m so grateful to be part of the community of writers and readers. ❤️🐘
@deborahblakeauthor RIGHT BACK AT YOU! ❤️❤️❤️
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I will be back on Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I will be back on the grid tomorrow! I love you all so much and I’m so grateful for your support! 😘😘😘 #homeoftheamericancircus
Well, here we are on the eve of Pub Day for Home o Well, here we are on the eve of Pub Day for Home of the American Circus! 

You know that classic bit of writing advice about how you’re supposed to write the book that scares you? Well, for a long time the thought of actually writing and sharing Home of the American Circus scared the heck out of me. I spent many many years collecting ideas for this book, terrified by the thought of how deep I’d have to dig to tell this story the right way. The book is firmly fiction, and the characters are all my imaginary friends, but the setting and themes are literally and figuratively close to home for me. Freya’s story isn’t mine, we have different life events and demographics, but I understand her sense of grief and loss and floundering and hope on a cellular level. And of all the characters I’ve ever written, the way her mind works is the closest to how I think and feel. It takes place in the town where I grew up. And I think when you read this book, you won’t know my life story, but you will know the tenor of my heart. I grew up as a kid with undiagnosed ADHD in a place where I didn’t fit, frantically trying to look normal, believing it was the only way anyone would love me. Always falling short, terrified of failure. And then in my early twenties, I dropped out of college and worked at a biker bar and made such a huge mess of my life that I was forced to build myself up again brick by brick—this time knowing that failure isn’t the worst thing that can happen to a person. That as long as you can find the strength to try again in one way or another, falling flat on your face is not the end of the world. And I learned that the only way to truly feel loved is to be yourself and see who’s up for loving you in your natural form. The people I keep taught me that. And even though it scared me, this was a book I needed to write, it’s the work I’m most proud of, with characters I love the most. So sharing it doesn’t feel like the end of the world at all. Just the end of the world where I have not shared this novel set in ny hometown with a character who has a heart like mine. #misheardlyrics #rem #homeoftheamericancircus #awkwardguitar #itstheendoftheworldasweknowitandifeelfine
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