Hi, y'all! I'm Cass, a writer who lives in western Virginia with two cats and a lot of books. My debut novel, From Unseen Fire, Book One of the Aven Cycle, is now available from DAW Books. The Aven Cycle is an epic historical fantasy series -- essentially, I gave the ancient Romans magic to see what they would do with it and what alternate world it would spawn. In Aven, elemental magic shapes history as much as politics, religion, and war.

On April 17th, 2018, a dream more than twenty years in the making came true. From Unseen Fire launched, and I officially became the novelist and creator of worlds that I’ve wanted to be since I was eleven years old.

This is a huge step, and it’s so, so exciting. But it’s certainly not the end of the road -- nor a guarantee of success. I am so fortunate to have a marketing and publicity team behind me, but there’s still a lot that falls on my shoulders. And, cards on the table? I'm a writer working without a lot of the safety nets that typically make this career possible (like a high-paying day job or spousal support), so this Patreon also helps ease some of the burdens of life. For more details about specifically what I'm using Patreon money for, check out my most recent State of the Patreon Address.

I am so lucky to have such supportive friends and fans who have cheered me on through this journey. Whoever you are and however you got here, I'm delighted by you. Thank you!

What has me so excited about Patreon is the chance it gives me to invite you all a little closer into the world of the Aven Cycle. There’s so much I want to share -- and not all of it will fit into the novels! Character sketches, background drabbles, information about side characters, deleted scenes, exciting research… I want to share it all! And Patreon seems a perfect way to do that.

But my Patreon posts are not limited to that world! My creative journey has been a long and sometimes circuitous one, and what I put out here will reflect all of that. I am, as the Aven Cycle shows, a nut for classical history and mythology -- so I'll do some retellings. I'm a medieval and Renaissance studies scholar (what with the Shakespeare), so I've got plenty to talk about there, too. Star Wars was my first real fandom and is my lifelong love, so you'd better believe you'll be getting reaction posts as the new movies come out. Harry Potter is probably the fandom that's made me the most friends over the years: I honed my skills writing fanfic there, ran an online RPG, contributed to the American Wizarding blog, and worked on staff for a fandom-focused convention. And if you're an aspiring author seeking insights into the mystical and often obfuscated world of publishing. I fully intend to shed what light I can on the process.

Periodically, I'll throw the question out to the community: What do you want to know more about? Join the team, and you'll be able to direct some of what I share.

Thank you so much for being with me. I could not have gotten this far without the support and encouragement that so many people have given me over the years, and I cannot wait to see what the future will bring.

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