Take Five And Meet Author Cassandra Ulrich & Her Latest Release ~ Adelle & Brandon: Friends for Life.

Today we are fortunate to meet Cassandra Ulrich. As you know I love finding new-to-me authors and introducing them to you.

Welcome to An Indie Adventure, Cassandra.  Tell us, what inspired you to write your book Adelle & Brandon: Friends for Life?

Hi L.A. Thanks for having me as a guest on your blog. 

I gave myself homework after attending a class at a South Jersey Writers’ Group meeting. The teacher for the evening explained that it’s better to describe the surroundings in a scene interspersed with action rather than bore the reader up front with all that detail. I’d already been toying with the friends for life (friends forever is a bit too long for me) idea, so I went for it. What did I have to lose?

How do you use setting to further your story?

I started with a small apartment, figuring I’d use a limited amount of space to grow my craft. I wanted to catch all the nuances and details we may take for granted on a daily basis. The living room and bedroom were popular spots. However, in the second half of the story, my descriptions ventured outside. That was a bit scary at first, but I kept reminding myself that this was all a part of learning to be a better writer.

How do you construct your characters?

All my characters are based on people I’ve met or a combination of characteristics based on my observations. I enjoy writing characters that affect me emotionally. Either I wish I could hang with them or I’d avoid them like the plague. But, they must interest me enough for me to spend time creating them for others to meet.

How is your main character completely different than you?

Oh, my. Adelle wasted too much time pining over Brandon and his breakups. I’d have gotten to the point. There is too much to enjoy in life. And spending hours getting ready for a date? That is so not me. <laughs>

Tell us something about yourself we might not expect!

I once had aspirations of being a backup singer in a band. In fact, we had many practice sessions and a photo shoot to launch the group. But, alas, tragedy struck our group before we got any further.

How do you create internal and external conflict in your characters?  I find conflict often the hardest to create when I start planning a book.

I experience some kind of conflict on a weekly if not daily basis. I just pull from the memory archives. If that’s too personal or painful, I tap into the news. There’s no lack of conflict, internal or otherwise, in our world. It’s a matter of choosing the right combination of opposition to create something worth reading. I experiment and take note of how others respond after they’ve heard or read a scene. Open mic events are a great venue for testing the waters.

Give us a brief summary of Adelle and Brandon: Friends for Life :

Adelle answered yet another phone call from Brandon about his latest breakup. After all, what're friends for, right? During their last stint at Coney Island, they'd pinky sworn to be friends for life. At twelve, that's great, but at twenty-four, not so much. Will Adelle succeed at keeping her true feelings for Brandon hidden...again?

Buy: 

Paperback

Kindle

Bio:

Cassandra Ulrich was born on the beautiful island of St. Croix, United States Virgin Islands, located east of Puerto Rico.  Living in the tropics fueled her imagination and daydreams.  For years, she wrote poetry and entered competitions.  However, only many years later did she discover joy in writing stories longer than a few pages.

She published her first young adult novel, “A Beautiful Girl”, in April 2011.  The inspirational novel has already touched many hearts ranging from teens to adults. Her second novel, “Love’s Intensity”, is a teen paranormal romance and was released on July 11, 2013. Her third, “Billiard Buddies”, a New Adult romance novella, was released on May 24, 2014, with Keith Publications. 

On June 25, 2014, she published/released “Real Purpose: You Are Special”, poetry written while in high school and college. She released “Life Experienced” later that summer. On June 25, 2016, she published/released two more poetical compilations: “Encouraging Through Sharing: A Christian’s Perspective” and “A Love Gift”. "I Exist. Hear Me." won first place in the South Jersey Writers’ Group 2018 Poetry Contest, and her short story, “Adelle and Brandon” was released on August 29, 2018.

She also has one manuscript, "If It Kills Me", in contract with Keith Publications, and her short story "Zale’s Tale" won a spot in “Beach Fun” to be released by Cat & Mouse Press in October 2018.

Find Cassandra:

Author Website | Journey Blog | Facebook Fan Page | Twitter | Amazon Author Page