When Christian Cashelle published her first novel, “Ava’s Story”, in 2009, she always knew it would end with a trilogy. Nine years later, that dream has finally come to fruition. Christian Cashelle is an inspirational fiction author whose first trilogy series addresses generational curses and dysfunctional families. Her goal with the Ava trilogy is to help families heal from unspoken truths and hidden pain.

Christian Cashelle’s latest novel, “My Mother’s Child, is the final book of the trilogy and is set to be released December 11, 2018 and is available for preorder now. Hard copies will be available on the Dynamic Image Publications website as well as on Amazon and available digitally on Kindle and iBook. We had a chance to catch up Christian Cashelle and get some insight into the writer’s mind.

DELUX: When did you realize that you wanted to be a writer?

Christian Cashelle: I was eight when I fell in love with writing. I’d written a poem for class that my teacher loved so much that she put it on our bulletin board. It was something about that feeling that stuck with me, but I wasn’t sure what that meant until high school when I began to write on fanfiction boards. The amount of readers and reviews I obtained made me realize that I could make this more than just a hobby.

DELUX: How did Dynamic Image Publications come about?

CC: I was writing “My Joy”, the second book I ever published with an online friend of mine. I had so much respect and admiration for her talent and a few others that I wanted to create a real platform for them to get published. After searching for a company, I realized our inspirational fiction wasn’t well represented at the time in the literary world. I decided then that I would create Dynamic Image to fix that.

DELUX: Why inspirational fiction?

CC: Inspirational fiction is an eclectic fusion of urban and Christian fiction. It’s storytelling with a purpose. We often get so caught up in the urban lifestyle in books that we don’t think about how it affects our lives. While fiction is supposed to entertain, we definitely want to give you page turners, but we want to enrich your lives while doing it.

DELUX: Your latest book, “My Mother’s Child” is your seventh title, out of the seven books, which is your favorite and why?

CC: I absolutely hate this question [laughs]. I used to tell people that asking me this is like asking me which one of my children is my favorite. However, if I’m being completely honest, I’d have to say “Revisions of Life”. I wrote it during my MFA program and it was the first time I truly began to pay attention to writing techniques. Before this project, I just wrote what felt good. I really took my time to develop those characters. This was also the first project that felt like inspirational fiction for me. christain cashelle

DELUX: If you could give your younger writing self any advice, what would it be?

CC: Happy endings don’t always work and that’s okay. Sometimes, being realistic is more important than spoon feeding someone a fantasy. Use your gift to heal yourself. Stop second guessing the thoughts that God placed on your mind. Someone needs to read it, so you have to write it.

DELUX: As a writer myself, I know we always jot down a million ideas and only execute a small percentage of them. How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?

CC: I have no idea. This is seriously the worst thing about writing. I write so many ideas and move off on other tangents that it’s crazy. I actually started “My Mother’s Child” four years ago and stopped it to write and publish three other books. Off the top of my head I know that I have one mystery ideas, two science fiction projects, a melodramatic series, and a romance that I want to finish sooner than later. The rest of them will just have to wait their turn.

DELUX: If you could have been the original author of any book, what would it have been and why?

CC: “All Around Town” by Mary Higgins Clark. That book took me through it when I was younger. It came together so intricately that I was blown away. Also, the Hunger Games series. Creating a whole world that detailed just amazed me.

DELUX: I love the holiday season and I’m more inspired to write during that time of the year. Do you have a favorite season to write?

CC: I don’t have a favorite season, but I do have favorite places. I love going to my favorite hotel and writing and I also love being by a beach and writing. The serenity of it all just clears my mind and allows me to create freely.

christian chashelle

DELUX: How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?

CC: I knew nothing! “Ava’s Story” was such a trial and error for me. Before I published it, I had only written on fan fiction boards and had gotten comfortable with the style. Switching point of views and having so many characters did not translate well into the publishing world. I didn’t have an editor or someone to help with marketing. I didn’t even know who to market to. It made me realize that I had to put a little thought into that, but I don’t think it necessarily changed my process. I always want to write authentically. I even tell my writing clients that. Just write! We can figure out the rest once you’re done.

DELUX: What does literary success look like to you?

CC: Reviews that express an emotional connection to my characters. One reviewer on Revisions of Life told me that she wrote my chapter endings in a notebook to study and reflect on. That touched my heart more than anything.

DELUX: Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find?

CC: I definitely do. Inspiration comes from so many places and I use real life scenarios in a lot of my books. Some of them may be exaggerated, but usually the person it connects with will mention it. Also, if you ever see a specific date in any of my books, it usually means something to someone important to me.

For more information about Christian Cashelle and Dynamic Image Publications, I have listed her contact information along with social media handles.

Dipublications.com

facebook.com/DIPublications

instagram.com/dip_books

instagram.com/christiancashelle

 

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Jasmine C
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