Interview with Cassandra O'Sullivan Sachar and book giveaway

By Melissa Amster

**Giveaway is now closed**

It's debut novelist week at CLC. Our first interview this week is with Cassandra O'Sullivan Sachar, author of "Little Miss Teacher" (reviewed here). Cassandra is originally from Pennsylvania, but studied education in Delaware and now lives there with her husband, daughter, two cats and a dog. She enjoys shopping, traveling, reading, running, baking, and watching movies. She teaches high school English, which was inspiration for her first chick lit novel.

Since we're a stop on Cassandra's blog tour this month, Samantha Robey of Chick Lit Plus has one e-book of "Little Miss Teacher" to give to a lucky reader anywhere in the world!

If you like what you've read today, follow Cassandra on Facebook.

What was your journey to publishing like?
The first word that comes to mind is painful. After working on a project for so long, and investing so much in terms of effort and love, it's rough to go through the rejection process time and time again. Once I finally published "Little Miss Teacher" as an eBook through Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and Smashwords, I felt exposed. Even though I wanted to share my work, actually putting it out there for anyone to criticize is scary. However, I made myself get over that. Some people might not like my book, but so what? If it makes anyone laugh, cry, feel nostalgic either for high school or for her early twenties getting started in her career, then I have accomplished something of which I can be proud.


How did you celebrate when you got "Little Miss Teacher" published?
I don't know that I really celebrated. Since I'm a full time teacher and a part-time doctoral student, I haven't had much of a chance to enjoy the fruits of my labor. I've known my whole life that I would write a book; I've been creating stories before I even learned to write! Publishing "Little Miss Teacher" is exciting but nerve-racking. I hope readers will enjoy Candace's story. I have ideas for a second book, but I'm only going to write it if readers want more of Candace.

How is Candace similar to or different from you?
A lot of people who know me and who read the novel (including students) were quick to look for parallels, since Candace is a high school English teacher, just like me. Looking back at the beginning of my teaching career, it's easy for me to relate to Candace as she struggles through that first year of teaching. Candace is like me (and most women) in that she can be self-conscious at times and question her decisions. Candace has close friends and a wonderful, loving family, just like I do. Still, Candace is a very different person from me.


If "Little Miss Teacher" were to be made into a movie, who would you cast in the lead roles?
Tough question! Whenever I read a book, I form a perfect idea of what each character looks like in my head. When the movie comes out, I love to match up my ideas with the actors' appearances. As I wrote "Little Miss Teacher," I didn't think about any particular actors (although I knew I'd want to be an extra in the movie, sitting in the background of the teachers' lounge grading papers or something!). The actress I think who could best pull off the part of Candace is Danielle Panabaker; she's smart and pretty, an excellent young actress. I can easily see Bradley Cooper in the role of Jake; he's handsome and charming in a way that could easily attract a younger woman. As for Charlie, Paul Walker would be perfect, but he'd need to be 22 again. So, I picture a 22-year-old version of Paul Walker!

What keeps you motivated when writing?
I always think about the finished product. Like most writers, I've started a thousand projects that I never finished. Sometimes, the characters just don't become real, and you have to abandon them. To avoid this, before I start writing, I like to think about a loose structure of the book- I'll identify the major events of the plot and how I want things to turn out at the end. As I wrote this book, Candace really evolved in front of me. When she was proud, so was I. When she was hurt, I felt upset, too. Part of my motivation to finish this project was to help her get through her journey of finding herself.

Who is your celebrity doppelganger?
Back when I first started teaching, the "Scary Movie" franchise was huge. Students always told me I looked like Anna Faris's character; she dyed her hair dark brown for that movie. I never saw it, though! Anna Faris and I are almost the exact same age; I think she's about three weeks older than I am. So, I think they saw young, white, and dark haired, and decided that we looked alike. I can't think of any actual celebrity doppelganger. I wish I could say Salma Hayek, but I definitely can't!

What do you like best about living in Delaware?
Tax-free shopping! Woo hoo! I also like living near the University of Delaware and not too far from the beach. Lots of people who live here don't appreciate it, but I honestly love Delaware.

What is the funniest thing that has ever happened to you as a teacher?
Another hard question... like Candace, many of my funny moments have also been pretty embarrassing! Once I was wearing a flowing dress and walked by a fan that was on the ground. Thank goodness, I caught it in time and had only a brief Marilyn Monroe moment. If I hadn't, I think I would have had to transfer schools. I sure wouldn't want to be known as the teacher who flashed her class!

What is the first chick lit book you ever read?
I think it must have been Helen Fielding's fabulous "Bridget Jones's Diary." I absolutely love this book. I remember being unable to accomplish anything until I finished reading it; it swallowed me whole and held me captive. This is my favorite kind of book to read, a book that makes you stop everything because it's just that entertaining.

What are your plans for summer vacation?
Depending on how "Little Miss Teacher" is received by the public, I just might write a sequel! I am also traveling to Australia and New Zealand. And, of course, I will read, read, read.

Special thanks to Cassandra for sharing her thoughts with us and to Samantha for arranging the interview and providing the e-book for the giveaway.

How to win "Little Miss Teacher":

Please comment below with your e-mail address.
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Bonus entries (can be listed all in one post):
1. Please tell us: What is the first chick lit book you have ever read?
2. Please tell us: Who is your favorite or most memorable teacher (of all time)?
3. Follow this blog and post a comment saying you are a follower (if you already follow, that's fine too).
4. Post this contest on Facebook or Twitter or in your blog, and leave a comment saying where you've posted it.
5. Join Chick Lit Central on Facebook. Edit settings if you don't want to receive a lot of messages at your e-mail account. (If you're already a member, let us know that too.)
6. Add a friend to our Facebook group. (Tell us who you added.) Be sure to remind them to edit their settings.

Giveaway ends June 26th at midnight EST.