Cassandra Webb is a chocaholic writer from the small coastal village of Narooma, Australia. Writer of children’s and young adult fiction, fantasy and picture books. Cassandra also writes creative non-fiction.
She grew up in rural and remote Australia and remembers riding horses, working with helicopters and being homeschooled. Now on the coast with her two children she enjoys the beaches in summer and the nearby snowy mountains in winter. Her favourite desert is a huge bowl of chocolate custard, smothered in whipped cream from a can and topped with chocolate ice magic. Mmm. Yum.
Her big moment came when she sat down to try her hand at writing a childrens picture book after attending the 2012 CYA Conference.
WHAT CYA CONFERENCE DID FOR ME
I was engrossed in trying to become a young adult author when I attended my first CYA conference. I found myself so full of information from the morning sessions at CYA that I decided to sit in on the illustrations workshop with Katherine Battersby after lunch. I thought it would give me a minute to catch my breath and relax. It was so much more. The workshop opened my mind to the idea that other genres waited for me, and that trying them would be fun!
That workshop is the single most important moment in my childrens book author journey. It didn't open doors, or windows, for me. It knocked down the whole wall!
I sat on the idea until the feedback from my one and only picture book attempt, a submission to the CYA compeitions, appeared in my email. The peer support and honest, knowledgible opinions fueled my growing childrens literature fire.
I thought, 'you know what - it can't hurt to try. But I have to try 'properly'.'
I submitted my first shining manuscript to New Frontier Publishing in 2012 and didn't hear a thing until later in 2013. It took months to iron out the text and wait for the illustrations but the book release in May 2014 as ' Adorable Alice’ and is available from your local book shop.
