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What can you tell us about your new release, The Heiress?

This book is my first release in more than a year, and was heavily influenced by the experience of taking care of my mother, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s a few years ago. Taking care of a parent is a journey so many of us have made, or will make in the future. It’s a journey that requires community or it can become very isolating. There’s definitely a bit of me in Kristin, my main character.

What or who inspired you to become an author?

I don’t think there was just one influence. I had a great number of teachers who encouraged me. My kindergarten teacher Mrs. Slattery made me stay after school every day for extra reading lessons. My first grade teacher Mr. Bushong who taught me to read at an eighth-grade level. My fourth and sixth-grade teacher Miss Elliott who helped me create my first hardcover book, which I still have to this day. Then, there were the authors I read as a child and as an adult, who inspired me by transporting me with their words. Ultimately, it was my former employer, who laid me off after our company was hit hard by the recession. The experience inspired me to take a chance on a lifelong dream.

Which books would we be surprised to find on your shelves?

Probably Letters from a Stoic by Seneca or Wise Thoughts for Every Day by Tolstoy. I also have a lot of autographed books from authors, my favorite being my signed copy of Gone Girl.

What's your favorite thing about writing?

The idea that I continue to learn every day, whether through research or through epiphanies that come during the writing process.

Where is your happy place? Why does it bring you joy?

Curled up on the sofa with a strong cup of black coffee next to me, a good book in my hand, and a sleeping dog at my feet. I don’t think anything could ever be quite so perfect.

What's the best advice you've ever received?

I’ve received so much advice over the years. But I think the pervasive cliché my parents planted in my head, that I could be anything I wanted to be if I set my mind to it, is probably still the best advice I’ve received. My dad used to love telling me and my sisters that he didn’t care what we became—a writer, janitor, or prostitute—as long as we did our best. Like me, my dad had an air for drama.

What scene in The Heiress was your favorite to write?

The epilogue. It’s always the epilogue.

Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?

Actually, I put my motto in The Heiress, word for word, in Chapter 23, so it might be a bit of a spoiler to write it here. But I have plenty of favorite quotes I try to live by, one of which is from the book Illusions by Richard Bach, “Argue for your limitations and, sure enough, they are yours."

Cassia Leo is the author of the new book The Heiress. 

Connect with Cassia:
Author Website
 Twitter

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What can you tell us about your new release, Knocked Up by the Dom?

Knocked up by the Dom is my latest BDSM romance. If you've followed my work in the past, you've probably noticed that I tend to bounce between lighter-hearted books and then inevitably come back to the smuttier, darker side as well. This book was one of the dirtiest I've written, and I'm not ashamed to say I had a blast writing it. I don't want to get into too many details about what happens in the book, because it starts off fast, and I don't want to spoil anything!

What or who inspired you to become an author?

I've always enjoyed entertaining people--whether it's telling stories or trying to get a laugh, it brings a side out of me like nothing else can. It may sound a little cheesy, but I was inspired to become an author because I feel like the best parts of me come out when I'm telling stories, so it became my passion to find a way to spend as much time as possible as I could doing exactly that.

Who is your favorite couple from literature?

This answer is maybe kind of lame, and maybe the former high school English teacher in me coming out, but I always found Hamlet and Ophelia really interesting. I was always intrigued by the way even the viewers of the play never truly knew how Hamlet and Ophelia felt for each other behind the scenes, maybe even they didn't. Something about the secrecy despite all the attention the play has received over the years just seems so romantic to me.

What's a typical day like for you?

I usually wake up around 5:45 A.M., take a long shower where I usually fall asleep a little bit (don't ask how that happens, it just does). Then I grab breakfast and some coffee before I head upstairs to write. Around 8:30 A.M., I take a break to go exercise, whether it's going to the gym or a tennis lesson, I feel like I kind of have to get out and hit the reset switch so I can come home, eat lunch, shower, and then get back into my last burst of writing energy. After 3 P.M. I go downstairs and enjoy my two beautiful baby girls (one year old and two years old) and my husband. Then once the girls go to bed, I'm usually so behind on whatever deadline I have that I sneak back into my office and try to work a little more.

If you could have dinner with anyone, alive or dead, who would you choose and why?

My grandma. She was such a sweet and wonderful woman, but I feel like I never really told her that. It breaks my heart every time I think about it and I'd use the dinner as an excuse to tell her how amazing she was.

If you had an extra hour each day, how would you spend it?

Playing around in photoshop and making book covers. I probably spend ten to fifteen hours on each of my book covers, and none of it ever feels like work. So I'd definitely just use the extra time as an excuse to play with my covers more!

What scene in Knocked Up by the Dom was your favorite to write?

I actually enjoyed the opening scene a lot. I don't want to spoil anything, but the heroine basically is planning to go on a vacation to escape her day-to-day, and it seems like everything that can go wrong is going wrong. But one thing goes right, and that thing is a very very sexy man who has a taste for BDSM. It has been a while since I've had a book start as fast as this one does, but I just kind of let it rip and had a blast doing it. Thankfully, this was one of the times that when I went back for my re-reads, I was pleasantly surprised with how it turned out.

Penelope Bloom is the author of the new book Knocked Up by the Dom. 

Connect with Penelope:
Author Page

 Twitter

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