Author tackles vampires for National Novel Writing Month

By Lindsay Jones - The Weekly News
While the Twilight phenomenon lures millions of soccer moms into bookstores and theatres around the world, here in Halifax, local author Nancy Cassidy is plugging away at her own vampire romance series.
But unlike that ultra-popular mega saga, Cassidy's trilogy of vampire romance is actually meant for adult readers.
"It's a little hot. It's sexy stuff," said Cassidy, a romance author who writes under the pen name Lilly Cain. "I like putting a touch of scary in there alongside of the sensual so that you have a big contrast."
Cassidy's first novel, Dark Harmony, is set to be released electronically by Red Sage Publishing in January.
In the book, the vampire heroine deserts her pack where she's being mistreated by the alpha male and finds herself falling in love with a human.
Even though the book is a dark fantasy that focuses on paranormal characters, Cassidy says it is in keeping with the writing 101 mantra to stick to what you know.
The novel mirrors a point in her life where she too was going through a transition period.
"I do know the complexities of leaving a relationship and looking for a new one and finding it within yourself to trust. So that's in there. A good bit of it is 'Boy, I wish I could meet that guy. He is hot,'" laughed the mother of two.
Cassidy is now working on the second novel in the trilogy, Dark Melody.
This time around, she's taking a more fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants approach, compared to the more painstaking two years it took her to write the first one.
As part of National Novel Writing Month, Cassidy is churning out 50,000 words by the end of November, along with hundreds of others across the country.
Aimed at those who have fleetingly thought about writing a novel but are daunted by the task, the NaNoWriMo (short for national novel writing month) program is about forgoing the aimless tweaking and editing and just creating.
For Cassidy, it's also about plowing through 175 pages.
"This month forces me to get through that 'Oh my God. What if my second book isn't as good as my first?'" she says.
Plus, she says, there are a couple of hidden lessons in this kamikaze-style writing. It keeps you writing every day, turns off your inner editor and allows you to forget writing conventions altogether.
"You're not worried about your grammar or your word choices. You just get it down. There's less pressure that way. You're just talking story, and that's the exciting part," Cassidy says.
So just how did Cassidy get into writing erotic romance?
It's what she reads. Plus, she says, the steamy stuff is a good sell.
"I tend to write the very, very hot - sometimes I get into the wilder elements. I personally enjoy reading that, so I enjoy writing that," said Cassidy, who's a member of the Romance Writers of Atlantic Canada, a branch of a larger worldwide group.
"I love reading happy endings ... In general, every romance has a happy ever after. It's a means of escape. We like to see that those strong alpha guys are out there supposedly ... They're guys that I wish I could run into. They're the guys that you wish you could fall in love with. If a hero is not someone I'm going to love, then I'm probably not going to write about them."
When it comes to developing characters, Cassidy gets a little help from websites featuring models. She pulls up photos of certain looks and attitudes that she can refer to when describing her character in different situations.
While Twilight saga phenomenon has led to a surge in paranormal romance this year, Cassidy says this new 'it' genre has in no way reached its peak. "No book is oversold if your book is really well-written," she said. "It's the story that counts."
Learn more about Cassidy by visiting her website: www.lillycain.com.
For more information on NaNoWriMo, visit www.nanowrimo.org.
ljones@hfxnews.ca
In 2008, more than 120,000 participants took part in NaNoWriMo, with 20,000 crossing the finish line by the midnight deadline.