Jax Cassidy

“The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even heard, but must be felt with the heart.” —Helen Keller

Rockin’ Out to: WILD ONES, Flo Rida featuring Sia

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Lately my writing has been pretty sporadic, however, the one thing that’s been a constant this year is my muse. It seems she’s pushing me hard to get words down on paper by sprinkling an overabundance of ideas. I really can’t keep up with her and I know she’s pissed off that I’m going at a snail’s pace. Frankly, I’ll blame it on a thing called life.

I’ve already written a few proposals that were sent out this year and now I’m trying to finish two more before tackling 2 novellas set for release and, yet another proposal that is a genre I didn’t think I’d ever dare attempt. Seriously though, I’m excited about the challenge!

Well, I’d have to say I adore everything I’ve written so far and I hope the editors will too. Unfortunately, once my agent submits the proposals, it’s out of my hands. With publishers becoming more selective these days, it’s even more competitive between authors. This translates to longer wait times. I may not get a response from an editor for 2-6 months (if I’m lucky) while they review the materials and make a decision. This year I’ve probably already gotten a stack of rejections, either because they purchased stories similar to mine just weeks prior (which sucks), or they didn’t like my voice. I suppose my writing isn’t exactly mainstream enough and it’s really not literary enough…so where does it fall? I’m not quite sure, but I do know that when it lands in the right editor’s hands who will just “get” my voice…then I’ll be a happy camper. You see, this writer’s road is paved with rejections but it doesn’t discourage me enough to make me want to quit. In fact, it’s lit a fire under me. At least I know when the day comes that contracts are stacking up on my desk and I’m the one who can pick and choose, I will still appreciate the price of being an author. I’ll embrace the deadlines, the stress, the pressures, the high expectations because that’s what I signed up for…

The reality of all this is that I LOVE writing! I love weaving stories that will make a reader laugh, cry, and fall in love with my characters….that’s why when I get a fan email out of the blue, it is perfect timing, and it’s the most precious thing in the world!!!! The reader is telling me how much they enjoy my stories and I can’t tell you what kind of high that is! Their words inspire me even more and it gives me that extra push to continue penning stories, even when the going gets tough and the rejections keep flowing…

Right now, I’m cranking up the music and will be rockin’ out with my muse. It’s all about the writing tonight…

“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.” —E. Degas

I’ve been thinking a lot about art lately…okay, you got me…I’ve been obsessing over it! I can say my two favorite things could be painting and photography so I’ve been dying to get a live/work space that I can do both. In between writing, I like surfing the web for home art studio ideas. I have a vision of what I want and I’m totally excited about the prospect of finding the perfect place. My hands are ready to create!

It feels like forever since I showed my work and I’ve been dying to paint a series of pieces for an intimate showing. Right now, I’m still transient so I can’t start a project I won’t be able to finish from my current location so I’ll just have to wait a tad bit longer.

The hiatus has been good but I miss so many things about painting. I miss the smell, the texture, the experimenting of styles…but what I really miss is the way my hands get dirty with the paints.  I miss how it gets under my nails and on my skin. It’s a little erotic, non? Mostly, it’s so freeing. I can’t explain the exhilaration or the way I lose track of time when I focus. There were days when I would forget about eating when I was on a roll. It’s like I’m lost in this world and the inspiration feeds my soul. I can express myself through the colors and images. I especially love doing life size pieces. In fact, the bigger the better but I will happily start off on a smaller scale. My style is more abstract and a little bit chaotic. I can blame it on my love for Jackson Pollack and Picasso as well as those incredible Impressionist masters like Monet, Van Gogh, Degas, Cassatt, Renoir, Pissaro, Cézanne, etc….I’m totally stoked about experimenting more with mix media when I start back up again. I have a fascination with wood,  paper, glass and anything that would make the art just pop.

Painting is a rush.

Just thinking about art makes me deliriously happy inside. Writing may be my love but art has been my salvation. It’s difficult to explain but both have saved my life. I don’t know what I’d do if I couldn’t express myself with these artistic outlets…

When writing a novel, one of the most important things for me is the music soundtrack. I like to make a playlist of songs that help guide me through the scenes. Most authors may find music distracting, but for me, I go stir crazy without it. It’s almost like a soothing drug and it keeps me focused. The rise and fall of the beats, the way the tempo changes seem to draw out more of my emotions so I can pour onto the pages…it makes the characters more vulnerable and honest…well, at least that’s what I believe.

I don’t know when I fell in love with music and sound but I honestly feel the world is a darker place without it. One of my favorite experiences is having the fortune of working with talented music producers who taught me how to write lyrics. I can proudly say I penned a few songs that the artist(s) recorded for demos. Somewhere in my sacred memory boxes—that is now safely locked in storage—holds some of those masterpieces. So learning the beauty of writing lyrics, working side-by-side with the artists and producers in the recording studio, and watching the technicians lay down the tracks was an amazing opportunity. Let me tell you, it’s hard work and once you get to hear the song played for the first time…it’s a high you can’t ever forget. Maybe it’s because the words I’ve written finally has a voice and like writing, the characters are speaking a musical language that I hope will capture my audience. Whatever the genre may be, the hero and heroine is revealing their life’s soundtrack on every page.

I hope when you read my stories you’ll be able to hear the music, feel it, and let my words stir those emotions within you…which tells me I’ve done my job…that I’ve transported you into the story and helped you erase the world around you at least for a few minutes, hours…

This year, I hope to bring more interesting and exciting stories. Stay tuned.