Blog Tour: Dear Cassie by Lisa Burstein

Title: Dear Cassie

Author: Lisa Burstein

Pages: 352

Release Date: March 5, 2013

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Summary: (Goodreads)

What if the last place you should fall in love is the first place that you do?

You’d think getting sent to Turning Pines Wilderness Camp for a month-long rehabilitation “retreat” and being forced to re-live it in this journal would be the worst thing that’s ever happened to me.

You’d be wrong.

There’s the reason I was sent to Turning Pines in the first place: I got arrested. On prom night. With my two best friends, who I haven’t talked to since and probably never will again. And then there’s the real reason I was sent here. The thing I can’t talk about with the guy I can’t even think about.

What if the moment you’ve closed yourself off is the moment you start to break open?

But there’s this guy here. Ben. And the more I swear he won’t—he can’t—the deeper under my skin he’s getting. After the thing that happened, I promised I’d never fall for another boy’s lies.

And yet I can’t help but wonder…what if?

Guest Post: What Music Inspires You To Write?

Like many teenagers in the 90’s I have a thing for kick-ass female singer-songwriters. Fiona Apple, Tori Amos, Liz Phair and Ani Difranco are some of my absolute faves. I love the way that just singing the words in their songs can make you feel stronger, can make you FEEL. These are the women I hope to emulate when I write. When I write I want people to feel the way listening to one of these ladies' songs can make you feel when they read my work. I try to make the words raw, real, the way that teenage girls really feel, but are afraid to express.

The kind of words that when you read them or hear them make you say, YES, that is exactly it! That is what I've always felt, but could never put into words. That is what I've always felt, but was too afraid to put into words.

When I was a teenager I felt like no one understood me, not really, not even my close friends. Sure, I loved hanging out with them, but a lot of that "hanging out" was just that surface fun, we certainly didn't talk about the way we really felt. I know for me, I was afraid they would think I was crazy.

My books tend to be about all the things that teens don't talk about, are afraid to really talk about. What I think these women do in their songs so well. They get to the heart of what it feels like to be a woman- all the fear, joy, uncertainty and yes, anger sometimes.

In my writing I aspire to give the chills you feel when you hear certain songs. It is a lofty goal, but it's the truth.

It's interesting then that I cannot listen to music when I write. My inspiration comes from remembering the way certain songs make me feel.

For Dear Cassie, the song, 'Limp" by Fiona Apple was in my head a lot. "You want to make me sick, you want to lick my wounds. Don't you baby. You want the badge of honor when you save my hide."

Dear Cassie at it's core is about a boy trying to rescue a girl from herself. A broken girl who doesn't want to be rescued. That is what I feel when I hear that song and what I wanted people to feel when they read Dear Cassie.

I guess you could say my musical inspiration comes from the words, which is probably why I am drawn to singer songwriters when I think about my work.

I need total silence when I am writing and I think this is because the words of the song that is playing get into my head so much. I need a clear mind to make new words.

I know a lot of writers listen to music when they write, have playlists even for certain books. I wish I could do this, because writing is lonely enough without having to close yourself off from everything else. At least I have my characters to keep me company.

I'd love to hear in the comments if you can write or read while listening to music.