Heather’s Bookshelf: Author Interview with Cassandra O'Sullivan Sachar

What inspired you to write “Darkness There but Something More”?

Sachar: Darkness There but Something More demanded to be written. That sounds dramatic, but it’s true. For decades, I attempted to become a published novelist, finishing and querying three separate novels. However, nothing ever happened despite the many steps I took and services I tried. At some point, I gave up on the dream and focused my energy on writing research. I conducted a number of studies and wrote countless academic articles about teaching composition. Instead of thinking about character development and plot lines, my mind switched gears to devising interventions to help reluctant writers.

Then the pandemic hit. Like many faced with increasing isolation and changing job demands, I found myself a bit lost. I started getting inundated with ideas for what eventually became Darkness There but Something More. I knew that the main character was a college professor who lost a baby and wanted a fresh start, and I knew that she had pledged a sorority in the past. Those were the first ideas that came to me.

Thinking that I was done attempting to be a novelist, I swatted those ideas away like pesky flies and tried to focus on my other work. However, the floodgates to my suppressed creativity had opened—while I was washing dishes, working out, taking the dog on a walk, etc. Eventually, I started jotting details down even though I didn’t want to once again set myself up for failure.

One morning in the early spring of 2021, I walked across the desolate campus to teach my first class of the day in a huge room in the library. I was one of only a few professors who was teaching in person on my campus that semester; most had opted to hold classes via Zoom, but I believed that some students wanted to have other options. Desks were six feet apart, students wore masks, and my attendance dwindled because so many students got used to Zoom and decided not to bother coming to class. It was pretty depressing. But that fateful morning, something important happened, and it nearly stopped me in my tracks: I realized that I wanted to write that novel, but I had to become a stronger writer first. I started researching MFA programs that day, and I started at Wilkes University just a few months later.

My life has changed significantly in the last few years because of that decision to enroll in a creative writing program, where I honed my skills and learned about the business of writing. Not only have I rediscovered my passion for writing, but much of my life centers around it now due to attending author events such as readings and book signings in addition to teaching creative writing at my university. I achieved my dream of becoming a published novelist far later in life than I expected, but I reached my goal all the same. It makes me think back to Langston Hughes’s poem, “Harlem,” and the speaker’s “dream deferred.” This was my dream deferred, but now it’s discovered.

While I know that not everyone has the financial resources to begin a graduate program, everyone can take steps to improve their writing by joining a writing community, reading about writing craft, and soliciting feedback on their work.

How did you come up with the names of your main characters? 

Sachar: Good question, as I mostly forget since it’s been a few years now since I wrote the novel! Sometimes, I grab first and last names from what I hear. I require my freshman composition students to watch a TEDx Talk by a neuroscientist named Derek Cabrera, so Candace received that last name since it was fresh in my mind. I often choose names I like and ones that are distinctly different from each other so it’s not confusing to the reader. While I once taught a class with three separate students named Taylor, and though my small sorority had two Anns and an Anne, fiction allows us that grace. Originally, one of the sorority sisters was named Daphne, but I thought that was too similar to Phoebe and changed it. I also chose some names based on trends when those characters were born.

Is there anything that you want readers to know about you, your writing process or your book?

Sachar: Though I’ve published a number of works after Darkness There but Something More, it will probably always mean the most to me. Not only did its acceptance by a publisher open many additional doors, but the novel itself is a metaphor for resilience. Poe’s line from “The Raven,” from which the title is inspired, is “darkness there and nothing more” rather than “but something more.” Marissa had plenty of darkness in her life at various times, but I wanted her to ultimately have hope. I have a tattoo of the raven on the cover to remind myself to hold out for “something more” beyond whatever “darkness” comes my way.

Regarding my writing process, I’m one who gets pulled out of a novel when there are continuity errors, so I take countless notes to help avoid this. I make timelines, glomming onto the few dates mentioned and making sure everything makes logical sense. My brain gets stuck on numbers as a reader; if the writer states early on that the characters met each other twenty years ago when they were both eighteen, but then we’re celebrating one character’s fortieth birthday a few chapters later, I’m getting all bent out of shape. I try to save readers like me some headaches by searching for issues like this in my work and making sure everything adds up.

Are there any tips that you would like to share with other aspiring authors?

Sachar: I have a tip that’s wrapped inside what might be a harsh reality: The person getting in the way of your writing is you, and the only way to reach your goals is by taking action. It’s easy to make excuses since we’re all busy with jobs, families, and other responsibilities, but we must make time to write if it’s important. Since I don’t teach early classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays this semester, I was taking my time and drinking coffee in bed on those days. However, when I was invited to submit a short story to an anthology, I realized that those mornings were untapped pockets of time to write. The rest of my week is far too busy to add anything else to the mix. As much as I love that relaxation before the busy rest of my day, writing often takes sacrifice, and it’s important to think about why we’re writing to keep our focus. To grow my readership, I must take opportunities to get my writing in front of new eyes, and having my short stories in widely read anthologies is an excellent opportunity. I’ll wait until Sunday for my coffee in bed!

What is your favorite book, genre, and/or author?

Sachar: Horror is by far my favorite genre. I enjoy works by world-famous authors like Edgar Allan Poe, Shirley Jackson, and Stephen King, but I primarily read indie horror authors. Some of my recent favorite horror novels are MJ Mars’s The Fovea Experiments, Debra Castaneda’s The Copper Man, and James Kaine’s The Dead Children’s Playground. I love horror that gets into my head and makes me think while serving up carefully crafted characters whose fates I care about.

What are you working on next?

Sachar: I’m going on a cruise in January and am planning to start a horror novella that takes place on a cruise ship. I have a rough idea worked out, but I’ll probably wait until I’m actually on the ship to begin writing. I’m big on capturing verisimilitude in my writing to help ground some of the more fantastical elements that creep into my work. In the meantime, I hope to find time to write another short story or two. As a writing professor flooded with essays and short stories on which to give feedback, I usually keep only short-term writing commitments during the semester. Once I’m on break, though, I pivot to focusing my brain power on my writing.

Want to learn more about Darkness There but Something More and Cassandra O’Sullivan Sachar?

Instagram: @cosachar

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cassandra.sachar

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