We have a very special Roll for Narrative session today: we’ve got the amazing Cassie Hart back to talk about how to survive *waves hands at literally everything* the state of the world.
Our talk dives into tricks, tools, and mindset that Cassie’s used to continue being one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s foremost speculative fiction talents. It doesn’t matter if you’re a filthy creative or working out how to wrangle 7 jobs and 4 kids, there are some thought-provoking, resonant concepts in this interview.
What’s Inside
We start off strong with a battle royale between Wellington’s top bakeries, then roll into life, writing, and managing 🔥 without losing your sanity (or your hot cross buns).
Guild Wars, urban fantasy, and a forum intro: the origin story of two New Zealand authors who met online and became instant mates.
We navigate neurodivergence and creativity: tools for ADHD brains and burning out (but staying hopeful).
There’s Cassie’s concept of Editing Your Own Life™: how Cassie uses writing to navigate It.
Feminine rage is real, and it deserves a creative outlet. We use Cassie’s mindfulness-as-activism Substack as an anchor, then talk through the experiences gained and the people she’s met along the way. The best part about this interview is the duo of New Zealand accents; bask in the dulcet tones from our section of the Commonwealth. And we give you Cassie’s burn-out survival kit:
Walks (sans earbuds)
Audiobooks + mindless mobile games
Knitting or tactile fidgeting
Playlists for mood-shifting
Creative projects with no reader in mind
It’s all here… from self-reliance to shared resilience, opening up helped Cassie rebuild her life and her art.
Need More Cassie?
Of course you do; the best place to start is her Substack:
If you want to get her words right into your brain, let me recommend Kotahi Bay’s OG book, In the Spirit, available in read or listen formats: get the book or audio version.
You can read a previous interview with takahē here, or watch a much earlier one here:
If you’re up for more author interviews, hit that subscribe button like it just cut you off in traffic:
Share this post