Reporter, Debut Novelist, and Mom of Six Wants to Put an End to Hustle Culture
Image courtesy of Casandra Chesser.
You could call Casandra Chesser a superwoman.
Casandra knew she wanted to be a writer from a young age, but fresh in her adulthood, she was faced with a lot of doubt about pursuing that path. Would she be able to pay the bills, or would the myth of the starving artist materialize? The uncertainty expressed by others didn’t stop her, and Casandra’s career began with a journalism internship at a local paper covering sports. That was 18 years ago, and throughout this time, she kept her dreams of writing a novel tucked away in her mind. Now, the military wife and mom of six kids can officially check that off her list.
Casandra’s debut novel, Rising Water, was published in December 2021 (by KULTURA alum’s Christine Weimer’s Our Galaxy Publishing). The historical fiction book was brewing in Casandra’s mind for years and was inspired by a real-life place: Chesser Island. And if you didn’t make the connection right away, yes, that is Chesser as in her last name.
“My husband’s ancestors settled in the swamps of Georgia, part of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. After he got out of the Marine Corps, we went to check it out and that’s where I started getting the idea.”
When the couple visited the swamps, Casandra recalls her husband loving the Chesser Island Homestead, while she couldn’t get over how creepy it was. So, she took that feeling and sprinkled some grandiose in, think Downton Abbey, and in the spirit of being from Florida, she added finishing touches with a hurricane.
Casandra wrote Rising Water in one month, during the NaNoWriMo writing challenge that encourages writers to write a whole novel, all in one month. Then she went through the very humbling process of editing the book, which took one year and three rounds of edits. And she did that all while raising six kids. Remember how we called her a superwoman? This is why.
Casandra’s strategy was to write when she could and to give up trying to be a perfectionist. She found refuge in a meme going around that was a pyramid of three things, and one had to go. For her, sometimes an elaborate home cooked meal got kicked to the curb. Other times, the kids’ clutter just stayed on the ground.
“If I have to watch my kids as I’m working, there will be things that I’m going to have to let go. Moms in general right now, we have so much pressure and stress on us as far as what we’re expected to do. Like the screen time thing, Heaven forbid kids have too much screen time. Whatever, I use TV as a babysitter. Your kids will be fine while they watch a movie for a couple of hours while you sit there and do what you need to do.”
But for Casandra the journalist, the hardest challenge was making the switch to fiction writing and going from short pieces to a novel. Especially since she considers herself an opinionated person. Although that opinion holds real value. Casandra uses her writing and her voice to make a change in the world by making people aware of wrongdoings going on, such as the genocide of Uyghurs in China.
“In a way I feel like I can make some kind of a difference. I can sit there and say that’s really terrible, or I can write about it to show people that it’s happening.”
Image courtesy of Casandra Chesser.
Through juggling her freelance reporting career, pursuing her passion of writing a novel, and being a wife and mom, Casandra wants to put an end to hustle culture.
“Hustle culture is bad. I’m only now learning to step away and take weekends off. But it’s hard for our generation because the whole hustle thing is so ingrained.”
She thinks of her mother, who climbed the ranks in her career while working nonstop and the sacrifices that accompanied that success. And while reflecting on her own life, she wants people to know that you can do it all. You can be a good mom and a devoted partner all the while pursuing your dreams and making a living, without sacrificing your sanity, rest, or health.
Follow Casandra on Twitter and Instagram and click here to purchase Rising Water.