Amy J Romine: Cass Ford

Audiobook Tour: Prince of Sin by Cass Ford

Author: Cass Ford

Narrator: Sierra Kline

Length: 6 hours 4 minutes

Publisher: Cass Ford

Released: Oct. 24, 2019

Genre: Erotic Romance

When savvy gossip vlogger Morgan Sidney gets assigned the breakup of porn’s most illustrious couple, she strikes a deal with her boss - if she scores an exclusive, she’ll get promoted. So when the famous and flirtatious Prince of Sin offers to fulfill her three wildest sex fantasies, Morgan must decide whether she’ll keep things professional or surrender and explore her sensual side. As someone who despises the media, why is Chase Prince spending time with a reporter? Clearly, he’s intrigued. But can a scorched sinner - and the biggest smut star around - let a fierce civilian enter his domain? Prince of Sin takes listeners beyond Tinseltown’s glossy Hollywood Hills to Silicone Valley - for a behind-the-scenes look at a sometimes bleak, always risqué world.

Smut writer Cass Ford began creating smoldering male protagonists when she was five years old and convinced her aunt that she had a hot and heavy kindergarten boyfriend. In grade school, she penned tales on her parents’ typewriter and by middle school sold her own love and gossip magazines to friends. As a preteen at sleepover camp, Cass often told playful, steamy bedtime stories to her bunkmates. After earning her Bachelor of Journalism degree and several TV/film certificates, Cass continued to hone her passion for storytelling as a development producer for broadcast news and unscripted television. Born and raised in Canada, she now resides in California.

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Programmer by day, narrator by night, Sierra Kline is always looking for the next adventure. True to her Midwestern roots, Sierra got her degree in theatre from Michigan State University which she has been fortunate to put to heavy use both on the stage and in the booth. When she's not recording in her home studio, she prefers the great outdoors and loves running, traveling, and backpacking.

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Q&A with Author Cass Ford

How closely did you work with your narrator before and during the recording process? Did you give them any pronunciation tips or special insight into the characters?
- I gave Sierra some information about character backgrounds, like accents. Most of that information was in the novel as I introduced each character, so I didn’t have to give too much detail. Before I chose Sierra to narrate, she sent me a sample scene with Chase and Morgan interacting together. There was some back and forth between us to nail down Chase’s voice, but once she found it, Sierra really ran with the rest of the audiobook. Most of my notes on the full audiobook were small grammar or pronunciation corrections, and there were few. One I remember was the word balayage, which I had to lookup myself. I’m SO pleased with how the audiobook turned out. Sierra did a fantastic job!
Were there any real life inspirations behind your writing?
- Of course! The whole novel concept was inspired by a male pornstar who I actually had lunch with as part of my research. Not gonna say who… The porn sets I visited for research also influenced various scenes and characters in the book. That investigative research was critical in shaping the novel. So many scenes and beats and moments from the book came from real-life scenes and beats and moments.
How do you manage to avoid burn-out? What do you do to maintain your enthusiasm for writing?
- Burnout is very real. Working fulltime in television and living that author life on the side can be exhausting. I think managing and balancing my time helps. I’m pretty Type A, so I like to get things done immediately. But being able to sense when I feel overworked and let some emails or tasks slide until I feel up for them, that’s a skill I’ve been working on since the book came out in June. I remind myself that writing and marketing are not life or death. It should be fun, not stressful.
What do you say to those who view listening to audiobooks as “cheating” or as inferior to “real reading”?
People are entitled to their own opinions. But man are preachy people annoying. Everybody absorbs content differently. I personally take in information much better when reading it, but respect those who best consume content by listening. To those critical of audiobooks, don’t listen to them. But who are you to judge others for their preferred method? You do you, we’ll do us.
What gets you out of a writing slump? What about a reading slump?
- I don’t really have time for writing slumps. Whenever I find time to write, I have to take advantage and dive in. As for reading slumps, I actually just had one. I’d started reading a few books in a row that I just couldn’t get into, so I took a reading break. I was also busy preparing the Prince of Sin audiobook release. But after a few weeks, I realized I missed reading, so to get back on track, I ordered a book in a totally different genre than I’d read recently—non-fiction. And so far, Gene Weingarten’s One Day has been a captivating read.
In your opinion, what are the pros and cons of writing a stand-alone novel vs. writing a series?
- When it comes to marketing and sales, a series generally makes the most sense. Readers who love Book 1 will continue onto Books 2, 3, 4… Thus, more sales. But I think sequels need to make sense. If they feel forced, readers will know. I recently read a dark romance series where the first and second books captivated me, but the third fell flat. It was slow and stuffed full of dull exposition. I found myself skipping over paragraphs to get through it.
- I outlined Prince of Sin as a standalone, but had a rough three-book series plan in case I changed my mind. But when I finished writing it, I felt the characters’ stories had been told and closed it out accordingly. Since publishing, the feedback has been that readers would love for Kali or another secondary character to get their own novel. So that is something I’m considering in the future. Would love to hear who my audiobook listeners think deserves a standalone novel!
Have any of your characters ever appeared in your dreams?
- Strangely, I don’t think I’ve ever dreamed about any Prince of Sin characters or scenes. Over many days for several years, this book consumed my thoughts. But once I fell asleep, it never crept into my mind.
What's your favorite:
- Food Cheese
- Song Portland, Maine by Donovan Woods
- Book The Best of Everything by Rona Jaffe
- Television show Friends
- Movie E.T. or the Back to the Future series
- Band The Wood Brothers
- Sports teams
  - NHL - Toronto Maple Leafs
  - NBA - Toronto Raptors
  - NFL - Pittsburgh Steelers
- City Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Are any of those things referenced in appearance in your work?
- Growing up in Toronto, I was raised on hockey. So the Anaheim Ducks vs. L.A. Kings rivalry in Prince of Sin came naturally to me. A Toronto Maple Leafs rivalry didn’t make sense since the book takes place in Southern California. My current work in progress has a few scenes in Toronto, one of which is at a Toronto Maple Leafs game. Another features some fictional Toronto Raptors players out at a bar/nightclub.
If you had the opportunity to live anywhere in the world while writing a book that took place in that same setting, where would you choose?
- Definitely London, England or New York City, two cities that feel similar to me in some ways. In Los Angeles, I have to drive everywhere and my neighborhood feels somewhat suburban. I’d love to spend a few months living downtown in either of those cities, right in the action, walking and taking the tube or subway to get around.