January Featured Author of the Month - S. Cassadera: Writing Love, Legacy, and Black Emotional Truths

Finding Her Voice in the Margins

S. Cassadera, a passionate storyteller from Augusta, Georgia, has crafted a literary space that centers emotional truth, relational complexity, and cultural representation. Signed to Major Key Publishing, Cassadera’s contemporary romance novels are known for their honesty, depth, and commitment to depicting love that feels lived-in and layered. Her best-known works, including The Predatory Pastor and Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing, balance emotional tension with healing, often reflecting the realities of women navigating heartbreak, betrayal, and redemption.

Cassadera’s writing career began in her early twenties. Influenced by iconic Black authors like Brenda Jackson, Carl Weber, Eric Jerome Dickey, and Rochelle Alers, she saw a path forward—one that affirmed her voice and validated the importance of Black stories. Toni Morrison’s famous quote echoed in her soul: “If there’s a book you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.”

And so, she did.

Stories Rooted in Reality

Cassadera writes when the inspiration strikes—often at night, music playing, her thoughts unfurling into dialogue and narrative arcs. Her process is intuitive. She captures ideas through voice notes, text messages to herself, and even scribbled napkins, allowing emotion to guide structure.

What sets her storytelling apart is the intersection of struggle and hope. Her characters face emotional walls—some built by others, some by themselves—but they learn, evolve, and break through. Cassadera writes love stories that are earned, not handed out. She explores the depths of self-discovery, showing that healing is messy but possible, and that love is strongest when it’s honest.

Championing Black Love and Cultural Nuance

As a Black woman author, Cassadera is intentional in her commitment to telling stories for and about Black people. Her novels celebrate Black love in all its complexity—familial, romantic, spiritual—and navigate themes like intergenerational trauma, emotional resilience, and the quiet power of forgiveness.

Her work is both a mirror and a roadmap. It reflects the lived experiences of her readers while guiding them through narratives of healing, second chances, and self-worth. These aren’t just romances—they’re reflections of community and legacy.

Cassadera believes storytelling is sacred. It’s a way to document culture, restore identity, and create joy. Her work shows how fiction can be a space for truth-telling, especially for those often left out of mainstream narratives.

Expanding into Children’s Literature

Not content to stay in one genre, Cassadera is preparing to enter the world of children’s books under the pen name S. Moore. This shift reflects her belief that storytelling can and should begin early in life. Through her children’s work, she hopes to inspire imagination, reinforce self-worth, and help young readers see themselves in the pages they turn.

She views this transition not as a departure from romance but an expansion of purpose—using stories to nurture identity at every stage of life.

A Love Letter to Legacy

Among all her books, Legacy Vows holds a special place. The project pushed Cassadera to research her own ancestry, explore generational ties, and lean into the stories that shaped her. It reminded her that storytelling is a way to preserve history and build bridges between the past and the future.

In Legacy Vows, readers find more than a love story—they find reverence. The novel explores how tradition, memory, and family wounds inform the choices we make in love, and how healing those roots allows new growth to bloom.

Craft, Culture, and Creative Intuition

Cassadera’s influences are wide-ranging. She pulls from classic romance tropes, dramatic thrillers, personal conversations, and even overheard dialogue. Her playlist might jump from 90s R&B to indie pop. Her characters, much like her inspirations, are unpredictable—contradictory, vivid, and real.

She invites readers to laugh, cry, and question what they believe about themselves. In doing so, she elevates storytelling into emotional resonance.

Encouragement for Emerging Writers

To aspiring authors, Cassadera offers sincere advice: stay grounded in your voice. She urges writers to silence outside noise, stay committed to their story, and allow the process to unfold naturally. “Be patient with your process,” she says. “Write the story you’re scared to tell.”

She also advocates for continued reading, consistent practice, and embracing mistakes. To her, every setback is a step toward mastery.

Vision for the Future

Cassadera dreams of one day seeing her books brought to the screen. Whether on Netflix or adapted into independent films, she wants her stories to reach new audiences and expand the impact of Black storytelling in visual media.

Her long-term goal is to build a literary legacy that includes not just books but community. She envisions writing centers, mentorship programs, and more opportunities for young Black storytellers to find their voice and share it boldly.