Chris Cassidy
Beyond the Pages: How 19-Year-Old Chris Cassidy is Already Making His Mark as a Published Author
At just 19 years old, Chris Cassidy has already published three novels.
His passion for writing started at a young age, and, in high school, he dreamed of turning this passion into a career someday. While looking for universities with writing programs in Pennsylvania, Cassidy toured Marywood, and, after seeing the TV studio and radio station, he was hooked.
As a freshman, Cassidy is putting his ambitions into action by double majoring in English Writing and Multimedia Communication: Film, TV and Digital Media .
His courses in Digital Film Production will help prepare him for potential careers in screenwriting and film production. He also serves as a member of the promotion team for Marywood Films, a club that produces short films written by students, and he hopes to work on screenplays for the club in the coming semesters.
The Anchorfront Outlaws series blends the dystopian and western genres to tell the tale of a soldier searching for his place and his purpose. The novels tackle societal issues, such as class division, political instability, and civil unrest. Through diverse characters, Cassidy hopes that readers can learn about different perspectives, different ways of life, and societal scenarios they may have not otherwise considered.
Cassidy believes readers can gain perspective from the values of perseverance and hope through his novels, “Even when you’re at your lowest point, and things seem hopeless, there’s always something better coming your way, if you keep pushing hard enough.”
Inspired by other student authors, he decided to put his novels out there, and it’s paying off. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. The trilogy has rave reviews on Amazon, with readers describing the series as captivating, fast-paced, and emotional. One review even likens the novels to the popular dystopian Hunger Games series.
The books were published through Amazon’s direct self-publishing program, and, although Amazon takes a percentage of the earnings, the program breaks down barriers for writers looking to self-publish their work.
Cassidy encourages other young writers to be brave and share their work with the world, “Take that leap and go for it. Market yourself, keep pushing no matter how hard things may seem, eventually things will work out.”
When he’s not writing or working toward his two degrees, Cassidy tries to enjoy as much of the college experience as he can from participating in the new Spikeball club on campus to bonding with the people in his residence hall.