Getting to know you with Cassandra Smith

Please join me in welcoming Cassandra Smith to my blog today.

1. Can you tell us a little about yourself?

Cassandra Smith has worked extensively with youth for twelve years. Her commitment to mentoring, discipleship, and promoting stories of restoration has been discovered and nurtured through several avenues. Her diversity of experience ranges from youth leading at her local church, to touring across the US and Canada for four years with Teen Mania’s Acquire the Fire, years of work with Youth with a Mission, and a commitment to the local church.

Cassandra is an honors graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She also graduated YWAM’s University of the Nation’s writing school. Her most recent endeavor included Road Managing thirty-four college age interns, who formed the production crew and ministry team for Acquire the Fire. Through creating intern development curriculum, speaking at events and churches, and the care of that team, plus her heart for conference attendees—a deepening awareness of the needs of youth culture was born.

She has since dedicated herself towards promoting stories, discovering a path of restoration, and teaching young people how to find hope in Jesus. To find out more information about scheduling speaking engagements, please visit the Author’s website.

2. When you were a child did you have a favorite book or books?
I loved Charlotte's Web and the Boxcar Kids series.

3. Do you have a favorite Genre to both read and right write?
I read a lot of Non-Fiction, self help, Inspirational. I also really
enjoy Christian Historical Fiction.

I like to write Non-Fiction Inspirational.

4. Did you have favourite authors growing up who have influenced you?

I read so much, I don’t know if I could limit it to one or two. As a
young woman, Francine Rivers was a huge influence.

5. When did you know you wanted to be an author?

I think I always wanted to communicate. I didn’t know what that always
meant, but I always dreamed of being able to speak and create messages
for lots of people. As a got older, I realized writing would be a
vehicle for that.

6. How did you go about becoming an author?

I read a lot of books and paid attention. Then I started to read a lot
of writing books. Then I attended a writing school in Texas.

7. If you were not a writer what would you like to be?

A missionary in a third world country, working with orphans.

8. Outside reading and writing what do you like to do?

Travel, go to concerts, hang out with good friends :)

9. Do you have a place you love to visit or would love to visit?

 I am a huge Starbucks fan, so I love to write and create there. As
far as big time travel, I really want to go India, Israel, and
Ireland.

10. If you could have a meal with 3 living people who would you choose and
why?

Billy Graham. Because he is a Legend.
Joyce Meyer. Because I want to know what it was like to start a
ministry as a woman.
The Decision Maker at Winter Jam. Because I would like to connect with
that Concert Tour for my book.

Finally can you tell us about your current books and/or any that will
be coming out soon. Also where we can find you on the web.

You can find the book at Kindle, Amazon - and www.LetterstoGodMovement.com
Also it will be available for free through Kindle Amazon February 13-15th.

Struggling millenials cry out to god for help - “letters to god” book answers their cry

Handwritten notes collected across the nation expose a generation’s struggles, offering guidance and hope

Through her first book, Cassandra Smith, author of Letters to God: Diary of an Unsilenced Generation, raises awareness of the plight of hurting teens, the struggles they face, and how to promote hope in their young, often broken, lives.

Acquire the Fire Youth Conferences host up to 150,000 teenagers at their arena events each year. Several years ago at Acquire the Fire, teens wrote their confessions of faith, failings, and hopes for their future. Letters to God is a compilation of those handwritten notes, matched with issue specific resource guides reaching out to those who struggle with addiction, cutting, suicide, abuse, fear, doubt, eating disorders, broken relationships and guy/girl issues. Smith targets a generation’s struggle, and offers ways parents, youth workers, church leaders, and concerned adults can practically reach out to teens.

Advanced readers have expressed great enthusiasm for the project. The book is currently being circulated at this year’s Acquire the Fire conferences, along with a steady media campaign launched in November is leading up to the Promote Hope Online Tour in February 2014 featuring collaboration with numerous ministry blogs.

Letters to God provides an honest look at the heartbeat of young people, showing the hurts of today’s generation. This book not only gives the actual words of the students, but the author, Cassandra Smith, shares ways to counsel people through these issues of life.

Ed Lewis - CE National CEO & Director