Conversation with Local Author Cachline Etienne
Local author Cachline Etienne stopped by Black Food Bookstore and Culture Shop last weekend to drop off copies of several of her books.
We asked her a few questions and here's what she had to say:
- What inspired you to begin writing?
I’ve always been an avid reader and writer, so writing was a hobby. During primary school, I wrote short stories, and I got into poetry in high school. However, when I started university a friend of mine suggested I look into publishing my work. Of course, this caught me off guard, as I’d never actually thought of publishing anything. Writing was fun, it was an outlet. Well, the seed was planted and later that same year; I published my first poetry chapbook Stories Untold.
- How did you learn/continue to perfect your craft?
My first books published were not the best. As I’d always written for fun, I didn’t focus too much on structure and certain grammatical aspects. I researched books in my genre just to get a sense of where I was at. I realized I had much work to do. I began to follow writing blogs, watch YouTube videos, and even took a course to understand more about writing. However, what I found was that the more I read and the more I wrote, the better my stories became. I am always learning and open to critique. Currently, I am rewriting two stories that I feel can be improved.
- Do your studies in psychology help you more easily create characters for your books?
I believe that having an idea of the complexity of people is an advantage. Understanding your characters makes it easier to write them. However, many of my characters are unpredictable and I often change my set plans for them. I also feel that sometimes I over analyze things. So I’ve been trying to simply write my characters.
- How easy or difficult was it to self publish?
Self-publishing was not a difficult experience for me. Before publishing, I made sure to research the process. I was also very particular about paying sizable sums of money online, and kept alert about possible scams. I self-published with Amazon KDP and I am thrilled with the same. Other great self-publishing companies include Ingram Sparks, Draft 2 Digital and Barnes and Noble Self-publishing. With proper research, self-publishing is not a difficult process, however, it can be a timely one. Be prepared to put in a lot of time and energy.
- What advice would you give to aspiring writers, both young and older; especially those from The Bahamas?
My first advice is to write. Just write. To even publish, you need to have a story. Stop waiting for a perfect time to write your story. Also, do not limit yourself, characters and/or marketing to just The Bahamas. Do as much as possible with your book. Another advice I would give to aspiring writers in The Bahamas is to do your research. Before you rush to spend, look up the company. Do not fall victim to vanity presses that aim to collect money from you and do not help you sell your book. Finally, make sure that you read and look at different books in your genre. Do not be afraid to scrap a project and start over. Be open to learning new things and make the process fun!
Have a look at her books below:
Click here to learn more
Click here to learn more
Click here to learn more
Click here to learn more
Click here to learn more
Cachline Etienne is an Author, Poet and Artist born in The Bahamas. Her first book, a series of poems titled Stories Untold was published early 2018. To-date, Cachline is the author of eight published books. She writes in multiple genres, however her main/go-to genre is young adult fiction. Other notable genres are poetry and most recently, romance. Cachline's romance works are and will continue to be published under the pen name C. Etienne.
When asked, Cachline expresses that she writes to draw awareness and her stories focus on relatable yet non-stereotypical black/minority experiences. In her spare time, Cachline prefers to read, write and paint. It is through reading; she discovered her love for writing. Currently, Cachline Etienne is a Psychology major at the University of The Bahamas. After university, Cachline plans to continue writing throughout her career.