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	<author id="1040522">
  <name><![CDATA[Cassandra Barnes]]></name>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1040522.Cassandra_Barnes]]></link>
  <fans-count type="integer">0</fans-count>
  <followers-count type="integer">0</followers-count>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1199846423p5/1040522.jpg</image_url>
  <about><![CDATA[Hi,  

Thanks for stopping by!

I'm many things, among them a published author.  

I write non-fiction as Sandra Smith; and fiction as Cassandra Barnes.
  
I began seriously writing in 1991, after a career as an accountant.  I started with how-to articles based on my experience with making and selling jewelry.  Since then, I’ve written about a variety of subjects for speciality, regional, and national magazines, as well as the Internet.   

I've compiled a handbook on gems and minerals, titled Bewitched, Bedazzled, and Bejeweled: A Collection of Facts and Folklore about Gems and Jewelry.  It's currently available as a Kindle download.

I've completed four novels, and have started several more.

My first book, Desert Dreams, languishes in a desk drawer, having collected more than an adequate number of  rejections.  

The second novel, Jenny's Legacy, was published as a hardcover book in January 2006 by Five Star Expressions, an imprint of Thomson Gale. Jenny's Legacy is a contemporary sweet romance featuring a psychic heroine.

Jenny's Legacy still available wherever books are sold.  I also have autographed copies for sale.

Jenny's Legacy was re-issued as an e-book in June 2008. It's also available as a Kindle download.

The third book, Acts of Love, a women's fiction/cozy mystery, was released in December 2008.  It's currently available as an e-book and as a Kindle download.

My fourth book, A Perfect Body, a contemporary sweet romance, was released as an e-book in May 2009. It's also available as a Kindle download.

I've begun work on another contemporary sweet romance titled The Birthday Gift.  I anticipate having it ready for publication in 2010. 


I have notes for at least a dozen more novels, including one about Atlantis, as well as file drawers overflowing with article ideas.  I've never met a subject that didn't interest me, so there's no danger of running out of ideas!

I’ve also had a several short stories published, including one in Dogwood Tales, a national publication until its demise a few years ago.  

I’ve been a member of various writing groups, and involved with several Internet writing groups, the best of which is Internet Writing Workshop.  Currently, I belong to Romance Writers of America.  

I’ve been active as a volunteer in my community, serving as a tutor for the Literacy Council as well as working with an animal welfare group. 

I write with a collection of angels, butterflies, and dolphins arrayed around my computer.  One of my most prized possessions is a tiny silk rose in a hand-carved wood vase that was handcrafted the same year I was born.  I’ve chosen to use a red rose as my motif.


When I'm not reading or writing, I'm eating chocolate or downing caffeine.  Most of my writing is done in the early morning hours, but it's cold and dark at 5:00 a.m., so sometimes I just stay snuggled in bed.  


I haunt bookstores, new and used, and my biggest delight is finding a new author.  I love animals, flowers, food, and learning something new.  I'm a vegetarian, and I make my meals from scratch on those days I tear myself away from the computer.  

The characters in my stories are not based on me.  Really, they aren’t!

Since retirement, I've earned a  Master of Science degree in Natural Health.  I also have my second-level Reiki attunement.  Health and healing are primary interests now that will be reflected in future writing.

Wishing you the best of everything in life!

Sandra/Cassandra
]]></about>  <influences><![CDATA[Life!]]></influences>  <gender>female</gender>    <born_at>02/08/1947</born_at>    
  
  
  <books>
        <book id="2314296">
  <title><![CDATA[Five Star Expressions - Jenny's Legacy]]></title>
  <authors>
    <author>
      <name><![CDATA[Cassandra Barnes]]></name>
      <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1040522.Cassandra_Barnes]]></link>
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  <average_rating>4.75</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>4</ratings_count>
  <published>2006</published>  
  
</book>
        <book id="6569444">
  <title><![CDATA[Acts of Love]]></title>
  <authors>
    <author>
      <name><![CDATA[Cassandra Barnes]]></name>
      <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1040522.Cassandra_Barnes]]></link>
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  <average_rating>0.0</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>0</ratings_count>
  <published>2008</published>  
  
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        <book id="6569453">
  <title><![CDATA[A Perfect Body]]></title>
  <authors>
    <author>
      <name><![CDATA[Cassandra Barnes]]></name>
      <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1040522.Cassandra_Barnes]]></link>
    </author>
      </authors>
  <average_rating>0.0</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>0</ratings_count>
  <published>2009</published>  
  
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        <book id="6569434">
  <title><![CDATA[Jenny's Legacy]]></title>
  <authors>
    <author>
      <name><![CDATA[Cassandra Barnes]]></name>
      <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1040522.Cassandra_Barnes]]></link>
    </author>
      </authors>
  <average_rating>0.0</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>0</ratings_count>
  <published>2008</published>  
  
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