About
Cass Morris works as a writer and educator in central Virginia and occasionally moonlights as a bookseller in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Her debut series, the Aven Cycle (FROM UNSEEN FIRE, 2018; GIVE WAY TO NIGHT, 2020; third title and pub date TBD), is historical fantasy set in an alternate ancient Rome, published by DAW Books.
From 2010 to 2017, she worked as Academic Resources Manager at the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton, VA. During her time there, she composed over 20 full-length teaching guides for Shakespeare’s plays, as well as developing and leading workshops for students of all ages and experience levels, assisting with leadership programming and other professional training, and facilitating the biennial Blackfriars Conference. She has presented at conferences including Shakespeare Association of America conferences, the Halved Heart conference at Shakespeare’s Globe, the Shakespeare Theatre Association teaching practicum, and Blackfriars Conferences. She also contributed essays to SHAPING SHAKESPEARE FOR PERFORMANCE and SHAKESPEARE EXPRESSED, anthologies exploring early modern theatre and pedagogy.
She completed her Master of Letters at Mary Baldwin University in 2010 and earned her undergraduate degree, a BA in English with a minor in history, from the College of William and Mary in 2007. She reads voraciously, wears corsets voluntarily, and will beat you at Mario Kart.
Featured Work
Give Way to Night
The second book of the Aven Cycle explores a magical Rome-inspired empire, where senators, generals, and elemental mages vie for power.
Latona of the Vitelliae, mage of Spirit and Fire, is eager to wield her newfound empowerment on behalf of the citizens of Aven–but societal forces conspire to keep her from exercising her gifts, even when the resurgence of a banished cult plots the city’s ruin. To combat this threat, Latona must ally with Fracture mage Vibia, the distrustful sister of Sempronius Tarren.
While Latona struggles to defend their home, Sempronius leads soldiers through wartorn provinces to lift the siege of Toletum, where Latona’s brother Gaius is hemmed in by supernatural forces. Sempronius must contend not only with the war-king Ekialde and his sorcerers, but with the machinations of political rivals and the temptations of his own soul, ever-susceptible to the darker side of ambition.
Though separated by many miles soon after their love affair began, Latona and Sempronius are united by passion as they strive to protect Aven and build its glorious future.
Other Works
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From Unseen Fire
2018
Awards and Recognition
- 2020 Webster Award for outstanding genre fiction by a Virginia writer: FROM UNSEEN FIRE