What is the title of your latest release?
MEET ME UNDER THE LIGHTS
What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
Former friends turned enemies fall for each other the summer their feuding families compete for ownership of their town’s famed baseball stadium.
How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I knew it needed to be a small town where everyone is in everyone’s business, and I loved the idea of an entire town rallying around one sport (similar to Varsity Blues but with baseball, of course). It was also important to me that it featured a family of farmers because I wanted an additional conflict / focus to be that of class differences as well.
Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?
100% I would hang out with both of them. Eliza is a theater nerd like me who loves baseball, and like Reed, I love the land and the atmosphere and tension of being in a baseball stadium.
What are three words that describe your hero?
Eliza Crowley is stubborn, smart, and driven
Reed Fulton is loyal, competitive, and steadfast
What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I learned that while subplots can be interesting, they can also be distracting. Too many will end up hurting your central conflict or focus, so you should pick and choose those subplots carefully, making sure that those you pick are necessary and well-related to that central storyline.
Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
Usually, I edit once I’m done. I draft quickly because I do a lot of outlining and fleshing out my characters before I write.
What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Brownies or humongous cookies!
Describe your writing space/office!
I call it my “cave” because it’s in our basement and without windows, but it’s a dedicated space with a large desk, a bookshelf that houses lots of my favorite story-craft books, and plenty of room for me to map out a story and work without too much distraction from my kids.
Who is an author you admire?
Joy McCullough because she got started on her writing journey later in life like me, and she writes beautiful, heartfelt stories that aren’t afraid to push boundaries.
Is there a book that changed your life?
THE BOOK WOMAN OF TROUBLESOME CREEK by Kim Michele – as a librarian and mother, it resonated with me on so many levels, illuminating the importance of the role I play in the schools and even in my own home.
Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published). Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
First, you should know that I had all but given up on my debut because we had radio silence on it for years, but when we did finally get the “she’s interested” message, I don’t think I slept! When Ann (my agent) finally called with the official “you have a book deal!” it was my youngest son’s birthday, and she asked to be put on speaker so she could speak to him. She asked him, “How do you feel about sharing a birthday with your mom’s first book deal?” Everyone in our home freaked out, and I just broke down and cried happy tears. It was the best day, and ironically, my book will soon come out on my husband’s birthday!
What’s your favorite genre to read?
Don’t make me choose! I love them all! But if I had to pick, I’d go with contemporary romance. I love the drama, the humor, and the heart-squeezing, feet-kicking, giggly joy of them.
What’s your favorite movie?
CLUE (1985). It’s flawless and never ceases to make me laugh.
What is your favorite season?
Fall
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
Low-key at home with a nice dinner and a great cupcake.
What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I LOVED The Residence and A Man on the Inside on Netflix. I’m more into the quirky “whodunit” shows. Likewise, the latest Knives Out movie: Wake Up Dead Man was outstanding. I also enjoy the podcast Meg’s Reading Room because it’s cozy and comforting.
What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Italian food – give me all the pasta dishes, please.
What do you do when you have free time?
I read a lot, and I enjoy playing guitar or piano. I also love taking hikes and long walks. In the summer, I’m usually found outside puttering in my gardens.
What can readers expect from you next?
They can expect me to continue writing stories that feature small towns, the importance of family and found families, underdogs or the over-looked, and of course, all the messiness and drama that comes with first loves.
My Life with the Walter Boys meets The Notebook in this small town baseball romance perfect for fans of Kasie West and Carley Fortune.
High school junior Eliza Crowley is known as the Princess of Fairfield, a farm town in North Carolina that loves two things—tradition and baseball. Although Eliza loves “the game,” her life goal is to become a lighting designer on Broadway. Shaking off her reputation as the rich girl and focusing on her town's community theater production are what she’s set her sights on this summer, and nothing will stand in her way. That is until Reed Fulton, the grandson of a struggling Fairfield farmer, and ace pitcher of the Fulton Hawks, returns to town. Reed dreams of putting the catastrophe of last season behind him and leading the Hawks to a championship victory against the Crowley Cardinals. When his childhood friend turned stranger, Eliza, strolls back into his life, she makes his heart accelerate quicker than his fastball, and he’s not sure he can stay away from the girl he’s supposed to despise. Small-town summers and baseball draw Reed and Eliza together, even though the Crowleys and the Fultons are determined to run each other out of town. When the families make a deal to settle their thirty-year-long dispute once and for all, Eliza and Reed are stuck in the middle during the most important summer of their lives.
Young Adult [ Penguin Young Readers, On Sale: March 3, 2026, Trade Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9798217038923 / eISBN: 9798217038930 ]
Cassie Miller is a former high school English teacher turned elementary librarian. She has a teaching degree from Radford University and library endorsement from the University of Virginia. She wears many hats but finds her favorites are "stage and lighting director," "eccentric storyteller," and "boy-mom." Cassie currently resides in southwest Virginia with her family and an ever-growing number of cardigans and nerdy bookish shirts.
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