Artist Profile: MAGGIE O’CASIRY

The Enterprise had the pleasure of meeting Maggie O’Casiry during the Fall Festival events in Soda Springs two weekends ago.  Maggie lives in nearby Lava Hot Springs, and is an accomplished author.  We asked her to tell us a bit about herself and her writing, and we present that profile here:

1) Can you tell us a little about yourself? 

I grew up in Hamburg, Pennsylvania, and lived there until I moved to Lava Hot Springs, Idaho in December 2024. I studied Early Childhood Education with a minor in English Professional Writing at Elizabethtown College. 

2) When did you get started writing, and what started you down the career path of a writer?

I have been writing for as long as I can remember. It started simple when I was little by coloring papers and writing a sentence that matched. I’d then staple the pages in an order I felt fitting. When I got to 5th grade, I started writing regularly. Our school had author Daryl Cobb visit, and his enthusiasm was the last spark I needed. It wasn’t until 8th grade, though, that I realized writing could be a career for me. At that time, I started writing more complex stories. 

3) What have been some of your favorite books/writers/works over time, and why?

My favorite book is The Silent Storm by Sherry Garland. I used to hate reading, but The Silent Storm was the first non-picture book I loved. I saw myself in the book and realized reading could be fun. 

My favorite author is Chris Colfer. I fell in love with his Land of Stories series and the way he describes the fairytale world. 

4) Can you give me a sense of your catalog of books?

My children’s books normally focus on some form of theme or value children can take away from it, while not being direct like a fable. For example, The Little White Cloud That Cried is a fictional way to teach about the water cycle, while The Hornet and The Ladybug focuses on friendship. 

My middle-level books (aimed at middle school, early high school readers) are all fantasy at the moment. Most of them I began writing around that age, when I was in my fantasy era. 

Almost all of my young adult novels are realistic fiction with a dash of romance. Some of them the plot is more heavily focused on the love story, while others are focused on something else with the love story a side piece. An example of this would be The Dancer. The main point of the story is Tallie following her dreams and reaching her goals, but she does meet someone along the way. 

5) What kinds of topics, subjects, characters, themes do you like to write on?

There is really nothing I won’t touch for topics. I don’t write horror or mystery. My topics and themes all depend on the idea they stemmed from. If I feel it is a strong enough idea, it becomes a book. If it isn’t a strong enough idea, I may add it as a scene to another book I’m working on. I do like to keep my books lighthearted and with a rounded ending. The readers should be left feeling good about the ending. 

6) What would you tell people who are interested in getting started writing, but not sure they know how?

Don’t be afraid of being perfect, there are many drafts before it’s a novel. Even if you write one sentence a day, it will slowly build into something. 

7) Where can people find your works?

My books can all be found on Amazon, or they can contact me personally by email ([email protected]) and I can get them a signed copy that way. They also can order from Etsy, which also can be a signed copy.

8) What do you hope to be up to in the next five or so years?

I hope I will be able to keep showcasing at different events in the area and sharing my stories with the world. 

9) Anything else?

Everyone has a story to tell, it just gets expressed in different forms. 

Thank you to Maggie for her time, and we wish her great success in her endeavors!