From Night shifts to novels: Carleton Place nurse makes literary debut

Shadows Within marks Cassy Vincent’s first step into dark romance

CARLETON PLACE — Mother. Nurse. Author.

For many, juggling just one of those titles would be enough. But for Cassy Vincent, newly settled in Carleton Place, all three roles are part of her everyday life, and somehow, amid 12-hour shifts and raising two teenage daughters, she’s managed to write her novel, Shadows Within.

“She’s a really hard worker. From the first day I met her, I could see how hard she works,” said Maggie Mulrooney, Vincent’s best friend, co-worker and beta reader.

It’s not just any novel, either. Shadows Within, the first in her planned four-book Millhaven series, is set to launch Oct. 3 through Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing. It promises a gripping blend of dark romance and psychological suspense.

“It’s always been something on the back burner,” Vincent says, speaking with a calm resolve that hints at the discipline it takes to work full-time at a local hospital and write 90,000 words on her days off. “It’s something I always wanted to do.”

Vincent originally dreamed of a career in journalism, even enrolling at Sheridan College. But practical concerns, and parental advice, nudged her toward a safer path in health care. She became a nurse, had two daughters by the age of 21, and settled into what seemed like a stable, if hectic, life in Peterborough.

Then came the pandemic.

“During COVID, it was a bit of a struggle, being in health care,” shrugs Vincent.

Between hospital burnout, a divorce that left her a single mom, and a series of profound personal losses last year, including the deaths of her children’s father, her grandparents, and an uncle, Vincent faced a transformative time. Instead of letting it break her, she used it to rediscover herself.

“I started to find myself again. And my creativity, it kind of came out, or maybe it was forced out,” she says.

The idea for Shadows Within came to her after a night shift, when sleep seemed elusive. She sat down and wrote the framework of a novel in one burst of creative energy.

From there, the challenge became real: writing the entire book, start to finish, within less than five months, a self-imposed deadline.

“I’m a go-big-or-go-home girl,” Vincent laughs. “I gave myself until July 1. And I made it.”

Balancing family life, full-time work, and creative deadlines wasn’t easy. She often wrote for six hours straight on her days off, reading chapters aloud to herself to catch inconsistencies. Her partner, Kael Blackburn, offered steady support, gently questioning her impossible deadlines, but always in her corner.

Highly organized, Vincent had a system for sending chapters of Shadows Within to a group of beta readers. She lined up and sent them 15 chapters at a time, along with a questionnaire.

“She wanted to know not only what we thought, but whether we were getting what she was trying to portray,” says Meghan Darwin, an old friend from Peterborough and one of her beta readers.

Shadows Within follows Scarlett, a psychology student grappling with the aftermath of an assault, abandonment by her mother, and a desire to piece together her fractured identity. As she meets, or begins to truly notice, Callum, the mysterious male lead, Scarlett is drawn into a secretive underworld that mirrors her own inner turmoil.

“I didn’t want this to be a fluffy, feel-good romance,” Vincent says. “I wanted the characters to feel real. I wanted people to see parts of themselves in these characters, especially the hard parts.”

Themes of identity, grief, mental health, and survival run deep through the narrative. Readers are asked to pay close attention. Vincent has woven layers of meaning and subtle foreshadowing throughout.

“It’s an incredible read,” says Mulrooney. “I found the characters had depth, the relationships were well drawn, and the complexities and descriptions felt very real and relatable.”

“I loved it. I read lots of different novels, and never stick to one genre. I started reading Cassy’s book and couldn’t get enough,” says Darwin.

Turning her computer screen, Vincent points to the cover design of Shadows Within, which features roses and skulls; motifs that echo through the novel and her own life. “Everything has significance. I wanted it that way,” she says.

Originally from Lakefield, just outside Peterborough, Vincent spent nearly eight years working at Peterborough Regional Health Centre. Her move to Carleton Place just over a year ago was prompted by loss, but also by love — her partner is local — and the search for a fresh start.

Now, with her daughters settled into school and life taking shape, Vincent is ready to celebrate her literary debut in her new hometown.

A private late-night book launch is planned for Oct. 2 in Carleton Place. The timing is deliberate: not just a release party, but an ode to the novel’s nighttime world and the characters who thrive within it.

“At 11, I’ll do a quick reading of one of my favourite chapters, then there’ll be a toast at midnight,” Vincent says, “when the book officially launches.”

Vincent has already mapped out the rest of the Millhaven series following Shadows Within. Each book will delve deeper into the secret society introduced in the first, as well as the complicated relationships, histories, and traumas that haunt her characters.

One thing she’s learned? She won’t set herself such aggressive deadlines next time. “I’m proud of what I did,” she says. “But I’m also going to give myself a little more grace on the next book.”