Chassity Evans

Chassity Evans is a content creator sharing finds in fashion, home decor, beauty, and wellness. She’s a romance author with her debut beach romcom novel, Pink Sand Summer, set in Harbour Island, The Bahamas, where she owns a home called Coral House. Discover more at https://chassityevans.com/

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

You're listening to the Preppy Podcast, and I'm your host, Patricia May Olson. I'll be interviewing the brands, businesses, and influencers who are keeping the modern preppy lifestyle alive. Each Tuesday, I'll bring you a new episode, but if you're craving more preppy, then shop the merch and listen to past episodes at thepreppy podcast.com and be sure to follow at the preppy podcast and me, Patricia underscore May underscore Olson on Instagram.

SPEAKER_00 0:52

She's also an influencer who I followed for many, many years. So I was thrilled to chat with her all about how she decided to write this book, her process, and even some of her style picks. It was just such a fun episode. I know you guys are really going to enjoy it as much as I did. Before we get into that though, a few housekeeping remindings. The first being we have some tickets left for Camp Repi, Colorado. It's less than a month away, which is crazy to say. It's going to be so much fun, you guys. The swag is amazing. The activities, the group, it's going to be so fun, and we will be shooting for a magazine. So definitely get those tickets while you still can. We also have Kenny Bunkport in October, and then we might be working on another one as well. So sneak peek. And then finally, if you want to join the fun in between camps, sign up for Club Preppy. You can do all of this at thepreppypodcast.com. Clubpreppy is our monthly membership. We do at least one virtual activity a month. Think of things like floral ranging, wine tasting, style workshops, recipes, all sorts of things with experts in the field. And it's a great community to share your preppy finds, the preppy lifestyle. Plus, people get a treat in the mail once a month. This month we did a little cute white baseball cap, perfect for the summertime. We've done tote bags, so many other things. So all that information on Camp Preppy and Club Preppy is at thepreppypodcast.com. But let's get into this week's episode.

SPEAKER_01 2:23

Okay, so why don't you first let everyone know who you are, where you live, and what you do.

SPEAKER_02 2:29

Hi, I'm Chassity Evans. I live in Charleston, South Carolina. I'm a content creator, influencer, blogger. I started back in 2010. And I just recently wrote my first debut novel. So I'm technically an author now too.

SPEAKER_01 2:46

Oh my gosh. Is that so crazy to say, I feel like?

SPEAKER_02 2:48

It is. And I was just at an event here in Charleston where someone asked me what I what I do. And I said I was a content creator. And my friend standing next to me, like elbowed me, and she's like, You're an author.

SPEAKER_01 3:01

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_02 3:02

Yeah, I guess you're right.

SPEAKER_01 3:04

Yeah. That's so exciting. I cannot wait to learn more about your book, how you came up with it, um, and the journey leading up there. But let's start at the beginning. Tell me about you as a kid. Were you someone that was like writing books even as a kid? Someone that was super into clothing and fashion and dressing themselves as a little kid. Like, what was your childhood like?

SPEAKER_02 3:26

Well, as a kid, I grew up in small towns. So I read a ton. I was a big reader. I had a pretty big imagination. I loved fashion. I was always playing in my closet or wanting to go shopping or order from the J. Crew catalog, that sort of thing. So I yeah, I guess I've always kind of been a little bit into exactly what I'm doing now.

SPEAKER_01 3:51

Mm-hmm. That's part of the reason I asked that question, is I find when we reflect and look back, there were so many little inklings of who we are today when we were a kid back then, which I find so funny and like full circle moment.

SPEAKER_02 4:04

Yeah, I mean, as a kid, I moved around a couple of times and we would move to small, it was always a smaller town and it would take a little bit to meet friends. And I always had, I loved uh like a collection of books, like The Babysitters Club or Sweet Valley High. So as soon as like one book finished, I could pick up the next when I was still in that world with those characters. It was like they were my friends. So yeah, it was always a big part of my life.

SPEAKER_01 4:32

Definitely. And I love how you mentioned catalogs too. Like, and now I feel like catalogs are having a moment and coming back. But growing up, you know, circling things you wanted for back to school or Christmas, um, I just loved physical catalogs and like physical magazines. And I feel like that's a why a lot of us today are in the careers that we're in, like whether it's being a blogger, an influencer, or me working in PR, like growing up in that era of like magazines and catalogs.

SPEAKER_02 5:00

Oh my gosh. Yes. Like circling everything on my wish list, whether it was for Christmas and it was toys, or if it was the J. Crew catalog, or is it did we pronounce it Delia's? Oh yeah, Delia's, yeah. Remember that from the 90s? Love that magazine. Um, yeah, just like circling and and kind of imagining all the things that you would order. I never, of course, got to order everything that I wanted to, but it was it was just fun going through the process, which is, I guess, kind of what I do now. Like I'm always saving new arrivals and favorites that I love. And I'm certainly not buying all of them, but it's still fun to, you know, heart them.

SPEAKER_01 5:38

And imagine where you would wear them to, right? Yeah, exactly. Totally. So tell me about then when it came time for college, where and what did you end up studying and why did you sort of choose that path to begin with?

SPEAKER_02 5:52

So I went to Indiana University and I grew up in Indiana and I studied apparel merchandising. At the time, I thought when I started, I thought I wanted to own a small clothing boutique. And then I got a part-time job in college working at a clothing boutique and decided I did not want to do that at all. So that I thought, well, maybe I'll be an actual buyer in a large city, and that would be great. And then somewhere, you know what? I think I watched the movie The Wedding Planner with Jennifer Lopez and was like, I'm gonna be a wedding planner. That's what I'm going to do. So then I tacked on a minor of like, you know, that I don't even remember what the name of that program was, but I tacked on that kind of thing. Ended up, you know, my job after college had nothing to do with either of them. I was a pharmaceutical rep, which is is not related directly to either of them, which is just goes to show that sometimes what you study does not have to have anything to do with what you're actually passionate about and following in the end.

SPEAKER_01 7:03

Yes, no, for sure. And I think though, you know, I know a lot of people that are pharmaceutical reps. And I think with that job, you have to be social. You have to be like a good marketer at the end of the day, right? To get those accounts to get people to buy things. Um, so I still think that probably was impactful and helpful for what you're doing today, even looking back.

SPEAKER_02 7:24

Yeah, I think so too. Just having to walk into an office and like, you know, cold call if if I hadn't yet met that office. And, you know, it it does kind of thicken your skin a little bit and help you with rejection.

SPEAKER_01 7:40

Yes. And I'm sure confidence too, right? Building confidence and being able to do that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 7:45

Yeah, I agree. And I think moving around a little bit when I was a kid probably helped with that too, of having to, you know, go to a whole new school where all these kids already had their group of friends that they were hanging out with, and I had to try to like find my way in, you know.

SPEAKER_01 8:00

Yep, a thousand percent. Now, what about your blog? Like, when did that come into the picture? Um, and sort of what was the the reasoning or thought process behind starting a blog when you did?

SPEAKER_02 8:12

Well, so I had my daughter in 2009, and after I had her, I did not go back to my pharmaceutical sales job. So for about nine to ten months of being a stay-at-home mom, I was just reading blogs all the time. And I felt like I knew these creators, I knew the people in the comments, and I really wanted to just be a part of that conversation and get and just share what was going on in Charleston because we have we have a lot of really talented people here too. And I felt like it it was a unique point of view for me to just kind of dive in and start sharing. So it was it was a little bit of just wanting to be a part of the content creation community because the women online are awesome.

SPEAKER_01 9:01

I remember those early blogging days where people would comment and and then once you see their comment, then you'd go to their own blog. Like it was this whole little web, kind of like what Instagram is today, right?

SPEAKER_02 9:15

Yeah. I remember being so excited when I would be placed on a blog that I followed on their blog roll. And I just felt like I had hit the literal lottery, you know? It was it was the best time, really. It was I loved that that internet time.

SPEAKER_01 9:31

Exactly. Because I feel like even today, you know, like you said, you can meet so many great people on the internet, but they're sort of trolls. And I feel like back then there weren't trolls like they are today. Is that makes sense?

SPEAKER_02 9:42

It's not as bad anyway. They were there, but not anything like what they are now, I fear.

SPEAKER_01 9:49

Um, so then tell me a little bit about starting your blog. Like, what were you posting back then? Um, how often were you posting? And at that point, did you think you could eventually turn it into a career, or was it kind of just like you said, you you love this community that was there and you just wanted to be part of that?

SPEAKER_02 10:07

So I always took it seriously and would post every day, even though there was no income coming from it. And I didn't know what to expect. I certainly didn't expect it to become what it has become today. Like that, that was not on my radar because when I started, it was before affiliate links began. So, I mean, that was a massive, a massive deal changer. And, you know, brands weren't really working with bloggers at that point. So that was just, you know, it wasn't even a dream at that point. But it was really incredible when it did start happening, but happening. But as far as the content, it was very similar to what I write more. There was probably a lot more kid content then because I was just in the throes of, you know, Lily being little. And then when I had Fletch two years after Lily, you know, I was just in the middle of that and I shared a lot of my my life. But it was still very style-oriented. It wasn't, I never had a mommy blog. I didn't do too much of that, but there were more interiors, probably shown, like my house and decorations for holidays and parties and kids finds and things like that, as well as the fashion.

SPEAKER_01 11:17

Okay, that makes total sense. And speaking of those game changers, like, what do you think really helped over the years bring your blog to the next level? Like uh make it a career for you. Like, was it the affiliate links, like an LTK, a shop my? Um, was it like you said, brands work differently with people back then? I feel like it would be more like Martha Stewart magazine having this weekend trip and inviting influencers, or like you were doing more like challenges with a group of bloggers. Like it was just so different than what it is today, right?

SPEAKER_02 11:50

Yeah, it really was different. Um, and it was an interesting time. I Martha never invited me to her weekend house, unfortunately. That would have been pretty awesome.

unknown 12:02

Right.

SPEAKER_01 12:03

Yeah. There's still time, you know, she's back in back in the action now. And so maybe she'll have you for an author retreat.

SPEAKER_02 12:10

Yeah. But I do think that it was the affiliate links and being able for brands to be able to see the difference that the content creators would actually make for their brand was probably the biggest change. And then also social media, once Instagram picked up, because when I started, I mean, Instagram may have been around, but people weren't using it the way that we do today. So once that all picked up, it there was just more visibility that way too. So I think it was a little bit of a combo, but definitely the affiliate linking for sure.

SPEAKER_01 12:40

Yes. And no, I'm I'm sure. Because back then, also it was you would do ads on the side of your blog, I remember. Um, and that's kind of how bloggers would make their money at in the early days, right?

SPEAKER_02 12:51

Yeah, I did a lot of that with a lot of Etsy shop owners too. Yeah, it was it was so much fun. There were a lot of really creative, cool women.

SPEAKER_01 12:59

Definitely. Now, with your blog um and that business, what's been some really exciting pinch me moments that you've been able to achieve through it?

SPEAKER_02 13:10

I mean, for me, the biggest pinch me moments are when I get messages today from people who have been with me from the beginning and they'll like reference something from the beginning. The fact that I have this community of people that have been with me for so long, that like it just feels like friends, that's the coolest part for me for sure. And then all of the people that I've just met along the way, like so many other content creators that are my genuine friends, like some of my best friends that I've met through this job. So it there's been, I mean, there have been like some some probably really cool things. I feel like there have been magazine features along the way. And I remember I got to style a model during New York Fashion Week for stylist and AOL. Okay. And then like the next day, I was in a cab in New York, and that event was like playing on the little screen in the back of the cab. Yes. And I was being interviewed in it, and I I just remember thinking, what in the world is this? This is crazy.

SPEAKER_01 14:19

That is really amazing. I mean, what are the odds that it was playing when you were in the cab?

SPEAKER_02 14:24

Like, I know it was it was insane. I couldn't believe it because I I live in Charleston and I'm not in New York very often. So they had a fast turnaround. That was funny.

SPEAKER_01 14:34

I love that. You know, we've mentioned community a lot so far on this episode. And I'd love to hear if you have any tips for creating, nurturing, and growing community.

SPEAKER_02 14:48

Well, as far as an online community, I would just say be involved. Yeah, you know, in the comments, in the responding to stories, you know, just let your voice be heard. Because I mean, that's the most important thing. Because that's how dialogue begins. And then that's how that's how you're gonna build relationships with the people that you know are like-minded and that you know you're interested or inspired by.

SPEAKER_01 15:14

That makes sense. So not only on your own post when someone is commenting, like comment back on them, but then also, you know, going out and commenting on other brands, other influencers, creating community that way, right?

SPEAKER_02 15:26

Yes, yes. Be a butterfly. When the people that you are following, when they're sharing content, be in their comments, respond to their stories. A lot of a lot of the best type of relationships that I have with my followers are from the DMs that I get that are either just a direct DM or a response to one of my stories.

SPEAKER_01 15:47

Yeah. Yeah. I love that. That's a great tip. And I feel like no matter what your industry in, like creating community, creating like a customer base is so important so that that can apply to people beyond creators, right?

SPEAKER_02 16:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:00

Yeah. Um, now I'd love to talk about your home at Harbor Island because I know then that kind of was a little bit of inspiration then for writing your book, right?

SPEAKER_02 16:11

For sure.

SPEAKER_01 16:12

Yeah, so tell us a little bit about that home. Um, I, you know, I love the pictures on Instagram, like how you decorated all of that. I'd love to hear a little bit.

SPEAKER_02 16:20

Well, thank you. So we bought Coral House. All the houses on Harbor Island in the Bahamas, they don't have addresses, they have names, which I just think is really charming. So we bought Coral House in 2016. It was a two-bedroom at the time. So we did a little bit of a renovation and added two bedrooms and we added a pool and a couple of other things, like opening up the kitchen. And it was always with the intention to rent it out and you know, share it with other people. It's a historic cottage in Dunmore Town and like the downtown part of Harbor Island. It's right on Bay Street. It was built in the mid-1800s. I wish we had an exact date, but we do. Maybe someday somebody who knows will like connect with me in some way. But um, yeah, so we started renting it out in 2017. It has been one of the most incredible experiences ever. Like getting to share this house with so many people. We have a lot of repeat renters that come year after year with their families. And Harbor Island is such a special island of people. I mean, obviously, it's beautiful, it has pink sand, you know, beaches and a lot of colorful historic houses, and it's gorgeous. The water is blue, but the people there are so incredible. It's the kind of place that when when you go, you're already planning your next trip back. And then when you come back, you run into the people from your first trip and you feel like you're just back with your people again. It's just it's incredible. It was a huge inspiration for me with Pink Sand Summer.

SPEAKER_01 17:57

Definitely. And so, how did you pick that you wanted to get a house there? Like, did you go on vacation and fell in love? And that's kind of how it came to be then, I assume.

SPEAKER_02 18:06

That's exactly it. My husband and I would go for vacations, just the two of us. We would stay at the Dunmore, which is a fabulous resort right there on the beach on Harbor Island. And we just wanted to spend more time there. And it just felt like such a dream to have a house there where we could bring our kids and build a stronger knit community there for not just Josh and me, but for our kids too.

SPEAKER_01 18:33

Yeah, certainly. It sounds so magical. And like I said, I just I love how you decorated it. I feel like the kitchen's kind of iconic. I see a lot of pictures and like I can recognize that it's your kitchen when I see other people posting.

SPEAKER_02 18:46

That is a popular photo spot. I love when I see it in my feed, it just completely makes my day.

SPEAKER_01 18:51

Definitely. Was that hard to decorate? I've had friends um on different islands, and I know getting products takes a lot longer, or did you have a different experience?

SPEAKER_02 19:01

It was difficult. And getting mail or items to Harbor Island, the boat comes once a week. Oh. And then it goes through customs, and then you have to have somebody go to customs to pick up whatever it is that you sent. So it is not anything like mailing something to yourself here where you live.

SPEAKER_03 19:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 19:21

Um, it was difficult in that we would we had a what do you call them, like a container. Okay. And for a month, I had a month's period of time where I could have everything that I was purchasing for the renovation shipped to Fort Lauderdale where this container was.

SPEAKER_01 19:39

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 19:40

And they would receive those items, put them in the container. But once that month was up, that was when the container shipped over to Harbor Island. So I had to kind of time everything, and my husband too. He was he was a big part of this as well. So it's not just me. We really had to time that. But we also had to work with a lot of the things that were already there on the island or already there in the house. So when houses sell on Harbor Island, they sell furnished, which is great. So I got a bunch of Lule Wallace fabric and shipped that down and recovered a lot of the items and had curtains made and pillows and things like that. The art I feel like was the most fun to buy, and a lot of it, I didn't know where it was going to go yet necessarily. Because you just kind of you're you might have an idea, but you're, you know, you're not there in the space to really think it through. And the install week was so much fun, like just kind of putting everything this morning.

SPEAKER_01 20:37

You probably forgot about some of the stuff. And so you're like, oh for sure.

SPEAKER_02 20:41

Yeah, that definitely happened.

SPEAKER_01 20:44

That I just love like more behind the scenes like that. So it's fascinating to me, you know, pulling it all together and getting it um just how it looks now. It's so beautiful.

SPEAKER_02 20:54

Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 20:56

So now I'd love to chat about the book. Has this always been like a long-term dreaming goal for you? I know you're a big fan of reading, you know, great romance like Beach Reeves. Um, so did you always know you wanted to be an author, or did this kind of come later and, you know, you found your journey that way?

SPEAKER_02 21:16

I had no idea I would ever write a book. I never even thought about it or dreamed about it. To me, authors, I never even really thought about authors all that much. I would, you know, read the books, but I I didn't think about who wrote them. I assumed they were just this incredibly smart person and you know, put put them up on a pedestal, but I certainly didn't think that that would be my route. Um, so how it happened was I literally woke up one day knowing that I was going to write this book. It was ideal. It was like a dream, I guess. It was incredible. It was, I think, December 21st. Okay. Now of this last year, of the year before. Okay. And we were flying to Harbor Island for Christmas with the kids. And it was that morning that I woke up knowing I was going to write this book. And I took the two weeks there on Harbor Island to just kind of think about it and jot down notes in my notes app. And then when we came back to Charleston January 6th, I sat down and started writing it. And then I spent this whole last year of 2025. Writing the book. And then it kind of almost fully finished late-ish January of 2026. So it took a little bit over a year in total.

SPEAKER_01 22:39

To write it. Oh my gosh. Now I've heard I've heard different authors talk about their process. Were you someone that was strict and was like, okay, every day I am going to make myself write like a thousand words? Or did you kind of just let it go naturally in what worked?

SPEAKER_02 22:56

I was not strict. I'm not a very strict, scheduled kind of human being. And so I didn't have rules per se about what I wanted to do. I was just so enamored with the story and wanting to actually complete the story and get it done that I was really quite diligent about wanting to do it anyway. I probably wrote five days a week, I bet, like there at the beginning.

SPEAKER_03 23:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 23:25

And then, you know, there's so many times that you go through the book, which you might not know that because I did not know that, you know, prior to writing the book. There's so many drafts that you do of it that um, I think it was the after the third draft that I finally felt like I was ready to have a beta reader read it. And it felt really good to kind of hand it off, let somebody else read it and get some feedback and some thoughts and take that three weeks or however long that period ended up being to to kind of take a little bit of space from the story. And then by the time I sat back down with it again, I was totally ready to go again.

SPEAKER_01 24:04

Oh, wow.

unknown 24:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 24:06

That's so cool. So, how did you um sort of find out about the process or know about the process then? Because, like you said, uh when you came into it, it just came to you that you were gonna write it, but you had no previous plans to do that. So, did you immediately seek out, you know, um, like a manager or a representative, or did you have a friend maybe who wrote books who kind of guided you? Like how did you know the process?

SPEAKER_02 24:32

I immediately just started writing. Okay. Um, I I think part of what worked so well was that I had no expectations. Um I did, you know, I wasn't too fearful of the what-ifs. And so I just started writing. But simultaneously, I also started following a lot of different substacks that were focused on the publishing world. I started going to more book events here in Charleston and meeting authors and just people in the business. I started talking about it on Instagram, sharing that I was writing a book and just kind of how the process was going. And that kind of led into a lot more, you know, interesting conversations and people to chat with. So it was really, I'm really, I didn't, I didn't even take a writing class. I was afraid that if I if I started down that path, I would just get in the weeds of it and never feel like I was ready.

SPEAKER_01 25:32

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 25:33

So instead I just started writing and I hired an editor who is a very talented editor. Her name is Abby Abel, and she went through multiple rounds of editing with me and really helped me figure out where I needed to go deeper with backstory, or I, you know, I cut a character out of the story that she felt, you know, just wasn't necessary to the plot. Um, about, you know, she helped with pacing, she helped with the yearning, like all of these things. Yeah. Really kind of helped teach me along the way. I'm by I by no means of an expert or anything, but having a partner help me with my specific piece, I think was more beneficial to me than working with in an abstract way about if you know if that makes sense. Yes, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:26

Well, and I think it's important, like you said, you needed to step away for a little bit too and have someone look at it because sometimes when you're in it so much, you can't see certain things and you need a little bit of a break to come back in or a different person to look at it, right?

SPEAKER_02 26:40

Yeah. Honestly, some of my very best ideas for the book came during those breaks. Wow. Okay. I mean, really truly. Like the the meat and bones of the story were were just kind of for the most part happened during the writing process. But the really fun, interesting things came out of those breaks, which is I don't know, I find I find that really interesting. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 27:04

No, I mean, it makes total sense. Once you're away from it a little bit, then you get some clarity, I think, um, which is helpful or a different perspective, or sometimes you need to go out and do something to experience or see something that inspires you, right?

SPEAKER_02 27:17

For sure. But it was also really helpful for me to have the editor whom I love and trust tell me when it was done. Because I could have kept doing drafts over drafts over drafts of Pink Sand Summer forever and never feeling like it was, you know, complete. And having someone say it's done.

SPEAKER_01 27:37

Yeah. Step away, it's done.

unknown 27:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:42

Um, so can you tell us a little bit about what the book's about for those listeners who might not be um familiar with it yet?

SPEAKER_02 27:50

Sure. So the main character, her name is Lucy. She lives in Charleston, but it's not based on Charleston, it's based on Harbor Island. She spends every summer on Harbor Island, all of her life, because her grandparents have a home there. She's just inherited the beach house, as you do in the best books. And so she's returning this summer, and she's a little nervous about, you know, what it means to now have to take care of this home. She's floundering a little bit with her art career. And in the midst of this, she has many run-ins with her first love, Jack, and also with a newcomer named Noah. So there's a ton of socializing, which is just true, to Harbor Island in the story, like lots of parties and events and things like that. So it's just a really fun social summer story romance.

SPEAKER_01 28:45

Ah, it sounds like the perfect summer beach read, honestly.

SPEAKER_02 28:49

It was really fun to write. Um, I just kind of want to, I want to live in the in that world. And I it was fun bringing all of my favorite things about Harbor Island into the story. So my favorite restaurants and you know, my favorite drinks and meals that I would order and pickleball and just all the different things. It was just really fun to create it.

SPEAKER_01 29:10

Yes. Well, and I'm sure with your background in being an influencer, being a blogger, um, and uh working, you know, in in fashion and style to some extent, it kind of probably had a great influence then on the book. Like you could really uh when you write, like picture things then, right?

SPEAKER_02 29:28

Yeah. Honestly, while I was writing, I found this, I find this to be interesting too. As I'm writing, I almost in like seeing a movie play of what I'm writing. Yes, a little bit, if that makes sense. I'm very I'm very visual.

SPEAKER_01 29:46

Yes, yeah, I was gonna say it it sounds like you're very visual and I am as well.

SPEAKER_02 29:51

So I'm I can picture the brands that these girls are wearing. Yes. And friendship is a big part of the book, too, because friendship, girl friendship is such an important part of my life that I really wanted these friends to have a healthy, supportive, long, long-living friendship.

SPEAKER_01 30:11

Yes. Well, I saw um an influencer, someone shared um your little dedication page, and it was to the girls, right? Which I was like, that's so sweet, like a girl's girl.

SPEAKER_02 30:22

Yeah, yeah. I'm a girls girl, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 30:26

Amazing. Now tell me a little bit about the cover then, because I think that also is so beautiful and it really grabs you.

SPEAKER_02 30:34

The cover design process was really fun. So I hired Monique Amy. She is in Boston, Massachusetts, super talented. She does other books as well as a lot of other cool things for other brands. And so how that process went was I gave her a lot of imagery of Harbor Island, other books that I'm inspired by, um, details about the book, like what it's about, you know, that there was a jolly that my main character has. So the sand is pink, obviously, just all sorts of different things.

SPEAKER_03 31:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 31:08

And then she put together three different cover ideas for me to kind of pick and run with. And the the one that that is the cover of Pink Sand Summer was so obvious that that was the one.

SPEAKER_03 31:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 31:23

But there was a lot of like back and forth with with that illustration and changing the colors and moving things around. And at one point there was a really, really, really large cocktail in there. And we kept making it smaller and smaller and smaller, and eventually we're like, all right, we gotta get rid of the cocktail.

SPEAKER_01 31:45

That's so funny. Yeah. Um, now, you know, since I work in PR and marketing, I'd love to hear sort of about the process of with marketing the book, getting it out there, um, launching the book, especially since this is your first book.

SPEAKER_02 32:02

Yeah, it is my first book. So I don't know what I'm doing. I have hired a PR company to help me with press kind of thing. Like hoping, hoping to get a few things there and some podcasts. And then we're also planning a Harbor Island book club girlfriend trip that I'm doing next month in June. So we're bringing some influencer friends and we're all gonna go to the different places in the book and you know, kind of experience that because my hope is that a lot of people who read this book are in book clubs and that book club will go to Harbor Island and experience themselves. I just want everybody to go to Harbor Island and have a time, basically. And so I'm really excited about that. And then also just from the 15, 16 years of being a content creator, blogger, I have a lot of influencer friends. So I've been sending the book to them and just really try, really hoping that you know it works. We'll see. I just I want people to love the story.

SPEAKER_01 33:10

No, I'm sure everyone is going to love it. Um, and I think it is smart. I have seen you lean into your influencer friends um and sending them advanced copies. I think that's very smart and something that sets you apart and gives you a little bit of an advantage and you know keeps it unique, right?

SPEAKER_02 33:27

Yeah, I feel really lucky that I have the network of, you know, I mean, it always comes back to support of amazing women. I have I have an incredible network of them. It's why the book is dedicated to all the girlies. Like it's just what would we do without each other, you know?

SPEAKER_01 33:44

Yeah, a thousand percent. Are there any authors that inspire you or like you love their books and are big fans?

SPEAKER_02 33:52

Yes, so many. Well, I just downloaded Carly Fortune's new book and started that last night. I love Carly Fortune. Her books are incredible. I also love Ellen Hildebrand and that whole world that she's built around Nantucket. Very inspired by that. Um, I like Emily Henry, Christy Woodson Harvey, Victoria Benton Frank here in Charleston is an incredible writer. I mean, there's so many. There's so many authors. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 34:22

I can read a lot. Yeah. I love that though. I feel like it's always helpful for listeners to hear, like, oh, who they should check out, also, or um, what the inspiration is, who inspires them, other amazing women.

SPEAKER_02 34:34

So who are some of your favorite authors?

SPEAKER_01 34:37

So I read a lot of business books, I would say, but um, Sophia Kinsella, the Shopaholic series, are is like my favorite, like pleasure, fun, light reads, I would say. Yeah, I I'll be brand. I mean, yeah, she does such a great job as well.

SPEAKER_02 34:56

Did you read her new book with her daughter Shelby, The Academy?

SPEAKER_01 34:59

Well, I haven't yet, but one of my friends did, and she said it was amazing. So I think I'm gonna read that.

SPEAKER_02 35:05

It's really, it is amazing. I think there's gonna be three books in the series, and the next one will come out. I wanna say this September. It's like around the time of when school starts. Yes, it's fantastic. You should read that.

SPEAKER_01 35:16

I'm gonna I'm gonna add that to my list then. Um so you know, since this is the Preppy podcast, I always ask everyone, what does Preppy mean to you? So, how would you describe Preppy?

SPEAKER_02 35:27

Preppy means put together and clean and positive, like kind of upbeat and you know, like a happy outlook.

SPEAKER_01 35:38

Yes, a thousand percent, and very pink.

SPEAKER_02 35:41

Yeah, pink and and white and yellow. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 35:46

So no, that's a great answer. Uh, so with the whole book writing process, what's been the hardest part for you, the most challenging, and then what's been something that you've really enjoyed and maybe surprised you about the process that you know makes it all worth it in a way?

SPEAKER_02 36:03

The hardest part for me has been book two. Oh book one just flowed so easily for me. And getting into book two has been a lot harder. And trying to carve out the time for book two has has been harder than book one. I guess just because book one still takes up a lot of, it's taking up like most of my brain.

SPEAKER_01 36:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 36:28

As well as, you know, I'm still doing content creation and being a mom and all the things. Yeah. That it's harder for me to find the time for book two and really dive into that. So that's been the hardest. And I hear that sophomore slump. Uh-huh. So I don't know if that just means I don't know what that means exactly. But for me, I'm making that mean my sophomore slump is that I'm having trouble like getting into it.

SPEAKER_01 36:50

I mean, well, you're still in the midst of the first one, like promoting it and all. So I can't imagine that having to take up more headspace to write a completely different one.

SPEAKER_02 36:58

Right. But the idea for me that I want to do is be able to have book two come out next May. Oh, I love that year. And it'll be in this whole pink sand summer universe. So I really want to, I really want to keep that cadence. So that's been the hardest part. And then the the surprising easiest part would be the editing phase. I had read so much from the you know, the substacks that I mentioned that I've started following and all of these accounts saying how are I just assumed the editing phase was going to be miserable. That when I would get the the sheet back from my editor, I would cry and that I would, you know, want to get into a fight about it. I didn't have that experience at all. Every time that I got, I don't know if my editor is just the best person on earth, but Abby was so helpful with her notes. And I found this to be interesting because I had no idea how it would work. So she would write like an over, you know, overview of her thoughts of the book. But then in Word, off to the side throughout as you're scrolling through the whole book, she has notes at certain parts that say, I'm confused by this, or what if da-da-da-da-da-da, or this wording is a little bit clunky, like things like that. Yeah. It's just, it was incredible to me to have, you know, someone, it was like having a writing partner almost. Yes, yes. Um, and it was a really fun experience. Like I it was I was getting feedback in real time, yeah, which was fun because all I wanted to do was think about these characters and talk about them. So it was a form of communicating about the characters, but also, you know, getting improvements along the way. So that was surprising how much fun that was.

SPEAKER_01 38:48

Yeah, I would find that so surprising too. And I'm someone, I don't take, I mean, criticism like gentle criticism, but and so I think sometimes I could take things too personally then because it's your baby, right?

SPEAKER_02 39:00

Yeah. Well, it helps that I felt like I had like that I had no idea what I was doing, you know? So it really was like, tell me.

SPEAKER_01 39:08

Yes, yes. Oh my gosh, that's so funny.

SPEAKER_02 39:11

I'm telling you, don't take the writing class, just dive right in and then hire someone to help you, and then you'll just feel good about the whole process.

SPEAKER_01 39:18

Yeah. Well, it's funny because even when I interview a lot of entrepreneurs on this podcast, uh, we talk about that like getting started is the hardest part because you can wait forever and like be like, no, I should take this class, I should learn this first, I need to buy this new computer for like there are so many things to hold you up, and you just you have to just get started and do it, right?

SPEAKER_02 39:38

You do. And this was the biggest way that I could have proven that to myself.

SPEAKER_01 39:42

Okay. Like I had to just jump in. Speaking of that, then any advice or tips for someone wanting to someday write a book?

SPEAKER_02 39:52

Dive in. Dive in. Just you know, take give yourself a short period of time, like maybe it's two weeks, whatever it is where you brainstorm about the book, you know, get a good idea of of what you want it to be, and just start writing.

SPEAKER_03 40:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 40:08

And then along the way, start following other authors, start following, following bookstagrammers or book talkers if you're on TikTok, and really kind of immerse yourself in the world because that will be really for me, it was motivating. Like it felt like my world was so much about books at that point that I wanted to work on my own. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_01 40:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 40:33

And even just in reading, reading books in the genre that you went to read. Like every time I finish a book, I'm inspired about my own.

SPEAKER_01 40:42

Yeah, okay. Yeah, I love that. That's great advice. And I had heard a lot of people mention Substack is like where authors, where like you can even get book deals, like a lot is happening on Substack, I feel like, for authors, right?

SPEAKER_02 40:56

Yes, Substack is huge. So I would definitely recommend getting on there if they haven't yet, because you'll find a lot of information, a lot of great knowledge there. It's a kind place. Well, it's mostly a kind place. Um it's it, yeah. I think just joining the the community is the best thing that you can do. Similar to the the idea of anyone who wants to, you know, the question you asked about content creation. Like get in the conversation, like join the world, join join the book world and just start literally writing.

SPEAKER_01 41:31

No, that makes total sense. Um, and is is great advice there. Okay, so my final question is who would be your dream to read your book? Like, if you found out so and so had uh your book, you know, on their nightstand and was reading it, like who would be an absolute dream for you?

SPEAKER_02 41:47

I have three. Okay. Um I and it's all very book related. Yeah. So I love Jenna Bush.

SPEAKER_01 41:57

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 41:58

And I love her books that she recommends. That would be a dream. Mindy Kaling is one of my most favorite celebrities to follow. I love her TV shows. I've read her books. I love following her. I love her fashion. That one would be super exciting. And then also, I was gonna say Reese Witherspoon just because that is such a big deal.

SPEAKER_01 42:23

Yeah, her book club and yeah, it's a big deal that that would feel really, really cool.

SPEAKER_02 42:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 42:31

No, I mean, who knows down the line, would you be open to getting it made into a TV show or a movie or anything?

SPEAKER_02 42:39

Absolutely. That would be that would be the most fun.

SPEAKER_01 42:44

Yes, we're putting it out there in the universe.

SPEAKER_02 42:46

Let's put it out there. I can see it.

SPEAKER_01 42:49

Me too. No, totally. Um, and they'd have to film on Harbor Island, obviously.

SPEAKER_02 42:55

I would hope so. At least for a good portion of it, yes.

SPEAKER_01 43:00

I love that. So, can you let everyone know where they can follow along with you, where they can buy the book, um, and any other, you know, links, handles you want to plug?

SPEAKER_02 43:12

I think Instagram is the easiest place to follow along, and that's chastity.evans. Um, I have my website, chastityevans.com. I'm on Substack. I'm on TikTok a little bit, but not as much. And then currently you can purchase the book on Amazon and on bookshop.com. I think I think because I think it's now on like Barnes and Noble, Books A Million, those kind of places too. As far as in-store Ladybird books here in Charleston, it's on King Street. It is an incredible bookstore. It's so beautiful. They're going to be carrying signed copies and they'll have a listing on their website, a set like they'll have like a regular Pink Sand Summer listing, and then they'll also have a signed copy, Pink Sand Summer listing. So they can ship signed copies from there as well.

SPEAKER_01 44:04

Oh, amazing. Okay. And then are there any events or book signings that are more open to the public that people should keep their eyes out for or no?

SPEAKER_02 44:13

Well, there are a couple of events. It feels like I'm going to New York. I think that one is gonna basically be private, and I think the Nashville one will, there will be a conversation at the we don't have the date yet. That'll be much later this summer. There's one in Charleston, but it's already sold out, unfortunately. But I also plan on adding another one that will be more in conversation in Charleston as well. Yeah. So that hopefully will be coming sometime this summer.

SPEAKER_01 44:42

So if they just follow along with you, though, you'll announce those.

SPEAKER_02 44:45

Oh, for sure. Yeah, I'll I'll definitely be talking about them all.

SPEAKER_01 44:49

Perfect. Well, Chassity, I'm so happy you got to talk today. I really enjoyed our conversation and learned more about you and the book writing process. It was just so enjoyable.

SPEAKER_02 44:57

Thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_01 44:58

It's been a blast. Thank you so much for listening to the Preppy Podcast. I hope this put a little prep in your step for the day. Please subscribe, rate, and review on wherever you listen to your podcast. And follow along with at the Preppy Podcast on social media.