Former resident's new book out

Former Madison County resident Cassandra "Sandy" Sams has written two novels, both a reflection of her occupations.

Sams' first book, the unpublished "Scarlett Skies," was written in 2002 and is based in part on her experiences as a flight attendant and union peer counselor for a major airline. Her most recent work, "Celestial Desires," is inspired to some degree by her current work as a counselor at an adolescent behavioral treatment center near Orlando, Fla.

"My profession did play a role in writing this book," said Sams, who will sign copies of "Celestial Desires" at 2 p.m. Friday at Borders in Athens. "When I started writing, I had been reading a lot of (noted psychiatrist) Carl Jung, who always stressed a spiritual component in counseling.

"Jung also came up with the idea of archetypes, like the Virgin Mary/Mother God type of thing, but there's also the archetype of, for the lack of a better word, the prostitute, and I wanted to play with the idea of those two archetypes on an academic level. There's also a lot of personal stuff where you're working through your own issues, so there's some self-therapy in it, too."

A 1987 graduate of Madison County High School and a 1990 graduate of the University of Georgia, the daughter of Peggy and Jerry Craig said "Celestial Desires" tells the story of a former prostitute who meets and befriends a nun, and the two exchange roles for a brief period. Sams took part in a study-abroad program in France during her UGA days, so much of the story takes place in Paris.

"I loved the book, but I admit I'm a little biased," said Peggy Craig, who said Sams grew up in Madison County's Sanford community. "There's a touch of the French language here and there, but it doesn't detract from the storyline."

Sams, who has lived in Florida for the past five years, estimated it took her about six months to write "Celestial Desires." She said she opted to go the self-publishing route (with Colorado-based Outskirts Press) because her work as an adolescent counselor didn't allow her time to seek out agents and editors. The book was released to the general public in May.

"I wrote the book because I needed to write it - I wasn't really thinking about selling it then, although I thought it was a

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