AuThursday – Abbey Franer

Tell us a little about yourself and your background?

My name is Abbey and I’m a mom with a degree in English currently living in Ohio. I’ve been writing creatively since I was in second grade, but started writing original stories more seriously in high school. I just published my debut novel, YA/NA Fantasy titled Dragonhearted.

How do you make time to write?

I try to carve out time in the mornings while the kids are in school or at night once they’ve gone to bed. It can be a challenge to have dedicated time, but I try to keep things moving in any little way I can (sometimes that means jotting down scene ideas in the Notes app on my phone at red lights or in the school pick up line).

Do you believe in writer’s block?

Yes and no. We all have moments when we feel stagnated and words aren’t flowing but that doesn’t necessarily mean we are blocked. Actively putting words on a page aren’t the only way we can be creative! Part of the creative process is taking in inspiration and that can come from reading, watching movies and tv shows, listening to music, or being in nature or people watching.

Tell us a bit about the genre you write and why you love it.

I write YA/NA Fantasy mostly because it’s the genre I most enjoy to read. I enjoy suspending disbelief to immerse myself in a fantasy world. Unique world building and story lines especially appeal to me!

How are you publishing your recent book and why?

I just self published my debut novel with KDP. After talking to published writers in my writing groups, doing a lot of publishing market research, and taking time to evaluate what my goals were, I decided self publishing was the best option for this book. I am happy I still maintain all my rights and could let go of the stress of the query and submission process while I “dip my toes in the water” so to speak. I do plan to consider the traditional publishing route for my current work in progress.

Are you an Introvert or Extrovert? How does this affect your work?

Introvert! I think it can make marketing my work a little harder because actively putting myself and my work out there is not my strong suit. I also think being introverted has helped me develop a knack for reading people and that can translate to writing realistically fleshed out characters.

What is your favorite motivational phrase?

It may not sound like a typical motivational phrase, but I particularly love this quote from Victor Hugo:

“A writer is a world trapped in a person.”

What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

Read and write as much as you can! Join writing groups and engage with other writers. And don’t be afraid to be harsh in your editing. If it feels too painful to cut a scene, save it in a separate document so it’s never really gone.

Where can readers find you on the World Wide Web?

I’m on Twitter, TikTok, and Goodreads @abbey_author.

Do you have an excerpt you’d like to share with us?

One defining moment from Dragonhearted comes to mind:

Tori laughed and threw open her arms, lifting her face to the kiss of the stars. Free. No longer bound to the earth. Something stirred in her, some wild awakening, like she’d been waiting for wings all her life.

AuThursday -Bree M. Lewandowski

Please welcome my fellow Writer Zen Garden author, Bree to the Clog Blog! Bree, can you tell us a little about yourself and your background?

I am a married lady with three fur babies and a day job as a dance teacher. Gosh, I don’t know. I love pasta and I can’t swim. My background in writing is due in a large part to years spent homeschooled by my mother in a very English heavy program. I wasn’t allowed to type “the sky is blue” unless I could prove it. Lots of times my head hurt, but I think it opened me up to how wonderful writing could be.

So, what have you written?

My twenties were spent in front of a computer writing fanfiction. And while that gave me a craving for writing for an audience, I could never finish a book. That is, until, National Novel Writing Month two years ago. It was the first time I got from Page 1 to The End. That amazing feeling spurned me to try again the next year and Under Winter Lights is now the finished project of last year’s NaNoWriMo.

What genre are your books?

I most frequently write romance.

What draws you to this genre?

There’s a deep, almost unexplainable, connection between two people where love is concerned. Whether that love is romantic or not, when it binds people together, it’s out of this world. That need to love and be loved is fascinating to me and I never tire of trying to illustrate it with words. Great authors before me (Margaret Mitchell, Victor Hugo) spun tales of love and how it shapes and changes all those it touches. And I want to, too.

Do you work to an outline or plot or do you prefer just to see where an idea takes you?

I’m halfway between plotting and winging it. Before I start to write the story, I usually have a vague outline in my head of the big plot moments. As I go, I try to fill in the gaps between those pivotal points.

How are you publishing this book and why?

I’m publishing this book independently. The decision to go this route felt natural the more I learned what kind of control a newbie author like myself might have to relinquish to land a contract with a publishing house. Elements like the cover and how the novel progresses I want to be in charge of. Call me a control freak, but it felt right.

What is your favorite positive saying?

“All human wisdom is contained in these two words-wait and hope.” ~Alexandre Dumas.

Where can readers find you on the World Wide Web?

On my Facebook author page at https://www.facebook.com/BreeMLew/