We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Abigail Owen. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Abigail below.

Abigail, appreciate you joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I knew I wanted to be a writer from the time I was a child and got into reading. I won my first award when I was eight, and that only fed the bug. I wrote short stories for years, until high school when mean girls made me feel weird for loving to write. That was when I put writing aside for a while. It wasn’t until after college that I picked it back up again. (Although I got a degree in English, so I think it was always in the back of my mind.) In my twenties I started and never finished probably thirty books. It wasn’t until I hit my thirties and had my first child that I finally finished my first book. But even then I wasn’t ready to pursue things professionally. It wasn’t until several years later that self-publishing was really taking off, opening up possibilities. I decided to find myself an editor and self-publish that first completed book. All of this was while working full time, my kids were 2 and 4 years old, and I was in the middle of my MBA program. But I figured if total strangers liked my book, then I would keep going. They did (by some miracle) and now, ten years later… I am a full-time author with 3 pen names for each of the romance subgenres I write in. I have completed 45+ books. I am a hybrid author published indie as well as with small presses and with New York top 5 publishers. I have books translated into Italian, French, German, and Czech. And I have won multiple awards. And I absolutely love what I do!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a multi-award-winning author writing adult paranormal romance & upper YA/new adult fantasy romance under the pen name Abigail Owen. I attempted to find a practical career related to my favorite pastime by earning a degree in English Rhetoric (Technical Writing) and an MBA. However, I swiftly discovered that writing without imagination is not nearly as fun as writing with it. These days I am a full-time hybrid author published both indie and with traditional publishers. I loves plots that move hot and fast, feisty heroines with sass, heroes with heart, a dash of snark, and oodles of HEAs! Other titles include wife, mother, Star Wars geek, ex-competitive skydiver, spreadsheet lover, eMBA, organizational guru, Texan, Aggie, and chocoholic.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

It wasn’t until I was several years into self-publishing that I learned that there were professional organizations targeted directly toward authors, and often toward the specific genre you might write. I wish I’d known sooner, because it’s through those organizations that I find the majority of my workshops, articles, and advice on writing. In addition, it’s through those organizations that I’ve also been able to network with industry professionals (editors / agents / cover designers /etc.) and build friendships with other authors. These days you can find the best organizations for you with simple internet searches!

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

The way you learn to write in school is NOT what creative writing for fiction is about. In school you learn about essays, persuasive writing, and more technically or educationally focused writing. I thought because I’d majored in English and read a LOT, that writing and doing it well when it came to fiction would come easily. But writing creatively is a different style and something you have to learn. It takes lots and lots of practice. When I first started publishing, I read multiple articles where authors said it took them about 10 years to get to a point where they felt their writing was finally where they wanted it and that they’d hit some sort of success as authors (however they measured success). Every step along the way is progress, but I’ve found that I look back a year or two later and think, “Wow! I still had more to learn!” Don’t get discouraged. If you love to write, just focus on that, keep writing, and keep learning! The doing is the learning. I have no doubt that in another ten years I’ll look back on me now and think again, “Wow! I still had a ton more to learn!”

Contact Info:

• Website: https://abigailowen.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abigailowenauthor/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Abigail.Owen.Books/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/AOwenBooks
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@abigailowenauthor

Image Credits
Covers – publishers Entangled, Kensington, and Tule Publishing Headshot – 5 Petals Photography I have rights to these images.