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

Abigail , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you recount a story of an unexpected problem you’ve faced along the way?

When I wrote Bad Duck, I thought the hard part was over once I’d finished writing my novel. However, as I began to research what it takes for a novel to be published, I realized the hard part hadn’t even begun. Getting your book published typically means taking one of three paths: traditional publishing, self-publishing, or hybrid publishing. Traditional publishing involves finding an agent to help your book get picked up by a large publisher. This can take months, years, or it may never happen at all. Self-publishing is at the other end of the spectrum, where you orchestrate the entire process yourself. This seemed too daunting for a first-time author. After much thought, I chose to pursue hybrid publishing, meaning I handled some aspects of publishing myself and found a publisher to handle the rest. All’s well that ends well, and Bad Duck has successfully made it to printed form. Still, I remember that moment of fear when I realized I had no idea what to do next. All I knew was that the long, unclear process of getting my book into the hands of readers had only just begun. It took a lot of grit to find a solution that worked for me and allowed me preserve my love of creative writing without turning the process of publishing into a ‘job’ I wasn’t enjoying.

Abigail , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’ve loved writing for as long as I can remember, and it’s always been my dream to be a published author. However, as I grew up, I faced the practicalities of what I wanted my future to look like. In the end, instead of pursuing my passion for writing, I chose a safer route and earned my undergraduate degree in engineering. I found employment in Minneapolis, and after working for a few years, I went back to school part-time to earn my Master’s degree. After earning my Master’s, I felt it was finally time to turn back to writing, my first passion. I began work on my first novel, Bad Duck, in 2022. Bad Duck was published in late 2023.

I’m currently working on my second novel, The Bones Built Themselves. I often get asked if my second novel will be a sequel to the first, but that’s not the case. These are very different books. While Bad Duck is a young adult coming-of-age novel, The Bones Built Themselves is a science fiction political thriller. However, my readers have commented that one thing they appreciate about my novels is how unique and refreshing they are. So, in a way, these two books are tied together by that theme.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I don’t believe you can be a creative and not be resilient. Take this, for example: When Bad Duck came out, a close friend of mine read it. When I asked her what she thought of it, she told me she wasn’t able to finish the book because she couldn’t get past one scene that was too visceral. I was, obviously, disappointed. As creatives, we want everyone to love and cherish the things we make because those things are extensions of ourselves. The reality is, it simply doesn’t work that way. I have family who haven’t read my book. I’ve spoken to book clubs where members don’t like my characters. No one is going to love and appreciate the things we create as much as we do, and it’s important to realize that’s not a slight. For every one person who Bad Duck doesn’t resonate with, there are ten more for whom it does. All you can do is pick yourself up and remind yourself that there’s not a single work in the world that is appreciated by everyone.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Without a doubt, the most rewarding aspect of being an author is speaking with the readers of my book. Bad Duck deals with some heavy themes, and I’ve been told by readers that it helped them better understand their own emotions and work through things they’ve experienced. Bad Duck was a book I had to write for myself, but I hoped that reading it would help others in the way writing it helped me. I’ve found a lot of peace and happiness in the fact that it has.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://abigailstarkwrites.com
• Instagram: @abigailstarkwrites
• Other: Bad Duck can be purchased here: https://www.amazon.com/Bad-Duck-Abigail-Stark/dp/1643436082