Today we’d like to introduce you to Abigail Hobbs.
Hi Abigail, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
About five years ago, I started an Instagram account (a “bookstagram”) devoted to book reviews and recommendations. I selected the account handle @scytheandpen, the title of my then-work-in-progress manuscript. I also wanted to share my love of reading and writing with like-minded people. “Well, this might be a fun hobby,” I thought as I snapped a styled photograph of a hardback and typed #currentlyreading. Instead, I found an engaged and diverse community that has utterly changed the publishing industry by colliding book blogging with the influencer economy. My fun hobby led to friendships and connections with readers, writers, agents, and publishers. It truly opened so many doors! Now, five years and many algorithm changes later, I’m utilizing the same platform to promote my debut novel, releasing this fall.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Not! Writing a novel is challenging, but querying and publishing are slow slogs requiring determination and thick skin. Writers must believe in their project when no one else does and keep submitting despite rejection. I told myself I would submit to 100 agents and publishing houses before reconsidering my novel. At first, I received positive feedback and even one conditional offer of representation. Unfortunately, mere days after receiving that offer, the world shut down due to the pandemic. I received a standard rejection email as businesses shuttered. Of course, this wasn’t anyone’s fault; it’s what we all had to go through: dreams on hold. Overnight, the world’s priorities and even publishing trends changed. Positive feedback turned into outright rejections. Simultaneously, I welcomed my daughter to the world and experienced a difficult bout of postpartum depression. An exhausted new mom, I stopped querying my novel for several months. I did some soul-searching and realized if I give up and don’t even try, I’ll never achieve my dream of being published. Reluctantly, I waded back into the querying trenches. When I started getting discouraged again, a fellow author advised me to “find your way to yes, even if it’s a different path than you pictured.” In the end, it took 31 submittals over two years before I got a “yes.” and began working with a small independent press to bring my novel Scythe and Pen to life. Counterpoise Press is a small woman-owned business based out of Oklahoma City, building its catalog of titles. Working with them has granted me tremendous creative control over my novel, which makes an author’s dream come true. I was led to the right person and publishing house at the right time.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’ve been a writer my entire life. Even as a little girl. I would scribble and bind silly stories for my parents. I received a Bachelor of Arts in English from Piedmont University in Georgia, graduating valedictorian; then, I studied secondary education at Mount St. Mary’s University in Maryland. Professionally and personally, I’ve always been known for single-mindedness and maybe a little too much perfectionism. (You don’t want to get so focused on the unattainable goal of “perfection” that you lose the plot.) My writing focuses on dark fantasy and Southern gothic stories. I love exploring themes of tragedy and redemption through flawed morally-grey characters. My debut novel, Scythe and Pen is a grimdark retelling of the Hades and Persephone legend, set during the Jazz Age. It blends elements of urban fantasy and horror. When I’m not marketing the book, I still share book reviews and writing advice on my bookstagram @scytheandpen, along with occasional essays and poems on my new Substack Abigail Writes Too Much.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc.?
To be an effective writer, you need to be a voracious reader. While writing Scythe and Pen, I read a lot of F. Scott Fitzgerald, as well as other Jazz Age and Harlem Renaissance writers. The following nonfiction books were also beneficial: Flapper by Joshua Zeitz, Big Bosses by Althea McDowell Altemus, The Ghosts of Eden Park by Karen Abbott, and Dangerous Rhythms by TJ English. Music is a deep well of inspiration for me as well; usually, I put on headphones and listen to music while I write. If you spot me writing, you can beat there’s either blues, classic rock, or jazz playing. It helps me tune out the world and intrusive thoughts so the words can flow. Finally, my Remarkable tablet has been a game changer. I love to handwrite my first draft, and the tablet has a convert-to-text feature that transports my handwritten notes and scenes into a typed PDF. It saves me so much time and helps the planet by saving paper.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://achobbsauthor.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scytheandpen/
- Substack: https://abigailhobbs.substack.com/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ACHobbsWriter
