Saturday, July 14, 2018

Get to Know Me Tag {Writers' Edition}

I decided to shake thing up a bit and do a full tag in a post. I did the non-writers' edition aaagggess ago. But do not feel obligated to read it. o.o It's back in the dark ages of the blog so really. Just continue on.


The rules:
  • link back to the person who created the tag (Savannah)
  • thank the person who tagged you (Rosalie)
  • tag eleven bloggers (like I ever do that :P)

Vital Stats + Appearance

(pen)Name: Abigayle Claire, my first and middle name
Nicknames: Abi. Just so you know, that's the only one you're allowed to use. But there's also Babs and ... worse when my brothers get creative.
Birthday: August 15, 1998. So just like Rosalie who tagged me, I'm about to bid farewell to my teens which is ... yeah, I'm not ready.
Hair color and length: Reddish, brownish blonde. I've lightened it blonde at the ends for now. It's currently mid-back which is short for me.
Eye color: Green
Braces/piercings/tattoos: I've had braces, but currently only have pierced ears. That's all I'm planning on ever having.
Righty or lefty: Lefty!! Like that's news, haha. But since I do most sports right-handed I'm a little ambidextrous I suppose.
Ethnicity: I mean ... white American but a big European blend. My strongest strain is German.

Firsts

First novel written: Ha! Ok, the first one I ever, ever wrote was not novel length, but it was called The Dolphin at Grandpa's Hut. Basically as classy as it sounds all handwritten and illustrated by yours truly in a notebook.
First novel completed: Technically the one above was my first "completed" story longer than a page that I can remember. But for novel-length it's obviously Martin Hospitality.
Award for writing: I've won some voter-based ones from the 2017 Indie E-Con for Martin Hospitality, but the big one was Readers' Favorite. I ... still can't really believe it. I got a 5-star book review from them and then won an honorable mention in the Christian Fiction category. So amazing!!
First publication: Again, Martin Hospitality for self-published. I hope to someday be traditionally published as well.
Conference: The first one I attended was a little one-day conference in East Texas. The first "real" conference was Oregon Christian Writers Conference last summer. *cue angelic singing*
Query/Pitch: I pitched at OCW which was ... terrifying. It was just an idea at the time, but even though it quickly turned into my first rejection, that idea is now a full-length draft. Behind the Act is waiting on some revisions, and then I'll keep pitching it.

Favorites

Novel (that you wrote): Behind the Act. I don't know if that's surprising or not. I think it's my favorite because it was my first manuscript to write off a long-time idea. Even though it hasn't gone far yet, I feel like it's going to be really powerful and go really far someday. That keeps me excited. :)
Genre: Contemporary. I never thought I'd say it, but my favorite thing to write is modern day. It adds a simplicity and relatability that I adore.
Author: Louisa May Alcott.
Writing Music: Typically soundtrack music. I have playlists of relevant songs with lyrics, but I cannot write with lyrics no matter how hard I try. 
Time To Write: Late at night. It's not always my favorite time to write, but it's simply the best for me.
Writing Snack/Drink: Chips, chocolate, or dried mango. Ice cream. ;) Occasionally I drink tea.
Movie: Oh gosh ... I can't choose just one. I love You've Got MailThe Village, and Anastasia.
Writing Memory: I remember practicing the cursive alphabet for fun (yes, I was that sort of child). I also remember loving a library book on Helen Keller and trying to copy the whole thing down into a sketchbook so I could keep the story. I failed, so I guess my mom decided it didn't matter that I still have three-ish chapters of a plagiarized biography somewhere. xD
Childhood Book: THINKABOUTTHISAHHHHH

Currently

Reading: I'm actually ... not currently reading anything.  After reading two really good books (Thief of Corinth by Tessa Afshar and The Blue Castle by Lucy Maud Montgomery), I'm in a lapse to soak up their 5-star awesomeness.
Writing: Chapter 28 of Martin Crossroads
Listening to: A Good Doctor episode :P (Highly recommend this show!) I'm actually trying to find some new artists to listen to, so give me recs! 
Watching: Anne with an E Season 2. I wasn't 100% crazy about the first season and it's not really following the books ... but I adore Gilbert soooo ...
Learning: I learned new kinds of flowers while working for my florist aunt for two weeks. I learned you can spell "acknowledgement" as "acknowledgment" too. (What?!) In general I'm working on learning patience hehe ... not my strong suit. But this draft isn't coming together as fast as I'd like it too. I babysit a lot and spent time with younger cousins. It's all good practice.

Future

Want To Be Published: I want to continue to be published for forever honestly. I'll be self-publishing Martin Crossroads next and then turning some energy toward querying Behind the Act.
Indie or Traditional: Both! I'm already indie published, but I really want to be hybrid some day. :)
Wildest Goal: To have my books in Barnes & Noble. It might sound silly but it's one of my biggest. I might die of a heart attack at that moment. To have my books in other languages would be pretty cool as I've already got it in other countries. I'd say to win a famous book award but I kind of fell like I've already done that, too. It's pretty neat to see how many crazy awesome things have already happened largely thanks to God and you guys.

And I'm really just getting started. So now I'm going to go work on Chapter 28. ;)
Nooo, I'm not tagging people. But please do feel free to do this tag or answer some of the questions in the comments! Also, I know I don't do tags on my blog very often. But don't be afraid to tag me if you want to. I often answer some of the questions I'm tagged with in my newsletters. :)

Have a great weekend!

12 comments:

  1. Fun tag! Btw it was actually created by Savannah Grace :p

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh duh. Didn't read that carefully enough :P I'll update it ;)

      Delete
  2. This is such a cool tag, I love it! Mind if I borrow it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Go for it!! The original creator of the tag (which I mistated) is Savannah Grace: http://savannahgracewrites.blogspot.com/?m=1 <3

      Delete
  3. season 2 has so much Gilbert and I love it <3

    Fun answers!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm only a few episodes in but YESSS. He's so great <3

      Delete
  4. LOL! A plagiarized biography? That's hilarious! I'm impressed with your younger self's even thinking of such a concept.

    Awesome tag! I loved reading your answers!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know!! I had no concern about the moral implications whatsoever. I just REALLY wanted to keep that book without ... stealing :P

      Thanks, Sarah! <3

      Delete
  5. My baby sisters birthday is August 15th too! You're a lot younger than I thought, you've got such maturity in your book. :D
    I copied down two full "biography" books of Winter the dolphin's real life story, as well as her buddy Hope the Dolphin. I literally tossed it out like a month ago because I memorized all the facts already and I didn't need that ugly notebooks. XD. It's funny that I'm not the only one.
    I used to really want to be traditionally published, but after doing research, besides the bragging rights, I didn't find any reason to pursue that for me. I'd rather have COPYrights of my own book then bragging rights. XD But getting my book into Barnes and Nobles *has a heart attack* that is my biggest greatest amazingest goal for my book when it's finished (which I should finish the rough draft, stretching to 80,000 words, tomorrow. *grins at Camp Nano*)
    Fun post! But come on, you've got to put a tiny bit of effort into tagging other bloggers too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Awww that's awesome! I've known anyone in person who's shared my birthday. :) Well thank you!

      OMW I totally thought I was the only one too xDD That's SO hilarious. I love that our moms let us.

      Haha that's a really good reason to go indie! I think I'd have to feel very at home with a publisher to hand over rights. D: But YES we shall dream of B&N together!!! Ohhhhh yay!! Finishing a draft is a huge accomplishment. Did you finish it??

      I'm just utterly lame and pathetic when it comes to tagging and it's time we all face it xD I hate choosing people who might not want to while not choosing other people who might want to ... ahhh!! It's like a stress complex. But you're right ;)

      Delete

Comments are how I know you've been here! I try hard to reply to all the comments in a timely fashion, but regardless, know that if you leave a comment, I will read it and it will make me smile. :) Please no profanity or soliciting.