Aspiring Author Thursday: Introducing Abby Fowers

Oh, Abby. Where do I begin? You are so full of awesome! :D  I was so excited when I found out she was writing books. We grew up pretty close to each other and it has been SO much fun hanging out with her and reading her work! :D  Anyway, check out her blog and give her a follow. She is so awesome!

When did you first know you wanted to be a writer?

Oh goodness... I guess I showed signs of it ever since elementary school. I loved writing stories for school and always did well on them. The desire and love for reading and writing just grew from there until one day I just couldn't deny it any more. I had to go for it. It was probably during high school or shortly after when I REALLY KNEW that I wanted to do it though.

I love it how so many writers knew they loved to write way back in elementary school. I can honestly say I wasn't one of them. I wish I had been! :)

Do you have a writing schedule, or do you just sit down whenever you get a spare moment?

I am working on a writing schedule. It mostly comes around nap time and bed time. I get more accomplished when my kids are asleep. However, my writing time will be cut in half once school starts because I have to fit homework into the schedule too. Ugh. I wonder if it will be worth it. Hopefully I can manage time for both.

I can't believe you do all you do. You are freaking super-woman!

Could you tell us a little about yourself? Random facts? Hidden talents?

Oh gosh, you should probably ask someone else this question. LOL. Um, I definitely have the gift of gab. I have been given the Gabby Abby award by more than one teacher. Luckily they still liked me through all my talking. I have tried to crochet but can't manage to do anything more than a washcloth. I really love photography. I even went into business with it for a while but then decided that it took all of the fun out of it. So now I keep it all hobby and all fun.

LOL! Gabby Abby. It fits you! ;)

If you were stranded on a desert island, what is one thing you couldn't live without? (Besides your family and a laptop of course.)

Chocolate. Seriously, if I don't have chocolate on a regular basis then bad things start to happen. If life ever gets really ugly, my husband gets a scary phone call warning him that he better bring home Haagen Dazs chocolate peanut butter ice cream. I never really choose just PLAIN chocolate. (Where's the fun in that?) I love chocolate with peanut butter and chocolate with nuts. YUM! And if I didn't have it to help me through my loneliness on the island, I'd have to see how long I lasted in the ocean. :) Also, one of my favorite sayings is... "There is nothing wrong with me that a little chocolate can't fix."

Chocolate ice cream with nuts is the best. I'm also a huge fan of chocolate brownie. Drool ...

What is one book you could read over and over and over?

Just one? Hmmm, right now lets just say the HUNGER GAMES. I don't think that book (or that series) will ever get old. Brilliant!

I'm in love with those books too.

What book are you dying to read this year?

I am really dying to read about anything that is NOT on my English reading list this semester. However, I am excited to read NEXT DOOR BOYS by Jolene Perry, INHERITANCE by Christopher Paolini, THE HELP by Kathryn Stockett, and a new book I just won by Donna Hatch, called QUEEN IN EXILE. (I know that's more than one, but is there ever really just one?)

Shout out to Jolene! I LOVE HER!! :D And her book does look awesome. How long have we waited for Inheritance to come out? Hasn't it been like years? Grrr.... I am excited to read it though. :)

What genre do you write and why?

The cursed question! I like too many things! Okay, I write children's books, but when it comes to MG or YA I LOVE fantasy and dystopian. That's just how my brain works, but there is always something else lurking in the shadows waiting to make it's way into my laptop!

I so wish I could write middle-grade. I can't nail that voice though. :P

Do you have any writing rituals? Music, silence, eating, etc.

Silence is best for me right now, but music also inspires me. I am going to experiment with some film scores and see if it's for better or worse.

I love film scores. Try Inception's. I LOVE it.

Where do you come up with your ideas? Dreams, while driving, etc?

Mostly just from life in general and day dreaming! I am a huge day dreamer. I also get a lot of ideas from songs or just from being with my kids, listening and paying attention to other kids and what is going on in their lives and what moves them. However, a lot of my day dreaming happens while driving. Just ask my husband. All of a sudden I will pop out with some out of the blue question like, "What's a short sword called? Not a dagger... that's a knife. I want it to be a sword, but a short one." The look on his face is priceless.

Ha ha ha!! It's so fun to surprise the hubby with a random question or fact. Hilarious.

Any advice for other aspiring authors?

Don't give up. Breaking into the writing business isn't easy. And I think with the economy agents and publishers are being extremely picky. So don't give up. Just be open and learn from your mistakes and continue to practice and make your writing better. ALSO, don't give in to peer pressure. Write the novel that YOU want to write and that you will be proud of, because at the end of the day, that's all that really matters. (This doesn't mean you can't still learn from your critique group and use their advice. They are SO important!)

Great advice. :)

Random Writing Question: If you could meet any character in a book, who would it be and why?

I was going to say Dumbledore because he's brilliant, but I'm going to have to go with Mr. Darcy from Pride & Prejudice, but ONLY if he'll choose me over Elizabeth Bennett. Mr. Darcy is SEXY and as of this evening I am taking SEXY Darcy over brilliant Dumbledore. Sad but true. :)

Thanks so much Chantele! This has been fun!
LOVE your answer! Mr. Darcy is totally hot. I'd take him over Dumbledore as well! ;) And thank you so much for letting me interview you! :)

Also, I've been interviewed over at Kristin Lynn Thetford's blog. Click here to check it out. :)