Iron Rose is officially 1 Year Old!
An actual update, mental health, and some pretty giveaways for you š
Hey friends,
So Iron Rose has officially been out in the world for an entire year, which feels pretty wild. Iāve been meaning to keep yāall significantly more updated but, honestly, Iāve just been barely hanging in here.
This whole year has been hardā among other things, Iām a deep empath and itās very difficult to see the state of the world and not feel like Iām on fireābut I was dragging myself through, if barelyāuntil May when I got injured.
Dance, gardening, and soccer are how I take all my crazy loud thoughts and enormous feelings and turn them into something manageable, and I find a lot of joy in those activities. And suddenly I couldnāt do any of them.
And it got bad.
Like many creatives, Depression and I have a historyāan on-and-off-again relationship, if you will. My summer was (and continues to be) consumed and constrained by doctorās appointments. Iām an introvert, but I was spending all my āaloneā time in the PTās office. And, worst, all the things around being an author (the marketing, building sales strategies, running a business, logistics, PR, etc.) had been steadily hollowing me out so, when I reached for my reserves, I found I had nothing.
Not just āno social energy.ā But actually nothing.
Like, I give up, kind of nothing.
Like, the opposite of āWhile I Breathe, I Hope.ā
The irony of Iron Roseās theme is not lost on me. I write about hope because my life is one long grappling with it, attempting to catch it in my hands and hold it fast.
It is a slippery thing.
And when one feels so small, it is almost a ghost.
When my interior world was no longer structurally sound and I give up started to become my refrain, I reached out. I have the blessing of good people in my life and they helped me get into therapy. Another weekly doctorās visit to slot into my phoneās ballooning calendar.
So, I found myself sitting every Tuesday staring at a painting of abstract and frosted trees that were lovely and wholly unbefitting the bright, oppressive heat of an August drought, and trying find new ways to cope and find joy(?). This is where coffee-flavored mochi and, very uncharacteristically, getting my nails done, has come in.
I donāt love the idea of literally buying my happiness, but it has done the job of getting me safely to today, which seems worth the money.
I go into PT again on Friday. I missed my summer soccer season and itās unlikely that Iāll get to play in the fall, which is a blow. I canāt do the dishes most days and somehow Iām still trying to create presentations for conferences and make dinner and post on social media so the algorithm wonāt erase the existence of my book.
I think I need to laugh about this.
Simultaneously, Iron Rose was selected as a Utah Book Awards Notable Read, which is absolutely mind-boggling (for context, some of YA & MGās hardest hitters & NYT Bestsellers are in Utah, so Iron Rose was standing with giants which still makes me tear up).
Sometime in the summer, I also was notified that Iron Rose was named a National Indie Excellence Award Finalist.
I will be teaching my first conference classes next weekend at WriterCon and I was recently invited to be a presenter at StoryCon 2026, so good things are happening even if my brain is telling me that Iām not doing enough and that Iām not successfully doing this author thing.
I didnāt mistype. If someone asked me right now if I felt like a successful author I wouldnāt hesitate.
Iād say no.
Which is crazy.
Even though Iād love for Iron Rose to have been flying off the shelves (or even be on most bookstore shelvesāturns out my publisherās āno-return policyā actually keeps most bookstores from ordering it unless specifically requested), it has been incredibly well-received. Itās been recognized in national and international book awards for its action, I have been welcomed into the author community, and I have had readers reach out to tell me that Iron Rose has become their favorite book.
Trying to look back on the past year amidst Depression (and Burnout, which Iām pretty sure are unholy cousins) is like reaching for spyglass and picking up a kaleidoscope instead. Sure, you can put your eye up to the tube, but no matter how much you mess with the dial, the fractalized spirals arenāt going to give you any clarity.
Iāve meant to do all sorts of thingsāput together some sort of Year in Review for Iron Rose for instance, or even mention on Instagram that my bookās birthday came and wentābut I am still here and I think that counts for something. Thanks for being here with me š
A deep-from-the-heart thank you to every single reader who has reached out and told me what Iron Rose has meant to them (I cannot express how that carries me when the business parts of authorship feel too heavy) and to every author who has extended their hard-earned wisdom.
I say all this not to complain or to discourage you, but to peel back the facade. If I canāt be perfect, let me at least be authentic. Publishing a book has shifted the core of my life. I would not change it, but it remains that I am still wading through the broken pieces and expectations of a known life shattered and I am finding my way.
Turns out, that takes longer than a year.
Iām glad youāre here and I hope that you remember that you matter.
šAbigail
P.S. Here are two giveaways š
*All back cover blurbs and other information on these books are included below
The Legend of Uh by Aaron N. Hall (A cozy & humorous coming-of-age adventure that will entertain adults & teens alike)
Sir Dashing Junior was only knighted because they couldn't knight his father twice. Now he's determined to prove he's worthy of his new title.
With an aspiring ranger, an awkward friar, and a book-loving orc, DJ will venture across the territory of Uh to reach the Amulet of the Goddess, proving that he's truly worthy of knighthood.
Along the way, he and his companions will encounter a cursed author, a violent noodle cult, democratic goblins, and a whole lot more. It's a journey fraught with danger and discovery, and the territory is rich with monsters and magic, so is DJ's quest for respect really worth the cost?
Iron Rose by Abigail OāBryan (A no-spice Beauty & the Beast meets Hunger Games standalone filled with romance & internationally-recognized action. Deep & hope-filled, good for ages 14+)
No Kiss Can Break This Curse.
There is no future for Lydia Brightwood.
The Crimson Lord, a tyrant bent on destroying Lydia's country, made sure of that. Her only hope of a different life is to find the one person who could unite her country: a royal heir. There's just one problem...
They're all dead.
The Beast's humanity is slipping away.
Shut away from the world by a horrible secret, Adam watches the destruction of his homeland from the ruins of a fortress all the while holding the devastating truth in his chest:
It's his fault.
Adam and Lydia's paths cross in the ruins of the north where they must find a way to conquer the curse before everything they love collapses...but being truly human has its price.
The Envoys of War by Dave Lawson (A humor-filled, character-driven adult fantasy adventure that kicks off The Envoys of Chaos series)
Donāt kill the messengers.
As a bodyguard for the Kingās Envoys, Gen has the perfect job: traveling, drinking wine, and hitting things with her sword. Her latest mission is to accompany Cordyn, an Envoy and her best friend, through enemy territory to deliver vital military intelligence to an allied nation.
The problem? The mission is a sham.
The King believes Cordyn might be a spy. While Cordyn may be the worst kind of libertineābrash, arrogant, and on the run from half the husbands in the kingdomāGen canāt imagine him betraying her or their nation.
With obtuse bandits, vengeful mages, and a resolute lutist, they embark on a daring rescue mission, complicated by Cordynās increasingly complex schemes. As ominous enemy plots surface, Gen and Cordyn must decide what matters most, their nation or their friends.
A rollicking fantasy adventure for fans of Dungeons and Dragons, Nicholas Eames, and Michael J. Sullivan.
Dragon Thief by Blake & Raven Penn (Best Book of the Year 2023 - Indies Today. YA adventure and first installment of the Skystone Chronicles)
Thrilling action. Mind-bending heists. Magical mayhem.
The land of Evgard is filled with wild dragons desperate to devour magic. Thatās why the Mage Hunters ensure there are never too many magi in one place, and scar those born with power with an icy silver mark.
Far to the west, in the frontier badlands of Drakfell, lives Asher of Steel Rim. The seventeen-year-old unregistered magi has become a thief, hoping to save enough marks to move his family somewhere safe.
But when a dangerous group of magi rebels passes through, they offer the young dragon rider a chance to join their crew on a risky mission to steal a rare dragon egg. A mission that would give Asher a shot at something he wants even more than his own familyās safety: Revenge on the Black Valkyrie, the head of the Mage Hunters.
Asher's position on the team is simple. Heās the distraction.
But his fate is not yet written in the stars.
Dragon Thief is a new dragon rider epic that brings together dragon bonds like Eragon, hard magic like Brandon Sanderson, and the ideal balance of drama and fun found in Avatar: the Last Airbender.
Scalebound by Logan Piercey (No-spice YA Romantasy retelling of Rapunzel with dragons)
FOURTH WING by Rebecca Yarros meets POWERLESS by Lauren Roberts, and LIGHTLARK by Alex Aster in this fairytale story of dragons, plagues, and curses.
Aurelia grew up knowing she was the result of the tattoo on her father's wrist. The engraved sign came from killing a dragon, which caused him to obtain one of the five curses. Aurelia was that curse. She was a Scaleborne, half-dragon, and half-mortal and had been hidden in a tower her entire life as she was wanted for her golden blood.
When diseased creatures spread plague and famine across the lands, she is the only one to save her kingdom. She is quested to search for the golden dragon relic that grants only one wish and can only be seen by the Scalekind. Being the only person who can see the egg, she goes on a journey to save her kingdom from the diseased creatures and the extinction of dragons, all while being hunted for her golden blood.
With dragons possessing elemental abilities and being able to transfer these gifts to their riders, Aurelia has to claim her ability with her connected dragon and train in time before the kingdom is immersed with plague by the deathlies or she is killed for her gilded blood.
Miscreant by Kynsie Cole (Dark YA Fantasy/Dystopia with strong sibling bonds and no-spice romantic subplot)
In Ghandria, only the evolved have a place. Theyāve honed their minds to master three abilities: healing, enhanced senses, and syphoningāthe ability to erase memories. But those who lack even one of these skills face a cruel fate. Branded as āmiscreants,ā theyāre exiled to the perilous Isle of Nadir and erased from history.
Bellanova Darkov, born into a prestigious highborn family, has spent her entire life hiding what she is. When her secret is discovered, sheās torn from her world. Now, stranded in Nadir, Nova must survive countless dangers and find a way back home to her brother, Denali.