Say Hi! - Book Signings, Podcasts, Events & Free Reads for your February
If your February needs some shine, this is for you 🤍
Happy February, Friends!
I’ll be real busy this month (with good things that I’ll tell you about further down!) so I’m trying to be intentional about not filling the margins of my life.
Mostly this shows up as trying not to pick up my phone in the spaces between things. Feeling the time pass as I wait really helps keep it all from being a tiring blur.
So, if you need to pause and take a moment, a breath—even a cup of tea—go for it! This newsletter will still be here after you’ve taken care of yourself 🤍
Whenever you’re ready, let’s carry on!
Life & WIP Update
Personal life has been reconnecting with friends, battling stomach bugs and other evil winter sicknesses, listening to Desi Quest & Dimension 20, embroidery, plotting this year’s garden, and going to the library as much as I can.
This year, my writing goal is to complete and edit a draft of my WIP, a dark YA genderbent Sleeping Beauty reimagining (technically in the same world as Iron Rose but in a different country, so the culture will be quite distinct!).
My business goal is to teach at conferences & schools and get more experience selling my book. I’ll get the chance to do both this month!
Where to See Me This Month
I’m doing several markets, conferences, & exhibits this month. While I plan to go out of state later this year, the events this month all take place in Utah. Here’s the information on where you can find me.
Creator’s Collective Lindon Valentine’s Day Market | Saturday, Feb. 1st from 11a-4p at the Lindon Community Center:
This cute little maker’s market will be filled with cute crafts & great gift options (for your valentine or yourself!) from local artisans all across the Salt Lake Valley. I’ll be there signing books and picking up some pampering supplies!
Life, The Universe & Everything (LTUE) Conference | Feb. 13-15
At the conference, there will be a mass book signing that’s free to the public on Friday, Feb. 14th at 7p (yes, Valentine’s Day) that I’ll be participating in. So, if you need bookish plans that evening, come and find Sci-Fi, Fantasy, & Romantasy books galore, chat with the authors, and get your very own signed & personalized copies!
I’ll also be on a few panels at LTUE this year (A No-Holds-Barred Look at Connecting with Your Readers, Marketing as an Introvert, & How Language Shapes Thinking) and I’m really excited to share what I learned through all the challenges & triumphs of my own book launch as well as glean the wisdom of other awesome authors.
If you’ve been thinking about trying a writing conference, this is the perfect place to start! LTUE is affordable and filled with incredibly knowledgeable, nerdily fun people who are excited to help others take the next steps in their writing journeys. Hope to see you there!
StoryCon Exhibition Hall | Friday & Saturday, Feb. 21-22 from 10a-6p
Hop over to the Salt Palace in downtown Salt Lake and explore StoryCon’s Exhibition Hall to your bookish heart’s content for free! I’ll be there with Cambria Williams & Tori Diederich Lundell— two other awesome Fantasy authors—signing books & chatting with readers.
There are going to be all kinds of incredible authors, literacy organizations, and bookish accessory creators there, so if you’re in the area, I can’t urge you enough to come because this is going to be an awesome event!
Podcast Episodes
If you’re not in Utah, we can still connect! I’ve just updated my website so the podcasts episodes I’ve been featured in (that have been released so far) are easily accessible from one spot. There are a few in the pipeline at the moment, so keep your eye out for new ones soon!
Free Reads for You
I hope that this gray month is full of beautiful things for you. To help with that, here are some free books & short stories for you to read!
Ok, you might look at these and be like, “Hold up. These are all Dystopian stories—I thought you said this would make me happier!” But hear me out.
What makes the dystopian premises so beautiful & encouraging is that they are always dismantled. This genre bursts with the message that even when all things seem dark, good can prevail when people choose to stand up for each other—and in these stories, they do🤍
So let’s read some books filled with bravery, kindness & rebellion!
Just one last thing—the most important one: Always remember that you matter.
💕Abigail
The only thing I do know is that we have to be kind. Please, be kind - especially when we don't know what's going on.
-Waymond Wang, Everything, Everywhere, All at Once
So much fun to meet you at LTUE! What are you looking forward to planting most in your garden this spring? XO!