In Which Abigail Returns to Substack
A reintroduction and what I've been reading
Happy weekend, fellow readers and friends! Many moons have passed since I last updated this space. But I suppose I should do the Proper Author Thing and regularly update my Substack in order to inform the Public about my Whatnots and Whereabouts, right? To be honest, part of me is stunned that I have readers and followers who even want to receive my author newsletter! (Ahem, perhaps that’s unprofessional to admit. Oops, oh well.)
Why don’t we start with a re-introduction?
Hello again! I’m Abigail (A.C. Hobbs) , author of the dark fantasy novel SCYTHE AND PEN, a Jazz Age vampire thriller based on the Hades and Persephone myth. It published this year with Counterpoise Press, an LGBTQ- and woman-owned small presshouse based in Oklahoma. Author Hannah Parker is the editor-in-chief of the press house, which specializes in showcasing underrepresented authors. Her Irish folklore-inspired Young Adult fantasy Autumn’s Tithe is one of my top clean fantasy recommendations for adolescent readers.
My debut fantasy SCYTHE AND PEN was a labor of love! I started writing the book in 2016 and finished in September 2019. (Little did I know, I would find out one week later that I was expecting our daughter! Talk about a busy year!) I immediately started querying and received great feedback. In late February 2020, I received a verbal offer from a literary agent … only to have that offer rescinded mere weeks later when the entire world shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Crushed, I tabled the story for over a year.
In early 2022, I decided to start querying again. But the post-pandemic market had drastically changed. The agency that had loved the book in 2020 no longer was interested, nor were any other agents who’d been on my meticulously-researched query list. I had to start over at square one.
After several months, I decided to start querying open calls. (An open call occurs when a publishing house opens a narrow submission window to unagented/unsolicited manuscripts from writers who are not under contract.) I started getting nibbles, then bites … and ultimately landed at Counterpoise Press!
Read the first two chapters of SCYTHE AND PEN here.
Currently, I reside in Upstate South Carolina, slowly melting like old flan in this Southern summer humidity. When I’m not writing, you can find me rock climbing, hiking, or camping with my husband, daughter, and our pitbull Solo.
Now, what to expect from my updated Substack:
First, I’m so glad you’re here! And I solemnly swear not to inundate your inbox with junk mail. Instead, expect periodic (once or twice a month) updates about signing events, contract news, writing tips, and book recommendations. In other words, I’m a book nerd and I’ll be book-nerding in this little corner of the interwebs.
Five books I loved this year (so far):
Vampires of El Norte | Isabel Cañas. Obviously I adore a good vampire book, since I wrote one myself. Cañas has crafted an atmospheric, chilling story that stayed with me long after I put the book down. Imagine if Midnight Mass and Like Water for Chocolate had a book baby. I loved the heroine, the romance, and of course the spine-tingling gothic elements. Her other book La Hacienda was one of my favorite reads last year!
Wildwood Magic | Willa Reece. A young woman in rural Appalachia escapes a legalistic cult and flees to a Carolina town where spellwork is woven into trees, bees hum lullabies, appletrees protect homes, and ghosts whisper in your dreams. Due to my own experience deconstructing legalistic religion, this book pierced my heart. This is a perfect read for lovers of historical fiction, romantic subplots, and poetic Southern literature. Honestly, this is a stunning work of fiction!
Empire of Silence | Christopher Ruocchio. Once upon a time, I said “I don’t really like science fiction.” (Much to the dismay of my Trekkie father.) But thanks to bookstagram, I ventured into science fiction this year and …. turns out I like space books, yall! Empire of Silence was fantastic. I gasped, I cried, I laughed, I had high blood pressure, I contemplated starting a statin just to survive this book. Imagine Gladiator, Dune, and Star Wars all had a book baby. Can’t recommend it enough!
What the River Knows | Isabel Ibañez. This book is a must-read for all my millennials who adored The Mummy. When a young Argentinian historian learns that her parents have tragically died in Egypt, she hops on an ocean liner and strikes across the sea to investigate their deaths. Little does she know that Egypt holds more secrets that she ever bargained for. Netflix, would you pretty-please-just-for-me make this your next film adaptation? Pwease?
The Lost Queen | Signe Pike. Another South Carolina author! I discovered this novel while perusing a bookstore on King Street in Charleston. If you love Arthurian legends, Philippa Gregory, or Deb Harkness … this might be your next read. Against the cinematic backdrop of ancient Scotland, the wild young heroine Languoreth navigates the dangerous tides of change as war and religion clash in her kingdom. Soon, Languoreth finds herself swept into the unstoppable destiny of Merlin and Emrys Pendragon, names forever enscribed into Western history. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series!
Thanks to some bookstagram friends, I also discovered how much I adore the author Amy Harmon. I devoured her historical fiction novels, one right after the other. My favorites so far are A Girl Named Samson, The Unknown Beloved, and The Outlaw Noble Salt. Her historical fiction novels are deeply researched and usually based on real people, which I love. Personally, I think A Girl Named Samson deserves its own HBO series or film adaptation. Harmon truly revives a forgotten piece of American history in this book! One that I can’t believe we weren’t taught in schools. Actually, maybe I can believe it (cue cynical huff).
If you’ve made it this far….
Thank you for reading and for supporting a debut indie author. Your support helps more than you know!
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