Who Am I?

Abby earned a degree in Character Animation from CalArts, and is credited on more than a dozen Nintendo games for Nickelodeon and Disney. Although she continues to have a creative day job, she writes her own original Sci-Fi & Fantasy. A lot. Her epic Torth series clocks in at 450+ chapters, and she's grateful to have regular readers who show up every week.

Her short works are published in Escape Pod, Fantasy Magazine, and Writer's Digest Books. She's an alumni of the Odyssey Writing Workshop, where she received a personal critique from George R.R. Martin. She's enjoyed dinners with Hugh Howey and Robert Jordan. Abby co-hosts the Stories for Nerds podcast from her home in Texas, and occasionally shows up as a guest on the Geek's Guide to the Galaxy podcast hosted by Wired Magazine. 

My Books:

The Torth series starts with Majority: www.wattpad.com/story/84753330
If you're in the mood for short fiction: www.wattpad.com/story/48734569-short-stories

Follow Me on Social Media:

twitter.com/Abbyland
www.facebook.com/TheTorth

7 QUESTIONS

1. What prompted you to start writing on Wattpad and what do you like most about the platform as a writer?

As a long-time writer, I felt battered by both trade pub and self-pub. So I wanted to know: Can a struggling nobody like myself possibly gain an audience without doing any marketing or query-letter-hell? I went to the biggest app for readers, and I was delighted to find that the answer was "yes." I love that Wattpad attracts adventurous readers and binge readers. This is a great place. 

2. What has been your most rewarding Wattpad experience?

Winning an Ooorah was big. So was getting invited into the Wattpad Stars program. I think those experiences boosted my visibility. But the best reward is ongoing. It's the reader comments! 

3. If you had to describe your story in three words, what would they be?
Epic. Powerful. Awesome.

4. Tell us one thing about your writing process that has helped you the most.
Letting go of perfectionism. It was a fight. 

5. What is your proudest moment as a writer? Do you have a memory you will never forget?
Getting into Stars. That was wonderfully validating. 

6. Which of your books is your favourite, and why that one?

All seven books of my Torth series are really one big story. I'm proud of all of it. But if I have to choose one? I'll go with Book 5: Megacosmic Rift. That's when the heroes really gain ground and become a major threat to the Torth galactic collective. The heroes spend most of Books 1 & 2 surviving, running, or hiding. Books 3 & 4 see them gaining power and making strides. But Book 5? There are major game-changing events in that one. Then Books 6 & 7 are a lot of winning. 

7. Share two Wattpad story recommendations. 

Hamburger Hamlet, by mestrin  www.wattpad.com/story/231495000
The Guildmaster Thief, by JakeKerr0  www.wattpad.com/story/289154947