100 Days of Sunlight Blog Tour | GIVEAWAY & Creator Interview with Author Abbie Emmons

What's up my friends? It's Rosie here and today's post is a very special one. Why? Because it's full of goodies, sunshine, waffles, and the color yellow!

This post is in participation with the 100 Days of Sunlight Blog Tour hosted by the author herself, Abbie Emmons. I am so blessed and thankful to be part of this opportunity to support and cheer for such a wonderful soul. Abbie has served as a creative role model in my life for years. Her content has helped me get my life together and inspired me to keep moving forward to accomplish what I want in life.

Now for an interview with the author herself!

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

Thinking back, I can’t really remember a time when I didn’t want to be a writer. I was always fascinated by stories, (thanks to my mom for reading so many books with me growing up!) and always thought there was something magical about it. As soon as I knew how to make words, I started writing stories – and I haven’t been able to stop since!

How long does it take you to write a book? How long did it take to write 100 Days of Sunlight?

It typically takes me between 4-6 weeks to write a first draft. 100 Days of Sunlight was my personal record, as I wrote it in just 27 days. (Still not sure how I even did that?? I was inspired I guess.) But every book is different; some take longer than others, but all of them take exactly the amount of time they need to come into existence. :)

How would you describe your writing process?

Methodical but creative. My brain needs order and organization to feel relaxed and creative, so it really helps me to have a system that I follow every time I write a book. Creating my characters, sorting a basic story structure, short outline, long outline, scene cards, and giving all these things a place in my Scrivener project and a space in my schedule is essential to my writing process.

I like to collect ideas for a story for at least 5-6 months before writing the first draft. I outline everything, so it’s important for me to know exactly where my story is going to go before actually sit down to begin writing. It’s taken me years of trial and error to hit on a writing process that works well for me, and this is definitely it!

What do you like to do when you're not writing?

So many things. I’m a musician, so I love playing piano and ukulele (and I’m currently learning to play the drums!) Music is an awesome release and helps me to unwind after a stressful day of thinking too much. I also practice karate and yoga, go on road trips with my family, read lots of books, and make videos of course!

Name some of your fellow author/writer/storyteller friends. How have they helped you become at your craft?

So many of my writing friends are a huge inspiration to me. It would be nearly impossible to name them all! My sister, my blogging community, my YouTube community, YOU, the list goes on and on. I believe that every person impacts the lives of others, and I have so many people to thank for impacting my life in a really positive way.

So far, what has been your favorite part of publishing a novel? (Writing the first draft, editing, creating hype, etc.)

Writing the first draft was magical! I was super inspired to write and just loved every minute of it. But as far as the actual publishing process goes, it has been so amazing to create hype and watch my community get excited about the book. I’m just so thrilled and honored that people are adding 100 Days to their TBR and reading it! Like...wow. Dream come true.

You survived multiple rounds of editing to make 100 Days of Sunlight possible. What is one thing you learned while editing your work? Do you have any advice you would like to share with those who feel intimidated by the thought of editing an entire novel?

Editing is a big job. But it’s so worth it. For advice, I would say: prepare yourself to do several rounds of editing. Use an app like Hemingway to strengthen your prose. Let someone read your story and give you feedback. Last but not least, hire a professional editor when you feel like you’ve reached the limit of your editing capabilities. Remember that nothing is flawless, and even after all the edits are “done”, you might still find something that needs fixing! Basically, patience is a good quality to have when editing.

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in the process of turning your debut novel into a physical, tangible book? What did you learn about yourself?

Ooh, I love this question. I learned that there’s a lot to learn. Going into this whole publishing process, I thought I knew exactly what I was taking on. But even though I knew a lot, I still have so much to learn! And experience is the best teacher. About myself, I’ve learned that I can’t do everything on my own, however much I might want to. I just have to do my best and feel confident that I gave it my all. :)

Thank you so much for having me on your lovely blog today, Rosie! It was a pleasure chatting with you about all things writing.

Still not sure this book is for you?

• Make sure you read my review of 100 Days of Sunlight.
• Check out the links below for more information from other readers and Abbie herself!

Read 100 Days of Sunlight:

Buy 100 Days of Sunlight | Add 100 Days of Sunlight on Goodreads

Keep in touch with Abbie as she embarks on her creative journey:

YouTube | Author website | Blog | Instagram | Facebook

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY for a chance to win an eBook copy of 100 Days of Sunlight

Giveaway ends August 31st

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