Award-winning writer and debut novelist, Abbigail N. Rosewood, joined me to discuss the roller coaster of emotions first-time authors face, how she overcame rejection and uncertainty, and her advice to aspiring scribes on how to rise above the noise. "Seeking representation didn't prepare me well for what was to come..." – Abbigail N. Rosewood Abbigail was born in Vietnam and lived there until the age of 12, so it's no surprise that she tapped into her past as a well for her fiction. After a false start in International Business, she earned an MFA in creative writing from Columbia University where she studied with famed fictionist Gary Shteyngart. Her lauded debut novel, If I Had Two Lives, has been described as "... [The] story [of] a young woman from her childhood in Vietnam to her life as an immigrant in the United States – and the necessary return to her homeland." The Los Angeles Review of Books called it, “... a tale of staggering artistry,” and The New Yorker said "...the novel poignantly conjures the difficulties of reconciling the present with an 'ungraspable history.'" ** Note: This interview was recorded in mid-February, 2020. Please help us learn more about you by completing this short 7-question survey If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click subscribe to automatically see new interviews. In this file Abbigail N. Rosewood and I discussed: Why empathy is so critical in fiction and the human experience The surreal (and fleeting) feeling of holding your first book in print How she was compelled to write the story of a Vietnamese immigrant/protagonist Why rejection is such an integral part of the traditional publishing path The importance of music and coffee to the creative process And the most valuable traits for aspiring writers Show Notes: abbigailrosewood.com If I Had Two Lives – by Abbigail N. Rosewood [Amazon] Abbigail N. Rosewood on Facebook Abbigail N. Rosewood on Instagram Kelton Reid on Twitter   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices