Meet Abby Goldsmith | Author, Animator, Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Abby Goldsmith and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Abby, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I’ve been drawing and writing since I was old enough to pick up a
crayon. The creative ideas won’t stop. I have a list of story concepts
that will keep me busy for several lifetimes. Sometimes I regret the
fact that I never even considered a sensible, stable career, but on
the other hand, art and writing were inescapable for me. Art is my
religion. It’s my version of meditation. I have shaped my lifestyle
around being in the creative arts.

That said, I’ve pivoted a few times. Writing was always my first love,
since I grew up as a voracious reader. However, a scathing rejection
letter from a major publisher when I was 13 years old sent me away
from writing and towards film. I graduated from CalArts with a degree
in Character Animation. My student films were screened at several
international film festivals.

I ended up working in video games for a decade or so. During that
period, I attended the Odyssey Fantasy Writing Workshop, where George
R.R. Martin was the resident lecturer. He critiqued a chapter of my
work, which was amazing. I went on to pursue novel series writing more
seriously. My epic Torth series gained about 2000 followers as a web
serial, and it’s now published by Podium.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m lucky to have a vivid visual imagination, partly due to my
background as a character animator. On top of that, I grew up reading
epic stories with character contrast and strong interpersonal power
dynamics. I’ll go into research mode all the time. I’m probably one of
the most well-read authors you’ll meet. Readers tell me they love the
strong characters and unique world-building in my series.

Heck, I’m just proud to have a completed epic 1,000,000 word series.
Few authors can say that, and I think fewer tie up their series in a
way that leaves readers happy, with that satisfying-yet-inevitable
afterglow.

That said, the road was rough. The fiction writing industry is not for
the faint of heart. Publishing is a brutal business. The best-sellers
of a few decades ago would likely have been unknowns today, and vice
versa. There really is a lot of luck involved, and I had to learn that
the hard way.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Austin is a great city for tech professionals and university students,
but it’s not quite as “weird” as it used to be famed for. I’ve lived
here for 15 years or so. In that time, it’s grown hugely.

Visitors might like different things. There’s Inner Space Caverns,
which has mammoth bones. The Kalahari Resort includes an indoor water
park and multiple hot tubs. Downtown Austin, of course, is known for
6th Street and the Town Lake trail. There are all kinds of great bars
and restaurants there. I prefer places where it’s less crowded and
easier to park, such as Emma Long Park hiking trails or the Oasis on
Lake Travis.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Adam Thompson is the game developer of First Earth and founder of
Suncapped Games. He’s also my reader and amazing husband.

I’ll also shout out David Barr Kirtley, host of the Geek’s Guide to
the Galaxy podcast, which is excellent for roundtable discussions of
sci-fi novels and TV shows.

Website: https://abbygoldsmith.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fierypress/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abbygoldsmith/

Twitter: https://x.com/Abbyland

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/abbygoldsmith

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AbbyGoldsmith

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AbbyGoldsmith

Other: https://www.goodreads.com/abby_goldsmith
https://bsky.app/profile/abbybabble.bsky.social
https://www.pinterest.com/AbbyBabble

Image Credits
N/A (these were taken by my husband)