Abby Jimenez
Born 1980 · Age 46
American romance novelist and baker; founder of Nadia Cakes and author of multiple New York Times and USA Today bestsellers (The Friend Zone series, Part of Your World series, Say You'll Remember Me). Winner of Food Network's Cupcake Wars and owner/operator of Nadia Cakes bakery locations in California and Minnesota.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Washington, D.C.
Abigail Hales born to a Sicilian mother and a father of Italian descent.
Family moved from Virginia to California
Relocated with family from Virginia to California at about age seven.
Mother left family
Mother left when Abby was 12, leaving her father as single parent; a formative family hardship.
Early jobs in retail and food service
Worked jobs including Subway, Baskin-Robbins, jewelry kiosk, breakfast waitress, and later Express (manager eventually).
Completed final year of high school via independent study
Took final year of high school as independent study while working full time at Del Taco.
Met future husband Carlos Jimenez
Met Carlos at an airport while both were managers working for Express.
Laid off as retail manager; began baking as income
Lost retail manager job while pregnant with third child; took cake-decorating classes and began baking to earn money.
Founded Nadia Cakes (home-based)
Started Nadia Cakes out of her home kitchen, named after her middle child; began selling cupcakes and custom cakes.
Developed carpal tunnel from heavy baking
Worked extremely long hours baking from home and developed carpal tunnel in both hands; needed surgery.
Secured $5,000 bank loan
Obtained a $5,000 bank loan to help open a brick-and-mortar shop.
Charged $125,000 in opening expenses to credit cards
Abby and Carlos charged approximately $125,000 of additional opening expenses to credit cards to fund the bakery build-out.
Opened first Nadia Cakes shop in Palmdale, CA
First brick-and-mortar Nadia Cakes location opened in Palmdale — early instant success with long lines.
Carlos Jimenez joined Nadia Cakes full-time as CFO
Within months of the Palmdale opening, Carlos quit his retail job to manage finances/logistics for the bakery.
Appeared on TLC's Fabulous Cakes (approx.)
Nadia Cakes and Abby were featured on the TLC show Fabulous Cakes (appearance documented but date not precisely given).
Opened Nadia Cakes Maple Grove, Minnesota
Opened a second Nadia Cakes location in Maple Grove, MN (first Minnesota shop).
Won Food Network's Cupcake Wars
Won the 2013 iteration of Food Network's Cupcake Wars and received a $10,000 prize for a Rose Bowl-inspired cupcake display.
Opened Nadia Cakes Woodbury, Minnesota (deluxe location)
Opened a more deluxe Nadia Cakes location in Woodbury, MN after solidifying Twin Cities presence.
Bakeries reached ~75 employees
By around 2017 the family and management had about 75 employees involved across locations as the business scaled.
Geode 'pink rock candy' cake went viral
Nadia Cakes' pink geode cake went viral for resembling a vagina, driving large social media growth and publicity.
Social media surge from viral cake
Viral moment led to an estimated +50,000 followers for Abby's author account and ~250,000 new followers for Nadia Cakes pages.
Family relocated to Minnesota (decision after cross-country trip)
After a cross-country trial trip to seek better public schools and seasons, the family relocated from California to suburban Minneapolis area.
Began writing in earnest (camping trip inspiration)
Told a story to her children during a Boundary Waters camping trip which led to composing a young-adult draft and later switching to contemporary romance.
Debut novel 'The Friend Zone' published
Published debut romance novel The Friend Zone (launch of The Friend Zone series). Became a bestseller in Poland and later won an Empik award.
Published 'The Happy Ever After Playlist' (second novel)
Second published novel (The Happy Ever After Playlist); continued critical and commercial success.
Audiobook for 'The Friend Zone' nominated for Audie Award (Romance)
The Friend Zone audiobook, narrated by Teddy Hamilton and Erin Mallon, was nominated for the 2020 Audie Award for Romance.
Empik Award for 'The Friend Zone' (Poland)
The Friend Zone won an Empik award in Poland for 2020.
Published 'Life's Too Short' (third novel)
Released Life's Too Short, which became a USA Today and New York Times bestseller.
Film option: Thruline Entertainment optioned a novel
Thruline Entertainment optioned Jimenez's novels and began development work on a film adaptation of The Happy Ever After Playlist.
Published 'Part of Your World' (fourth novel)
Published Part of Your World, later a USA Today and New York Times bestseller.
Won Minnesota Book Award (Genre Fiction) for 'Life's Too Short'
Life's Too Short was awarded the 2022 Minnesota Book Award in the Genre Fiction category.
Published 'Yours Truly' (2023)
Released Yours Truly which was later chosen as Book of the Year for 2023 by Book of the Month club members.
Announced undergoing treatment for ovarian cancer
Publicly announced ovarian cancer treatment in 2023; a major personal health event.
Revealed chronic kidney disease from Sjögren's disease
Reported finding chronic kidney disease caused by Sjögren's disease in the early 2020s.
Books sales milestone: 1.5 million copies sold and 28 translations (by 2024)
By 2024, Jimenez's novels had sold over 1.5 million copies and been translated into 28 languages (PBS Books report).
Published 'Just for the Summer' (2024)
Released Just for the Summer on April 2, 2024; the novel reached #1 on the New York Times Best Seller list and was Good Morning America's Book Club pick for April 2024.
Featured in New York Times review and high-profile press
Continued national press coverage including features and reviews highlighting her hybrid baker-author career.
Good Morning America Book Club recognition
Just for the Summer selected for Good Morning America's book club (April 2024 pick), boosting sales and visibility.
Announced new series follow-up: 'The Night We Met' (2026 planned)
Announced The Night We Met (to be released 2026) as the follow-up focusing on friends of Say You'll Remember Me protagonist; third romance planned to round out series.
Published 'Say You'll Remember Me' (2025)
Released Say You'll Remember Me on April 1, 2025; reached #1 on the NYT Best Seller lists for Combined Print & E-Book Fiction and Hardcover Fiction.
Author event: Des Moines Franklin Event Center (Pre-signed 1,000 copies)
Hosted a large in-person author event at the Franklin Event Center on May 15, 2025; pre-signed 1,000 copies and offered fan photo opportunities.
Virtual author talk with San Mateo County Libraries
Appeared for a virtual author talk (Zoom) on May 29, 2025 discussing #1 NYT bestseller status and Say You'll Remember Me.
Planned publication: 'The Night We Met' (2026)
Scheduled release of the Night We Met, part of the Say You'll Remember Me series (planned).
Key Achievement Ages
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