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Hello! You’ll find posts here for readers, writers, and anyone interested in life. Check out the categories to the right for your favorite topics, or just start browsing. Sometimes I throw in a recipe or a poem, share my writer’s life, or tell you how I came up with one of your favorite characters. I’ll announce contests and share pics from events. Sometimes I delve into how to handle tough political, social or religious topics in your own books if you’re a writer, or share what I learn about the ever-evolving world of publishing. Whatever the topic, I promise to do my best not to waste your time. There’s enough clutter online without my adding to it.
I love to hear from readers, so feel free to comment on any post or write to me directly through the Contact page.
The 5 Books That Most Influenced Me as a Writer
I remember ditching class in the 4th grade in order to hang out at the library. Yes, I am that much of a nerd. I had to grab something quick before the librarian caught on, so pulled off the first one at eye level. Lucky for me it was The Lion, the Witch, and the...
Logan Book 3!
So excited! Just mapped out the story lines for Logan's 3rd adventure and have started the research- it involves sea otters, seduction, and salty dogs! Target release date: February 2017! Logan 2 will be released February 2016 - we're opening up markets in the UK -...
Creative Writing Prompt
If you haven't discovered Writers Digest, check it out. A tried and true resource for writers of every genre. Covering everything from the creative to the business end of writing, this site lives on every writers bookmarks bar. And it doesn't matter if you're a...
Girls Night In!
Last night, I enjoyed another great Girls Night with a group of remarkable women I'm lucky enough to call my friends. I was invited to the group as a newbie some twenty-odd years ago, and hope to still be gathering with these amazing people twenty years from now....
FREE Book Giveaway
MEET LOGAN McKENNA … fiercely loyal, and impossibly inquisitive. In Shattered, the first book in the original mystery series and my fiction debut, Logan McKenna loses her husband, her illusions, the company they built together, her music, and now, probably her job....
Thinking Time
Your book is written, edited, re-edited, polished to within an inch of its life. You've approved the cover design, the layout, the drop cap font and marketing blurb on the back cover. You've updated your blog. You're done! It's now in the hands of the publisher and...
Fun at the Fair
NEWPORT BEACH BOOK FAIR was a blast! Books ranged from an ARVN fighter pilot's first-hand account of the Vietnam war to Russian spy novels, wooly mammoth digs, and beautifully illustrated children's books. A great time was had by all, including the swimming class...
Cover Art
HOW DO YOU PICK A BOOK? Whether it's online or off the shelf, we are visual creatures and will first be drawn to the spine or cover of a book by color and design. If Titles are King, Covers are Queen. My first book was a slim volume of poetry, whose spine barely...
Newport Beach Book Fair
If you're going to be in the Newport Beach area this Sunday, stop by the 2nd Annual Newport Beach Book Fair. Refreshments, plenty of parking nearby, and an opportunity to meet authors, get autographed copies, and just enjoy being around people who love books! Click...
1,000 Words a Day
WANT TO WRITE A NOVEL? 1,000 words a day. You can write that novel in 3 months. 3 months. Do it. The first draft doesn't have to be perfect. It won't be, no matter how long you agonize over every sentence and word selection. You're going to edit anyway. Fix it in...
About Valerie
A self-admitted book addict, Valerie was the kid with the flashlight under her pillow. A life of travel with exposure to many different cultures led to a pervasive interest in people, with degrees & teaching credentials in Cultural Anthropology & English. Logan McKenna Series
