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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.
Discovering Book Blogs
When juggling your job, your writing, and your life, you learn to reduce clutter and focus your efforts. In the ever-evolving publishing world, marketing can be effective, or a black hole from which your time never returns! The old method of sending out Advanced...
On Writing…Steven King
Reading Steven King's book, ON WRITING: a Memoir of the Craft. Not a fan of horror, blood and guts, so didn't pick this one up for a while. Wish I'd read it earlier. You feel like you went on the journey with him, seeing what becoming a writer was like from inside his...
Nine Indie Publishing Lessons We Learned in 2014
Last year, 1.5 million words or so hit the market with my name on them. This year, the same thing happened. Sean and Dave, working in various combinations with me or without me, produced like maniacs. Sterling & Stone, as a bona-fide entity rather than just a name...
This is Why the Smarter Artist is Important
You know what I always wanted to be, ever since I was a kid? A storyteller. Not just a writer, but a teller of stories. At no point did I want to be a blogger. At no point did I want to teach or sell knowledge. At no point did I want to be an “authority” in anything....
Gray Mountain
Just finished reading John Grisham's latest, Gray Mountain. It's an issue novel decrying the evils of Big Coal, black lung, & strip mining, vs the character-driven novels he became famous for -- the underdog lawyer makes good. If you read it, what did you think of...
Writing for an International Audience
WRITE FIRST - EDIT LATER I write from my heart and allow myself to develop my characters, settings and plots freely. If I am thinking of having a book translated into another language, it makes sense to have someone (or several someones) from that country read over it...
Perfect Writing Day
SOMETHING ABOUT AN OVERCAST MORNING makes for the perfect writing day. What about you? Do you need a special environment in which to write? Quiet? White noise? Bach? Only with your lucky teddy bear nearby?
The Power of Poetry
Write a poem! Yep, even if you are currently working on a 500-page tome on the Rise and (hopeful) Fall of the oil industry, or your next novel, taking a break from prose to think like a poet allows you to zoom out and contemplate the universe as a whole, or focus in...
Wild Mind!
Just started a WILD MIND writing practice with my students. They never let me skip it! Grabbed the idea from Natalie Goldberg, and have used it ever since in my creative writing classes. Kids, teens, old and young love it. Even if you're not a writer, give it a try!...
Great Hideout!
Spooky, old stone structure in Portland's Forest Park makes an ideal setting for someone to hide out, don't you think? I am inspired…Besides, it's absolutely gorgeous. Must add this to my next trip.
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
