2013.  Wow, what a year!  It’s 5:30 am on Christmas Eve.  Presents are wrapped, cookies are baked, family is still in bed.  Seems a perfect time to reflect on the year.  No matter who you are, twelve months cannot pass by in this adventure we call life without experiencing both highs and lows.  In a journey riddled with hills and valleys, one day we struggle with an uphill climb and the next we're running with childlike abandon down the other side.   

Still, the exact route we travel is uniquely our own.  No two are alike.  Sure, there are footsteps all around—some in front or back or right alongside.  Several walk with us for a time and then branch off in other directions.  A few disappear completely and we're forced to plod ahead without them one step at a time.  The path forward is often shrouded in shadows and filled with unforeseen battles, but how we choose to fight through is up to us.      

My weapon of choice?  I try to be a hero.  Now, don’t laugh.  There’s no cape or mask involved.  I don’t shoot sorceress lightning from my fingertips (well, unless the kids are fighting).  No, my heroic powers are much more subtle.  It’s there, in the way I interact with my sons.  In making an effort to embrace the positives and not dwell on the negatives.  In giving back to others (even if it’s a gesture as simple as a smile).  I don’t always succeed, of course.  I’m not perfect.  Sometimes the battle weighs on me and I get tired.  My sword arm grows heavy, my patience wears thin.  But, I keep trying because I know that if I fail one day, I'll still have a chance to get it right another. 

Life. Is. Hard.  And, it’s one of the reasons I so love writing heroic fantasy.  We all need heroes.  That symbolic proof that good trumps evil.  The knight in shining armor.  The superhero.  Or, someone closer to home.  The parent who chases away monsters that lurk under beds.  The soldier who sacrifices all that is dear to keep others safe.  The stranger who lifts people up with a random act of kindness.  Heroes inspire.  They keep our fears at bay.  They allow us to believe in magic, even if for a short time.  

This quote sums up the power of heroic fantasy for me.    

                 “She'll kill me if she finds you in here. Can you climb trees? Tell me you can climb a tree!"

                 Patch grinned, "I can fly.” 

                           ― Becca Fitzpatrick, Hush, Hush

Be a hero in 2014.  Fly.  I'm guessing that people who think they are heroes can change the world.  I know that I couldn’t fly without all of you.  Writing is such a huge source of joy in my life.  Your comments, your reviews, and the fact that you read my words provide the wind that keeps me in the air.  Thank you for allowing me to soar this year.  

Happy holidays to you and yours!

 Valerie

It is Valentine’s Day, and I have been so busy editing that I am determined to make this an unforgettable evening for my poor neglected husband.  So, I dress to the nines and make a fabulous dinner.  Just as I finish lighting the candles on the table, he opens the front door.

Me:  [Arm goes up]  Whoa!  Shut the door, the light is burning my eyes!

Husband:  [Turns around in confusion]  It’s winter. In New York.

Me:  I know, but I haven’t been out of my office in a while.

Husband:  No kidding.  [Pause]  You look taller.

Me:  I have heels on.

Husband:  What is that smell?

Me:   It’s called Sweet Seduction  [I purr]

Husband:   It smells like salmon.

Me:  Oh, that’s our Valentine’s Day Dinner.

Husband:  [Walks to the table and inspects the food]   Wow, it must have taken quite a few boxes for all of this food.

Me:   Boxes?  It’s all homemade, moron.  You know what a great cook I am!

Husband:  [Tilts his head in contemplation]   Yes, I think I do have a vague recollection of that. 

Me:  Very funny.  Now sit down.  Let me make the toast.  Happy Valen…  [Whoosh…Candles snuff out and a football lands in the middle of the table.  Sons rush into the room]

Son #1:   Sorry, Mom.  Hey, what are you guys doing?

Me:   Trying to have dinner.  [Icicles are warm compared to this voice]

Son #1:   I thought you said we were having Pop-Tarts for dinner.

Me:   No, I said you were having Pop-Tarts for dinner.

Son #2:   Did somebody die?  Why is Mom out of her office?

Husband:  Nobody died.  We are having a Valentine’s Day Dinner.

Son #3:  What is this green stuff?  [A pudgy finger pokes through the food on my plate] 

Me:  It’s called a vegetable.

Son #3:  Ew, gross.  I’m outta here.

Son #1:  By the way, you look great, Mom.  You really should come out more often.

[Sons rush out of the room]

Husband:  Mmm…I agree.  You do look beautiful.  [Is he purring this time?] 

Me:  Nice try.  Hey, how about we do this again in six years?  By then, the kids will be grown and my writing career will be fond memory.

Husband:  It’s a date.  [Clink]

A warm and heartfelt Thanksgiving wish to you all.

What are you thankful for today?  I know that I have much to be grateful for.  Let's see...I'm: 

• Grateful to wake up to my 12-year-old snoring away like a baby hippo while laying perpendicular to me in the bed with his foot lodged in my ribcage.

• Grateful for not having to cook.  My younger sister gets the stress of that particular joy today.   
  

• Grateful for not having to count points.  Let the feast begin!
  

• Grateful for elastic waistbands.
  

• Grateful for all the retailers who thought starting Black Friday on Thanksgiving Thursday was a good idea.  If the tryptophan does not do me in, I now get to spend my night swapping elbows in the electronics department at Walmart. 

Above all, I am beyond grateful for family, friends, health, laughter, and the readers who take the time to visit me every now and again here on this site.  So, from me to you:

May your stuffing be tasty, may your turkey plump
May your potatoes and gravy, have nary a lump
May your yams be delicious, and your pies take the prize
And may your Thanksgiving dinner, stay off your thighs!

~Valerie~

In a nod to the anniversary of my first published book, allow me to say "what a year!"  Whew!  Highs and lows, for sure, but mostly highs because I don't take success too seriously.  It is fleeting and unreliable at best, an ethereal thing that can disappear as soon as it's grasped.  I prefer to focus on my more tangible successes.  Well, they're 13, 14 & 16 at the moment, so perhaps I should wait awhile before declaring victory there.   

Anyway, during my year-long journey over the chaotic landscape that is publishing, I ferreted out a few little secrets that I thought I'd share.  New authors, you heard it here first... 

1.  Your family will not read your books.  Oh, sure, they'll buy them because they love you and want to support you, but they will not read them.  It took me a very long time to get over this fact.

2.  You will meet some really smart, really cool people.  I had the opportunity to interact with amazing readers and writers this year (who do not share my last name or blood, I might add!) who happen to love reading and writing just as much as I do.  I never once heard any of them whine "I'm just not a reader."   

4.  I've learned that slow and steady wins the race.  Do not obsess.  Ditch the cyber stalking of ranks, ratings, and reviews.  I wish I had some of those hours back.  If I did, I’d probably have another book out by now.  But, you should cherry pick a few great industry blogs and read them regularly.  It will eliminate having to weed through all of the time-wasting minutiae. 

At the end of the day, secrets & pitfalls aside, it's been a great year.  I am head over heels in love with the worlds and characters I have created.  Beck, Kiernan, Airron, Rogan, Kenley, Kane, Kellan, Reilly, Jala, Izzy, Fallon, Kade, Blane, Nikki, and so many others in their supporting roles.  They're friends now, good friends, and I don't want to ever let them go.  So, I'll keep writing and sharing their adventures, and I'll owe it to extreme good luck and a healthy dose of Karma if a few of you decide to tag along with me.

Thanks for reading.

~Valerie~
 

I have a confession to make.  I have struggled for months on how best to name this particular page on my website.  Because, in all fairness to the phenomenal bloggers out there, I cannot in good conscience continue to call this a blog.  So, why do I have one?  Well, at every turn since self-publishing, experts have warned that Indie authors can't attract readers without maintaining a blog. 

Heck, I want readers.  So, I thought, hmm...what can I blog about?

How to succeed in self-publishing?  No.  Not there yet.

Ordinary stuff?  I hate the mundane, that’s why I write epic fantasy.

Book reviews?  I am a reader, not a reviewer.

Guest posts?  I have not yet built up the kind of traffic that would warrant other authors wanting to spend their time filling out my dreaded question and answer piece.

Industry trends?  Interested in reading, yes, but not writing.  After all, people are not clamoring for my opinion.  Yet.

I find myself spending more time thinking about what to blog than in devoting to writing.  It left me thinking that perhaps publishing another book might help garner more readers than this blog.  Just sayin'.

Believe me, I have all of the respect in the world for the bloggers who do it well and can name quite a few that I follow on a regular basis.  But, here, you will just find updates to my writing and some humorous anecdotes, and maybe a few personal photos. 

Wait!  I know!  Maybe I should just call a spade a spade and refer to this page as my online dating profile.  Let’s face it.  The parallels between publishing and dating are unmistakable with all of the singles/authors vying for dates/readers.  I can see the ad now. 

“TIA (Trolling Indie Author) seeking fantasy reader with an adventurous spirit who enjoys well-developed characters and stimulating dialogue.”

If you answer, I will assume that you liked the cover and have peeked inside.  Okay, game on.  It’s a date.  During the appetizer, aka Chapter 1, I will try to charm with coy innuendo.  When the salad comes, aka Chapters 2 & 3, I will attempt to entice you with my conversational prowess in the hope that you will want to get to know me better.  By the main course, aka Chapters 6 through 20, I plan to have you howling for more.  And, if we really like each other, while dessert is being served, aka the Epilogue, we will be married.   

All right, I guess I should come up with something a little more creative.  So, while I continue to try and find a suitable name for my non-blog, please keep visiting.  As of now, I am still single in the datingandlookingforreaders realm.  Just don’t tell the husband in the marriedwiththreekids realm.

~Valerie~

One of the most important elements to any story is the pacing.  It is the very heartbeat of the novel.  A pace that is too slow can fail to hook a reader’s interest early on and, conversely, a frantic pace can leave the reader feeling forced along without ever really becoming invested in the characters.  Why are they acting this way?  What is motivating them?  These questions must be answered in order for characters to achieve a sense of depth and for their actions to feel real.  As a writer, you want the pacing to pull the reader through the events of the novel so that they want nothing more than to continue turning those pages while also building a gradual understanding of each character’s individuality.  

There can be no doubt that the pacing of An Oath of the Mage is very fast.  Simply put, I write the way I like to read.  An editorial review from the team at Createspace summed it up best with their critique of An Oath of the Blood:  “[The author] has done a great job of mixing in a complicated mythology and an original world context that actually enhances the story, rather than suffocating it in detail and exposition." 
 
It's true.  I ruthlessly cut all superfluous dialogue or detail that does not have an easily definable reason for being there.  But, I'm also very conscientious about creating well-developed characters that are believable.  I want their pain to be the reader’s pain.  Their joy to be the reader’s joy.  Because while pacing is an important element to story creation, character development is the most important element.  Think about your favorite novels.  What do you remember most?  The plot?  The location?  Or the character themselves? 

But, as is the nature of all things, some people will like the fast pace of An Oath of the Mage and some will not and that is okay.  To my way of thinking, people, including me, are very busy these days.  If someone takes the time to read the Island Shifters series, I want to take them on a journey they will not soon forget.

Tell me.  What is your pace?  Do you like a long, leisurely reading experience or heart-pounding excitement?  I would love to hear from you. 

~Valerie~

If I have learned anything about publishing a novel this past year, it is that the learning curve is astronomical.  When I look back at the query letters I sent when first starting out, I want to cringe.  I was just so ridiculously excited at the time!  I had just finished my first novel, damn it, and I was going to query every agent and publisher Google handed me on a silver plate.  The only concern I anticipated struggling with was how to narrow down the offers to just one.  I mean, it was Island Shifters, after all. 

In my naiveté, I did not realize how hard it was going to be to break into traditional publishing.  I did not realize that the market was already saturated with newbie writers like me.  The problem is, now that I do understand all of the rookie mistakes I made and how to play the game better, I can't go back. 

Thus, I embrace the unobstructed path before me.  Self-publishing.  Indie.  The Long and Winding Road.  There are many names for it, and I have to admit I am in very good company these days.  We all know who they are and cling desperately to their success stories.  Amanda Hocking did it!  Yes, she was a self-publisher who made it big, by golly.  And, J.A. Konrath?  He spits in the face of the Big Six. 

On my quest for similar triumph, I begin each morning with sorting through the online minutia, hoping to discover that magic formula.  Like any good indie author (my preferred name), I contribute to forums, hit up social networks, troll for “likes”, guest blog, hold book signings, give out freebies, and promote on  Twitter, Squidoo, Goodreads, Smashwords, LibraryThing, [insert an infinite number of other online sites here].  Oh, yeah, and I am writing that second book.  

Honestly, I'm excited with the path I have chosen and feel very fortunate that I am able to pursue my passion in this new digital age.  My wish for all of you is the hope that you find your passion as well.

Merry Christmas and Happy 2012!

~Valerie~

My family suffered a terrible loss this weekend.  Our beloved German Shepherd, Saige, passed away quietly in his sleep.  He worked many years as a K9 Deputy side-by-side with my husband, a Sergeant in our local Sheriff’s department.  He was also a very beloved member of our family.  We will miss his enthusiasm for his “toys”, the jingle of his chain, and his devoted companionship.   

Farewell, my friend.

I don’t know if any of you have noticed or not, either in the thread of my material, the jokes that I tell, or the crinkle around my eyes, but I love to smile.  I really like how it makes me feel, and I especially like the effect it has on others.  Experts say that a smile is the greatest gift you can bestow on another human being.  And, the best thing about it?  It doesn’t cost a single penny.  And, it's downright contagious.  No matter how unpleasant the mood of the receiver, very few are able to see a smile and not return it. 

The best place to prove this theory is in a grocery store.  For most people, the minute they walk through those automatic swinging doors and select their cart, they're in game mode.  You can see it in their eyes.  They’re planning how they're going to navigate the course.  Thinking about how to handle blocks and interferences.  Rubbing on the hand sanitizer.  You know who they are.  We've all seen the look.  But, do me a favor.  Next time you're shopping and see someone in full game mode, just smile.  It startles them at first, but do not back down.  An instinctual attempt to evade contact will be made, but soon their lips will twitch up and you can tell that they are grateful for the gift.

So, give a stranger a smile today.  It might be the only sunshine they receive.  And, if the altruistic benefits of a smile do not appeal to you, smile anyway.  It can subtract the years faster than an injection of Botox. 

~Valerie~

The very minute I leave my sister’s house on Thanksgiving evening, laden with good food and good wine, I am in Christmas panic mode.  I begin to think about the tree and the decorations and the shopping and the wrapping and the cooking and the baking and the cleaning—just to name a few of the anxiety-inducing culprits.  But, you know what I have noticed?  This panic is confined to me alone.  My husband happens to navigate through the month of December with a peacefulness to make the Dalai Lama envious.  It is as if he is encased in some type of holiday immunity bubble that no amount of nagging can penetrate.  His Christmas planning doesn’t start until around the 23rd of the month when he will call upon a few good buddies for a last-minute shopping spree that will usually end with a stop at the local watering hole.

Ladies, you do know what is available on the 23rd of December, right?  Does Chia Pet ring any bells?

Oh, sometimes he'll pretend that he's just as stressed as me, and that’s how I get sucked in every time.  As soon as those hazel puppy eyes look my way, I volunteer to take on more and more so he doesn't have the added pressure of the holidays.  Between you and me, I could actually buy into this if he looked even remotely as stressed as he does during hunting season. 

You know the running joke.  “Do know what would have happened if it had been three wise WOMEN instead of three wise MEN?  They would have asked for directions, arrived on time, helped deliver the baby, cleaned the stable, made a casserole, and brought disposable diapers as gifts!”

Amen, sister.

~Valerie~

I am so very blessed to have grown up in a small community.  Whether sick with illness, have a death in the family, embark on a new career, want to gloat over your child’s winning touchdown in the latest football game, or simply want to gripe over the mundane aspects of life—someone will be there for you.  Either with a hot meal, a supportive comment, or a phone call—someone will be there for you. 

You have all been there for me, and I want to thank you with a big virtual hug for the amazing comments here on my website, Facebook, e-mail, and in person.  The encouragement is overwhelming and has touched my heart in so many ways.  Just know that I will pay it forward.  Kindness breeds kindness, and I intend to do my part as well in as many ways as possible.

Top Ten reasons to live in a small town?   

10.  People actually make eye contact with you when you pass them by.

9.  You can call the wrong number and still talk to the person on the other end for an hour.  

8.    There is no village idiot.  We all take turns.

7.    Weekend excitement involves a trip to Walmart.

6.    You can name everyone you graduated with.

5.    Teachers call you by your older sibling’s names.

4.    You are related to more than half the town.

3.    The local gas station sells live bait.

2.    Little Smokies are something served on special occasions. 

1.    No, there is no Starbucks, but we're over it.

I realize that small towns are not for everyone, and the trends point to more people migrating to the bright lights of major cities, but I continue to relish a simpler, safer living. 

Now, if only those crickets would just be quiet and go to sleep.

~Valerie~

My husband will think this post is about him, but I will have to disappoint.  This is about a passion for your dreams.

It is very cliché to say follow your dreams and hope they come true.  Dreams are wonderful, but, for most, hope will not get us there.  Hard work and passion will. 


When I grew up in the 70's/80’s, nobody ever told me to follow my dreams.  My grandmother, God rest her soul, and such a steadfast light in my life, always told me to work hard and get a nice “respectable” job, like a secretary.  She was not intentionally trying to squash my ambition, it is just that the women of her generation thought it better to live a quiet, modest life while raising a family.  Aspiration to greater things was never a part of her life or in her advice to me.  She was a product of the Depression Era and was more concerned with survival and carving out a decent living than in something as frivolous as a pipe dream.  So, even though I never had a dream growing up, my grandmother did instill in me a strong work ethic, and this helped me to succeed in life and to climb the proverbial ladder, gaining promotions on a steady basis. 

But, I was never passionate about my career.  I did well and the work was enjoyable at times, but it did not make me happy.  I did not jump out of bed every morning anxious to leave for work. 

I can honestly say that I have now found my dream.  It lies in my passion for storytelling, and the discovery has made the quality of my life so much more exciting.  Because really, that is the root of passion.  Excitement.  Finding out what you love to do and taking all of the steps necessary to make it a reality.  Sure, I still stumble along the way, and some steps are taking longer (years!) than others, but I will never give up, and I am grateful for that drive. 

My dream has not yet come true, but it is getting closer. 

And, I am pretty sure I owe it all to my grandmother. 

~Valerie~