writer, gamer, candidate for ruler of westeros but doesn’t brag about it

Hello! I’m Valerie (Val for casual days, Valerie for fancy days). I left the glories of sunny Southern California in search of adventure in Manhattan, where I’m a Senior Director of public relations in the video games industry. I graduated magna cum laude from the USC School of Cinematic Arts in ’13, and my time there fueled an endless passion for all forms of storytelling.

In 2021, I was selected as a mentee for the Write Mentor program, and I’m thrilled to share that I’m repped by the fabulous Bethany Fulk of Holloway Literary!

I lean heavily toward writing YA adventure novels with fantasy elements and morally gray girls who will either kiss you or kill you. Maybe both.

When I’m not writing, you can find me playing video games, baking up new recipes, crying over a book (these characters DESERVE to be HAPPY!), or exploring a new city in search of adventure. You can catch me most on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, or my bookstagram if you love bookish content!

Current and forever favorites

Books: Six of Crows, The Wicked King, One of Us is Lying, Queen of Shadows, A Court of Mist and Fury, The Kingdom, The Shadows Between Us, Empire of Storms, Siege & Storm, Crescent City, The Love Hypothesis, People We Meet On Vacation, Cemetery Boys, Book Lovers

Video games: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, Animal Crossing, Halo 3, Fallout 4, Uncharted 4, Final Fantasy VII Remake, DEVICE 6, Horizon Zero Dawn

Television: Stranger Things, Doctor Who (Tennant & Smith forever), Dark, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Great British Bake Off, WandaVision, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Parks & Recreation, All of Us Are Dead, Yellowjackets

Movies: The Mummy, Jumanji, Ever After, Pride & Prejudice, The Matrix, Spider-Man: Homecoming, The Lord of The Rings, John Wick, Avengers: Infinity War, Black Panther, X-Men: Days of Future Past, Spider-Man: No Way Home

Cover Photo by Jakob Braun on Unsplash; logo by Mia Bordlee