Author Valerie Steimle

Today my guest is non-fiction author Valerie Steimle. We have been members of the same writers group for years, and she has been an inspiration to me.

Hi, Valerie! Please tell us the titles of your published books. 

I have four books--all non-fiction from the columns I have written, and information I want to share.

Home is Where the Learning Is--Homeschool Lifestyles from Homeschool Moms, Home is Where the Heart Is, and Of One Heart--Being Single in the LDS World. 

The most recent is Dogs, Blogs, and Hobbits: Writings from a Widow's Perspective

   

Are you one of the lucky writers who get to write every day? 

At the same time each day? No. I write on average five days a week, or try to.  Life has its ups and downs sometimes.

What is a favorite book from your childhood? 

The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton. Love that book.

I love that story too. The book is 70 years old this year and it is still good. 

What is one of your favorite quotes?

 I love so many different quotes that I hear, but recently one surfaces a lot in my head:

We are not human beings having a spiritual experience.  We are spiritual beings having a human experience.

--the French Monk Philosopher, Teilhard de Chardin.  

I love what he said. We get so wrapped up in the day to day work of life that we forget that we are spiritual beings after all!

I love that quote, too. Next question: If you could travel through time, what time period would you visit? 

That’s a tough one.  I want to visit medieval Europe and the Book of Mormon times back in the days of Alma the Younger.

I'd go with you to both eras, but since time travel hasn't been invented, what do you do with your time when you aren’t writing? 

I cart boys to soccer, Young Men’s meetings, work and classes for school. We are also remodeling an old hotel into a museum and bed and breakfast. Do you think I have too much on my plate? LOL

The old hotel sounds exciting. I'd love to come visit. Sounds like a launchpad for a novel!

Okay, back to the questions. When did you start writing? 

A Young Women leader gave me a journal when I was 12 years old.  I've never stopped writing after that.

Do you have more books in the works?

Two. And I go back and forth on. I like it that way. The first, Thoughts from the Heart: Writings from the Gulf Coast of Alabama is a collection from my newspaper column.  The other, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Synagogue: A Conversion Story from Judaism to Mormonism.   

What is the best writing advice you’ve ever received? 

Never give up—always keep trying.

Thank you, Valerie, for the interview!

Thank you, Joan, for the opportunity to talk about writing. Really appreciate it!

Visit Valerie at her website, and her blog.

Readers: Please leave a comment. What is the best writing advice you have received? What tidbit can you give other authors?