Wednesday Writer ~ Valerie Steimle

Valerie Steimle

Valerie J. Steimle is not your average person. She was born into a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York, converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints when she was nine. She graduated from Ricks College in '79 and then attended Brigham Young University. She then went on to marry Robert Steimle at 21 and then had nine children. She has homeschooled all of her children with Robert during sometime in their life and also started writing for newspapers about family issues. She became a widow in 2006 as Robert passed away suddenly in his sleep after being married for 25 years.

CRW:  Welcome, Valerie, to Writers Wednesday on Writers Mirror.

Valerie:  Thank you so much for interviewing me. I love talking about my books.

CRW:  Let’s start with your book called "Of One Heart: Being Single in the LDS World." When will it be available?

Valerie:   It is available now on Amazon.com.

CRW:  Who’s your publisher?

Valerie:  They are called Createspace.com. It is a self-publishing company put out and run by Amazon.com.

CRW:  Please give us your best “Elevator Pitch” for the book.

Valerie:  Being single in a predominately married LDS world has great challenges. My book will help anyone who is single or knows a single friend to overcome these challenges.

CRW:  How do we find your  book on Amazon.com?

Valerie:  Type my name Valerie J. Steimle on Amazon.com and three books will come up. You can also go to my website, http://www.strengthenyourhome.com/.


CRW:  Excellent.  What are the titles of your other two books?
 
Valerie:  "Home Is Where the Heart Is" and "Home Is Where the Learning Is.: Homeschool Lifestyles from Homeschool Moms."
 
CRW:  What inspires you to write?
 
Valerie:  I started writing when there was an injustice occuring where I was living in San Diego. I see injustices all the time in family and social issues in our culture all the time, so I feel compelled to write about them. It's very theraputic.

CRW:  Do you try to write daily, and if so, do you set a goal of a certain number of words?

Valerie:  Yes, I do try to write daily but I don't set a word goal. I work on different manuscripts and ideas I have for several hours a day. Word counts can put too much pressure on me and I get writer's block so I set my writing time to 2 to 3 hours a day.

CRW:  What gets in your way of writing?

Valerie:  That's a good question. Life itself. Children, new husband, my responsibilities at church and homeschooling. There is a lot going on.

CRW:  How do you get past it?

Valerie:  I take my down time at the computer. I finally have an office in my home so I can close the door and write for a while.

CRW:  What makes you CRAZY about writing?

Valerie:  I love, love, love the publishing world. It is fascinating to me. I love that people will read my books and tell me it helped them in some way or they enjoyed what I had to say. It is so satisfying.

CRW:  So this is crazy good then, not crazy bad.  Where is the weirdest place you have worked on a writing project?

Valerie:  When I have to watch soccer games, wait at the doctor's office, or wait to pick up children, I always have a pad of paper to write down or work on a project. I do love watching my boys play soccer but there is a lot of in between time that I sit pondering so I write.

CRW:  How long does it take you to complete a book?

Valerie:  Usually about a year. I have one just coming out in a few weeks as well called "Dogs, Blogs, and Hobbits: Writings from a Widow's Perspective" also on Amazon.

CRW:  Where do you get your ideas for your books?

Valerie:  Living life. So much can be written about the experiences we have living in a family. I also write about what happens in our country politically and how it affects families.

CRW:  What is your favorite writing food?

Valerie:  Ooooo. Something crunchy ususally. I'm a health nut so I get wheat crackers or something nutritional. I have also been known to sometimes hide a bag of cheese doodles in my desk drawer.

CRW:  Why are you a writer?

Valerie:  It is the best way for me to express myself. It is just something within me that I have to do. I think other writers can understand this.

CRW:  Who do you hope reads your work?

Valerie:  Everyone!!!! My books are for everyone and I hope it will help them in some way. I feel close to becoming a best seller author!!!!

CRW:  What would be the best complement you could receive from a fan?

Valerie:  I get emails from fans and I never get tired of hearing how my books have helped them in some way. It is very rewarding. My homeschool book probably gets me the most complements.

CRW:  Where can we read more about you or contact you, such as website or blog sites?

Valerie:  My website is www.strengthenyourhome.com and you can email me at valeriesteimle@yahoo.com. Once again, my website is  http://www.strengthenyourhome.com/. My website also has a link to my blog.

CRW:  Thank you for sharing with us on Wednesday Writers.

Valerie:  Thank you for inviting me to talk about what I love. I really appreciate it.