Valerie Ormond's Thoughts On …

Writing Tips from Valerie Ormond

Tag: authors

  • Podcast Connections

    A vintage microphone in the foreground with a radio and headphones in the background.

    I recently had the pleasure of speaking to Rachann Ennis Mayer, owner and host of the Raising Connections Program. Rachann and I became fast friends, and I thank her for being such an excellent host and making the experience a fun one.

    To paraphrase Rachann, she focuses on Critters, Companions, Commerce, and Agriculture and raises the connections between them through casual conversations.

    Our conversation, titled Author, Valerie Ormond, aired on the Raising Connections Podcast at this link:
    https://www.buzzsprout.com/2069900/episodes/17103601

    If you want to learn more about the fascinating Rachann and listen to wide variety of past programs, please visit her website at https://raisingconnections.com. Thank you to my new friend and connection!

    Logo of the Raising Connections program featuring a gear symbol with wheat stalks, accompanied by the text 'RAISING CONNECTIONS' and the tagline 'Critters Companions Commerce Agriculture'.

  • Salute to Veterans

    As we approach Veterans Day, I wanted to share a special news report where I had the honor of telling part of my story. Melanie Hastings, a news anchor at the local Washington, DC, NBC News affiliate had come across my story online and asked if she could interview me.

    Of course I said yes, and she couldn’t have been more gracious, kind, and easy to work with.

    I sincerely appreciated Melanie Hastings, WJLA, and their Salute to Veterans series for making that such a special Veterans Day for my family, my friends, and me. And most importantly, I hope it then reached, and will now reach, veterans who will decide to write their stories.

    Here’s the story…please forgive the “hot mic” moment in the middle.

  • Author Survey Says…

    I’m sharing this article from my friends at Written Word Media because I found the data interesting. I hope you do, too:

    Every year, we survey the indie author community to discover and share the latest information on how authors are doing.

    This year we had over 2,000 respondents to our survey! This is our biggest sample ever, and gives us a better understanding of how authors as a whole are doing. Thank you to everyone who participated.

    Whether you’re an aspiring author seeking insights, or an industry veteran curious about the trends shaping independent publishing, this comprehensive analysis will provide an overview of how authors are working in 2023.

    Keep reading or click below to jump to a section and see what we learned!

    Survey Results: The State of Indie Authorship

  • Why I Write What I Write

    Thank you to prolific author and blogger Marcia Meara for inviting me as a featured author for #GuestDayTuesday on The Write Stuff blog. It was like when your teacher assigned a creative writing topic and said, “Pick what you want.” I decided to answer a question I’m frequently asked about my writing; why do I write what I write? I hope you enjoy the post.

    #GuestDayTuesday | The Write Stuff (marciamearawrites.com)

  • FACES OF MWSA (Military Writers Society of America) Annual Conference

    FACES OF MWSA (Military Writers Society of America) Annual Conf. (kathleenmrodgers.com)

    I returned from the Military Writers Society of America (MWSA) Annual Conference this week energized and was happy to see my writer friend Kathy Rodgers had prepared this wonderful blog post on the same event. So, I share Kathy’s post with you…and her pictures and story are way better than mine.