Q: Let me start with asking you to tell us a little bit about yourself.
Q: Would you tell us about your current book release Surviving Christmas in “Rookie K-9 Unit Christmas” with Lenora Worth writing High Holiday Alert?|
Valerie Hansen interview with Susan Sleeman
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December 12, 2016
LENORA: I’m a Southern girl. Always wanted to be a writer. Married my high school sweetheart and moved from Georgia to Louisiana. Sold my first book in 1993. Q: As a child or teenager, did you ever dream of being an author? VALERIE: An author, an actor, an artist, a veterinarian and a ballerina. That last dream was quashed when I grew to resemble a strong Nordic woman and fulfilled my heritage. ? I went on to work as a Vet. Tech. and commercial artist for a short time but ALWAYS wrote. Q: What was your biggest obstacle on the road to publication? VALERIE: Thankfully, I didn’t know at first how hard it is to break into print. If I had, I might have quit before I even began!
VALERIE: Lenora and I were asked to write connected novellas as a Christmas extra for the Rookie K-9 Unit series. We had both participated in the series of six books and were very familiar with the stories, so we put our heads together and coordinated our novellas. Together they make up a complete book. She is a true joy to know and work with. Q: Where did the idea for this story come from? VALERIE: It grew out of the original series. We had to find characters who had not yet had their stories told, then bring them together to celebrate Christmas. Q: Tell us a little about your main character and how you developed him/her. VALERIE: I have a special place in my heart for dog trainers, dogs, the US military and children. They all come together in this book. It’s a perfect melding of concern, faith and love. Q: Would you share with us what you are working on now? VALERIE: I just finished a historical for LI about Cherokees. “Her Cherokee Groom” will be out in May 2017. “Special Agent”, another contemporary K-9 unit book is scheduled shortly after that. Now it’s time to start something new. Q: What is a favorite memory from your childhood? VALERIE: This is a hard question. Riding a carousel is right up at the top of my list. I’d get an all day pass to ride anything I wanted and spend 90% of the time on a wooden horse, going around in circles and telling myself wonderful stories. I actually owned a real carousel horse as an adult but had to sell it when we moved. Q: Where do you escape for some quiet time? VALERIE: My garden is a wonderful place for contemplation. Or I can sit on the porch swing in front of my house and marvel at God’s gift of beauty. That’s why it’s featured on my website. It’s my sanctuary. Q: What would you be doing if you weren’t writing? VALERIE: I’d probably be pushing up daisies. I have to write. Period. However, I have learned that a person needs other outlets. Most of mine come through church. Q: What is the craziest, most risk-taking thing you’ve ever done? VALERIE: Besides get married at seventeen? Let’s see. I’m afraid of heights but I climbed up on the roof of a house we were building to nail it and stayed sitting once I got there by scooting from place to place. When it was time to climb back down the ladder I was shaking so badly I had to be helped. A lot. Same thing happened when I climbed a Mayan pyramid in Mexico, only then I got hysterical at the top! That time I ended up backing all the way down the steep stone steps. There were a lot of them! Q: What one thing have you always wanted to do but couldn’t afford to do? VALERIE: Not that I can think of. I have pretty much adopted the apostle Paul’s view to be content in everything I do. I’m not always successful but my life has been full and I have never gone hungry. If I yearn for what is out of reach, it’s like telling the Lord I don’t appreciate what I have or trust Him. Q: I’m an avid gardener and have to ask what kind of flower you would be and why? VALERIE: This may be the hardest question of all. How about a wild violet. I have those here and they are almost indestructible. Their roots spread and they are hardy enough to withstand winter snow and summer heat. Like me, they always come back strong. Q: Where can readers find you on the internet? VALERIE: www.ValerieHansen.com www.Loveinspiredauthors.com on Facebook as Valerie Hansen and also as Valerie Hansen Whisenand, my personal site. Q: Anything else you’d like to tell or share with us? |
Valerie has always loved to write. A strong conviction that this is what she was meant to do led her to pursue a career as a novelist. Besides extensive research, she has plenty of interesting experiences to draw upon. She’s been a veterinary assistant, teacher’s aide, volunteer fire department dispatcher, Emergency Medical Technician, bank worker, professional artist, store clerk, bookkeeper, 4-H leader, Sunday school teacher, gospel singer/songwriter, winning quiz show contestant, dog trainer, college extension-class instructor, and antique restorer. She’s built dulcimers and a psaltery, laid bricks and tile, designed stained-glass windows, roofed a house, decorated store windows for the holidays, helped pour cement, raised fancy guinea pigs and finches, driven a long-haul moving van, and was once the proud owner of twenty-three Newfoundland dogs at one time. Her advice? Don’t try that at home!
Twenty years ago, Valerie and her husband moved to eighty forested acres in northern Arkansas and restored an old Ozark farmhouse. She loves to hike the rocky, wooded hills with her dogs, watch for the wildlife so abundant in the area, and think up new ideas for her books, many of which are set in her fictional town of Serenity.
