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Author Promo: Valkyrie

Renee Stevens

Entry posted by Renee Stevens in Featured Stories

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It's time for another author promo! If you'd like to promo your own work, take a look at the thread for guidelines and then PM me. For this month, our featured promo spot is for Valkyrie. There were three questions that Valkyrie had to answer for each story. The questions were What gave you the idea for this story? What was your favorite thing about writing this story? & Please tell us something about this story that is not already in the description.
 

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30 stories · 975 reviews · 264,746 total words

 

Description: Bradley and Allen move into a new house in the country. They love their idyllic, new life until their son meets a new friend.

 

What gave you the idea for this story?

 

I love Halloween and have wanted to write a story about the holiday for a while. I wove a lot of personal elements into this story—such as Allen being so afraid of spiders. The person he is based on is afraid of spiders, and so is my mom. I remember several times as a kid having friends freak out over the blood-curdling screams coming from the basement and looking at me like I’m insane when I nonchalantly reply, “Oh, my mom found a spider.” Zeke was inspired by my friend’s son, who as a toddler used to talk about the ‘man in the closet’. The title and ‘vodka’ were inspired by the name of a racehorse I saw when I visited Cole Matthews and his husband. I saw the name and immediately commented how it would make a great prompt or short story. I thought it fit this story well.

 

What was your favorite thing about writing this story?

 

I really enjoyed coming up with all the twists in the story. I was hoping to keep readers guessing, and I think I managed to do that. I was also pretty proud of Bradley’s name. He’s named after Boo Radley—and another person whose name also starts with Br-.

;)

 

Please tell us something about this story that is not already in the description.

I’ve had numerous requests for a continuation. I won’t guarantee when, but I do have some ideas for a sequel. 

 

Description: This story centers around The Hollow Hills - a horse farm in Vermont - and Galen and Joshua. Galen moves to New England after breaking up with his boyfriend and meets Josh. Their relationship is anything but easy, with many obstacles standing in their way. When tragedy strikes, they need to learn how to redefine their lives and live with the after-effects.

What gave you the idea for this story?

This story has existed in some form since I was in high school. Josh first appeared in a story I wrote for my freshman English class. That story sparked the Hollow Hills universe, leading to the development of Alannah, Adam, Liam, and Roger, and eventually Galen. I’ve always wanted to write it, but had a lot of trouble narrowing down the storyline and finding an appropriate starting point. Now that I’ve gained more confidence as a writer, I felt ready to tackle such a daunting story. 

What was your favorite thing about writing this story?

It’s still in progress and hasn’t been abandoned. I will admit to being very slow with posting chapters, but I want to remain as true to the story as possible and hope that the wait has been worth it. I would say my favorite thing so far has been the varied reactions of readers. These characters are near and dear to my heart, so seeing them from a different perspective has been eye-opening. 

Please tell us something about this story that is not already in the description.

There is a crossover between this story and my story
Alex’s Legacy
. Huge bonus points to anyone who can tell me what it is. 

 

Description: Elliot is living the good life, even though he hates his job. Then he meets Max, who helps him answer some tough questions he didn't have the courage to face.

What gave you the idea for this story?

I honestly don’t remember. It was written for The Backup Plan anthology, and was my first anthology submission to this site. 

What was your favorite thing about writing this story?

Writing Max and getting to know him was very enjoyable. I was also pleasantly surprised by how much people like this story and the sequels. 

Please tell us something about this story that is not already in the description.

Max and Elliot’s story continues in
Lawyer or Mechanic?
And
Proximate Cause
. Pete’s story was told in
Exit to Redemption
.
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Cole Matthews

Cole Matthews 14,615

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Such good examples!  Max's Garage really packs a punch with characters which keep on giving.  Hollow Hills is epic, and I'm sure this will get Valkyrie back to work on it!  (Hint, hint, :)).  Vodka at Midnight is, of course, a favorite because of all the ties it has to us.  I'll never forget that fun day.  Great stuff people!

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Aditus

Aditus 28,727

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I love 'Vodka at Moonlight'! I had so much fun reading it, probably because I'll always remember the PMs I got when you visited Cole and his husband. lol.

I didn't read 'The Hollow Hills' yet. Nope, not until you finish it. Even though you sent me this nice picture and told me a little about it (and it sounded fantastic).

Max's Garage is a Val classic and must read.

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Valkyrie

Valkyrie 109,912

Posted

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Such good examples!  Max's Garage really packs a punch with characters which keep on giving.  Hollow Hills is epic, and I'm sure this will get Valkyrie back to work on it!  (Hint, hint, :)).  Vodka at Midnight is, of course, a favorite because of all the ties it has to us.  I'll never forget that fun day.  Great stuff people!

Thanks, Cole!  :hug:  I'm hoping to get a chapter of "The Hollow Hills" written before the next anthology.  I have so much on my plate right now, it's been hard to find the time for it.  We'll have to go back to that racetrack again so I can get a name for the sequel to "Vodka at Moonlight". lol  No spoilers, but fans of Max and Elliot may be seeing them again in the near future... ;) 

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Valkyrie

Valkyrie 109,912

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I love 'Vodka at Moonlight'! I had so much fun reading it, probably because I'll always remember the PMs I got when you visited Cole and his husband. lol.

I didn't read 'The Hollow Hills' yet. Nope, not until you finish it. Even though you sent me this nice picture and told me a little about it (and it sounded fantastic).

Max's Garage is a Val classic and must read.

Thanks so much, Adi :):hug:  I had a lot of fun writing "Vodka at Moonlight", and your beta input really helped make it better. :)  I'll be sure to message you as soon as "The Hollow Hills" is finished. ;)  Glad you liked "Max's Garage".  As I stated above, Max and Elliot may be making an appearance soon.  ;) 

  • Like 5
Headstall

Headstall 306,101

Posted

I've read and reviewed all of these, including the three sequels to "Max's Garage," and I loved them all for different reasons. "Vodka at Moonlight" was fun and creepy and clever. I HATE spiders! Hollow Hills really gets the reader thinking while twisting him/her in knots. "Max's Garage" (and it's sequels) has great characters and a sweet love story. I recommend them all. I, too, am waiting for "Hollow Hills" to update, but I can be patient. Kudos for the promo, Val... very deserving. :yes:

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AC Benus

AC Benus 36,631

Posted

Congrats on the feature, Val! Two of the stories are new to me, so I have plenty to dig into :yes:  

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Timothy M.

Timothy M. 50,192

Posted

I love Max' garage + sequels. Hollow Hills is too dark for me plus I got pissed off by the lack of communication between the characters, lol. But what I managed to read was well written. I shall now try Vodka.

  • Like 5
Lisa

Lisa 6,470

Posted

VAL!!!!! Congrats on being featured!!!! I'm so excited for you!! :D  :D  :D

 

As you know, I love all your stories. I really enjoy the anthos, especially when you write sequels, such as the different stories with Max and Elliot. :)

 

Vodka at Moonlight was indeed creepy but very enjoyable. I love how you got the name 'Vodka' from a racehorse! :lol:

 

For anyone not familiar with Val's writing, I would recommend reading all of her stories. You won't be sorry. :)

  • Like 5
Emi GS

Emi GS 6,570

Posted

Congrats Val. :hug: Reading here about your stories made me feel guilty that I haven't checked them before. Sorry for that. And now my first task in hand is tasting some Vodka... ;)

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Valkyrie

Valkyrie 109,912

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Thanks so much for the kind words, everyone. :)  All the comments really made my day.  :hug: 

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Defiance19

Defiance19 28,484

Posted

Congrats on the feature Val!! I think I might have to reacquaint myself with Max's Garage. It's familiar but I don't quite remember it.. 

Can't wait for another chapter of Hollow Hills!!! 

  • Like 5
Emi GS

Emi GS 6,570

Posted

Thanks so much for the kind words, everyone. :)  All the comments really made my day.  :hug:

 

Oh Val. You frightened me with the Vodka. Gosh, why I read it in the midnight!!!? Goose bumps all over me felt like someone touching me all over. :lol: It's really creepy...

  • Like 3
Slytherin

Slytherin 24,192

Posted

I read "Vodka at Moonlight" pretty recently and that story is eerie !  Valkyrie have many great stories, "Penguin" is one of them.  I first noticed  her work a few years ago when she wrote short stories for the Friday Prompts, almost a new story every week :) Keep up the good work, Penguin ! :hug::funny:

 

318.png 

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Valkyrie

Valkyrie 109,912

Posted

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Thanks again, everyone.  :)  Guess I should put a warning on "Vodka" to read during daylight hours... lol  I wish I had more time to do the prompts, but my writing energy has been more focused on anthology stories, and next week I hope to start Chapter 20 of "The Hollow Hills".  

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Timothy M.

Timothy M. 50,192

Posted

I'll still maintain Mikie's parents could have managed the problem better if they had done their research properly. :lol:

 

Oh, and if we can make wishes, I'd love to see another sequel to Max' Garage.

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Valkyrie

Valkyrie 109,912

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Oh they definitely could have.  We all make mistakes though.  I am planning a sequel to the story for Halloween this year.  ;)  And as I hinted earlier, Max and Elliot may be making another appearance sometime this year.  ;)  It's nice to know they have so many fans. :)

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