Interview with Author Valerie Gomez
We are so excited to be working with our next Indie Author Spotlight: Valerie Gomez! Author of Cover Story and A Handyman for the Holidays, Valerie writes stories that feel cozy and have characters being open to new situations. She spoke with us about the inspiration behind her stories, her advice to fellow indie authors, and what is next for her!
In addition to being a writer, Valerie Gomez is an art director, designer, and illustrator. She grew up in small town Ohio before deciding she wanted to live in a big city. She's lived and worked in Phoenix, Chicago, Detroit, New York City, and now lives in the Washington DC metro area with her husband and son. She is a wife, a mother, a Latina, a Virgo, an introvert, a reader of books, a petter of dogs, a coffee drinker, a grilled cheese sandwich enthusiast, a wearer of sneakers, a lover of rom-coms, a maker of lists, a work in progress.
What made you want to be an author?
While I’d never thought of writing as something I wanted to do, I always had ongoing stories in my head to fill the time, like grocery shopping or folding laundry. During the pandemic, like everyone else, I was stuck at home for months, so I decided to try writing one of these stories down. I had no real faith in myself that I’d ever finish a whole book, or that I’d be good at it. But once I started, I found it to be relaxing and satisfying in a way that I’d never imagined, so I kept doing it.
What was the inspiration for Cover Story?
As a magazine art director myself, I used a lot of my own knowledge of the inner workings of photo shoots and magazine production, but made it more aspirational for AJ's side of things. (I always wanted to work for an Esquire/GQ type of magazine, but alas, never did.) Dax’s side was inspired by my own experiences, both as a Latine person, and as someone who also struggles with anxiety. A lot of Latino culture is rooted in a deep belief that anxiety and mental health issues, especially in men, is either a weakness, and I wanted to show someone working through that while also trying to have a relationship and a budding career.
In Cover Story, why did you choose to put so much emphasis on Dax's struggles with anxiety?
It was important to me to not only have a character who was facing challenges with his mental health, but I wanted to show how it affected so many aspects of his life. Maybe it’s because I also struggle with it, but I didn’t want Dax’s anxiety to be treated with a “love cures all” solution. I wanted to show him face career and relationship hardships as a result of his reluctance to get help. I wanted to do my small part to help normalize saying it’s okay to need help and to seek that help from a trained professional. It was important to me that he got help and that it was something he would continue to work on.
What inspired you to write Handyman for the Holidays?
The character of Frank is actually a minor character in a longer novel I’ve been working on. He makes a couple of brief appearances in that book which led me to thinking about Frank’s backstory, and it evolved from there. He was inspired by two people: my dad, who has always been (and still is) willing to lend a hand to anyone who needs it, no matter how big or small the task. He’s also a woodworker and spends his free time crafting beautiful handmade pieces. I was also inspired by my landlord, who is Deaf. Whenever he comes to fix something in our house, we communicate in a similar way to Frank, either through typing notes on the phone or texting. He can fix pretty much anything and doesn’t linger afterward to chat. He simply waves and nods and heads on his way.
We loved the focus on disability in Handyman for the Holidays. What made you want to include this representation in your books?
I wanted to include this particular disability (verbal apraxia) because it’s not something that outwardly seems like it would be that limiting. Frank can hear and is physically strong and capable, so it would seem that his disability doesn’t really limit him. But what he doesn’t show publicly is that he’s lonely and often feels like he’s overlooked because he can’t communicate freely with others, causing him to become introverted and to push people away. It was important to me to have someone who was patient and kind to help him to feel seen and heard, as it were, and to help pull Frank out of his shell.
Can you talk about the ASL scenes in Handyman for the Holidays?
When writing the scenes with ASL between Frank, Bennett, and Bennett’s daughter, Libby, one thing I was very conscious of was what everyone was doing with their hands. I had to pay special attention to remember that when someone’s hands are full, they can’t sign. There are a few times when someone needed to set something down so they could sign freely. When writing these scenes, I also wanted to emphasize the fact that ASL is a skill that requires ongoing practice, so while Frank could sign, he would often get frustrated or couldn’t remember how to sign a word and would switch to texting. These details seem obvious, but when writing a character with a disability, it was important to think about all aspects of it.
What do you hope that readers take away from your stories?
I would like for readers to see that my books always have some aspect of a character being willing to open themselves up to something, whether it's being open to getting help for mental health, letting someone in past the walls a character has built around themselves, or simply being open to love.
What is some advice that you’d give to aspiring authors who are thinking about indie publishing?
Find a really good writing coach or developmental editor. Sometimes we can’t see the forest for the trees with our own work, and we miss things like plot holes, structure weaknesses, pacing issues, etc. They are there to help you, not to criticize, and finding a good one should feel like a partnership working toward a goal of crafting your book into something amazing that readers will love.
What is the best way to support you as an indie author?
The best ways to support me are:
- Sharing and posting about my books on social media
- Buying/requesting my books at independent bookstores
- Leaving reviews on Goodreads and Amazon, even a rating without a written review is great
- Requesting that your local library carry my books
You can also find me at my website here, or on Instagram at @valeriegomez_writes.
What’s next for you?
I am working on two magical realism romances right now: The Shadow Angel, hoping to release late next year, and a novel co-written with one of my favorite authors (details to come). I'm also working on a companion novella to Handyman for the Holidays and set in the same time/place, which will be out next year in time for the holiday season.
Leave a comment