Author Bio:
Val Silver is a lifelong animal lover with a heart for animals and humans in need of healing love. She wrote Rescue Me, her first book, to raise financial support for homeless dogs, to raise awareness of their plight and needs, and to show what wonderful companions these dogs are when given a chance. Val is a teacher, healer, and holistic wellness educator and coach. She believes it takes education, positive action and compassion to create healing and better lives for all creatures-animal and human.
What inspires you to write?
So many wonderful dogs are mistreated and abandoned in shelters that I wanted to share stories with readers to raise awareness of the situation and how much these dogs need families to love them and to give love to. Our stories celebrate the human-canine bond, and really touch the hearts of dog lovers. I also wanted to raise money to help homeless seniors and the organizations that care for them.
Tell us about your writing process.
My first two books were written using Word. I had a basic outline of the type of stories the book would include and a format they would follow, but when creative, informative or different stories came in, we went with them because they added variety to the book.
The next book requires a lot of research, so I made the leap to scrivener for the writing process. I do have an outline, but being somewhat driven by inspiration it is likely to change and I’m okay with that.
Who are your favorite authors?
Too many to mention! If I like a book at all it is almost impossible for me to stop reading until it is done.
As a teen, I loved Henry David Thoreau- On Walden Pond. In an entirely different genre, I read the Lord of the Rings Trilogy in marathon reading sessions. He got me thinking about our relationship with nature. I enjoy reading books by a variety of authors. Digital books have made it easy to sample a wide variety of authors and genres, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how many good ones there are.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I decided to self publish through Amazon Createspace rather than trying to get a traditional publisher. It was important for me to keep costs low to maximize profits for donations. It was also important to have control over the books and their marketing because it is used as a fundraiser. The plan is to market the books long-term,
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I think we will always see traditional publishers. Self-publishing is growing, but I will tell you there is a steep learning curve if you want to do it all yourself. That was a lesson learned the hard way. My guess is that hybrid publishing will gain a significant following from authors who want the benefits of self-publishing without having to format and create the finished product themselves.
What genres do you write?
Non-Fiction>>>Pets>>Dogs and Animal Advocacy
What formats are your books in?
eBook, Print
Website(s)
Val Silver Home Page Link
Link To Val Silver Page On Amazon
Link to Author Page on other site
Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
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