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SevenSpectral
Valerie Wicks
For those of you who want to know the technical details:
I grew up in Marietta, Georgia in the Metro-Atlanta area. I wrote a ton of books and stories from ages 9-18. The vast majority of them were fantasy and science-fiction. I also drew the characters for every story. Since I came up with Seven Spectral around age 11, there's even an old picture of Emer!
I went to Marietta High School, where I played piccolo in the marching band, completed the International Baccalaureate program, and participated in one of my greatest loves, theater. Around this time, I developed a love for film because it combined writing, visual art, and theater in a cocktail of artistic awesomeness.
I was accepted into the Florida State Film School's Bachelor program. I learned to tell stories cinematically, make movies, and have fun... A LOT of fun!
Little did I know, this was only the beginning of my education. I moved to Los Angeles with a dozen of my best friends and was welcomed by a rich FSU film community (I mean, there have got to be at least 100 of us!).
That was 2008...the middle of the recession. Truth be told, I couldn't find much work that year, but I did do a lot of writing on a script that has been a life-long passion project of mine. This was crucial. I hadn't written that much since I was a teenager and it got me back into the habit of writing things that were larger than a five-minute film.
I finally got a job as a tester at my favorite video game company of all time, Square Enix (Chrono Trigger! Final Fantasy!).
Then I was promoted to Associate Producer and later Producer at a company called Legacy Interactive. I learned a LOT about process here. Everything has a process, and you've got to put in all the work. You can't stop.
During my time at Legacy, I went home to Georgia for the holidays and found some old floppy discs. I thought -- "Oh nooo, these are all the terrible stories I wrote as a kid!" It was true. They were terrible, but so much fun to read.
Amongst the books I found seven very specific ones -- well, the first few chapters of them :). This was the Seven Spectral series. My spelling was atrocious and it had no direction, but I still loved the idea. So as soon as I returned to Los Angeles, I started writing the Red World.
After about eight months of trying to balance an overtime-heavy job and the book, I decided to take the leap and begin writing full-time, living off my savings.
...I'm still living off savings as I dive into the second book, so if my little life story was interesting to you, help a girl out and buy Seven Spectral: Red World! :D
My mission is to entertain you through worlds, characters and stories! I want you to live the fun, expand your imagination, and dive deep into a world you've never seen with characters you trust.
Look and Listen
Video:
Biography
My name is Valerie Wicks and I love worlds, characters and stories. I have a BFA in filmmaking, and worked for several years in the video game industry as a producer. My mission in life is to entertain you! :) I want you to have fun, expand your imagination, dive deep into a world you've never seen with characters you trust. Growing up, that experience meant more to me than anything. I will never forget the journey I went on in the books, movies, and games of my life. In a way they built me -- with the help of my beautiful family and friends. ;) My hope is to give a gift to you. I want to give you something you loved and lived. If you like worlds, characters and stories, maybe that can happen today.For those of you who want to know the technical details:
I grew up in Marietta, Georgia in the Metro-Atlanta area. I wrote a ton of books and stories from ages 9-18. The vast majority of them were fantasy and science-fiction. I also drew the characters for every story. Since I came up with Seven Spectral around age 11, there's even an old picture of Emer!
I went to Marietta High School, where I played piccolo in the marching band, completed the International Baccalaureate program, and participated in one of my greatest loves, theater. Around this time, I developed a love for film because it combined writing, visual art, and theater in a cocktail of artistic awesomeness.
I was accepted into the Florida State Film School's Bachelor program. I learned to tell stories cinematically, make movies, and have fun... A LOT of fun!
Little did I know, this was only the beginning of my education. I moved to Los Angeles with a dozen of my best friends and was welcomed by a rich FSU film community (I mean, there have got to be at least 100 of us!).
That was 2008...the middle of the recession. Truth be told, I couldn't find much work that year, but I did do a lot of writing on a script that has been a life-long passion project of mine. This was crucial. I hadn't written that much since I was a teenager and it got me back into the habit of writing things that were larger than a five-minute film.
I finally got a job as a tester at my favorite video game company of all time, Square Enix (Chrono Trigger! Final Fantasy!).
Then I was promoted to Associate Producer and later Producer at a company called Legacy Interactive. I learned a LOT about process here. Everything has a process, and you've got to put in all the work. You can't stop.
During my time at Legacy, I went home to Georgia for the holidays and found some old floppy discs. I thought -- "Oh nooo, these are all the terrible stories I wrote as a kid!" It was true. They were terrible, but so much fun to read.
Amongst the books I found seven very specific ones -- well, the first few chapters of them :). This was the Seven Spectral series. My spelling was atrocious and it had no direction, but I still loved the idea. So as soon as I returned to Los Angeles, I started writing the Red World.
After about eight months of trying to balance an overtime-heavy job and the book, I decided to take the leap and begin writing full-time, living off my savings.
...I'm still living off savings as I dive into the second book, so if my little life story was interesting to you, help a girl out and buy Seven Spectral: Red World! :D
Inspiration
My two most beloved writers are J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter) and Steven Moffat (Doctor Who, BBC Sherlock). They have had a profound influence on me as a person as well as my writing. I am also greatly influenced by the Final Fantasy video game series, and the millions of fantasy/sci-fi books and movies of my youth.Favorite NB Titles
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