Booklover, book publishing professional, book author--I've been all around the book block and will share with you the inner workings and the outer dramas of the industry and its people. These are exciting times--the publishing world hasn't seen this much change since Gutenberg set the type for his first Bible. On my site you'll get some historical perspective as well as cutting-edge developments.
Experience:
I'm the author of Peterson's Happy Hour and Peterson's Holiday Helper humor/cocktail books (Random House/Clarkson Potter) and the co-author (with Janice Fryer) of Cookie Craft and Cookie Craft Christmas cookie decorating how-to books (Storey Publishing/Workman). Prior to my full-time writing career, I held a variety of in-house positions at book publishers including Random House, Doubleday, and John Wiley Publishers, where I was the head of marketing for the cookbook and travel book programs.
In addition to being an author and a journalist for numerous publications (including The New York Times), I'm a filmmaker. One of my short films, The Maid of Honor, was an Official Selection of the Sedona International Film Festival and my Jane Austen/time travel screenplay, The Jane Austen Syndrome, has been recognized by numerous screenplay competitions, including those sponsored by The Austin Film Festival, Cinequest, The Big Apple Film Festival and MORE magazine.
Education:
I attended P.S. 22, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Charles E. Gorton High School in Yonkers, New York; I have a B.A. in English from Fordham University in the Bronx and a Certificate in Film and Television Directing from NYU...
From Valerie Peterson:
... but much of my "education" has come from the smart, accomplished and passionate people I've worked with in the book publishing industry and elsewhere, from the roughly gazillion books I've read over the years and--now--from my forays into new media. I learn something new every day.