Valerie Peterson

Thanks for checking out my writerly self: bookish, TVish, mystery-ish, filmish, foodish-and wine-y. I'm a lover of all things Jane Austen, an author who I think is "entertainingly irreverent" (which is what the Associated Press has called me). In 2019, Pretty Dead, a mockumentary short film I co-wrote, was named an Official Selection of the HBO Women in Comedy Festival, shorts program sponsored by NBC. The film was also honored by the Windy City International Film Festival, Miami Indie Film Festival and the Official Latino Film Festival... so far. I was a semi-finalist for the WGAE Made in NY TV Writers Room program and a finalist for the CBS TV Writers Mentoring Program. My TV procedural/mystery drama pilot, Reconciling Jimmy, achieved Second Rounder status in the Austin Film Festival Screenwriters Festival and was a Quarterfinalist in the ScreenCraft TV Pilot Launch competition. The Maid of Honor, a narrative comedic short film I wrote and directed, 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. I'm currently completing my first novel, which is very long and involves intertwining mysteries, book publishing, epistolary elements, and two dead bodies... so far. As a lifelong reader and booklover, I owe my deeper knowledge and appreciation to years in the publishing biz and I'm the author of four lifestyle / cooking / humor books. I also occasionally write for publications such as The Washington Post, The New York Times and others. Originally from Yonkers, I live in (and enjoy the occasional) Manhattan.