I first met Jolina at an ACFW conference years ago. I’ve always liked her and her books are wonderful. Recently, I came across her Facebook post below. I knew I had to reach out and have her tell a bit more of the story. That became this Q&A feature. Enjoy! And be sure to let me know what resonated with you!

https://www.writingdayworkshops.com/blog/jolina-petersheim-on-wisdom-from-the-writing-journey-enjoy-the-process-embrace-the-stories

Jolina’s Facebook post:

Three years ago, I made a foolish pact with myself that if I wasn’t published again by the time I was forty, I would quit.

Well, I am not sure what “quitting” would even look like, considering words are the way I process the world.

However, forty seemed a long way off, and I believed I could reach my goal with perhaps a year to spare. Long story short (pun intended), I did not reach my goal because, though I do not turn forty until August, the publishing process is so slow that you really need to be contracted for two years before you actually see your book in print.

This spring, four months before my birthday, I was driving home from a field trip with my daughter when I received a text from a friend in the publishing industry. I asked my daughter to read it aloud, which she did.

My friend wondered if I would be interested in attending an all expenses paid, six-day writing retreat.

Needless to say, I squealed and slapped the steering wheel. The longest writing retreat I had ever had was a two-day whirlwind trip where I stayed in a purportedly haunted Victorian boarding house by myself. (I had slept with one eye on the dour portrait above the mantle.)

So, I filled out the paperwork, submitted a portion of my work-in-progress, and then waited to see if I would be selected. Then, due to the number of applicants, they pushed the deadline back two weeks. I waited some more.

The day we were to know, I heard nothing. I was making supper while trying not to refresh my email again.

I even told my oldest daughter, “I don’t think I got in.”

She said, “Did you want to go?”

Swallowing, I had replied, “More than I even realized.”

But then I refreshed my email one more time. At 6:01 I heard from the organization. I had been selected to attend!

I may have jumped up and down, which made my daughters smile indulgently at their mother.

The timing feels so profound because this writing retreat takes place about a week before my fortieth birthday.

I am not giving up writing. My daughters deserve to see their mother persevere despite setbacks, and I love the power of story too much to ever throw in the towel.

When I was at Realm Makers, one of the authors who pitched to me told me about this amazing resource. She said it changed her life and gave her clarity on why she writes what she writes. She wasn’t kidding!

I’ve just gone through this free resource and it is pivotal, transformational, and every writer needs to utilize this key. unlockyourstory.org

Do this. I’m not playing.

It starts simply: You enter a few of your favorite movies and characters and then the narrative is built from there. You begin to see themes emerge and you’ll see a thread and some reasons why you are drawn to certain stories. It moves on to books you’ve read and the narrative grows.

WOW.

This is like sitting next to the a wise mentor who can see into your heart and life. THEN, it goes on to tell you what the opposition is to your gifts and how you can find the way out. It gives you a bridge even if you don’t feel like you can take that first step yet.

Did I tell you to do this? Do it.

This will make you a better writer and a better person. This helps you cut through the noise and make some sense of your life, your writing patterns, and why you are drawn to certain stories over and over again.

And it all starts with just a few movies that you love.

Did I say that this will make you a smarter writer? Do it!

This resource also gives you movie and book recommendations that are in the same vein as your deep themes and calling. I mean — come on!

I want to hear how this goes for you! I am excited to hear what is revealed.

What eureka moments did you have? Please share!

Just a little video of our joy when we got to meet in person. Tamatha is an amazing writer and I’m so happy she’s my client. Her writing is seriously beautiful and her soul is deep and full of joy. If you’re every privileged enough to spend time with her, you’ll come away better!

Here’s her website: https://tamathacain.com

https://www.patreon.com/BrandyVallance/posts/meeting-tamatha-162432539

The venue for the Realm Makers Conference was one of the best I’ve ever seen for a writers conference. Every night they had a light show in the grand lobby. From 5pm – 11pm there was a different one. This one made me forget my worries and I could just be in the moment. You’ll see why. 🙂

https://www.patreon.com/BrandyVallance/posts/whimsy-at-union-162431649?pr=true

Today I had the deep joy of awarding my Fellowship in Book-Length Storytelling to Baird Morgan.

This honor recognizes not just the completion of a full-length manuscript, but the dedication, perseverance, and transformative growth that goes into crafting a story worth telling. Baird has poured his heart into his book, and watching his manuscript evolve has been one of the brightest parts of my mentoring season.

Over the past month, Baird and I met for 11 hours across multiple Zoom sessions. We dove deep into plot architecture, setting that breathes, thematic resonance, rich characterization, and all the nuanced layers that turn a draft into something truly literary. There were breakthroughs, revisions, moments of doubt overcome by clarity, and that beautiful shift when a writer begins to trust their own voice on the page.

Baird showed up consistently, did the hard work, and emerged with a completed manuscript that reflects real narrative mastery. His book, THE ROAD FROM WHITFIELD TO PARCHMAN, is a powerful dramatic work of Southern fiction set in Mississippi between 1957–1972. It’s a gut-wrenching take on standing up against injustice of many kinds—and yes, it made me cry (in the best way possible). I was so touched by one character’s journey (Lutie Bell in Whitfield Asylum) that I bought a Curious George figure to keep in my office as a reminder of her story. You’ll have to read Baird’s book to find out why. 😉

This Fellowship isn’t just a certificate, it’s a public acknowledgment of the artistic commitment it takes to finish something this significant.

I’m so proud of him.

In my own writing life, I know how rare and powerful it is to have someone walk alongside you through the long haul of a book. That’s why I created this Fellowship—to celebrate the writers who do exactly that. The ones who keep showing up, even when it’s hard. Especially when it’s hard.

To every writer reading this (whether you’re querying, revising, or just beginning): your persistence matters. The hours on Zoom, the late-night revisions, the quiet determination to make your story better… it all counts. And it deserves to be honored.

Congratulations, Baird Morgan! You’ve earned this. I can’t wait to see where your story goes next.

With deep gratitude for all of you who support this mentoring work. In every capacity I move—whether as an author, literary agent, or story consultant—honoring writers like Baird fills my cup and reminds me why storytelling matters so much. Thank you for being part of this journey.

Cheering you on,

Brandy Vallance

P.S. If you’re a writer looking for one-on-one guidance on your own book-length project, my calendar has a few spots opening up in the coming weeks. Feel free to reach out—I’d love to be a part of your story too. 💛 https://www.brandyvallance.com/zoom-consultations/

Important note: These Zoom consultations are completely separate, paid services offered only to writers who are not my agency clients. If you are seeking literary representation by me, or hope to query me in the future, please do not book a consultation. Consistent with AALA guidelines, I do not charge clients or potential clients any reading, evaluation, or other fees for services related to literary representation. Additionally, I am unable to represent authors who have received a paid consultation from me. My agency work is compensated solely through standard commission on sales.

However, if you’re not seeking representation and would simply like expert, one-on-one feedback to take your career to the next level, I would love to work with you!

Messages like these always come at just the right time — when I’m discouraged, tired, unsure, overwhelmed, or ready to quit. 😂

I’m posting it here so you’ll know that people will write you like this. You will change so many lives just by not quitting. 💪

Someone will say you are their favorite author. Someone will say your book is the best book you’ve ever read. Someone will say they were going in one direction, and now they’re walking in the other. Some writer will say they study your novel line by line so they can learn from you (happened to me).

Keep going.

Your story is worth it.

You are worth it.

There are people who only you can reach. They are the people of your vineyard (previous Fireside Chat conversation). No one speaks the language of the people who are waiting in your vineyard, but you do. ✍🏻

Yes, it’s hard. Yes, you will have to wade through discouragement. And yes (insert the blank).

But your audience is waiting with open arms.

Go get ‘em tiger! 🐅📚🔥

I’m cheering you on!

A great history lesson here and some great words from Curtis Brown.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZsAH-kIuSX/?igsh=MWNtdXFtMXpkdGF4Zg==

Keep moving forward!

Some quotes to light your way:

Junot Díaz

“A writer is a writer not because she writes well and easily, because she has amazing talent, or because everything she does is golden. A writer is a writer because, even when there is no hope, even when nothing you do shows any sign of promise, you keep writing anyway.” 

Anne Lamott

“I heard a preacher say recently that hope is a revolutionary patience; let me add that so is being a writer. Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: you don’t give up.”

J.K. Rowling

“And so rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.”

Ray Bradbury

“You fail only if you stop writing.”

Richard Bach

“A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.”

Gillian Flynn

“Successful writing is one part inspiration and two parts sheer stubbornness.”

Mary Anne Radmacher

“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’”

Stephen King (from The Shawshank Redemption)

“Remember, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.”

Jodi Picoult

“You can’t edit a blank page.”

Samuel Beckett

“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”

I’m cheering you on!

— Brandy

Happy Father’s Day! I hope you all have a wonderful day today and that you know how loved and important you are.

And if you’re missing your dad today, you’re not alone. I pray you have treasured memories. My dad was one of the funniest people in the world. He was a natural storyteller. He made me believe I could do anything. He also suffered and struggled with alcoholism most of his life. But, oh, the joy and laughter we had! So much of who I am is because of our late night conversations. I miss him. He passed away in 2019 from lung cancer.

For many, this day is hard to talk about. The relationship is complicated. As John Eldridge said in Wild at Heart:

“Every boy, in his journey to become a man, takes an arrow in the center of his heart, in the place of his strength. Because the wound is rarely discussed and even more rarely healed, every man carries a wound. And the wound is nearly always given by his father.”

The father who gave the wound can probably say the same.

John Eldredge continued the conversation in his book Fathered By God:

“You are the son of a kind, strong, and engaged Father, a Father wise enough to guide you in the Way, generous enough to provide for your journey, offering to walk with you every step. This is perhaps the hardest thing for us to believe—really believe, down deep in our hearts, so that it changes us forever, changes the way we approach each day.”

No matter where you’re at in your journey as a father or a son or all the feelings about your father, I hope you take some time today to know that it all matters.

And here’s a book list naming the 100 best fatherhood books of all time. Enjoy!

https://www.shortform.com/best-books/genre/best-fatherhood-books-of-all-time

With much love,

Brandy