Hello ladies of She Writes! I've been quietly lurking around She Writes since June 2010, although I know I haven't been using it enough. (I wish there was a way to have my RSS feed post blog entries from my site onto She Writes automatically. Is there?)

My first novel, The Silence of Trees, was published in October 2010 by Wolfsword Press (a small nonprofit press), but it's been doing really well (in print, and especially on kindle!) It was in the Top 100 Bestselling Kindle books in November, and it's been in the Top 10 for historical and literary fiction for the last several months!

I uploaded a video reading the first chapter if you're curious. Check in my She Writes videos.

I just helped to organize the second induction ceremony for the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame in November, so I'm happy to turn my attention back to my own writing for the end of the year.

I just finished my second novel, this time for YA/Middle Grade readers (although truthfully, I hope it also appeals to adults). I have a comic coming out in Summer 2012 called Sticks and Bones that was funded by Kickstarter. You can read the updates on the site for information about our creative process. In 2012, I'll be involved in an Art Book called The Artist Zoo. (More on that soon!)

2011 was a busy but productive year, and I'm looking forward to new projects in 2012! 

Here's a hello from me and my other ongoing creative project--my kids! 

Also feel free to follow me on Twitter: I'm @Valya