Valerie Yvette Peterson has been writing and storytelling for over thirty-five years. She learned early in her Christian home that love was an action.Throughout her life, she experienced marriage, divorce, and the joys of motherhood. But the greatest relationship that she came to know was her relationship with God.Valerie studied criminology and psychology at Portland State University, where she received her degree. She continues to use these studies as an influence in her work, focusing on the intersections of black life, relationships, and her faith in God.Valerie has three daughters and a granddaughter. She resides in Portland, Oregon.