news & events
2nd PICTURE BOOK RELEASE!
Sweet Dream, Princess is now available on Amazon in print and ebook (and soon everywhere else). It has the same awesome illustrator, and Marcy is just the cutest grumpy character ever!
Bedtime stories that are about bedtime is not all I have in the works for picture books–it’s just that these first two happen to feature kids who don’t want to go to bed. (See my note below about After Bedtime.)
Link: https://www.amazon.com/Sweet-Dreams-Princess-Valerie-Ipson/dp/0986424692/ref
NEW RELEASE!
My first ever picture book, titled AFTER BEDTIME, is now available in print and Kindle version on Amazon! This has been a long time coming…I think I wrote the story in the late 90’s when I was still in the throes of having to put kids to bed every night. Shout out to my husband and children who encouraged me and my incredible illustrator, Kevin Mura, who brought it to life!
Here’s the link: https://www.amazon.com/After-Bedtime-Valerie-Ipson/dp/0986424676/ref=sr_1_1?
DECEMBER 2020
I was asked to be a guest columnist for the Arizona Beehive newspaper (my old alma mater so to speak) for their holiday issue. I’m sure you’ll see as you read it that it was very difficult as well as cathartic to write.
FIND IT HERE:
https://arizonabeehive.com/life-beyond-death-facing-the-holidays-after-the-loss-of-a-loved-one/
ANNOUNCEMENT
Due to the unexpected death of my dear husband, my Writer in Residence-y has been discontinued at this time so I can focus elsewhere. Admittedly, the pandemic played a big part in my decision since it was already affecting what could and could not be done. I appreciate Vicki, Stephanie, Megan, and the rest of the staff at the Apache Junction Library. They have been so supportive during all of this. I hope to return at a later date, either in the same role or as a presenter of several standalone programs. Hope to see you then!
Support your local library!
Beginning July 1, 2020 I am the
WRITER IN RESIDENCE
at the Apache Junction Public Library!
I will presenting virtual programs and offering free consulting on writing topics.
For more info follow the link:
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AUTHOR EVENT/May 2, 2019
Spent a fabulous day with students at American Leadership Academy in Gilbert, AZ! It’s a dream come true to discuss Ideal High and writing with teenagers–my actual target audience. HUGE thanks to Mrs. Wilcock’s Sophomore English classes & Mrs. Gratz’s Creative Writing classes!
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The Publisher’s Weekly Booklife review of Christmas Future has posted!
Ipson (Ideal High) switches from YA to adult (but very teen-friendly) romance with this modern retelling of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, a charming sweet contemporary about a somewhat Scrooge-like PR pro and a bighearted doctor. After Scarlett Ambrose’s business partner cleans out their joint business account for a lavish honeymoon, Scarlett accepts a PR gig that takes her from sunny Phoenix, Ariz., to snowy Anchorage, Alaska, where she’s assigned to advertise the Final Frontier as being packed with Christmas spirit. Compassionate physician Gil Pennington, fresh off a stint serving the underprivileged in Riverside, Calif., is in Alaska to clean out the office of his late father, a professor and Dickens expert. Both Gil and Scarlett are engaged to others when they meet, but the immediate spark between them leaves them unsure of their previously planned futures. Chaste text flirting ensues, as do innocent embraces on the aptly named Mistletoe Drive. Scarlett and Gil’s speedy romance is devoid of explicit sex but loaded with longing, sweet kisses, and hand-holding. There’s also an extensive array of quirky supporting characters. Readers who love squeaky-clean romance will find this tale irresistible. (BookLife)
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ANNOUNCEMENT!
Narrator Denise Black has been selected to read Christmas Future, and she’s fabulous!
Hope to release the audiobook this summer. Maybe a little Christmas in July!
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IDEAL HIGH NOW AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIOBOOK!
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Ideal High RECEIVES PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY REVIEW
THRU their BOOKLIFE site!
First-time author Ipson weaves a suspenseful mystery about the deaths of several students from a West Texas high school in a fire, an “after-party gone wrong.” One week before the new school year begins, an angry intruder comes on stage at the school memorial service and insists that his brother also died in the fire, even though the boy’s name isn’t mentioned. Though the fire is initially ruled an accident, emerging details and rumors about the night it broke out collide with the harsh realities of life at Ideal High. Ipson deftly tackles universal themes of bullying, alienation, loss, and renewed hope as senior Taryn Young must decide if, as student body president and fire survivor, she can pick up where “good guy” Blake Montgomery left off and bring about positive change at the school. Smart, quick-witted, and open-minded, Taryn is an easy protagonist to root for. Occasional extraneous scenes and details can be distracting at times, but overall Ipson delivers a gripping story about self-discovery, growth, and overcoming tragedy. Ages 12–up. (BookLife)
http://booklife.com/project/ideal-high-18906
Keep on writing and chgigung away!