Today we’d like to introduce you to Monica Valentinelli

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?

I often joke how my career is a tangled ball of yarn. I started writing from a young age, and always knew I wanted to attend university to hone those skills. I was very lucky to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in English with a Creative Writing Emphasis at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, because I had the opportunity to choose many of my own courses. Even then, I poked at the edges of what my future might hold, without really understanding what it means to be a full-time writer and artist. After graduating, I drifted a bit, because I didn’t know how to connect the “writing” piece with the “career” component. It was interesting to navigate, especially growing up in a blue-collar household. Then, I met the love of my life who encouraged me to submit to open calls in the gaming industry in 2003 or so. An unspeakably kind and positive cheerleader is exactly what I needed–both open calls generated assignments; my first game assignment was completed in 2005 for Noumenon, a roleplaying game inspired by Franz Kafka’s “Metamorphosis”. In that same year, I’d also won an honorable mention in a Mirrormask fiction competition for “Prey,” a piece written from a hawk’s perspective about a necromancer performing a ritual in a graveyard.

Since that time, I’ve won and have been nominated for several awards, published dozens of games, stories, and essays as well as reference books and other paraphenalia. Now? Now, I’m focusing on what brings me joy.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?

My career has been a tangled ball of yarn with several personal and professional knots. The best way I can describe it, is that I pursue a thing, make a plan, and then voila! I’m in a network of caves underneath Bowie’s labyrinth, and suddenly a stern voice shouts: “Don’t go that way.” Or, “Turn back!” Add massive shifts in funding, politics, technology, etc. Yeah, tangled ball of yarn.

The kicker is that I don’t know a single creator whose career has been smooth. Change and setbacks are guaranteed. What matters most is whether or not you’re persistent.

A more recent struggle I’ve encountered is with respect to social media; it is not my preferred method of communication or contact. I love staying in touch with people, but when you’re a creator who manages your own profiles, it’s more challenging to manage. Anyone who makes something professionally, whether that’s a game or novel or digital painting or what-have-you, runs into issues and questions simply because our accounts relay our personal and professional side.

I’ve tried and tested many, different platforms and I’ve found that social media is not as effective for me as other forms of marketing. I’m much more interested in connecting with people, rather than profiles, and that’s where I feel I shine.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?

I’m an award-winning writer and narrative designer whose books, stories, articles, and games span multiple worlds that include: World of Darkness, Chronicles of Darkness, Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, TORG: Eternity, Cyberpunk RED, Robert E. Howard’s Conan, Pacific Rim, Shadowrun, Firefly, Lovecraft, and others. My career, up until this point, has primarily been about writing in other people’s sandboxes and worlds. As I look ahead, I’m diving into my creator-owned properties while seeking collaborative opportunities.

What sets me apart is that I know myself well, what I want to say, and where the opportunities for narrative growth are. The Great Pause gave me an opportunity to reflect on the lessons I’ve learned thus far, and incorporate that wisdom. Whomever I work with benefits from that effort; the work I’ve done to be more well-rounded, balanced, and collaborative.

If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?

Adaptability. For example, I always find solutions to complete projects without sacrificing quality if the budget is tight. An example of this was something that happened when I was managing and writing for the Firefly Roleplaying game line. As the line progressed, the art budget was smaller than what we had on the corebook. I’d suggested that we create in-universe ads to reflect the setting, provide a little detail, and retain the setting’s feel.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.booksofm.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/booksofm
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/booksofm
• Twitter: https://x.com/booksofm
• Other: https://ko-fi.com/A527F5H