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Show THE Page 8 OGDEN VALLEY NEWS Volume XI_ Issue XII April 1, 2005 Local Writer’s Work Wendy Toliver is a tall young woman with long blond hair and smoky blue eyes and an endearing, sparkling personality. When one reads Wendy’s finished manuscripts “Strappy Sandals” and “Flip Flops,” you get the feeling that the heroine Clara has a lot in common with her creator. One can see Wendy’s personality mirrored in the fictional Clara. Wendy and her husband Matt, along with their two young sons Miller and Collin, have lived in Eden for two and a half years. They state that they love living in the Valley. Wendy Tolliver of Eden. Wendy says she cannot remember when she consciously made the decision that she wanted to be a writer. “Some writers,” Wendy says, “have the coolest ‘Ah-ha!’ moment that they remember as the instant when they decided to become a writer. I honestly think that I’ve been a writer since Kindergarten.” But there was a defining moment for Wendy when she realized that writing would definitely be in her future. This revelation came much later in her life when the dean— Dr. Ann Gill—of told her, “You have you want and to be write, you will do the college she attended the ability to do anything a success, but if you don’t the world a great disserv- ice.” Wendy feels that was the proverbial turning point in her life. “To me, Dr. Gill’s statement was a validation of my writing abilit Wendy smiles as she thinks back to her college education at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. ss graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communication/Broadcast. “I was actually trained to be a news anchor!” While in school, Wendy studied and worked in journalistic reporting and copywriting. When she graduated she wanted to be a copywriter for an ad agency, but took a job in the computer department to get her foot in the door. Toliver says she was paid very well and actually enjoyed being a “computer geek,” but still wanted to work as a copywriter. For many years she did freelance copywriting doing promotional and magazine ads for other agencies. During that time, Chapelle Ltd. of Ogden heard about how well Wendy wrote and hired her. She was part of a “package deal.” Chapelle got the writer and the photographer and also asked Wendy to research a couple of new books. When Chapelle got all of this together—the writing, research, and photography—they sent the whole “package” off to New York to Sterling Publishers. That’s how Wendy’s quote book, “The Little Giant Encyclopedia of Inspirational Quotations,” published in 2004, and “The Little Giant Encyclopedia of Wedding Etiquette,” published in 2003 came to be. Wendy sees her non-fiction books as steppingstones to real ssion— women’s fiction. She only started writing women’s fiction after she wrote several children’s books that weren’t so successful. “I kept on hitting brick walls. Looking back now, I recognize my mistakes.” But about two years ago, Wendy came to a realization. She loved to read funny and unpredictable novels with a heroine who showed personal growth through it all. And she loved it when the heroine was “real” and showed some style. That wa when Wendy decided to write something that embodied all of that. a By Drienie Hattingh Published But still she hesitated—the real inspiration wasn’t therey Then she and her brother were invited by her cousin Richard Raddon to the Los Angeles Film Festival; Raddon is the director of this event. As Wendy walked down the so-called “red carpet” and brushed shoulders with the rich and famous, she says inspiration came like a giant wave. Wendy came back from that weekend and sat down and wrote she wears—strappy sandals, flip flops, and, eventually, Keds This time around, “Wendy went about it in all the right ways; she joined Romance Writers of America, did her research, decided on her genre, determined her market, and joined the Eden Writer’s Circle from Ogden Valley. After completing her first novel, Wendy began sending out query letters— lots of them—and she started receiving rejection letters... But she not only got rejection letters, she finally began receiving positive feedback from agents too. They made suggestions on how to improve her work. Then one of her favorite agents contacted her. Within a week, _, Wendy signed her first contract. “An says Wendy with a huge smile, “It wasn’t just an agent—it was an agent Wendy Tolliver , “The Little Giant Encyclopedia of Wedding Etiquette,” published in 2003 and “The Little Giant Encyclopedia of Inspirational Quotations.” “Strappy Sandals.” “It just oozed out of me,” she remembers in awe. For weeks she lived, breathed, and dreamt it; and, like the rest of the characters, Clara became a real person. The first draft of “Strappy Sandals” was completed in a month now, Clara had become so real t Wendy that she did not want to just let sige go. After writing‘“Strappy Sandals” an idea started forming. “What if I write a series with Clara going from one stage in a woman’s life to the next; from a young, career conscious newly married young woman wearing strappy sandals, to flipflops when she gets pregnant, and, finally, to sensible Keds when she becomes a taxi mom chauffeuring kids to and from school and other activities. And the idea was born—a series of three books that mark a woman’s passage through life by the shoes from New York, New York! Wendy’s agent also asked for the second completed manuscript “Flip Flops.” He had suggestions that Wendy incorporated. The agent then sent Wendy’s manuscripts off to be read by four possible publishers who specialize in “ChickLit’—the genre of Wendy’s novels. Wendy’s agent tells her that it looks very promising. Wendy already knows who she is going to dedicate her very first novel to. “That person is my hero, or rather heroine, my inspiration and biggest fan—my mother Lynn Gray. She has always been there for me sharing in my dream of becoming a writer. She has edited my work and read every single thing that i ever written. 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