Val Dumond

Author

Publisher

Editor

Consultant

About Val Dumond

A writer from the very beginning, Val Dumond started putting booklets together back in the second grade. By the fourth grade she was keeping diaries - a habit that she continues today with dream journals and daily notes.

Val smelled printer's ink in high school while editing the school newspaper and yearbook, then spent three years as Women's Page Editor and reporter for the Daily Jefferson County Union, her hometown newspaper. "A great journalism education with a private tutor (editor)!" She then spent four years writing for other newspaper chains in Ohio and Maryland, moving into the editor's chair and having a heckofa lot of fun.

Love, marriage and motherhood intervened for a twenty-year period basking in Florida sunshine. In 1974 Val returned to school to complete her education and move to the Pacific Northwest. Here she worked at odd jobs for a couple years until she returned to writing for a living. She directed an in-house advertising agency for a major savings and loan. Here she learned the basics of marketing by writing ads for newspapers, television and radio. When the S & Ls went topside in 1981, Val struck out on her own - teaching writing to business people and college students and writing for herself.

Such fun - doing what you love best all day long. She struck gold in 1989 at a session of the Pacific Northwest Writers Association when she met her agent and looked forward to publishing her first book with a major press, Elements of Nonsexist Usage (Prentice Hall). This was followed by her Grammar For Grownups (HarperCollins) and Val felt, at last, like an author.

An appreciation of history led to writing three memoirs for her family. A love affair with the Northwest led to writing books about history that began with the 100-year history of the Puyallup Fair, a coffee table book entitled Doin' The Puyallup. Rachael Costner, of Sands Costner & Associates, designed the book and since has designed covers for several of Val's books.

Val's history books include:

• An Airport For Tacoma and From the Beginning
• History of the Tacoma/Pierce County Bar Association (written with Patrick Steele)
• Olympia Coloring Book
• Steilacoom's Church.

She also has written many articles about business history for publications that include The News Tribune (Tacoma), Pierce County Business Examiner, Kitsap Business Journal, Washington CEO, Pierce County Woman and Washington Woman News.

Other books followed, along with a healthy career editing books and helping other writers get into print. When Muddy Puddle took off, Val was in the middle of a group of the most dynamic writers she had ever encountered - the Writers Roundtable (first of Lakewood, then Tacoma). She led the group from 1996 to 2004, offering consultation, guest speakers, panel discussions on topics for writers.

What other things grab Val's interest?

• Girl Scouts: Val is a lifetime member of Girl Scouts, has chaired the Women of Distinction Luncheon in Tacoma for the past 14 years, and serves on the Pacific Peaks Council's Fund Development Committee.
• Seattle Free Lances: Val is vice president, co-program chair for SFL, and publishes the monthly newsletter.

Retirement isn't a word that Val uses often (usually to put off somebody) because she doesn't consider what she does as work to be retired from. "Writing is as much a part of me as breathing."

What is left to write about? Oh, you wouldn't believe the books that have been started, outlined, and filed for someday. She can't count the number of short stories that have been written down, saved and filed for someday. There is at least one more epic-kind-of-novel in the works and possibly another book about words.