Valarie was born in Camden, South Carolina, a city located in Kershaw County, South Carolina, in the United States. She began her journey in the entertainment industry by studying and working in New York, where she honed her skills through various acting roles, national and international commercials, and exercising horses, all while pursuing her passion for writing.
As she continued to grow as a writer, Valarie's first original screenplay, Hush, caught the attention of renowned filmmaker Rob Reiner, who was impressed by her talent and provided her with opportunities to work with him. This led to her being introduced to Castle Rock Entertainment by Bill Badalato and Rick Montgomery, who were impressed by her script and saw great potential in her work.
Valarie's next project, Have Mercy, was also met with success, as it was optioned by Barry Spikings at Castle Rock Entertainment, with Shirley MacLaine set to star and Peter Bogdanovich to direct. The script was later optioned by Lloyd Phillips and Beau St. Clair at MGM and Sony Pictures, with Kathy Bates set to direct.
In addition to her work in film, Valarie also wrote the screenplay for Virginia's Run, a story based on her own horse-obsessed youth and titled in honor of her maternal grandmother. The film was shot in Nova Scotia and received the 2002 Crystal Heart Award for Best Dramatic Feature Film.
Valarie's adaptability and talent also led her to be hired by Disney Pictures and Shoelace Productions to adapt two novels by autistic author Donna Williams into a screenplay titled Nobody Nowhere for Julia Roberts. Donna Williams herself participated as a producer during Valarie's employment on the project.
Valarie's work in television also includes adapting the Joyce Carol Oates play, The Eclipse, into a television screenplay for producers Bela Bajaria at CBS and Shanna Nussbaum with Cosmic Entertainment. She was also hired by Catch 23 Entertainment to write an original screenplay for Salma Hayek.
Despite her success in the entertainment industry, Valarie's main focus has been on education. She optioned her latest project, Writer Warriors, through CBS, which takes a stern look at government involvement in education in the Deep South.
Today, Valarie lives in both California and South Carolina, where she continues to write for television and film, using her talents to make a positive impact on the world.
