Love Letter to Readers
For 14 years , while holding down other jobs , raising her son , Hardey graduate Hank H ’ 19 , with her husband , Jorge , and reflecting on her upbringing in West Texas , Elizabeth Wetmore found time to write , rewrite and publish her first book “ Valentine .” Ms . Wetmore ’ s debut novel , which was released amid a global pandemic and without a traditional book tour , became a New York Times bestseller and was chosen for the “ Today Show ” book club . Sacred Heart ’ s alums and friends discussed the novel , and numerous fans from West Texas have reached out to her , thrilled to read a book about their part of the world . She is most happy , however , that through this extensive writing process , she fell in love with the place where she grew up .
She advises all young writers to write as much as they can , and that older writers — like herself — should never give up on their dreams of telling their stories .
Set in 1976 in a West Texas oil town , “ Valentine ” explores the daily life struggles of various mothers , daughters and friends . A self-identified eavesdropper of her mother and her friends while she was growing up , Ms . Wetmore bases the places and characters on those in her own life in Odessa . Her research entailed taking numerous trips back home , driving her sister ’ s pickup around oil patches , and reading old local newspapers . Instead of seeing the familiar land as barren and lonely , Ms . Wetmore found the place she left at age 18 austere ; she reveled in the never-ending skies and solitude . Her beautiful writing captures the splendor of the land , as well as the complexity of the women who survive — sometimes against all odds — in an area where their options for employment and higher education are limited . Ms . Wetmore shared that one of her favorite aspects of writing is “ being alone with the characters , breathing life into them and their stories .” Often reading aloud to herself while writing , Ms . Wetmore sets each chapter from the point of view of a different character , each with her own unique voice and perspective .
In the nearly 35 years since she first left Odessa , Ms . Wetmore has witnessed her hometown evolve but also stay the same . Women continue to have few choices for employment and education and tend to make far less than the men who work the oil fields . While racism and xenophobia are still present in that area , Ms . Wetmore is heartened to observe a growth in activism and social justice . There is an increased awareness of the environmental impacts of oil drilling and fracking , which destroy the natural beauty of that area known as Permian Basin . Ms . Wetmore hopes that the popularity of her novel will lead to a greater interest in saving this precious land .
Ms . Wetmore also believes , as the character Corrine in “ Valentine ” states , that stories can save a life . While this book is certainly a love letter to Texas , it is also a love letter to books and their readers . A favorite part of Ms . Wetmore ’ s childhood was visiting the BookMobile at the end of her street and reading about all the places in the world outside of West Texas . Propelled by her love of stories and a passion for writing , Ms . Wetmore clung to her desire to bring her beloved “ Valentine ” characters to life . She advises all young writers to write as much as they can , and that older writers — like herself — should never give up on their dreams of telling their stories .
For more infomation , visit her website at : https :// www . elizabethwetmore . com
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