Today we’d like to introduce you to Valerie McPherson.
Valerie, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
As a first-generation college student, I knew I wanted to impact people’s lives as much as I can, whether that was for one or one hundred people. So I went into the field of Sociology. I knew this major would allow me to go into various career paths that would enable me to help other people. While in college, I was in multiple organizations, and I wrote for an online platform in which I discussed various issues. Most of which were about dating. I constantly received messages from people on social media about their inspiration gained from my pieces and how they truly were provided with information and stories they could relate to. At that point, I knew I was impacting people’s lives with my writing by just telling my story.
I never really considered myself a writer; in fact, I thought I was poor at it. But when the opportunity to write a book came along, I just knew I could not pass that up. I was told to write about something I am passionate about. Something that would influence people’s lives.
As a senior in college, I didn’t think I would be able to write a book and juggle everything else, but I was up for the challenge. When thinking about the topic I wanted to write about, I thought of everything I advocated for. I advocated for those hard to open up matters. Matters about sex, gender, and inequality.
So I decided to write about college hookup culture. It was a topic I could relate to. A topic many of my peers could relate to as well. And it was a topic people shyed away from or had a bad view on. I wanted to change that negative stigma. Because I believe individuals should be allowed to explore their desires and I believe no person should be ashamed for doing so. I wanted to share these stories to inspire, educate and understand other people, so that is how Smart Swipe came along.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Defentially not. I am Mexican-American and I am the first in my family even to graduate high school. The first to finish college and the first to go to Grad school. Being a first-generation in these marks of life comes with an immense amount of pressure to be placed on my shoulders. So I had to learn to balance my social, work and academic experience, otherwise, I was going to drive myself insane.
On top of the classes and being a peer mentor, I had to also make sure I was doing okay. There were a lot of family issues happening and I was trying not to let that drag me down and put me in a rut. But it was hard because I was constantly trying to be everything to everyone.
A lot of doubt stemmed from the cloud of what if’s. Which I had to transform into taking actions. Writing this book was one action that was needed to mark a permanent mark in this world. I want people to read it and feel connected. I want them to learn something in the end.
Otherwise, what was the point? It’s a matter that is often neglected and a matter harshly judged. But I knew it is a matter of people need to feel comfortable listening to the other side. While writing this book, I got frustrated. I wanted to quit it and just go about college like most. But I knew it was a piece of work that needed to be out in the world, because if I did not write about it, how long until someone does?
Please tell us about Author of Smart Swipe.
In February, my book Smart Swipe: An Exploration of College Hookup Culture will be available to the public. Smart Swipe uses stories from real college students as well as my own stories to explore college hookup culture. This book offers a venue for students to turn to if they are feeling shameful, guilty, and unsafe about hooking up in college. Smart Swipe is a non-fiction book that speaks to college students and even parents who are looking at the phenomenon of sex on college campuses and so-called dating apps for the first time.
In this book, I offer tips on how to be safe while taking part in this culture and what it means to be sex-positive. I have always had a passion for these topics and discussing those hard conversations with others. Despite how hard it may be to speak about, these topics are crucial for growth and the understanding of society. I am proud of this book and those who came out with their stories because they are going to be influencing people more than they ever realized. With this book, I aim to advocate for better sex education and sex-positive mindsets in America.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite childhood memory would be the one where I was with all my siblings. It was a hot summer day and the six of us wanted to go swimming, badly. Yet, our grandfather did not allow us to. Instead, we were told to stay upstairs in the room. As we were putting our feet on the wall and messing with the little toys, we had. My brother had an idea.
As a team, we decided to tie sheets together and throw it across the roof and let that sheet touch the ground. Before you freak out, it was only two stories. We carefully threw pillows out the window just in case we were unable to land on the trash bin safely. One by one, we climbed down our sheet rope and snuck away from the house on the quest to find a pool we could use. We knocked on several people’s doors, asking if they had a pool.
I want you to imagine six kids showing up to your house asking that question. Most of the people declined and had to wonder where our parents were, but we just ran away when they did. I believe someone had given us an inflatable pool. One were we took turns blowing up. So we did, and we had enjoyed that hot summer day, all while grandpa hadn’t noticed we were gone.
Pricing:
- Smart Swipe will .99 cents on the first month of release on Amazon
- Smart Swipe will be around $14.99 for a paperback version on Amazon
Contact Info:
- Email: vmcpher1@my.westga.edu
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valerie_mcpherson/
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