About - A Place like this

Welcome to A Place Like This!

I’m Valarie and I am committed to Improving Life through “People/Planet Relations.”

Whether it’s via the books I Write and Publish, building Labyrinths and Secret Gardens all over the World, living in a world of sound as a composer, musician and sound practitioner, or immersing myself in Urban Exploring and Global Wandering, my ultimate Goal is to share the Beauty and Wonder of the World we live in with Like-Minded people.

As a Business Woman, Mother, Author, Publisher, Musician, Teacher, World Traveler and Explorer of Ancient Ruins and mystical places as well as being a complete Yarn Harlot, my mission for the Second Half of life is to share my Perspectives and Insights with fellow Roamers, Students of Life and Renaissance Women.

So Welcome! Have a look around, find a few Adventures, and Discover exciting inspirations. I am so Glad you are Here.

What I Do:

Audrey Press:

Since 2010 we’ve created books for children, parents, families, and schools that inspire. Using beauty as our first ingredient, we plant the seeds of adventure, imagination, exploration, learning, and discovery. Our vision is of a world filled with inspired reading based on the compelling truth that curiosity and discovery are two of our greatest life skills. We are dedicated to creating beautiful books which inspire children, families, schools, and communities to experience, discover, and create a lifelong love of reading and exploring. Through the pages of our books, Audrey Press encourages others to Connect, Inspire, Teach, and Grow. www.audreypress.com

Jump into a Book:

Jump into a Book is a site about the love of children’s books and how we can incorporate them into our everyday lives through play, crafting, cooking, movies, games, traveling and author visits. A few times a week we post extension activities to go with our selected reads. Here we celebrate the joy of bringing our books alive and experiencing them first hand. When one has lived inside the pages of a book, the memories created to become part of one’s childhood, family, and school life. Please come and visit us at Jump into a Book for thousands of creative ideas around books, stories, and reading. www.jumpintoabook.com

Multicultural Children’s Book Day:

Audrey Press founder Valarie Budayr and Mia Wenjen from Pragmatic Mom, teamed up to create a much needed national event. On the last Friday of every January, Jump into a Book and Pragmatic Mom celebrate diversity in children’s books via their event Multicultural Children’s Book Day.

Despite census data that shows 37% of the US population consists of people of color, only 10% of children’s books published have diversity content. Multicultural Children’s Book Day has a mission to change all of that. We not only want to raise awareness for the kid’s books that celebrate diversity but to get more of these types of books into classrooms and libraries. To learn more about our national celebration please visit www.multiculturalchildrensbookday.com.

Aletha Press:

Aletha Press is the new YA imprint of Audrey Press. Not only is it’s book titles for YA readers they are written by authors aged 16-26. Aletha is the Greek word for truth. We want to give voice to the young writers of this generation. The first release from Aletha Press was in August 2016 from author Hannah Rials. The second book in the Ascension trilogy, Clandestine, is due to be released in July of 2018. Learn more about the YA thriller/romance, Clandestine, here.