Meet the Author: Vie Herlocker
Over the last twenty years, I’ve had the privilege of meeting some fine people in the writing and publishing business. One of the finest I’ve ever known is Vie Herlocker from Fancy Gap, Virginia. Vie is one of those folks who has such a vibrant personality, you immediately want her to be one of your best friends. She’s witty, kind, and very professional, and she’ll do anything to help any writer be successful in this tough publishing world.
Vie Herlocker is the editor for Sonfire Media, a small Christian publisher in Virginia. Vie also provides freelance editing services through Cornerstone-Ink. Whether she’s editing for Sonfire or Cornerstone-Ink, her mission is the same:
“My desire is to encourage and mentor other writers as they develop the skills needed to answer their call to write. Each manuscript entrusted to me is a gift from God that I nurture with respect for the author and his or her voice, while moving the writing closer to publication quality.”
Vie is also known as Book Mama and her alter ego, Miz Moe. These personas add some fun at workshops where Book Mama is the cookie-
sharing encourager for writers—kind of like their real moms. Meanwhile, Miz Moe (Measley Old Editor), is tough love, pointing out possible red flags to publishers.
Did You Know?
- Vie lives in an RV four months at a time (with her sweet hubby, a goofy dog, an unstable cat, and a bunch of odd ducks).
- She has two fabulous sons and two beautiful daughters-in-law.
- She was a mud and dirt drag racer, winning more trophies than her husband, in the Mid-Atlantic Four-Wheel Drive Association in the late 1970s.
(And I’d give money to see some of those pictures!)
Personal Writing
Vie has published in Guideposts, Angels, Penned from the Heart, Miracles of Forgiveness, Chicken Soup for the Empty Nesters Soul, Mature Living, Church Libraries, and The Christian Communicator. She co-wrote Building Better Schools by Engaging Support Staff and ghostwrote a memoir. But her latest passion is seeing other fine authors have their books in print via the auspices of Sonfire.
The company’s latest works are Handing It Down: Teaching Your Children the Basic Truths of Faith, by Tim and Tami Thurber; With Each Passing Moment: Help and Hope for Caregivers, by Shirley Leonard; and Boundless: Discovering God in Your Eating Disorder, by Ashli Roussel (written when she was nineteen years old!) I was also privileged to have one of my juvenile fiction books published by Sonfire: The Secret of Wolf Canyon, and the company did a beautiful job with that book, of which I’m very proud.
I am also proud to call Vie Herlocker a very dear friend.
Loved the post. Vie sounds like a wonderful editor!
Praise God for editors who are so gifted in their ability to help us writers, (even us older ones).
The things you don’t know when you think you know a person!
I had no idea Vie was a trophy-winning mud and dirt drag racer, but I know she’s a wonderful writer, a caring and careful editor, and an all-around classy lady who adds sparkle, love, and joy wherever she goes.
What a wonderful lady. Thank you for introducing her to us. Will be looking up her material to read.
Thank you all for the kind comments. I love the Christian writing community–a place I’ve made lifetime friends.
I enjoyed reading more about Vie. Yes, she’s a wonderful person — caring and constructive. I highly recommend her as an editor.
A dirt drag racer? Wow! Tell us more, Vie! (Sorry about the exclamation marks. Just couldn’t help myself!)
Miz Moe is Vie’s alter ego, and Book Mama is Vie’s alter-alter ego. I really enjoyed having her as an editor. Her contributions made Concept to Contract a much better book.
It’s not possible to say too many nice things about Vie. She’s one of God’s best gifts to writers and her sparkle has blessed all who’ve met her. She’s tough when she needs to be and her toughness makes a manuscript so much better. Then her tender heart hugs any daffy duck and encourages the best work to shine brighter. Always, her focus is to make Jesus real to the reader. I thank God for Vie.