Welcome to Soft&Strong—now the home of the Before-the-Book Club.
This isn’t your average Substack.
It’s a behind-the-scenes space where I write, reflect, and unravel the journey of a novel in progress, a story about women’s bodies, shame, desire, and the quiet rebellion of becoming unapologetically yourself.
About me
I’m Valerie, a recovering workaholic, entrepreneur, budding novelist, nature devotee by birth, and dog mom by choice. I live between the mountains and the sea in Portugal, and I write in English, my third language but the one that feels most like home.
For most of my life, I believed strength meant pushing harder. Proving more.
Until I broke.
What followed was a different kind of power, one rooted in softness, sensation, and the courage to be seen in my raw, messy truth.
This space is a continuation of that journey.
About the book
The novel I’m writing follows a woman in her mid-thirties: a successful career type who begins to unravel when she starts saying yes to parts of herself she’s kept hidden: her erotic self, her longings, her wildness.
It’s a story about cultural judgment and inner guilt, ultimately learning that true liberation isn’t career or independence alone, but the courage to embrace your true self without apology.
If you’ve ever felt torn between your ambition and your desires... this book is for you.
What to Expect
Here on soft&strong, I’ll share:
Voice notes and drafts from the writing cave
Behind-the-scenes thoughts on shame, sex, power, and story
Invitations to read, reflect, or even proof early pages
Occasional personal musings on being a woman, a writer, and a messy human
This is not a polished newsletter.
This is a living process.
A love letter to the women who were told to stay small.
And an experiment in letting softness and strength co-exist—on the page, and in life.
If you're into that… subscribe below. I’d love to have you in the room while this book is being born.
x
Valerie
