Comedy Fiction · Nicolette J. Marks

Little House in the Valley

by Nicolette J. Marks

Little House in the Valley is a bi-monthly released bildungsroman series about a young girl growing up in California’s San Fernando Valley during the 1980s and 90's; a place where ordinary suburban life existed just a few miles from the glittering, impossible world of Hollywood (think awkward prepubescent teenage girl driving past giant splashy billboards of supermodels on her way to school every morning - yeah, brutal). Inspired by the creator’s real-life experiences, with imagined characters and stories woven throughout, the series follows a girl as she grows from childhood into young adulthood, trying to make sense of who she is, where she comes from, and where she might belong in this mess. As a little girl, she is captivated by the wholesome, adventurous world of Little House on the Prairie. She dreams of simple pleasures, open spaces, and a life where love and goodness seem to matter more than money. But her own world is very different. Her family is solid, and caring, but struggle financially while, all around her, she sees the extraordinary wealth, fame, beauty, and ambition of Southern California. Constant exposure to values the world deems important tempts her to dream differently, more extravagantly, and possibly in a way that isn't true to herself. Hollywood is never far away, sometimes literally, and its presence becomes a strange backdrop to an otherwise ordinary childhood. Through schoolyards, family dramas, friendships, first loves, embarrassments, secrets, pop culture, celebrity encounters, and the small triumphs and heartbreaks of growing up, each episode captures another piece of her journey. Funny, tender, nostalgic, and sometimes heartbreaking, Little House in the Valley explores what it means to grow up without much, in a place obsessed with having it all, and how a child’s imagination can become both an escape from reality and the beginning of discovering her own voice. New episodes every week. A true-ish story about growing up when Hollywood was right next door, and nothing was ever quite what it seemed. It's a wild ride. Don't miss it.