Name: Genevieve Pearson
Age: 29
Online Alias: Vivinthevalley
Social Links:
Personal Site: http://www.genevievepearson.com
Facebook: /genevievepearsonwriter
Twitter: /vivinthevalley
Bio:
Born and raised in Tacoma, Washington, Genevieve is the youngest of four children, with three older brothers. After graduating high school, she attended college at the University of Southern California, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Cinema Production and a Bachelor of Science in Business Management.

After graduation, she continued to pursue her dream of becoming a writer and now has three books out, Chasing Power, Revelations – Song of the Silvertongue 1 and Genesis – Song of the Silvertongue 2.

What makes you a Nerd / Geek?
Oh goodness, where to start?
I’ve collected Batman my entire life, focusing on the DC Animated Universe created by Bruce Timm and Paul Dini. I have every Batman: The Animated Series toy, for example, and lots of memorabilia. That’s my geeky aspect.
What makes me a nerd is I love learning. Perhaps because I was homeschooled (from second through eighth grade) I’ve always been excited about learning and being self-taught. I have always been into reading fantasy and science fiction, and started writing superhero stories from a young age, including writing Batman and Star Wars fan fiction. Currently, I write young adult novels and also work on math study guides for a test prep company.

What did you think of your co-contestants and NERDVANA?
They are my people!
Seriously, it was great seeing so many people with my interests in the same place outside of the internet. Most notably, it was the first time I’d really encountered women who had the same interests as I did, and that was great. I was excited to make friends.
NERDVANA was awesome. So many games and toys! I loved the hobby areas, where you could just play and build things to your heart’s content. In real life that stuff is so expensive, but in Nerdvana we had everything necessary to explore the builder aspects of our personalities.

How did you find out you were to be a contestant, and what did you do when you found out?
I had a very long audition process. I think I sent my original audition in fall of 2011. Then every few months, just as I was losing hope, I’d get an email saying I was still a finalist, I was still in the running, until finally I got a note that I was in the final group of finalists.
When we came to the hotel, I only knew I was still a finalist. I had no clue if I would be on the show or not. After a long day (or was it two?) of interviews and promos, I was happy to be sitting in my PJs, watching the Shawkshank Redemption, when there was a knock on the door. It was one of the producers, there to tell me I’d made it on the show. I was so excited I just did the proto-typical girl and went full-on dolphin with the happy clapping.

What will you do if you win the $100,000?
If I win the $100,000, I’ll invest part in the stock market and part in a down payment on a home.

What got you into your niche?
When I was three I had hand-me-down Superman pjs from my brother. I wore them to death and decided I was Supergirl and that Superman was my cousin. I became convinced I would grow up to have superpowers, and Superman was one of my two imaginary friends. Around six, one of my brothers told me that Superman wasn’t real, and I would never have superpowers. I was devastated. Then, one day, I was flipping around TV and caught an episode of Batman: The Animated Series (“Appointment ta Crime Alley”). Batman fascinated me. He had no innate powers, he wasn’t an alien, but he was still a superhero based on his own innate abilities.
From that moment on, I loved Batman. I became interested in superheroes again and started writing my own superhero stories, which I’ve been doing in some way, shape or form ever since.

Has the show increased your following?
Oh, yes! By the end of the first episode, I had double the Twitter followers I’d originally had. Of course, I’d only had about 80 followers to begin with so that was pretty easy. But my followers have been increasing steadily ever since. I’m about to break 500 now. I feel really happy that there are people connecting with my persona on the show.

What do you want to come from being on the show?
I want young women to see that you can have interests outside of the norm and still be successful as an adult. Just because you like Batman doesn’t mean you can’t also like fashion. Just because you like math and science doesn’t mean you also can’t enjoy sports.

I think young women especially are discouraged from having hobbies or interests outside of what’s expected at a young age and it’s really sad. I’ve overheard a mom say to her daughter, when the daughter picked up a LEGO set, “You don’t want that. You’re too old for toys! Let’s go buy you some makeup instead.” It breaks my heart how often I see young girls actively discouraged from having interests beyond boys, clothes and make-up by their parents, teachers, and peers. I hope that by seeing this show, young women and adults alike see that it’s okay for girls to like things outside of the norm, that hobbies make for a happier and more fulfilling life, and that peer acceptance isn’t worth changing who you are.

What would you like to tell our readers?

Embrace who you are! Find what makes you happy and stick with it. Everyone should have a hobby. Also, if math is too hard, it’s probably because your text-book stinks. Try finding a new one.

Oh, and my books are “Revelations – Song of the SIlvertongue” and “Chasing Power,” available on Amazon and Barnes and Nobles.