Valerie Diaz is one of the two Valeries in Astrid Maxxim, and therefore supplies one of the running gags.  Valerie is a shy, pretty girl who has strict parents.  Her father is head of Maxxim Industries Security and her mother is one of the few women in the story who are housewives.

I enjoy writing Valerie’s mother, who is one of the few people in the series who doesn’t think that Astrid is perfect.  Like the parents of all the other kids, I plan to flesh her out a little more with each book.