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Join Me for Two Dickens Events this Holiday Season
It’s not often you get to attend Dickens-related events, but how wonderful to have two upcoming events within a week of each other! I’m certain these will put us in the Christmas spirit! (And the way the world is at the moment, we need a little Christmas!) My husband and I will be wearing our Dickens-era costumes, and we’re looking forward to meeting people who share our enthusiasm for the season. A DICKENS OF A CHRISTMAS, Sat, Dec 4 CHESTERTOWN, MD, In Chestertown where the slogan is Party like it’s 1843, I’ll be signing and selling books at “A Dickens of a Christmas” on Saturday, December 4, from 10 a.m.…
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Why I Wrote From Humbug to Humble about Ebenezer Scrooge and Upcoming Events
Here is a video that tells you more about my new novella, From Humbug to Humble: The Transformation of Ebenezer Scrooge. The novella is available on Amazon.com, BN.com and exclusively at my local bookstore, Park Books & Literacy Lab. I will also be (along with my husband in Dickens-era costumes) at the annual A Dickens of A Christmas in Chestertown, MD on December 4 in London Row from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. selling my books and handmade book pages wreaths. Hope to see you there! Stephanie
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PUBLICATION DAY for From Humbug to Humble, A Christmas Book to brighten your holidays
Yay!!! I’m so happy today! It’s RELEASE DAY for this little novella and labor of love. My new book, From Humbug to Humble, is on the market. If you love all things SCROOGE, I hope this will make you as happy reading it as it made me writing it. I’ve been feeling a bit “Scroogey” since the summer (only in the best of ways), and I’m thrilled that it’s finally arrived. As always, thank you for your support, for following along on this crazy journey of writing books, and for lifting me up. There are so many people to thank for helping me with this project, so as Scrooge says…
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A Pep Talk on How to Use NaNoWriMo to Your Advantage
Okay, listen up writers. I’m here to kick you into gear. I’m here to tell you it can be done. I’m here to tell you not to give up. November is here, and on this 5th day, let us remember that there are many more days in the month, and they shouldn’t go to waste if you are participating in NaNoWriMo, otherwise known as National Novel Writing Month. Established many years ago, NaNoWriMo was created to encourage writers to complete 50,000 words of a novel or work of nonfiction by November 30. The word count of 50,000 words constitutes a short novel, or approximately 1,660 words a day. I’m here…
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What the Dickens? Book Launch Next Week
Next week, my newest novella entitled FROM HUMBUG TO HUMBLE, will launch! I’m very excited to share this book with you. It was a true labor of love, and I think I’ve been in the Christmas Spirit since the summer when I began this undertaking. The truth is, I’ve loved Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol since I was a little girl. The story of a man being haunted by ghosts in order to warn him about his place among humanity and save him from his selfish ways is one of literature’s most renowned stories. That love of Ebenezer Scrooge and A Christmas Carol led me to fill in the blanks…
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Coming in November
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The Long and Winding Road
Surgery Update I’ll keep this one short. Today marks six weeks post hip replacement surgery. Here’s what I can share about this long and winding road thus far: While my hip seems to be on the mend (only minimal pain and discomfort), my SI joint (sacroilliac joint) has flared up and is causing me more pain than the hip. When I embarked on this journey to replace the hip, I also suffered from back pain, specific to that area where the SI joint sits. If you’re someone who has pain in that joint, hear me clearly: I am extending my deepest empathy and sympathy to you. I know what that…
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ANNA IN TUSCANY: Something new I’ve published
The story I’m sharing with you was written back in May and was intended to be a part of a Valentine’s Day Anthology. As things sometimes happen, the Anthology was nixed, and I was left with a short story without a home. Taking the lead from many of my friends who are writers, I decided to publish it as a stand-alone story in the form of a novelette. It’s called ANNA IN TUSCANY, and is available via Kindle for .99 or Book Funnel for FREE. The links are below. The premise of the story is this: Travel writer Arianna (Anna) Ricci relocates from the United States to Italy for a…
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Three Weeks Post Surgery & A New Travel Piece To Share
UPDATE Just keeping it real today. It’s been three weeks since my surgery, and while I am coming along, this has not been as easy a road for me as it may have been for others. I figured I’m not too proud to share my sassy sock fashion and cane on my blog along with an update. Having experienced back pain and SI-joint pain for years, it was time to try something to alleviate it. So, I had a full hip replacement because it had two tears in the labrum and was riddled with arthritis. I’ve taken time away from the university to heal, as was suggested by my doctor.…
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Juggling Projects & New Author Photo
I’ve been writing books for a while, but I’ve never been writing two novels simultaneously, while also shopping out a completed manuscript (my 6th book, titled The Letters in the Books). I’ve been working all summer on these projects, and it’s taking more discipline than ever as I juggle these three stories. I’m not complaining. I love it. It is so much fun to be able to get lost in storytelling—to invent characters that mirror real life people. Additionally, the two projects I’m working on take place in the past; one in particular is historical fiction. I also just joined BookBub and am about to investigate BookFunnel. Marketing never sleeps…
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Hip, Hip, Hooray: From one Great Birthday Gift to Another, the Annual Birthday Blog Post
I’m not sure last year’s birthday gift of a boat from my husband can be topped, but this year’s birthday gift might come close. I’ll give you some hints: it’s not something you’ll be able to see, but I’ll be able to feel. It’s smaller than a breadbox. It doesn’t come on a keychain or in a small Tiffany box as my birthday gift came last year. And, the gift will be bestowed to me in a building with lots and lots of rooms. You may be getting warm at this point. One more hint: it’s something that only a truly skilled person can give me, and I believe it…
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Baseball Girl Gets a Revamp
There’s still time for a beach read! *** Hi, all! I hope you’re having a good Thursday! I made a little video to offer insight about my novel, Baseball Girl, which may have been the most fun of all my novels to write. I’ve been thinking about this novel a lot lately, and I went back and reread it. It’s chock full of so much “stuff,” so instead of writing about it, I thought I’d just share my thoughts here. The new cover is live on Amazon now. As a funny aside, I have to give special thanks to all the people I met along the way working in the…
