Stephanie Verni

Author of Contemporary Fiction

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  • About Me
  • PRESS KIT
  • Podcasts from Steph’s Scribe 2020
  • Books I’ve Enjoyed
  • Books I’ve Written

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  • 10 Random Thoughts for the First Friday of the New Year

    January 3, 2020 /

    Hello, there, readers. I haven’t seen you since last year, and you’re looking well! I hope the New Year is good to you. It seems that 2020 has a lot in store for us all… I thought I’d start off today with some random thoughts that I’ve had over the last couple of weeks to both get them off my mind and also keep this blog post moving along, so here we go… 1-My husband and I watched the film, Yesterday, the other night. I think it’s one of the more clever films of 2019. Fun, different, and creative, whether you like the Beatles or not, you’ll enjoy this tale…

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    Dear Fellow Writers

    March 6, 2020

    Meeting People at Baltimore Book Festival

    September 28, 2015

    Let Scrooge In This Holiday Season

    December 3, 2015
  • The Merriest Season and a Week of Joy

    December 24, 2019 /

    *** Well, today is Christmas Eve. It’s the day we’ve all been waiting for here at the Verni household. This year, we are hosting both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and then we are heading to my parents’ house the day after Christmas for a celebration with my brother and his family. Three days of family and celebration = good times in our books. We’ve been lucky enough to continue a lot of our traditions this year, including the following: We cut down our Christmas Tree at Pine Valley Farms the day after Thanksgiving We decorated the house inside and outside for Christmas We took our Christmas Card photo and…

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    FROCKTOBER Week 2 for Ovarian Cancer

    October 18, 2018

    Thank You, Readers! I’m Flattered.

    November 6, 2019

    When You Quit Something Cold Turkey

    September 28, 2017
  • Corny at Christmas

    December 19, 2018 /

    * Walt Disney was corny. He readily admitted it. And so do I. I am especially corny at Christmas. Let me count the ways. I try to watch every damn Hallmark Christmas movie I can. Even though the plots are quite similar, I don’t care. They always remind me of love, forgiveness, and kindness during the holidays. In the film The Holiday, Iris admits to loving “corny” and states she’s “looking for cony in her life.” I watch The Holiday every year. I won’t miss it. I will watch every incarnation of A Christmas Carol I can find, but my all-time two favorites are Scrooge The Musical with Albert Finney…

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    Friday Fiction: A Short About Reincarnation & Love (and in need of feedback)

    April 3, 2020

    Deciding to Be A Hallmark Movie in Annapolis, Not Just Watch One

    December 9, 2018

    Fashion Friday

    January 24, 2020
  • Conversations With My Daughter

    December 14, 2018 /

    Several years ago, I would write posts about conversations I had with my daughter, Ellie, when she was younger. Some of them are hilarious, like when she thought I was actually having breakfast with Michael Buble and when she told me women could be anything they wanted, just not priests. I’ve provided some links to those conversations at the bottom of this post. She’s always had a pretty funny sense of humor and a good wit. She’s also incredibly strong-willed, and has been since the day I gave birth to her, a horror story in itself, because she was a stubborn little thing who didn’t want to pop out and…

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    In Snape and Col. Brandon There Was Committed Love

    January 14, 2016

    Baseball = Love : Reflections on Ripken, Gehrig, and 2131; Baseball Girl Receives an Award; and Thoughts on Moments in Time

    September 1, 2015

    The Loss of George

    July 10, 2020
  • 8 Last Minute Cozy Gift Ideas For That Special Lady

    December 19, 2016 /

    Christmas Day is less than a week away, and if you’re like me, you’ll be shopping your tail off at the malls over the next couple of days to finish up your lists. I’ve put together some last minute gift ideas for your favorite lady–that woman on your list who loves being warm and snug in the colder winter months. I hope these suggestions help round out your shopping list!   Happy shopping, all! xx | Stephanie Verni is the author of Baseball Girl, Beneath the Mimosa Tree, and the co-author of Event Planning: Communicating Theory and Practice.

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    An Easter Contemplation About Grandparents

    April 11, 2020

    Baseball = Love : Reflections on Ripken, Gehrig, and 2131; Baseball Girl Receives an Award; and Thoughts on Moments in Time

    September 1, 2015

    Happy World Book Day

    April 23, 2020
  • Holidays, Miracles, Hallmark & Traditions: A Blogger’s Paradise

    December 4, 2016 /

    Hello, there. You probably thought I fell off the planet because I haven’t been here in a while. It sort of feels that way, at least to me, anyway. I’ve been trying to take some needed time away to clear my head, focus on my teaching, and get ready for the holidays. I’ve also been dealing with a health issue that’s had me a bit sidetracked. It’s not always easy to juggle everything, is it? So often we wonder where time has gone and how we can get more of it to enjoy the things we want to be doing. The truth is, life throws us some curveballs we didn’t…

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    Fiction Friday | A Not-So-Happy Story of Love

    October 22, 2015

    Let’s Do This Thing

    November 1, 2018

    FROCKTOBER Week 2 for Ovarian Cancer

    October 18, 2018
  • All the Best This Holiday Season

    December 24, 2015 /

    I wish I had more time to write a meaningful post, but it’s midnight, and I’m just posting this among all the other chaos that can often become a part of the holidays. I’ve baked my butt off today and wrapped gits, cleaned bathrooms and the kitchen, fixed the lights that went out around my front door and rearranged the fireplace mantle, and our family watched It’s a Wonderful Life before we all started nodding off a couple of hours ago. I’m awake now and everyone else is sleeping. I’m finishing some odds and ends–and I bet so many of you are doing the same. That said, before things become…

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    Podcast 17: The MFA Journey as a Writer (and a teacher of writing)

    May 27, 2020

    Happy Easter!

    April 12, 2020

    The Way the Rain Smells

    February 23, 2016
  • Midnight Madness in Annapolis

    December 11, 2015 /

    Last night was the second of three scheduled Midnight Madness events in historic Annapolis. The city looked beautiful, the weather was mild, and shoppers were scouring stores for holiday treasures. Next week is the last one, so if you live in the area, don’t miss out!  

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    New: Monday Podcasts on Steph’s Scribe to Kick Off Our Writing for 2020

    January 6, 2020

    Please Don’t Squeeze the Charmin or Do Any of THESE Things

    March 20, 2016

    The Madness of Writing a Novel (in my own words)

    July 8, 2020
  • My Holiday Archenemy

    November 29, 2015 /

    It’s Sunday, and a few days ago we all gave thanks. Truly, I am thankful for so many things in life. I’m blessed beyond measure, and as the holiday season calls upon us to be merry and bright, there is one thing that can inevitably turn me into a Grinch or a Scrooge, if only for a few shining moments until the moments pass. Illuminating, yes. Infuriating, maddening, vexing, exasperating…yes to all, as well. Of what do I speak, you may ask? Every year, I vow to tackle this nemesis of mine, and yet, I become lazy and complacent; when the happy season is over, I just want to put…

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    Some Quick Book Recommendations

    March 2, 2016

    Baseball Nostalgia and Baseball Fiction

    May 17, 2020

    In Honor of Teacher Appreciation Week & A Thank You to My Students

    May 6, 2016
  • Booted: The True Story of A Disappointing Christmas

    December 11, 2014 /

    It was Christmas Eve many years ago. My family and I were sitting around a lovely dinner table in Annapolis discussing our most disappointing Christmases ever. My mother recounted her story of when she was a little girl and how tragically disappointed she was to wake up one Christmas morning only to find there was not a pony in her back yard as she expected. Santa had apparently let her down that year and given the pony to someone else. Try as I might, I couldn’t recall a time when I was disappointed; all my Christmases have been relatively happy ones spent with family. My brother, on the other hand,…

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    Unlost – Sharing a Short Story from The Postcard

    December 18, 2019

    Friday Fiction: A Short About Reincarnation & Love (and in need of feedback)

    April 3, 2020

    Podcast 14: Finding and Flushing Out Story Ideas for Novel Writers

    April 14, 2020
  • Walking Through the Park and Reminiscing

    December 17, 2013 /

    I was a sophomore in high school and a member of the cheerleading squad. We decided that as part of the Christmas season, we would get together out of a sense of “goodwill towards men” and go caroling. Dressed warmly for the weather, a handful of Christmas carols up our sleeves, we set out upon the neighbors directly across the street from Severna Park High School and began to ring doorbells and sing some of our favorite Christmas songs. The night was off to a good start. People listened at the doors as we mostly got the lyrics right, and as we went from house to house, there was a…

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    The Colors of Autumn

    October 27, 2015

    A Writer’s Muse: Annapolis

    December 18, 2020

    Frocktober begins tomorrow & I’ve picked my charity

    September 30, 2020
  • Caution: I Pause For Happiness

    December 2, 2013 /

    * * * I actually heeded this advice for the past four days. There were several times when I paused this Thanksgiving weekend and looked around me, as if my eyes were a camera recording the moment. I didn’t want to forget this particular holiday weekend. I wanted to keep it for all times in that wonderful place called my memory. I took in sights, sounds, and smells. Some might say our Thanksgiving table had few people sitting around it. I hosted the dinner, and there were only eight of us: my immediate family, my parents, and my husband’s parents. I would say that it’s not the number of people…

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    Dealing with Disappointment

    March 1, 2020

    Vlogging about the Writing Life—Connecting Inn Significant & Little Milestones

    November 18, 2019

    Why I Will NEVER Break Up With Coffee

    January 16, 2019
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Stephanie Parrillo Verni, Author

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I remember telling my travel writing students to “travel like a travel writer” to get the best story. Getting to do a little bit of that for a local magazine, and as well, I do it when writing my novels. There’s nothing better than exploring and taking it all in.
Ok...who out there still loves to hold the printed pages in your hands? Bookstores are the best—especially this one in Boonsboro, Maryland, owned by famed author Nora Roberts and her husband (swipe to see all the photos). 😍 We loved perusing the store, checking out Boonsboro, and spending some quality time together this past weekend.
Yesterday was #nationalhusbandday, so I have to thank my husband for coming with me to author Nora Roberts’ lovely inn called @innboonsboro !
Happy Friday, everyone! Make it a good one!
Bittersweet today...presented my last workshop as a Faculty Fellow as my two-year fellowship ends in May. It has been an honor to be a part of the cohort that kicked off this new initiative as part of the Center for Teaching and Learning on campus. From the second I saw the call to apply, I was invigorated and wanted to be a part of it.
Throwing it back to Naples, Florida, and a quick getaway when our kids were younger.
When you see the words “market house” and get a glimpse of how charming it is, you immediately identify with this place. On a beautiful, sunny day, it calls for you to sit, grab a coffee and a pastry, and watch the boats go by across the street.
If Mondays are the pits, then this hat is, to use a 1940s term, a peach. 🍑 I’m not sure about my other friends out there in your forties, fifties, and sixties +, but I’ve already done some damage to my skin over the years, and I’d like to preserve my skin as I age.
Teachers look forward to summer break, too, right teachers????
If you haven’t been to #Annapolis in a while, it’s worth the trip. Merchants and restaurants have gone to great lengths to make the experience a good one for you. From decorating their outside windows, to setting up outside seating in the streets for diners, the city awaits your arrival.
Fashion Friday: Yesterday’s weather was spectacular. Wore my new Orioles orange dress in honor of opening day at Camden Yards. Despite not going to the game, I still support!
This is Eva’s house. Her partner/boyfriend of 10 years has left her for his high school sweetheart—a woman he reconnected with after many years on FB. Eva feels her life has been a fraud, and after throwing a bottle across the room and packing up all his crap to give to the Salvation Army, she has to find a way to pick up the pieces.

Recent Blog Posts

  • Well, it’s been a while… April 20, 2021
  • Show recommendations to binge-watch January 7, 2021
  • Here’s Hoping for a Brighter 2021 December 31, 2020
  • Ending 2020 with a Manuscript and Some Thoughts December 30, 2020
  • A Writer’s Muse: Annapolis December 18, 2020
  • Give the Gift of Books December 15, 2020
  • One of My Favorite Scenes November 22, 2020
  • My 5th Novel Has a Name (at least for now) November 15, 2020
  • Capturing Moments November 12, 2020
  • The 6 a.m Pledge for My Health November 4, 2020

Steph’s Scribe is the blog of Stephanie Parrillo Verni, professor, author and blogger. Copyright 2021.

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