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    • Book Pages Wreath
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    • From Humbug to Humble: The Transformation of Ebenezer Scrooge – Personalized & Signed
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    Fiction Friday: How writers begin a new story-with something weird in their heads

    July 16, 2021 /

    Before I share this weird “thing” that’s in my head, allow me to explain. So…I’ve completed one novel and am presently shopping it out. I’m also 5,000+ words into writing my next one, a novella, which will only be 30,000 words. I’ve had this “hit the pause button thing” happen to me before with Inn Significant. With that novel, I had the bones of the story, but something was missing. While I worked on other novels, I continued to figure out where the plot of Inn Significant was going, and I finally pieced it all together. It took me a few years to figure out just what that missing ingredient…

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    Stephanie Verni 0 Comments

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    When You Quit Something Cold Turkey

    September 28, 2017

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    December 14, 2021

    All The Books We Want to Read | Building Your Summer Reading List

    March 18, 2016
  • How Debbie Macomber Inspired Me

    June 28, 2021 /

    Last week, at the last minute, I signed up to join a Zoom call through the Baltimore County Public Library with author Debbie Macomber. It was the best thing I did for my writing career last week, and I’ll tell you why. If you don’t recognize the name Debbie Macomber, you may in a minute. She’s a bestselling author. Her genre is women’s fiction/romance. Her stories have been picked up by the Hallmark Channel (if you watched Cedar Cove, that’s Debbie’s brainchild, as are some of the Christmas movies on the network, including Trading Christmas, Mrs. Miracle, and Dashing Through the Snow). Her books can be found everywhere—at libraries, bookstores,…

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    For the Love of Postcards (and other written correspondence)

    January 14, 2019

    Writing Can’t Be ‘Thin Love’

    January 21, 2016

    The Beginning of a New Novel…or Not. What I’m Working On????

    January 30, 2020
  • Launching LITTLE MILESTONES Today, my newest novel…

    October 22, 2019 /

    *** Okay, my friends, today, my newest novel, LITTLE MILESTONES is official and is on the market through Amazon (coming in days to Barnes & Noble). While this is not a true sequel to Inn Significant, it does tap into those characters as they become a part of Little Milestones and the lives of Olivia and Nan. The new book is set in beautiful St. Michaels, Maryland, and as you may have surmised, I have a slight obsession with the Eastern Shore. There are also some scenes in Annapolis because I love my home state so much. * I think of all the books I’ve written, this one has made…

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

    October 22, 2015

    Christmas Supper Club

    December 20, 2015

    Campus Book Talk Tonight and Some Monday Inspiration

    April 18, 2016
  • Update on My (currently unnamed) WIP

    February 17, 2019 /

    On Friday night, I reached over 71,000 words on my #WIP (work in progress). I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love the direction change I made with this story back in December. Now, the novel has glue and a backbone and characters I wish were my friends. I still have a way to go, but it makes me so happy to sit down and write when I’m writing about places I love and I can live vicariously through my characters. I took this lovely photo back in September in Oxford when, in the name of research, I spent time in both #oxfordmd and #stmichaelsmd. I can’t…

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    Weekly Recipe: Chicken, Turkey Sausage & Kale

    May 22, 2019

    Some Sentiments About 20 Years at Stevenson

    October 4, 2020

    Stuff Those Stockings with Books

    December 4, 2015
  • Don’t Forget to Put Some Books Under the Tree This Season

    December 11, 2018 /

      For more about these books, visit the tab about my books, or visit my AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE. Click here. And thank you!

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    One of My Favorite Scenes

    November 22, 2020

    Book Review: The Stranger in the Lifeboat by Mitch Albom

    December 27, 2021

    The Way the Rain Smells

    February 23, 2016
  • If You’re Going To Call Me A Name, Let It Be This

    January 18, 2017 /

    I’m 5’1″. I’ve been called short before, and a lot of other names, too, that I’d rather not recall. Nobody’s perfect. But now that I’m all grown up (debatable), if you are going to call me a name, let these words roll off your tongue: That girl is a hopeless romantic. That’s a nomenclature I hold in the highest esteem. I find the terminology particularly flattering, for in doing my research on what it means to truly be a HOPELESS ROMANTIC, these are the findings: Hopeless Romantics are NOT hopeless. Not at all. They tend to be very true, caring, and loving people. They believe in passion, chivalry, and true…

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    My Newest Writing Project

    September 7, 2018

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    December 14, 2019

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    January 1, 2016
  • Coming in February: Inn Significant, A Novel

    December 27, 2016 /

    *** INN SIGNIFICANT by Stephanie Verni…Coming in January. What if three weeks after suffering a miscarriage, you faint and find yourself on the floor of your own home’s cold foyer, and as you regain consciousness, you have to acknowledge the horrible news that was relayed to you moments ago by two police officers: that your husband of ten years—the love of your life—was tragically killed by a tractor-trailer on the slick, rainy interstate? Two years after receiving the horrifying news of her husband Gil’s death, Milly Foster continues to struggle to find her way out of a state of depression. As a last-ditch effort and means of intervention, Milly’s parents…

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    There’s Something You Should Do During Quarantine and Social Distancing

    May 17, 2020

    7 Takeaways from Blogging on the 8th Anniversary of Steph’s Scribe

    April 10, 2019

    The Truth About Grandmothers

    July 10, 2021
  • Autumn is Always a Good Time to Fall into a Story

    November 9, 2015 /

     My first novel, Beneath the Mimosa Tree, takes place primarily from September through New Year’s Eve. I’ve always loved the season of autumn, so I decided to set the scene in beautiful Annapolis, Maryland, my hometown. When one of my dear friends and mentors told me that Annapolis came to life on the pages and was like another character in the book, I felt like a million bucks. While the overall theme of the novel is forgiveness, my hope is that you’ll fall as much in love with Annapolis as I did so many years ago.

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    Podcast 7 – Writing a Character Sketch—it’s pretty helpful

    February 24, 2020

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    January 10, 2020

    Sorry, I Just Think It’s Weird—House of the Dragon, updates on a new book, a reunion & Italy

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  • Readers Share Baseball Girl on Social Media

    March 13, 2015 /

    I said this earlier in the week, and I mean every bit of it: I am touched by my friends and supporters. Thank you so much for helping a little independent author like me get the word out there. It’s word of mouth, sharing on social media, pinning, and talking it up that are seriously the best promotional tools for any indie author. Please know how much I value your support, encouragement, and kind words. As a quick tribute to those who have helped promote the news of Baseball Girl, I thought I would share some of the photos they have been sharing on social media. I’m truly tickled by…

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

    September 1, 2015
  • “Baseball Girl” Is Now Available

    March 6, 2015 /

    * * * After almost three years in the making, my new novel entitled Baseball Girl, is now available for purchase on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. The follow-up novel to Beneath the Mimosa Tree is another contemporary romance that uses baseball as a backdrop. The story revolves around Francesca Milli, whose father passes away when she’s a freshman in college and nineteen years old; she is devastated and copes with his death by securing a job working for the Bay City Blackbirds, a big-league team, as she attempts to carry on their traditions and mutual love for the game of baseball. The residual effect of loving and losing her…

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    April 23, 2019

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  • The Final Trailer for Baseball Girl

    January 9, 2015 /

    Happy Friday, everyone! Today, I’m posting the trailer for my upcoming novel Baseball Girl, which will be released next month. While it’s certainly a contemporary romance, it’s also about the love a girl has for her father, with baseball as the perfect backdrop. Enjoy, and I hope you have a lovely weekend!

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  • Four Things I Learned In Miami at the Readers’ Favorite Awards

    November 19, 2012 /

    * * * Sometimes when my students do an intense assignment, when they’ve completed it, I ask them to write a reflection, typically in the form of a reflective essay. When we sit in peace after we’ve experienced something, it allows us time to be creative and think about what it all meant to us. I’ve decided to do the same about my trip to receive the Readers’ Favorite Bronze Medal that my first novel, Beneath the Mimosa Tree, won for Contemporary Romance. Reflection #1: I am lucky. As I was flying to Miami, I had a few moments to consider what’s happened to the book since it launched in…

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Welcome to my website! I'm Stephanie Verni, author of 8 works of fiction, adjunct professor of communication, and part-time travel writer. I love sharing my work, travels, and experiences with you. Thanks for stopping by!
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I read Elizabeth Gilbert’s book called BIG MAGIC when it debuted years ago. I remember feeling like we were soul sisters when it came out because of how I value creativity—both in myself and in my students. I never wanted to be that teacher who put the brakes on creativity. In fact, it was (and continues to be) a driving force in the way I teach my students. I am always amazed by students who believe they are not creative. Yet when you switch on the light and tell them they are, you see the proof of it in the work they produce. They ARE creative. We all have big magic in us; sometimes it just takes a little push to open the door to it. Don’t you agree that half the battle of writing a good story is believing in it? It takes a certain amount of faith and belief in your story— that it is worth telling—to keep you going. You need this faith in order to pursue all the things that go into the arduous task of writing and publishing a novel. I don’t know about you, but the satisfaction of hearing that people enjoyed it makes having that faith so worthwhile. This is my ode to being near the water. My soul always feels refreshed when I’m on the water. Most of my novels take place in a setting that involves water and boating. I love setting stories in places that reflect the love I have for small towns with water access. To me, it always feels like a place where you can escape to when you need that time to rejuvenate. Most of my characters feel the same way. I guess it’s true – write what you know. Which do you think I love more? The book is called Inn Significant for a reason. 💕 Two years after receiving the horrifying news of her husband Gil’s death, Milly Foster continues to struggle to find her way out of a state of depression. As a last-ditch effort and means of intervention, Milly’s parents convince her to run their successful Inn during their absence as they help a friend establish a new bed and breakfast in Ireland. Milly reluctantly agrees; when she arrives at the picturesque, waterfront Inn Significant, her colleague, John, discovers a journal written by her late grandmother that contains a secret her grandmother kept from the family. Reading her grandmother’s words, and being able to identify with her Nana’s own feelings of loss, sparks the beginning of Milly’s climb out of the darkness and back to the land of the living. The porch is open for the season. Thank you to @leeverni and @hector_herbert for all the help today. Couldn’t have done it without you! XxOo Another Blue Angels fly in Annapolis is in the books. Here’s a glimpse for those who love them as we do. 💙 Blue Angels Day here in Annapolis, but I’m sad to be without my husband, who’s in New York with the Orioles and clients. Wearing orange in their honor. Looking forward to seeing the planes fly shortly! I heard this and knew I wanted to make a reel with this audio. It’s so good & true & on 🔥. We are all of our experiences, both the good and the bad, the heartache and the happy times. You are better off with a woman who has grown from her experiences, including the mistakes, misjudgments, and bad decisions. We are a force to be reckoned with.

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