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Fiction Friday: How writers begin a new story-with something weird in their heads
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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How Debbie Macomber Inspired Me
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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Launching LITTLE MILESTONES Today, my newest novel…
*** 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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Update on My (currently unnamed) WIP
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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Don’t Forget to Put Some Books Under the Tree This Season
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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If You’re Going To Call Me A Name, Let It Be This
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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Coming in February: Inn Significant, A Novel
*** 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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Autumn is Always a Good Time to Fall into a Story
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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Readers Share Baseball Girl on Social Media
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 Girl” Is Now Available
* * * 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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The Final Trailer for Baseball Girl
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
* * * 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…
