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    • Beneath the Mimosa Tree: A Novel – Personalized & Signed
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  • About Me
  • About My Novels
  • Press Kit
  • Podcasts
  • Books I’ve Enjoyed
  • Shop My Products
    • Book Pages Wreath
    • Heart Pages Wreath
    • Small Book Pages Wreath
    • From Humbug to Humble: The Transformation of Ebenezer Scrooge – Personalized & Signed
    • The Letters in the Books – Signed, Personalized, and with a letter tucked inside it
    • Beneath the Mimosa Tree: A Novel – Personalized & Signed
    • Baseball Girl: A Novel – Personalized & Signed
    • Inn Significant: A Novel – Personalized & Signed
    • Little Milestones: A Novel – Personalized & Signed
    • The Postcard and Other Short Stories & Poetry – Personalized & Signed
  • Freelance Writing

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  • A Pep Talk on How to Use NaNoWriMo to Your Advantage

    November 5, 2021 /

    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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    Some Updates on Some things

    September 8, 2020

    Book Reviews Are Coming In: Here’s what readers are saying

    July 26, 2022

    Recounting Five Years of My Life As a Blogger

    April 17, 2016
  • The Loss of George

    July 10, 2020 /

    * This week, I learned much too late of the passing of my favorite professor and one of the best people I knew, George Friedman. He passed away in late February. Every once in a while someone comes along and makes an impression on your life. That person, for me, came in the form of Dr. George Friedman, professor of English at Towson University. George, as I came to call him, was the singular inspiration for my first novel, Beneath the Mimosa Tree, which began as a short story in George’s class—Writing Creative Short Fiction—during my first master’s degree. When he returned a short story I wrote, and verbally told…

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    Podcast 2 – Who Inspires Your Writing?

    January 13, 2020

    Reflections on 2131 after ESPN Aired the Game Last Night

    April 8, 2020

    The Way to a Character’s Heart

    May 18, 2021
  • Podcast #3 – Writing the Preliminary Synopsis

    January 20, 2020 /

    Podcast #3 further explores inspiration and focuses on writing that initial synopsis of what your book will be about. Check it out below, and let me know how you’re doing! xx, Stephanie * Stephanie Verni is Professor of Communication at Stevenson University. She has authored five works of fiction and one academic text on Event Planning. Her character-driven books are typically set in Maryland to showcase the beauty of her state. Connect with her on Instagram at stephanie.verni or on Twitter at @stephverni. Or, visit her Amazon page at Stephanie Verni, Author.

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    Frocktober begins tomorrow & I’ve picked my charity

    September 30, 2020

    The Annual Birthday Post Turned Poem

    August 16, 2020

    A Pep Talk on How to Use NaNoWriMo to Your Advantage

    November 5, 2021
  • How Reading and Writing Inspires Me

    November 7, 2018 /

    There are few things that give me more pleasure than totally immersing myself in (a) reading a book, and (b) writing a book. Reading has saved me in many ways. It’s made me smarter, more empathetic, more worldly, and a better writer. It’s given me a sense of purpose. As a youngster, I was too busy playing all the time and being active; I didn’t really fall in love with reading until my senior year of high school, when I read a novel that opened up my world. From that point on, I became a reader. Reading has allowed me to visit places and see things I have yet to…

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    Getting My Books in Order

    May 12, 2020

    No More Blues with Blue Skies

    March 29, 2016

    The Magic of Miracles

    January 25, 2023
  • lady in beach silhouette during daytime photography

    When An Idea Hits You, You Jump [for joy]

    November 29, 2017 /

      Hi You All, I’m glad you’re still here reading my blogs. I’m so thankful and happy about that. As you’ve been with me for a while, you know that this summer I experienced what we might call burnout, or the feelings of being a little tired from all that has occurred over the last several years with my writing and the promotion of my writing. Since 2012, it’s been a bit of a whirlwind, and I’m not complaining at all. It’s all been wonderful and crazy and fun. It’s been non-stop high energy as I’ve turned out three fiction books and a textbook all within the span of five…

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    Love and The Orioles

    March 11, 2020

    An Easter Contemplation About Grandparents

    April 11, 2020

    Baseball Nostalgia and Baseball Fiction

    May 17, 2020
  • The Case for Teaching: Inspiring Students AND Inspired by Students

    July 30, 2017 /

    It’s Sunday morning, and I’m sitting on my porch writing this post and looking at this glorious day sipping my cup of coffee from my Yeti (which keeps it INCREDIBLY hot, let me just say). In a little while, my daughter and I will head to my parents’ house and sit by their pool and spend time with my brother and his family who are visiting. My son and husband will go play golf–a ritual they’ve tried to do on one day of the weekend. I love that they do this, as my son has one year left of high school before he enters college. I love my summers; they…

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    Thank You All!!!

    July 19, 2022

    Breathing In the Air and Tasting the Wines in Napa Valley | Part Two

    April 29, 2016

    Book Reviews Are Coming In: Here’s what readers are saying

    July 26, 2022
  • A Dose of Inspiration – From Princess Diana & the HBO Special

    July 26, 2017 /

    * Two nights ago, I couldn’t sleep. I don’t watch a lot of television, but that night, I watched a movie with my kids, then got caught up in another, and then, finally, landed on HBO and watched Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy, the documentary about Princess Diana as told by her two sons, William and Harry. To be clear about my affinity for this woman I must tell you a couple of things. First, I had my hair cut like her iconic hair for my own wedding. Second, she was only a few years older than I am, and she was our contemporary role model in almost…

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    The Magic of Miracles

    January 25, 2023

    Sunday Positive Thoughts (Post The Chosen)

    March 13, 2022

    Talking teaching, life lessons, writing, and fashion on FamilyApp.com

    July 7, 2021
  • Answering the Question: How Many Books Have You Sold?

    March 26, 2017 /

    How many books have you sold? It’s the question people like to ask me about my recently released novel entitled Inn Significant. It seems to be the question people have on their minds as the marker that indicates how successful the book has been thus far. The funny thing is, I liken the question to someone asking me about my age, how much I make, or how robust my sex life is. Sometimes we are focused too much on the results and not on the process. At least that’s what my husband and I try to teach our kids. The most important aspect revolves around the process that helps us…

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    The Long and Winding Road

    October 11, 2021

    Campus Book Talk Tonight and Some Monday Inspiration

    April 18, 2016

    Iberostar Grand Bavaro: A Truly Memorable Place

    June 6, 2022
  • Don’t Put Limitations on Yourself: Inspiration to Achieve the Goals You Set for Yourself

    August 5, 2016 /

    * Writer and director James Cameron (Titantic, Avatar, and the Terminator) says it best at the end of his Ted Talk on Ted.com: Don’t put limitations on yourself; other people will do that for you. I typically show this Ted Talk to my university feature writing students each fall after they read a piece about the iconic director. We discuss the profile article, the writing style, the use of feature techniques, and then we talk about James Cameron—as he is portrayed in the article. You see, when you read an article about someone, it’s from that one person’s perspective. And sometimes, he or she doesn’t get all the details, facts,…

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    Delight in the Little Things

    January 4, 2023

    The Way to a Character’s Heart

    May 18, 2021

    Podcast 5: What I’ve Learned From Reading Other Authors

    March 7, 2022
  • Walking for Mind, Body, Spirit…AND To Improve Creativity

    June 10, 2016 /

    *** It’s 1:35 p.m. on a sunny, gorgeous Friday here in Maryland where the temps are a stunning 79 degrees, and I’ve just returned from an hour-long walk. There are no excuses when the weather is this spectacular. As someone who admittedly has not taken very good care of herself over the last few years and has put other things and other people first, I’ve committed the summer to my overall physical and mental well-being. From reading to writing to exercising daily and eating better, it’s time for me to get serious about my lifestyle. I’m not hear to preach about your health; Weight Watchers, your doctor, and your own…

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    Opening The Door to Love or Closing the Door to Love

    February 12, 2016

    Talking teaching, life lessons, writing, and fashion on FamilyApp.com

    July 7, 2021

    Every Once In A While, A Show Captures Your Heart: So It Was For Me & The Chosen

    February 26, 2022
  • Campus Book Talk Tonight and Some Monday Inspiration

    April 18, 2016 /

    I’m excited to talk to students tonight about the self-publishing world. Faculty in the Halls, a program at Stevenson University, has asked me to speak to students about the path of publishing your own book. As I’ve published two novels this way, I’m excited to share my knowledge of the growing arm of publishing, how you can make this work for you, and the pros and cons of doing it on your own. I’ll be talking about both Beneath the Mimosa Tree and Baseball Girl, and I hope to inspire some folks to give it a whirl. It’s by no means easy, but it is something that, given enough drive…

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    Running Out of Time? You’re Not Alone.

    November 3, 2015

    Friday Fodder | It’s Been a Good Week

    September 4, 2015

    Writing Can’t Be ‘Thin Love’

    January 21, 2016
  • And Then Inspiration Comes: Start Writing | Hints and Tips for Writers and Bloggers

    February 18, 2016 /

    You want to write. Writing is in your blood. You bloggers know this is true. You novelists know this is true. Magazine writers, newspaper writers, nonfiction writers, script writers—it’s part of who you are; it makes up your very existence. You can’t imagine life without it. And yet, some days it’s difficult to find inspiration. Some weeks, it’s difficult to find inspiration. Some years, well, you get the point. The problem is, if it’s part of who you are, you can’t let inspiration fall by the wayside. You need constant inspiration. These little pieces of inspiration are vital to your success; they help you nurture your creative side, but that…

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    Happy Easter!

    April 12, 2020

    The Most Difficult Part is Getting to the Finish Line

    January 10, 2019

    The Move to Online Learning and Its Benefits

    March 22, 2020
 Older Posts
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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If I’ve learned anything over these past 10 days it’s this: life is fleeting—truly fleeting—so grab hold of it, love the heck out of people in your life, and make memories you’ll cherish for as long as you live while trusting in God and His timing. Oh, how I love this. We’ve all been rescued at some point in our lives, whether it was a big or small rescue. For certain, I have been, several times and from different things/people. I think that’s one of the main reasons why I wanted to write a story like The Letters in the Books. All five characters have been through something. All five are trying to figure out how to navigate their futures. And all five have been negatively affected by the hurt they’ve endured. Then, when a letter filled with hope shows up in each of their books, good things begin to happen, and they end up finding each other. Weaving a story together with 5 main characters was a real challenge for me, but I’m so glad that this story is resonating with people, and I think I know why. We have all been there. I’ve always been a curious person who likes to learn new things. Currently, I’m learning a lot of new things, things I’ve never tried before. I love to travel near and far, and I enjoy writing for Maryland Road Trips. Places I’ve been feature prominently in my novels, almost as if they are a character. 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

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