• 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
  • 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

No Widgets found in the Sidebar Alt!

  • Beauty + Joy

    January 9, 2023 /

    Today’s quote as pulled from my box is this: Beauty is whatever gives joy.Hugh Nibley One of the best things we did over the Christmas season was to attend our church’s Festival of Lessons and Carols. It was held the Friday before New Year’s Eve and consisted of 9 scripture readings and 9 carols. The service lasted one hour and took place in a beautifully decorated church filled with Christmas spirit and love. It was incredibly moving. The choir lifted the church with its voices, and the use of the handheld bells added to the Christmas spirit. There were a few songs that the choir performed and many others in…

    read more
    Stephanie Verni 0 Comments

    You May Also Like

    back view of a woman in black dress standing in front of the building

    Fiction Friday: How writers begin a new story-with something weird in their heads

    July 16, 2021

    For the Love of Postcards (and other written correspondence)

    January 14, 2019

    How Brene Brown’s research influenced my novel

    June 13, 2022
  • Things I Learned From…

    January 20, 2022 /

    It’s hard to believe my daughter is going into her second semester of her sophomore year of college at Towson University. When I was exactly her age at this point in my college career at Towson, my life changed. I was, like her, a second semester sophomore who had changed majors from Business Administration to Mass Communication. I heard other students in my new major talking about their cool internships—at television stations, event venues, and Baltimore’s newspaper. Hearing them talk about these awesome experiences caused me to get off my duff and get serious. I mailed off a letter to the Baltimore Orioles and within a couple of weeks, I…

    read more
    Stephanie Verni 2 Comments

    You May Also Like

    When You Quit Something Cold Turkey

    September 28, 2017

    Writing Away

    June 10, 2021

    Pretty Things, Poetry, and Handmade Valentines

    January 27, 2016
  • Join Me for Two Dickens Events this Holiday Season

    December 1, 2021 /

    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.…

    read more
    Stephanie Verni 0 Comments

    You May Also Like

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

    April 14, 2020

    Writing Away

    June 10, 2021

    Little Milestones Receives 5-Star Review from Readers’ Favorite

    July 17, 2020
  • What the Dickens? Book Launch Next Week

    November 2, 2021 /

    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…

    read more
    Stephanie Verni 0 Comments

    You May Also Like

    The Cicadas Are Coming! The Cicadas Are Coming!

    May 16, 2021

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

    October 22, 2015

    Podcast 10 – A Little About My Books & Storytelling to Help You Write Your Stories

    March 18, 2020
  • Juggling Projects & New Author Photo

    August 26, 2021 /

    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…

    read more
    Stephanie Verni 1 Comment

    You May Also Like

    Stop Glorifying “Perfect”

    January 17, 2023

    Writing Away

    June 10, 2021

    Is the Power of Positive Thinking Real?

    May 24, 2021
  • Summer Reading Roundup Thus Far

    July 21, 2021 /

    Good morning, sunshines! I hope you’re enjoying your summer and getting to spend some time having fun with friends and family and sneaking in a little reading. Today, I’m going to review the books I’ve read so far this summer; each will be short and succinct. Fair warning, however—I’m a pretty gentle reviewer because I know what it takes to write a novel. When someone pours their whole heart and soul into their creative writing and it takes time to do so, I have a difficult time being overly critical, but I will share my overall feelings about the book. I recommend all of them. The Giver of Stars by…

    read more
    Stephanie Verni 0 Comments

    You May Also Like

    All the Best This Holiday Season

    December 24, 2015

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

    April 14, 2020

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

    February 26, 2022
  • The Truth About Grandmothers

    July 10, 2021 /

    Yesterday, as I was scrolling through Facebook checking on my friends’ latest news, I noticed a post from a dear former student of mine. She wrote a very touching message about losing her 94-year-old grandmother. I read it, and her words resonated with me. So often as a writer, I’m asked what influences my stories and where the ideas come from. I suppose anyone who writes novels or nonfiction answers this the same way—the stories typically come from people we know or stories we have heard or read about in the news. There are people and personal acquaintances that influence our storytelling. And then there are grandmothers. If you’ve read…

    read more
    Stephanie Verni 0 Comments

    You May Also Like

    Fashion Resolutions for 2016

    January 1, 2016

    Friday Fiction: Writing the Prologue & Baseball Girl

    April 15, 2016

    Inspired by Joanna Gaines and Fixer Upper on HGTV

    April 4, 2016
  • The Way to a Character’s Heart

    May 18, 2021 /

    Confession: When I’m diving into characters and trying to get at the heart of them, I sometimes write poetry as my characters to get inside their heads. For example, if a character faces heartbreak or loss or a hardship, along with character sketches, I may write a little poem or two from various characters’ perspectives. It would be as if they would write the poem themselves. I’ve always written poetry for fun, and I enjoy writing poems that uncover emotion. And while I’ve only published one small collection of poems to date in The Postcard, I continue to write them and keep them to myself…just for these purposes. Today, I’m…

    read more
    Stephanie Verni 0 Comments

    You May Also Like

    black and red typewriter

    Two Exercises for Teaching Description and Using The Five Senses in Writing

    May 22, 2020

    The Move to Online Learning and Its Benefits

    March 22, 2020
    rural snowy village during severe blizzard

    It’s A Sad State of Affairs

    December 31, 2022
  • One of My Favorite Scenes

    November 22, 2020 /

    *** I’ve been decorating a little bit today for the holidays. I’m feeling terrible, still trying to deal with a chronic health issue, but I’m trying to remain positive and optimistic. Evert time I break out my Christmas decorations, I always think about a particular scene in my first novel, Beneath the Mimosa Tree. The scene unfolds at the holidays after ten years, when two former lovers and next door neighbors are reunited. After years of not speaking and feeling anger and guilt over a mistake that was made, the two come face-to-face in the driveway as Annabelle and her family return from getting a Christmas tree. Michael, home from…

    read more
    Stephanie Verni 0 Comments

    You May Also Like

    Midnight Madness in Annapolis

    December 11, 2015

    Podcast 11 : Don’t Bring Negative To My Door

    March 23, 2020

    Thank You All!!!

    July 19, 2022
  • My 5th Novel Has a Name (at least for now)

    November 15, 2020 /

    Today, it’s official. I have a book title. I have a copyrighted ISBN number. I have a “mood” for the cover. And while I am going to seek traditional publishing this time around and solicit an agent to represent me, I still need to go through this process to help move in the right direction and keep me motivated should I venture down the self-publishing road again. The characters in this novel are not only in my head, but in my soul. Each one is a part of me, and a part of you, and a part of everyone we have met along the way. With five main characters, a…

    read more
    Stephanie Verni 1 Comment

    You May Also Like

    Hip, Hip, Hooray: From one Great Birthday Gift to Another, the Annual Birthday Blog Post

    August 16, 2021

    5 Questions Writers Are Frequently Asked

    February 17, 2022

    What I’m Writing Now (or my current WIP)

    May 14, 2020
  • Capturing Moments

    November 12, 2020 /

    *** Capturing Moments Capturing moments, instead of things—A cloudless sky, a heron’s wingsThe things we loveHave come to passDimming sunshineDarkness, alas—Winter’s moodsBefall us hereWhen days are shortAnd nights are clearThe blackest nightWe’ll soon have metBut days like theseWe’ll not forget.We’ll not forgetThe way it feltWhen bleakness leftAnd hearts did melt. *** In August, my husband totally surprised me on my birthday and bought me a boat. Our friends were selling their boat and upgrading to a new one, so he bought the one they were selling. In the COVID-19 world, I can’t even begin to tell you how much that gift has meant to me. Since August, we have used…

    read more
    Stephanie Verni 1 Comment

    You May Also Like

    How Brene Brown’s research influenced my novel

    June 13, 2022

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

    January 6, 2020

    The Best Soup | A Family Favorite

    October 20, 2015
  • Reading, Writing, and an Empath for November

    November 1, 2020 /

    Dear Readers, I hope you are well! It’s hard to believe it’s November 1st, especially after all we’ve collectively been through this year, but alas, here it is, and that means the next couple of months will be filled with family, friends, and love as the holidays approach. While taking care of one another is paramount, it’s also important to care for yourself, as well. That can mean exercising, eating right, meditating, reading, relaxing, and giving way to things that make your heart happy. For me, besides the wonderful gift of a boat that my husband gave me for my birthday in August—one of the greatest surprises of my lifetime—I’ve…

    read more
    Stephanie Verni 0 Comments

    You May Also Like

    No More Blues with Blue Skies

    March 29, 2016

    Do You Google While You Watch? And other thoughts…

    August 5, 2022

    It’s Not Bragging. It’s Marketing.

    May 13, 2015
 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!
  • Amazon
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Goodreads
  • Pinterest
  • TikTok
  • Mail
  • Twitter
Copyright Stephanie Parrillo Verni, 2022
Ashe Theme by WP Royal.

Shop My Products Dismiss

 

Loading Comments...