Stephanie Verni's Blog, page 100
June 24, 2013
The Heart of Baseball—For Love of the Game
Last week was an exciting one. Despite our recent move to a different county, we kept driving back up to our old county so that my son could finish his baseball season and participate in the playoff games. You see, his team just couldn’t lose. They kept on winning. In several come-from-behind scenarios, the Brewers hung in there and eventually ended up winning the Championship. We won’t forget it. However, what we probably won’t forget more than anything is a […]
June 19, 2013
Top 10 Things I Recommend You Purge Before You Move
If you’re about to move like I just did, or if you may move in the near future, you may want to consider doing a big, huge, ginormous clear out. Therefore, you have permission to purge the following: 10. … that crystal bowl, vase, or platter you got from Aunt Ethel for your something-eth wedding anniversary; that tie that takes up needless space that you haven’t worn in five years; or candlesticks that look like they belong in a museum […]
June 16, 2013
Curves
Two summers ago, thanks to my friend Ron, a group of us went to see The Black Eyed Peas. We were in the second row. Fergie was right in front of me. When I saw the word “curves” was the WordPress weekly challenge word, the first thing that came to mind was Fergie and her fantastic figure. It’s really quite sickening. I’m about as tall as she is, and I wish I had time to work out to get CURVES […]
June 3, 2013
What The Sign Says
I know you find it hard to believe, but it’s happening here in Maryland. It’s called the RAIN TAX, and people are outraged and want to learn more about this latest tax to citizens. This sign made me laugh: even at the local Arnold Senior Center, there is talk about it. If you want to read more about this tax that has us all wondering when the CLOUD TAX will take place, see this article from The Frederick News-Post. In […]
June 2, 2013
Call The Midwife
That glorious show, “Downton Abbey,” sucked me in and, of course, I am awaiting the next season of it. It’s fabulously cast, perfectly written, and the settings make one want to jump on a plane to visit Highclere Castle. It is all about the rich, their servants, and the way in which they all communicate and live together under one roof owned by Lord Grantham. They are filming the next season now and won’t be back for a while. In […]
May 31, 2013
The View from Pendennis Mount
My dear friend, Debbie, posted this gorgeous photo a few weeks ago on my Facebook page and said, “This is the area of the Severn River (in Maryland) I picture is the kids’ houses in ‘Beneath the Mimosa Tree.’ Am I right?” Indeed you are, Debbie. I’m sorry to bombard you, readers, with photographs of Annapolis scenery this week, but the weather is amazing here right now, and the sky and the water are just breathtaking. In the novel, Michael […]
May 27, 2013
Where I Can Breathe
As my husband and I strolled around Annapolis on Sunday night–our first date night in many, many moons–we were stopping to take photographs. The city looked amazing; the sky was a blue that’s tough to forget, and there were few clouds on the picturesque canvas. There’s something about being near the water. Quite simply, I can breathe when I’m there. And it has to do with the water: it’s the way it looks, the way it smells, the way it […]
May 24, 2013
In the Background
This week’s Weekly Photo Challenge asked us to select a photo that says “Background” to us. This picture was taken at our beach house in the Outer Banks in North Carolina. Each year we conduct a beach adventure, and last year’s theme was SUPERHEROES. We had a great time. My daughter made up her own Superhero—Solar Girl—and we had a party at night by the pool. Even though you can see her, it’s the blurred background that makes it so […]
May 22, 2013
LL Cool J, Goals & Awards
I would by lying if I said I didn’t want to place in the National Indie Excellence Awards contest for authors. This morning’s butterflies told me so; I had received an email the day before letting me know the winners and finalists would be announced today. I have a bit of a competitive spirit about me and was hopeful that Beneath the Mimosa Tree would receive a positive reception from the judges. It did. I am a finalist for romance. […]
May 20, 2013
An Excerpt: Writing About Baseball & “Baseball Girl.”
I dug it back out now that our semester has ended and it’s summer break. I haven’t read what I’ve written in a while, but today I took a peek. And it’s time to start finishing up this piece of work. With 42,000 words already written (“Beneath the Mimosa Tree” stood at 58,000 words–this one will be longer), I’m starting to love these characters as I did Michael & Annabelle & Vivi. I’m sharing an excerpt of a part of […]
