Stephanie Verni's Blog, page 11

The Desperate Search for Our Missing Elf on the Shelf

What would the holidays be if it weren’t for becoming sentimental about some of our keepsakes that we bring out year after year when we decorate for the holidays?

As our official “Christmas” season begins the day after Thanksgiving as we decorate during the break and go and cut down our tree, it is also the time to become sentimental about things. My grandmother’s manger; snowmen and Santas from my mother; ornaments that friends and family have given to us over the years; and those cherished homemade Christmas projects that the kids have made are all things that make me feel warm and fuzzy as we open up box after box.

This year, however, something inexplicable has happened (or mysterious or mystical, however you want to see it). Since we have lived in this present house, each Christmas, our Elf on the Shelf has been stationed on a branch of our dining room Christmas tree that my daughter takes great pride in decorating. When she was home for Thanksgiving, she and her boyfriend tended to that tree. However, after the decorating was done, and much later as we were admiring its beauty, she said, “I can’t find Elfis” (that’s what we named our Elf when the kids were little). And so, hours of unboxing and looking for our Elf ensued.

Elf on the Shelf

After re-opening every single box we have, there is no sign of Elfis.

Perhaps he went back to the North Pole never to return to us.

Perhaps he was stolen from the tree as a joke and was never returned.

Perhaps he wandered off with Santa after he came down the chimney.

It’s a puzzle…a mystery…a stumper. There is no trace of him anywhere.

And no one is as befuddled as I am about his absence.

You see, we had a vested interest in Elfis. He was one of our family Christmas traditions. One afternoon in our former home, we left for an hour, and I had hidden Elfis on the lampshade. Lesson learned: never put the Elf near a hot bulb. He almost burned down the house. When we came through the door, we smelled something burning…and quickly realized it was our Elf on the Shelf. In those days, my young daughter was “not allowed to touch him,” as the magic would disappear and he would no longer play hide and seek with the kids. When I pulled him off of the lampshade, his tummy was scorched. With tears in her eyes at seeing Elfis’s condition, I had to think quickly.

“I know,” I said to my daughter. “I will make him an apron and cover his burn. He will be fine.”

Within minutes, I returned from the basement craft basket with a piece of green felt. Elfis was “saved” by a handcrafted apron. My daughter’s tears subsided, and we put Elfis in a safe place, swearing never to put him near anything hot ever again.

We’re devastated; this Elf was ours; he had a history with us.

And now, sadly, we cannot find him. I can’t tell you the despair I feel at having “misplaced,” “lost,” or “scared away” our Elf all these years later.

Elfis…if you can somehow feel or hear or read this message we are sending…please come home.

We miss you.

xx

We Need a Little Christmas, Especially This Year

We Still Need a Little Christmas…and we desperately need Charles Dickens’ reminder to be a good human being in 2021 and beyond.

From “A Dickens of a Christmas” in Chestertown, MD. We sold out of books and loved being a part of this celebration (and it was so fun to be in costume with other participants!)

Living through this pandemic and seeing what I see daily on social media convinced me (do people really need to be so nasty to others, even if you disagree on things?????) that I needed to do what I could to help promote charity and goodwill. So, all summer I wrote the continuation of Ebenezer Scrooge’s story, and it’s called From Humbug to Humble: The Transformation of Ebenezer Scrooge. Writing this book put me in a happy place and gave me such joy; I loved imagining how Scrooge spent the rest of his days after he came in contact with the ghosts.

MORE ABOUT WHY I WROTE THIS BOOK

Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve been pleasantly obsessed with Charles Dickens and A Christmas Carol. Our family has loved this classic tale, and year after year, we hunker down and watch at least one—sometimes several—film depictions of Dickens’ great novella.

Now, add to the fact that I’ve read several of Dickens’ novels, took a course in Dickens in graduate school, have seen A Christmas Carol twice at Ford’s Theatre, am a writer myself, and have a Dickens Village that we display every holiday season, and you’ve got the makings of a overzealous fan. One of my biggest regrets in life is not having enough time to visit the Dickens Museum while in London.

This obsession led me to write (humbly) a follow-up novel to Dickens’ wonderful classic. Released in November and available exclusively at Park Books & Literacy Lab in Severna Park, or online via Amazon or Barnes & Noble, From Humbug to Humble is the rest of the story of Ebenezer Scrooge. In this book, I’ve tried my best to answer the questions that have plagued my family for years: What exactly did Scrooge do to make his life and the lives of others better? Did Scrooge ever find love? What became of Tiny Tim? And how did he live out the rest of his life? This short novella was a labor of love for me, and I wouldn’t have attempted it without the encouragement of my family.

Therefore, as a connoisseur of Dickens’ brilliant work, and as the lesson of “The Carol” is still vitally important today, I thought I’d share with you the best film versions (again, in my humble opinion) of A Christmas Carol that you can watch with your family this holiday season. 

MY FAVORITE FILM VERSIONS OF A CHRISTMAS CAROL

The late, great Albert Finney is my favorite SCROOGE of all time. You you can view this entire movie on YouTube.

Scrooge, starring Albert Finney as Scrooge and Alec Guiness as Marley (1970)

This was the film that made me fall in love with Dickens. Watching it with my mom and dad year after year, Albert Finney was Ebenezer Scrooge to me. Though this is a musical (don’t let that deter you…there are a few songs that are super catchy, and you’ll find yourself humming them all day long), it doesn’t take away from the story. In fact, my cousin Tom and I recently discovered we both share an affinity for this film. We both admitted to each other that we shed a tear every year while watching the final scene. Plus, the sets are gorgeous and the choreography is fantastic.

I loved writing this book and hope you’ll pick up a copy on Amazon.com or BN.com. Signed copies are also available at Park Books in Severna Park, MD.

A Christmas Carol, starring George C. Scott (1984)

According to critics, this version is very true to the book. George C. Scott plays Scrooge so well; he is perfect as the miserly curmudgeon. The supporting characters are wonderful—especially the ghost of Christmas present—and again, you’ll enjoy the sets that work perfectly. This version is also relatively short, so if you’re pressed for time, this version is for you.

A Christmas Carol, starring Alastair Sim (1951)

If you prefer to watch a black and white rendition of A Christmas Carol, Alastair Sim plays a very convincing Scrooge, and some critics say he’s the best. In fact, it’s been written that Sim and company created “what many today believe to be the best and most faithful production of Dickens’ immortal tale,” according to reviewers.

Mickey’s Christmas Carol, Disney (1983)

Though my kids are both in college, we still like to break out Mickey’s Christmas Carol every once in a while to relive their childhood Christmas memories of watching this classic animated short film. You’ll love Disney’s retelling of Dickens’ classic, starring all of your favorite characters, including Mickey, Minnie, Donald Duck, Goofy and more! It’s a heartwarming short version (26 minutes) of A Christmas Carol to share with the whole family.

Finally, if your love for Scrooge is on par with mine (not only should we have coffee, but we should probably throw a Dickens party), you may enjoy watching…

The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017), starring Dan Stevens (Matthew from Downton Abbey who stars as Charles Dickens) & Christopher Plummer (Ebenezer Scrooge)

This film is a biographical comedy/drama that is based on the book by Les Standiford. The film follows Dickens as he creates, writes, and then publishes A Christmas Carol in 1843 in a few short weeks. It is quirky, well-acted, and delightful. Dickens fans will relish this adorable movie as Dickens writes the book and his cast of characters come to life. It will make you want to reread A Christmas Carol for the hundredth time. Five stars for “absolutely charming.

Happy Christmas Carol to you all.

I’m so thankful that my husband is with me on this adventure of being a writer.
I couldn’t do it all without him.

Join Me for Two Dickens Events this Holiday Season

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.

Obsessed as I am about Dickens and his character of Ebenezer Scrooge, I took on the idea of furthering the details of exactly what Scrooge did to become a better human being. The result is From Humbug to Humble: The Transformation of Ebenezer Scrooge. Seriously, I’ve been in the Christmas Spirit since June.

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. – 4 p.m. in London Row. I’ll also have a limited number of book pages wreaths that I have made by hand. Chestertown’s festival celebrates Dickens and his work, and I’m happy to be there celebrating him, for without A Christmas Carol, there would be no From Humbug to Humble, my new novel based on what happens AFTER Scrooge sees the ghosts.

*

AN EVENING WITH DICKENS, Tues, Dec 7

PARK BOOKS, SEVERNA PARK, MD

On Tuesday, December 7, in our hometown of Severna Park, MD, we’ll be at Park Books to celebrate “An Evening with Dickens” from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. I’ll be reading an excerpt from Dickens’ original work and chatting with other enthusiasts who can’t get enough of Ebenezer, the ghosts, Bob Cratchit, and Tiny Tim, to name a few. If you live locally, come and enjoy the fun at Melody’s wonderful bookstore. In this season of charity and goodwill, remember to patronize your local bookstores and shops. They rely on community support.

I hope to see you at one of these upcoming events. It’ll be a Dickens of a good time!

Handmade book pages wreaths, will be sold in boxes with tissue paper–the perfect gift for your favorite book lover and reader (or writer)!Located in the heart of Severna Park, Park Books is a local gem. Come and see for yourself!

Why I Wrote From Humbug to Humble about Ebenezer Scrooge and Upcoming Events

Here is a video that tells you more about my new novella, From Humbug to Humble: The Transformation of Ebenezer Scrooge. The novella is available on Amazon.com, BN.com and exclusively at my local bookstore, Park Books & Literacy Lab.

I will also be (along with my husband in Dickens-era costumes) at the annual A Dickens of A Christmas in Chestertown, MD on December 4 in London Row from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. selling my books and handmade book pages wreaths.

Hope to see you there!

Stephanie

Book pages wreaths – handmade by Yours TrulyBooks at Park Books and start A Dickens of a Christmas

PUBLICATION DAY for From Humbug to Humble, A Christmas Book to brighten your holidays

Yay!!! I’m so happy today!

It’s RELEASE DAY for this little novella and labor of love. My new book, From Humbug to Humble, is on the market. If you love all things SCROOGE, I hope this will make you as happy reading it as it made me writing it. I’ve been feeling a bit “Scroogey” since the summer (only in the best of ways), and I’m thrilled that it’s finally arrived.

As always, thank you for your support, for following along on this crazy journey of writing books, and for lifting me up. There are so many people to thank for helping me with this project, so as Scrooge says in the novel, “I am indebted to you.”

Xx,

Stephanie

Buy From Humbug to Humble on Amazon (click here)

Buy From Humbug to Humble on Barnes & Noble (click here) Nook available now; paperback coming soon.

A Pep Talk on How to Use NaNoWriMo to Your Advantage

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 as your Fairy Writermother to tell you it can be done. Back in 2018, I pledged to write a novel and publish it within a one-year time frame. I set the challenge and I met it. And while I only hit 42,000 words for the month of November, it propelled me forward to completing an 86,000+ word novel, my longest to date, which I published within the year. If I can do it, so can you.

I’m using this year’s NaNoWriMo to make headway on a novel I started not too long ago. Right at the 19,000-word mark when November began, my new work-in-progress entitled Dodging Love, is an historical romance that begins in 1956. Initially slated as a love story, it’s become much more than that; it’s a psychological romance/relationship story set over several years, and I finally am writing a real antagonist. She’s not too pleasant.

So, what constitutes a novel and what are the breakdowns of the various different story structures? See the graphic below for details and what I’ve written as examples.

So, knowing all this, I’m challenging you to stick with it this November. YOU CAN DO IT, and I’ll be writing right alongside you. Feel free to let me know how you’re doing in the comments and if this pep talked helped at all!

Get to it!

What the Dickens? Book Launch Next Week

Next week, my newest novella entitled FROM HUMBUG TO HUMBLE, will launch!

Coming the week of November 9

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 to determine just HOW Scrooge changed for the better. How, exactly, did he keep his promises that he made to the Spirits and to himself?

If you read the last paragraphs of A Christmas Carol, you’ll notice that Dickens does not go into great detail about this aspect of Scrooge. In one paragraph (the second to the last in the book), Dickens sums it up that, “Scrooge was better than his word. He did it all, and infinitely more; and to Tiny Tim, who did NOT die, he was a second father. He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man as the good old city knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough in the good old world.”

However, as a family who loves Ebenezer Scrooge, our Christmas dinner conversation led to a hearty discussion of what he might have actually done to become a good person.

And that’s when the idea took hold and the drafting began.

I don’t know if you love this story as much as I do, or if you care as much about Dickens as our family does, but a story of redemption knows no time limits. That’s why the tale has endured for 178 years since Dickens wrote it.

FROM HUMBUG TO HUMBLE takes you back to that time after Scrooge has seen the ghosts, with a new, modern narrator to tell the story of the ways in which Scrooge did, indeed, become “better than his word.”

I hope you will enjoy it.

Coming in November

The Long and Winding Road

Surgery Update

I’ll keep this one short. Today marks six weeks post hip replacement surgery. Here’s what I can share about this long and winding road thus far:

While my hip seems to be on the mend (only minimal pain and discomfort), my SI joint (sacroilliac joint) has flared up and is causing me more pain than the hip. When I embarked on this journey to replace the hip, I also suffered from back pain, specific to that area where the SI joint sits. If you’re someone who has pain in that joint, hear me clearly: I am extending my deepest empathy and sympathy to you. I know what that pain is like. It can be ferocious.

I think when we opt to have corrective surgery, we are hoping it’s going to magically fix all the issues. I’ve not given up hope that the new hip isn’t helping, but I’d be a liar if I said I’m not concerned by the continued pain.

I keep doing what I’m supposed to: physical therapy, exercises at home, walking, and leaving the recliner behind. I’m wearing sensible shoes and resting and healing.

Now, if only that SI joint would settle down into its proper place and allow the whole of the area to heal, we’d be in good shape.

NEW NOVEL COMING IN NOVEMBER

I will be launching my newest novel in November. I’m very excited to share it with you, and it’s not the book that I’ve teased about thus far. It’s a completely different story, holiday appropriate. I’m thrilled to be able to say the launch is days away, and I’ll be selling signed and personalized copies as gifts for those you love.

More details forthcoming. Stay tuned.

ANNA IN TUSCANY: Something new I’ve published

The story I’m sharing with you was written back in May and was intended to be a part of a Valentine’s Day Anthology. As things sometimes happen, the Anthology was nixed, and I was left with a short story without a home.

Taking the lead from many of my friends who are writers, I decided to publish it as a stand-alone story in the form of a novelette. It’s called ANNA IN TUSCANY, and is available via Kindle for .99 or Book Funnel for FREE. The links are below.

The premise of the story is this:

Travel writer Arianna (Anna) Ricci relocates from the United States to Italy for a year on assignment to cover the regions of Italy. She is also on a quest to write a story of love about La Festa Degli Innamorati—otherwise known as Valentine’s Day—for her magazine’s website. Living in her cousin’s apartment in Siena in Tuscany, Anna meets her neighbor, Matteo, an older gentleman who lost his wife several years prior, and they form a friendship and begin to play cards every Wednesday evening, along with Matteo’s son, Nicolo. Before long, Anna, who has suffered through two previous heartbreaks, uncovers a love story that spans decades, and learns a few things about love as she finds her own way in Italy.

A novelette is typically a story that is between 7,500 – 17,000 words. ANNA IN TUSCANY is 15,000+ words, and is broken into short chapters. It’s a story about Italy, finding love, traveling, and appreciating the art of a good love story.

I hope you read and enjoy it!

xx

Stephanie

Amazon link for Kindle Book .99 – ANNA IN TUSCANY – click here

Book Funnel FREE READ – ANNA IN TUSCANY – click here

Stephanie Verni is the author of contemporary fiction. She enjoys crafting realistic fiction that touch upon themes such as resilience, recovery, love, forgiveness, starting new, and friendship. Her books include Beneath the Mimosa Tree, Baseball Girl, Inn Significant, Little Milestones, and The Postcard. She can be found on Amazon at Stephanie Verni Author.