Stephanie Verni's Blog, page 13

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

It was an honor to be able to share my creativity on a platform called FamilyApp.com today! One of the things I love most about teaching at the college level is watching my students go out into the world and seeing where they land. One of my star students is with this organization, and she asked me to be featured on their platform!

Talk about things coming full-circle in life.

Connections.

They are everything.

Making connections with people, staying in touch, and keeping your pulse on what they are up to is important.

That said, I’m flattered to be alongside many other creative moms and dads out there just trying to make it work. As I say in the article, I won’t pretend to be an expert on parenting…I’ve made some mistakes along the way, that’s for sure, but the important thing is to learn and grow from every experience.

Here’s the article if you’d like to take a look where we talk about family, teaching, life, and fashion, as well as other tidbits of information!

And I’m sticking by my proclamation that 1980s hair should NEVER make a comeback.

Much thanks to Adrianna for reaching out!

Indie Author Pride

How did I not know that today is Indie Author Pride Day? Thank goodness I saw my friend Colleen’s Instagram post or I may have missed it.

The long and short of it is that I’m proud to be an indie author. Competition is tough out there, and sometimes we have to go it alone.

Have no fear, indie authors. There are many who have gone before us who have self-published—think Charles Dickens and Virginia Woolf.

Since 2012, I’ve independently published 5 books in addition to collaborating on an event planning textbook published by Kendall-Hunt Publishing. All during this time, I’ve taught college and have always been able to balance the two.

Indie authors who do the grind for the sheer love of writing and storytelling are to be celebrated. There are plenty of other things we could be doing with our time, but we choose to do it for this simple reason: we are storytellers and love it.

If you’re so inclined, I’d love it if you’d pick a book of mine for your beach read. Let me know how you like it.

I’m always striving to do better.

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, supermarkets, and drug stores, as well as online. In a word, she’s omnipresent.

Laptop in hand, ready to go write.

As I’m beginning to both drum up the courage to solicit agents and begin the query process having recently completed writing my fifth novel, Debbie’s words of encouragement were exactly what I needed to hear. She took us with her on the journey of becoming a published author with an agent and a publishing house to back her. It was no normal story; there was real struggle, rejection (over and over), and even financial hardships her family endured until she sold her first book. She told the story of a rejection so hurtful, it shook me to the core, because it took place in a very public setting. As a teacher and someone who has to work with students, I was rocked by the brutal publishing stories Debbie shared, including a negative comment made to her by her high school principal when she graduated. She endured some horrible comments and disbelievers over the years, but in the end, she showed them.

Now, with over 150 books to her name and a great deal of success, she is having the last laugh.

The best quote of the night came when she said, “Don’t leave a rejected manuscript on your desk. It has a home.”

I’m clinging to those words she spoke as I begin this daunting task of believing my story is good enough to be represented. I am channeling her energy, because like Debbie, I believe I can construct and tell a good story.

She even quoted John 14:1 when speaking about rejection and was guided by the premise shared in the Bible: “Let not your heart be troubled.” She kept those words close to her heart, and she carried on, marching to notoriety.

I plan to move forward with these guiding principles that she shared and go for it. Listening to her was exactly the push I needed to march forward in this effort.

If no one bites, I have the experience to self-publish again, but I’m going for like I’ve never gone for it before thanks to some seriously heart-wrenching advice from a humble and wise bestselling author.

Travel Writing: From Teaching It to Doing It

You’ll have to forgive me for just getting around to sharing this; my family and I were on vacation last week.

Yours truly in North Beach, one of the two towns I covered for marylandroadtrips.com.

This month, I had the opportunity to write for a travel publication called marylandroadtrips.com. After teaching feature writing at my university for many years (having formerly been an editor of a magazine) with aspects of travel writing incorporated into the course, I was thrilled at the opportunity to do some travel writing of my own. If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you know that I often blog about my trips here, writing it in feature style, to use as a learning tool in the classroom. Writing for a travel publication is a great way for me to not only practice what I preach, but also to demonstrate to my students that if they love it, they can do it, too.

Additionally, I have taught a “Special Topics in Travel Writing” course several times, and my students have always impressed me with the caliber of their writing. They do such a good job dissecting their locations and offering readers an understanding of the places they cover.

I’m looking forward to writing additional travel pieces. I’m working on a second piece, and we’d love it if you would check out the site Maryland Road Trips (marylandroadtrips.com) for ideas about local travels within our state.

Cartwheels on the Beach

I’m sitting here on the sandy beach typing this blog post into my iPhone.

I’m marveling at children doing cartwheels on the beach. In my present physical state of enduring back and hip problems, if I tried to do a cartwheel, I would either majorly embarrass myself or majorly hurt myself. In either case, the choice not to attempt one is best.

Nevertheless, watching the energy of these girls as they twirl and tumble at the edge of the ocean has taken me back in time—to vacations with my own grandparents, aunts and uncles, and immediate family, and to twirling and tumbling myself. To throwing to football and riding bikes. To nights playing putt-putt and laughing till we cried. Being here in Bethany Beach brings back warm and fond memories of a childhood filled with quite an abundance of love and just all-around good things.

I count myself fortunate for the memories and to being here making new ones.

As for the cartwheels, one never knows. Maybe a new hip will buy me a twirl or tumble someday down the road.

Writing Away

I haven’t been as diligent about writing for my blog as I have been in the past. It makes me feel a little guilty, because I’ve always put so much energy and time into my blog. However, there are good reasons for my absence, so allow me to explain:

Working in my summer office.The semester ended in mid-May. I can honestly say that after working in education throughout a pandemic and teaching a full load + of courses online, it was more challenging than normal. Obviously, we have all been affected by this situation and our work lives were altered quite a bit, but the energy it took to produce, deliver, and grade remotely was a lot more work over the last three semesters than I expected. Additionally, I took on the role of instructor for the course called The Villager, our online newspaper. The students and I persevered, and I appreciated all their efforts, but again, teaching it all remotely required more time in front of a computer than I ever imagined.I’ve picked up a couple of other writing projects. I’m writing for our community magazine, Severn River Living, and as well, I just wrote my first article for a travel publication in Maryland. I will share the link when the story is published. I’ve also started to write the next piece for the travel publication.As I near the end of editing my 6th work of fiction, I am hearing back from beta readers and editors. I’ve made some tweaks to the manuscript, and now I’m in the process of polishing my query letter as I begin to send it out to publishers and agents. I’m excited, scared, nervous, and mentally prepared for the commentary that will come, be it rejections or rewards, and I’ll face each as it comes. I just felt it was time to attempt to go the traditional route. If nothing comes of it, I will publish again myself, but I’m hoping that is not the case. Being an independent author has its pluses and minuses, that’s for sure.I’ve started writing my 7th work of fiction—a idea that struck me over the Christmas holiday—and I’m finally starting to mold that story. This one’s exciting me so much, and I want to get it just right.

For those three reasons, I’ve gone a little dark on the blog. I’m sorry for that, but as these things are brewing, they require so much of my time. Not to mention that I am an active marketer and promoter of my brand on social media platforms, namely for me, Instagram. Incidentally, I just changed my handle to @stephanieverniwrites to showcase all the different projects I’m working on. If you’d like to hear about my books, you can visit my Instagram video by clicking here to see the video about my work.

I hope you all are staying busy and enjoying coming out of lockdown. It’s so good to see people’s faces again!

Be well, and I’ll pop in soon.

xx,

Stephanie

Is the Power of Positive Thinking Real?

Remember the book called The Secret? It’s a book in the self-help genre written by Rhonda Byrne that basically states that the law of attraction is real—that positive thoughts or energy attracts other positive thoughts and energy. It goes further to express that the power of positive thinking can help you achieve what you want or imagine and will it into existence.

As it says on my blackboard, a great quote from J.K. Rowling: “Words are our most inexhaustible source of magic.”

Some may believe these things are possible; others may not.

I am in the camp that believes it can happen. But then again, I’m a pretty positive person. I don’t think I could be a teacher if I were not.

Earlier this year, and after many years of teaching and writing novels, I had decided to explore the possibility of doing some freelance writing. Mind you, this desire was only in my head; I had expressed it to no one. I teach courses in journalism, so the mere idea of writing for publications would be fun and exciting for me, and something different from what I’m doing presently. I teach the courses, but I also want to practice my craft.

A little opportunity arose for me to write for a local community magazine. I decided to take the folks up on the offer, and I began to write articles for them. To date, I have written four pieces since I first decided to take it on.

Then, a former student of mine, who knew I taught travel writing, reached out to me about writing for a publication called marylandroadtrips.com. After a conversation with the woman who runs the magazine and website, I am now going to be writing travel articles for the publication, thanks to our connection and the fact that my former student thought of me.

Additionally, I was asked to write a column for a start-up magazine called Swoonworthy Stories about writing and novelists. You can check them out on Instagram. I’m super excited to be a part of this new magazine, as I have gotten to know the women involved in the project and am keen on seeing the project succeed.

Which leads me back to The Secret.

I do think there is something to the power of wishing things into existence, or fate, or the power of positive thinking. Every job I have ever secured in my life has been the result of fate or things falling into place. It doesn’t hurt that I bust my butt and put my all into everything I do, but I do believe in the magic of timing.

Ultimately, I think if you work hard at anything, put the time in, and have a true passion for things, there is just that more potential for good coming from it all.

Perhaps that is, as they say, the secret.

The Way to a Character’s Heart

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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 jumping out of my comfort zone and sharing this particular poem. It was written for one of my characters in my upcoming novel. His name is Reid, and he is depressed, feeling like a complete loser, single after a breakup, and stuck in a rut. This poem depicts his emotional state, and yet in the novel, there’s a lovely surprise for him as things become brighter and his life becomes takes a turn—for the better.

My upcoming novel is about connection—and the value of being connected to people who have the power to lift you up. In the past, I’ve written about loss and forgiveness and resilience; this novel touches on some of those themes, but the underlying theme is about friendship and finding people who support you, no matter what.

I’m looking forward to putting the finishing touches on the novel this summer, and I can’t wait to share it with you soon.

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The Cicadas Are Coming! The Cicadas Are Coming!

To mimic Paul Revere, we all know the following: “The cicadas are coming! The cicadas are coming!”

In Maryland, they’re already here.

Spotted in my back yard.

Who remembers the 2004 onslaught of the cicadas? We were living in Ellicott City at the time, and I remember my toddler and four-year-old playing in the back yard and being terrified of the insects. The Brood X type, with their menacing red eyes, had crawled out of the soil. My friends, it’s been 17 years, and they are crawling out again.

Apparently, billions of these things have fed underground all this time, primarily on tree roots, only to emerge now. This particular Brood X type is found in the eastern United States only. Luckily for us, they are only around for a short time, from May until the end of June.

But these buggers are about to make a ruckus.

The male cicadas, who ascend to the tall treetops, will cause a stir with their mating sounds. The sound comes from their abdomen. So, when you hear the bellowing songs coming from the trees over the next month, you’ll know what’s going on. Male cicadas are looking for some action.

I remember my very first introduction to cicadas. It was 1987, and I was commuting to Bethesda. I got off of the Metro, and emerged outside to swarms of cicadas buzzing all round us. It was like a scene from “The Birds.” Swatting them away from my hair and eyes, I had never in my life been pestered by insects like this as I tried to walk across the street. They were everywhere.

Here’s hoping it doesn’t get that bad in 2021, but if this morning’s walk was any indication, I think we’re going to see a lot of them—and soon.

For more information on the Cicadas, click here for Cicada Facts from The Maryland Department of Agriculture.

You Won’t Want to Miss “The Scoop”

One of the best aspects of social media is the ability to connect with people in your hometown and general area. My years of posting on Instagram have connected me with some great people, and last week, at the ribbon cutting for a new bookstore called Park Books and Literacy Lab, I got the opportunity to chat with Ryan Sneddon from Naptown Scoop. Both Ryan and I were at the bookstore covering “the story.” He was reporting on it for Naptown Scoop, and I was covering it for a local magazine. (I’ll share the story once it’s published).

But the fact is, Ryan and I have been “connected” via Instagram for a while now. We’re both promoting the city of Annapolis—I do it through the novels I write, and Naptown Scoop promotes events in and around the city every day. When you’re either an entrepreneur like Ryan, or an independent author like me, the importance of building rapport and connections is vital to your success. And Ryan is doing just that: he is building a following and a network of folks in the Annapolis area who want the low-down—or news—about what’s happening in our area.

If you live locally, be sure to check out Ryan’s newsletter. It’s chock full of news, happenings, and events, as well as timely stories about the scoop in Annapolis and the surrounding areas. As the primary contributor, editor, writer, photographer, and marketing guru, Ryan runs Naptown Scoop—and the diverse hats he wears keep him busy.

If you’re on Instagram or Facebook, you can follow Naptown Scoop, and perhaps, as his endeavor grows, there may possibly be more “scoops” in other towns in the future. And if you happen see him in Downtown Annapolis either walking or on a skateboard, or you spot him in any of the nearby nearby towns, say hello and tell him I sent you.

To sign up for Naptown Scoop, simply click this link that will take you directly to the newsletter. We love what he’s up to and the spirit and promotion Naptown Scoop brings to our good city.

See you at the next event!