Stephanie Verni's Blog, page 51
July 31, 2017
When Did You First Fall in Love…with someone & with reading?
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My mother recalls my disconnect as a young kid with books.
“You were too busy doing other things–you were a doer.” This statement comes despite my mother’s genuine love for books and reading and the library. If ever there is a role model for someone who likes to read, it’s my mother. She’s been a voracious reader since she was a kid. There’s always a book open at her house; she conquers, on average, a book a week or two, I would guess.
I remember my mother taking my brother and me to the Bowie Public Library as a kid, where I’d check out books and bring them home. Don’t get me wrong—I did read. I remember reading lots of books as a kid and enjoying them.
But it was not love yet.
I remember that I was active and hard to pin down. I was busy playing, being involved, taking some sort of lesson or another, practicing the piano, cheering on teams in high school, and finding any excuse not to sit down with a good book and take a load off.
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I fell in love with reading the same year I fell in love with my first boyfriend. I was 16 going on 17. And maybe that’s what made me fall head over heels in love with reading—I could finally relate to love and a love story on a more intellectual level; I could connect with first loves and breaking hearts. I understood unrequited love. And then I understood a much deeper, meaningful, selfless love.
I started out reading Lucky by Jackie Collins (she was the rage back then), and I couldn’t put her stuff down. I wanted to read more, and I did. I was bitten. But perhaps the most poignant book I read that thoroughly transformed me happened in 1987, when I realized what the combination of masterful storytelling and strong writing was. It came in the form of The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher.
That book sealed the deal for me. I’d already fallen in love with reading, but that was the turning point. There was no going back after that. It was also the moment when I thought to myself, someday I want to tell a good story. Someday I will write one.
I’ve done that now, three times.
And while my first boyfriend and I didn’t make it past my first year of college, my affinity for reading did. However, my relationship with him made everything I read much more meaningful and deeper.
It’s funny how that happens, how things become relatable though the magic of books, and how relationships force you to see the world from new perspectives. I’ll always be grateful for that.
Can you recall the moment you fell in love with reading?
Stephanie
[image error]Stephanie Verni is Professor of Business Communication at Stevenson University and is the author of Inn Significant, Baseball Girl, and Beneath the Mimosa Tree. Along with her colleagues Leeanne Bell McManus and Chip Rouse, she is a co-author of Event Planning: Communicating Theory and Practice, published by Kendall-Hunt.
Filed under: On Life Tagged: Jackie Collins, love, love reading, loves stories, reading, relationships, romantic love, Rosamunde Pilcher, selfless love
July 30, 2017
The Case for Teaching: Inspiring Students AND Inspired by Students
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 afford me a lot of writing, reading, and family time. That’s for sure. And, they allow me time to plan for the upcoming academic year.
In less than a month, I’ll be back on campus at Stevenson University teaching classes for my 17th year there (my 24th year of teaching overall). I started teaching when a neighbor of mine, who worked at the community college, asked me if I could teach an adjunct course in public speaking. As I had a minor in speech communication and a master’s degree, I told her I could, and a year and a half later (yes, it took that long!), I taught my first course at night.
I fell in love with teaching right then and there.
I was incredibly lucky, as I already had a full-time job I loved working for the Baltimore Orioles. Now, I had a part-time job I loved, too.
When I was hired by Villa Julie in 2000, and then became a full-time faculty member in 2008 when the college changed its name to Stevenson University, I was ecstatic. Somewhere in the back of my head even as a college student myself, I knew I wanted to teach. My mother taught middle school English for 30 years, her uncle was a teacher, my uncle is a professor, two of my aunts were teachers…so you get the picture. Sometimes, honestly, a profession may just be in your blood. And sometimes a profession feels more like a passion.
I probably don’t say it enough, especially to my students, but I love working with them. And to my former students, I loved working with you all, too. I enjoy watching them grow from quiet and unsure freshmen to confident and self-assured young people ready to take on the work force. Some of their transformations are downright amazing, while others of them confidently continue on their trajectory to success. I am so proud of what they have become and what they continue to do out in the world today.
Being in the classroom with students is one of my favorite things. In my writing courses, I especially love when we have meaningful discussions and I get to hear from them about their lives or how a particular piece of writing affected them. In my advertising class, I get to see them make a final pitch—trust me when I tell you, some of those pitches would knock your socks off! In my public relations class last year, the students actually made me so proud when they executed their press conferences that I got a little choked up and teary. And this year, I’m teaching a whole new course, whereby we will function as a full-service agency. It’s going to be exciting.
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As a university professor, no two days are the same, and I don’t have to sit behind a desk all day long. I am there to inspire the students, but the truth is, half the time, they end up inspiring me. They make me want to be a better teacher each and every day.
Honestly, if you open your ears and listen to what your students have to say, it can be quite powerful. They have stories to tell and experiences to share, and they are always eager to understand what I have to impart, even when sometimes they may not fully understand the method to my madness. Sometimes it takes a little bit of time.
But it’s always worth it.
Yes, school starts in less than a month.
I can’t wait to see what this academic year brings.
Stephanie
[image error]Stephanie Verni is Professor of Business Communication at Stevenson University and is the author of Inn Significant, Baseball Girl, and Beneath the Mimosa Tree. Along with her colleagues Leeanne Bell McManus and Chip Rouse, she is a co-author of Event Planning: Communicating Theory and Practice, published by Kendall-Hunt.
Filed under: On Life Tagged: Baltimore Orioles, inspiration, inspire, jobs, passion, professor, Stevenson University, students, Teaching, teaching students, university, Villa Julie, work, work life
July 28, 2017
Do You Write to Sell or Do You Write to Tell Good Stories?
Yesterday, when I was texting with a dear friend of mine who has been quite influential in my life and career, I shared with him that I was taking a break from writing for a bit. Which, as you know, if you’ve followed along thus far in my tales of woe, really means that I became burned out doing book promotion as opposed to book writing. Anyway, he asked me this question at end of our text thread:
Do you write to sell or do you write to tell good stories?
I looked at what he had written for a long time, pensively, unsure as to how I would answer that question, because it’s a good one to ask. It made me pause and reconsider everything. It’s tricky because there are many components to it, but let me do my best to answer, and then, if there are any other writers out there reading this, I would love to hear your thoughts on it. I think all writers should be forced once in a while to examine why they write…why they slave away doing what they do. Therefore, I decided to enumerate my top four reasons for my own sake, with a caveat about the whole writing life exercise in one #5 summation.
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#1- I write to tell good stories. I have been writing stories since I can remember, telling stories for longer, and wanting to publish a book since the age of 13. I love the whole aspect of storytelling, of a tightly woven narrative, and of the clarity needed to tell a well-constructed story. I write to tell good stories, for sure, and it is at the crux of why I write.
#2- I write to show my students that I actually practice what I preach. If you have me or have had me as a teacher at Stevenson University, I hope you can verify that I am passionate about writing–about being able to articulate your thoughts on paper. It’s a skill that is imperative today. Being a clear writer means you have clarity of thought; you are a critical thinker who knows how to communicate. This skill takes you places in business for sure. A recent survey that polled top executives in large companies proved that the two skills employers want to see in candidates are the ability to write and the ability to speak and present in public. My job is to help both facets, with an emphasis on writing. Being able to show my students four books I have written serves as an example that I do, in fact, practice what I preach.
#3- I write as a creative outlet. I think of myself as a creative person even though I can’t draw or paint. My creativity comes in the forms of words and storytelling (and even blogging)! If I don’t have this outlet, something feels off in my life. It has become and will continue to be an outlet for the fostering and release of creativity.
#4- I write to make people happy. Being able to communicate here on the blog to an audience or through my novels seems to make people happy and that, in turn, makes me happy. Last night at a book club where members had read my novel, Inn Significant, the ladies told me I had a gift for storytelling (and they also liked the happy ending). Again–why not bring some happiness into the world? There’s plenty for us to be sad or angry about already, so a bit of joy in the form of a novel is a good thing.
Now, here’s the caveat:
#5- Writers need readers. And it’s not so much about selling as it is just having readership. We write to share stories and to be read. We write to connect with people. But in order for that to happen, we actually need some readers. And it was the constant time spent soliciting readers that was beginning to kill my spirit.
But when I look at this all now, a couple of weeks after my little meltdown, I may need to rethink my writing, strategy, and approach.
I’m being quite frank and candid about my writing philosophy. To those other independent authors and those with small presses—Why Do You Write?
Stephanie
[image error]Stephanie Verni is Professor of Business Communication at Stevenson University and is the author of Inn Significant, Baseball Girl, and Beneath the Mimosa Tree. Along with her colleagues Leeanne Bell McManus and Chip Rouse, she is a co-author of Event Planning: Communicating Theory and Practice, published by Kendall-Hunt.
Filed under: On Life Tagged: book blogging, book promotion, books, readers, reading, reading books, Teaching, teaching and writing, Why I Write, writing
July 26, 2017
A Cup of Candor’s Dose of Inspiration – From Princess Diana & the HBO Special
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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 every way. And third, her sense of style, candor, kindness, and humor were always appealing to me. Sadly, she lived a fairy tale that became a complete nightmare, and her death was shocking and came way too early in her life. Her life ended in a dark, Shakespearean tragedy, and the world mourned her loss—and I believe it still does. I’m still mad at the media for chasing her through that tunnel, but that’s a post for another time. Today, it’s about the inspiration Diana has left us with, even today.
What was nice about watching the documentary by her sons is that we got to hear their memories of their mother. I loved when Harry recounted her laugh—and called it infectious—and then we see her on a water ride at an amusement park going down a hill with Harry and William and see her laughing. It reminds us all that what we do with our kids and how we act will always be something they remember about us when we are no longer here.
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William talked about how, at the age of 12, Diana took him to a homeless shelter, and that that one push to go there and talk and listen to people instilled a kindness in him that he continues today by visiting often. He spoke of her ability to reach out and touch people, whether it was those in the shelter, those with AIDS, or those with an ailment or disability, Diana knew how to make people feel loved.
One of her greatest quotes is this one:
“Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.” – Princess Diana
I believe this is so true. It is something that I have done and try to live by in my life, and I am sure it inspires you, too. Sometimes we just help people because it’s the right thing to do—and we shouldn’t expect anything in return.
Her other fantastic quote that I wholeheartedly agree with is this one:
“When you are happy you can forgive a great deal.” – Princess Diana
[image error]I believe this is so true, also. Sometimes you just have to rise above it, forgive, and move on, and I know this is not always easy. These words encourage me to find that place in me where forgiveness is possible. And being happy is a great place to start.
Overall, the HBO special reminds us of the power of a person. When they say someone can change the world, it’s true. Hearing the memories of Diana by her sons and people who knew her reminded me of the impact she had on people’s lives, even though her life ended much too early. Nevertheless, she continues to inspire me, along with countless others, and probably always will.
Stephanie
[image error]Stephanie Verni is Professor of Business Communication at Stevenson University and is the author of Inn Significant, Baseball Girl, and Beneath the Mimosa Tree. Along with her colleagues Leeanne Bell McManus and Chip Rouse, she is a co-author of Event Planning: Communicating Theory and Practice, published by Kendall-Hunt.
Filed under: On Life Tagged: Diana, Diana: Our Mother, HBO, HBO Princess Diana, inspiration, Prince Harry, Prince William, Princess Diana
July 24, 2017
What I Didn’t Have in College
It’s time for the first Cup of Candor, so grab your coffee or tea, and let’s chat.
When I decided to embark on this new format for Steph’s Scribe and change the theme of the blog to A Cup of Candor, it came with an open invitation to my readers to offer suggestions of things they would like to see. One of my former students, a blogger herself at The Faithful Elephant, suggested I do a piece on “notes to my younger self.” I could open a can of worms with that one, believe me, as I’ve experienced some very hard and emotionally draining and heartbreaking life lessons along the way, but today we’ll begin with a much lighter, but still serious, topic.
Today’s topic is this: What I didn’t have in college.
And that thing is this: I didn’t have a mentor.
Looking back on my years at Towson University, both as an undergraduate and graduate student, I wish I had built a relationship with someone I could call a mentor. I never did that. Not a teacher as a mentor. I had work mentors, but not an educator, not someone I could talk to about matters of teaching.
[image error]With one of my mentors from the world of baseball, Dr. Charles Steinberg, at Fenway Park.
Had I built a solid foundation with someone in education I could look up to, things may have been very different. I was working 80+ hours a week at the Baltimore Orioles during the time I studied in the master’s program in Professional Writing. I took one course a semester, as my full-time job was incredibly demanding. It wasn’t until the very last class in the program–a creative short fiction class–when I met Dr. George Friedman that I realized writing was going to be in my life, but it was my last class. George remained an inspiration and supporter, but I wish I’d had more time with him at the university. Simultaneously, I had the notion to be a teacher, but I never talked to anyone about that. Ever. It had always lurked in the back of my mind as a great career for having a family, raising kids, and doing some of my own writing.
But I never pursued it. Not then. I never talked to anyone about the possibility of earning a Ph.D.; I didn’t really talk to anyone about it at all.
I continued working at the Orioles and stayed for 13 years. After the completion of my Master’s degree, I was hired by a local community college to teach. When I retired myself from baseball and had fallen in love with teaching, I taught for a total of nine years until I was hired by Villa Julie College (now Stevenson University) as an adjunct professor. Even then, with two little ones, I never pursued a Ph.D. My life had moved along, and it wasn’t the right time to go for that.
When I became a full time professor at Stevenson, I ended up going back to school to earn an MFA in Creative Writing, considered a terminal degree, similar to but not as intensive, as a Ph.D. My kids were small and I couldn’t imagine investing four or five years of my life in a Ph.D. program at that stage of my life, so I opted (and gladly so) to pursue the MFA, which was a great decision for me considering my life, occupation, and family. I loved the program immensely and gained so much from it.
So here’s the note to my younger self: Get a mentor at an earlier age and ask a lot of questions. Talk about your job options and opportunities. Think through not just the here and now of your life, but also what is or could be in your future. Looking back on it now, I might have gone a different route and pursued a Ph.D. earlier in my life—before marriage and kids—had I had the encouragement from a mentor.
[image error]With Shane, who said we were his PR mentors (student in front) and Dr. Leeanne Bell McManus. We pride ourselves on our mentoring of students.
[image error]Some of my students today from 47 House, the Integrated Marketing Communication club on campus.
Everyone should have a mentor, both in business and in life. We look for guidance from people all the time. We want to have relationships with folks so that we can learn from their experiences and so that we can use that knowledge to inform our own decisions.
Now, all these years later, the shoe is on the other foot. I remember what it felt like to not have a mentor, and so now I believe it is both my responsibility and my passion to be a mentor to young people who are now currently in my old shoes. I know what it feels like to need someone’s support and guidance, and now I am there for my students. My door is always open, and if I can provide some insight, I will.
There is something to be said for being older and wiser, although I much prefer the idea of being wiser without the older part.
Hope you found today’s chat useful, and if you know someone who could use a good mentor, please feel free to pass along my message.
Stephanie
[image error]Stephanie Verni is Professor of Business Communication at Stevenson University and is the author of Inn Significant, Baseball Girl, and Beneath the Mimosa Tree. Along with her colleagues Leeanne Bell McManus and Chip Rouse, she is a co-author of Event Planning: Communicating Theory and Practice, published by Kendall-Hunt.
Filed under: On Life Tagged: Advice, Baltimore Orioles, educators, mentors, mentorship, scholars, Stevenson University, Teaching
July 21, 2017
The Truth About Burnout, Steps to Rejuvenation, and A Cup of Candor
[image error]I know this post is coming sooner than you or I expected it to come, so let me explain.
Earlier this week, I experienced something unfamiliar. It came out of nowhere and yet came from everywhere. I imagined myself in the image of an old wind-up toy that had hit a wall; I was marching along, but I wasn’t getting anywhere. I was swimming in “noise,” as we communication folks like to call it. It was filling up my head and causing me not to think clearly.
Some people might call it burnout.
Burn•out (noun) /ˈbərnˌout/ def. physical or mental collapse caused by overwork or stress. “high levels of professionalism that may result in burnout”
It was an emotional reaction that, quite frankly, had my friend Elizabeth puzzled when we talked on Tuesday.
“What happened?” she asked. “What happened after our lovely visit to Oxford?”
[image error]She had sweetly volunteered to come with me and my daughter to the Plein Air event in Oxford where I was signing my latest book, Inn Significant, at the bookstore, Mystery Loves Company. I had been excited to go for weeks as my novel happens to be set in that sweet, picturesque and welcoming town.
“Nothing happened because of Oxford,” I told her. “It just happened after Oxford. I woke up in the morning the next day and didn’t know if I could write one more post about the book. I was becoming exhausted by the idea of book promotion.”
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When I told her more about it, she completely understood. So let me try to articulate it here. Forgive me if I don’t do it perfectly, but here are my thoughts on last Monday’s meltdown.
If you are not an independent author or an author with a small press, you may not understand fully the trials and tribulations of book promotion, but I know that these folks will get it — completely — so here’s the way it goes. Every morning you wake up with the thought, “How can I sell some books today?” For the last six years, that has been my relentless task, in addition to being a full-time professor, wife, mother, writer, blogger, and member of society who also likes to spend time with family and friends. That one, singular thought became an obsession for me, and here’s why: we care about our work, the stories we are producing as authors, but what good are they if no one reads them? The only way to ensure that doesn’t happen is to chip away at book promotion little by little, day after day. We write press releases. We enter book contests. We attend book talks, festivals, and signings. We are omnipresent on social media. We take photographs and come up with tidbits about our books to share on social media sites. We check our blog stats and our Amazon and Barnes & Noble pages to see how many books we have sold daily. We follow other people who are doing the same and see if we can learn from them. We see where we need to improve. We examine peak points on social media and try to post at those times that yield the biggest results. Then, we wake up each day and start over. And over. And over.
We drink a helluva lot of coffee.
And then we hit a wall.
Just like that.
Boom.
And the worst part is, I LOVE creativity. I love it so much, you guys. I love to talk about it, research it, read books about it, and just be creative through my writing and blogging and teaching, and yet, guess what was being zapped?
My friggin’ creativity.
Sucked away like Potter’s Dementors.
And so I had a knee-jerk reaction.
Stop writing. Stop blogging. Stop book promotion.
The problem came two days later when I realized that I didn’t want to stop blogging or writing, I just needed a sabbatical from book promotion.
I also realized that I needed to change my blog. It has been on my mind for a couple of years to rebrand it a bit, while still keeping the Steph’s Scribe flavor. As anyone in business knows, things can’t always stay the same, and change is good. I’m one of the top Entertainment bloggers on Paperblog, and I have over 10,000 blog followers, so the last thing I wanted to do was start over.
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So you can see I’ve compromised. It’s got a new title, with Steph’s Scribe as a subtitle so I don’t lose my followers; it has topics that I would like to cover regularly; and my goal is for it to have a little more spirit and candor.
Not everything in life is roses and caviar, and I believe I didn’t always allow myself to be as candid as I would like. So, we’ve got a new approach and a new focus.
And now to you, my dear readers: I would love to hear from you about what you would like to see in the new revamping of the blog. I need some input. Creativity takes brainstorming and often can’t be done alone, so if you have some ideas for me, I am open and in need of them.
To those of you who wrote to me, people like Danielle, Jack F. and Jack G., Deborah, Elizabeth, Whitney, Heather, Linda, Leeanne, Chip, Laurie, and so many others, your words made me examine this much more quickly than I thought was possible. So thank you. Thank you so very much.
And while the “noise” may not be completely cleared and sent to Mars, it’s getting better. And while I cannot fully stop book promotion if I want my books to be read, I can still take a breather from it and perhaps manage the chaos in a different way. And while I may not be ready to write another novel, at some point, I will probably do it again.
And if I love blogging, well then, damn it, I’m just going to keep on blogging.
Was this candid enough for you? If so, I look forward to a cup of candor each week with you as we progress.
Love to you all. Have a wonderful weekend…
Stephanie
[image error]Stephanie Verni is Professor of Business Communication at Stevenson University and is the author of Inn Significant, Baseball Girl, and Beneath the Mimosa Tree. Along with her colleagues Leeanne Bell McManus and Chip Rouse, she is a co-author of Event Planning: Communicating Theory and Practice, published by Kendall-Hunt.
Filed under: On Life Tagged: a cup of candor, blogger, blogging, book promotion, books, burnout, Creativity, fiction, Inn Significant, revamping, writing, writing fiction
July 18, 2017
Steph’s Scribe’s Sabbatical
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Yesterday, I posted that I might need to quit writing. After examining that statement more closely, getting a good night’s sleep, and reading aloud what I had written, I realized how incredibly sad that sounded to me. Additionally, during the day, I received texts and messages and comments on the blog from friends and supporters who might have been a little worried about my rather depressing state of mind. In a moment of exhaustion and confusion, I wrote something that may not have been entirely true, so let me clarify.
I will probably never quit writing. How could I?
I’ve been doing it since I was 13, and it’s always been a passion of mine.
But sometimes that passion can get the better of you, especially when you work really hard and the results aren’t exactly what you were hoping for.
That said, and not one to let a little disappointment guide my fate, what I do need to do is take a little time away from it all…from the books, from the promotion (especially), and from life as an independent author and the everyday obsession that it has become.
I need to reevaluate. Just like they do in business or politics or any meaningful endeavor. I need to see what’s working and what’s not.
To be completely honest, it’s not really about the blog so much; I actually thoroughly enjoy blogging. But I was getting tired of blogging about book promotion, as it is rarely rewarding. The life of an independent author takes some real grit—and I’ve had that grit for the last 6 years—but now I have to reexamine my author status and figure out my next move…the next step…the next journey in my writing career.
So, at the encouragement of some very dear and well-meaning people, I am going to take a sabbatical to figure this thing out. Today is July 18; my birthday is August 16. Therefore, I’ve decided that my birthday gift to myself is to take some time away, decompress a bit, spend some time with my kids and family, and take some long walks where clarity usually comes into play.
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When it’s your life’s dream to tell stories, write fiction, and be an author, it’s not something that you can let go of easily. So maybe I don’t have to; maybe I just need to stay patient and trust the journey. Refocus. Embrace creativity in a different way.
Thanks to those of you who have read my books, read my blog, attended book talks and book signings, and offered advice and support for these last six years. Your support means a great deal to me, and I probably don’t express that enough.
So thank you.
I don’t want to let you down any more than I want to let myself down.
Everyone needs a break now and then. I just need mine now.
You will hear from me again.
[image error]Stephanie Verni is Professor of Business Communication at Stevenson University and is the author of Inn Significant, Baseball Girl, and Beneath the Mimosa Tree. Along with her colleagues Leeanne Bell McManus and Chip Rouse, she is a co-author of Event Planning: Communicating Theory and Practice, published by Kendall-Hunt.
Filed under: On Life Tagged: independent author, reevaluating, sabbatical, Steph's Scribe, taking time for yourself, writing, writing woes
July 17, 2017
Thoughts on Quitting.
Monday morning.
Ten thirty-five.
I’ve been sitting here looking at this screen for at least twenty minutes wondering what the hell is going to come out of my head. So instead of wondering, I decided to be completely honest and transparent this morning.
The words pain me to say, but I feel like giving up.
Giving up the blog. Giving up writing novels. Just stopping, taking an extended break, or quitting the game.
Just giving up on the whole writing endeavor thing altogether.
It’s hard, you guys. It isn’t easy. You wonder what you’re doing it for, quite frankly. The time you have to put into it as an independent author is cumbersome, all-consuming, and the rewards of it are few at times. You bust your ass just to get one book sale, and then you feel exhausted by it. And the worst part is, you have to go back to the drawing board and start writing again. And marketing. And promoting. And killing yourself on social media. It requires creativity and lots of dedication. Some people are supportive, others want to see you fail.
I could sit and write stories all day. I love that aspect, but the other side of it is pretty hard when you’re a one-man-band.
I’ve hit an all-time low this morning. I had a great day in Oxford yesterday, signed lots of books, and met a lot of people. It has nothing to do with that. It has to do with looking toward the future, and wondering if I have what it takes to continue on this path.
I can’t explain it any more than I just have. I’m feeling down…and tired.
It’s a defeatist attitude for sure. I know that. I hate the way I sound right now. But if I have to weigh my time and energy and measure it against the rewards of it all, I’m not sure the scale tips in the direction of writing novels. Or blog posts.
I’m just not sure.
The thing that’s most troubling is I’m not ordinarily a quitter. Never have been.
But today is different.
It just feels different today.
Filed under: On Life
July 13, 2017
Road Trip & Book Signing in Oxford, MD
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As P.T. Barnum used to say used to say, “Let’s get this show on the road.”
This Sunday, July 16, I’ll be doing that thing I love to do–driving over the Bay Bridge to reach the “other side.” The Eastern Shore of Maryland is beckoning me to come for a visit, and I cannot wait.
I’ll be joining in the fun and festivities of Plein Air Paint Day in Oxford, Maryland, and will be signing my books at Mystery Loves Company on S. Morris Street from 1-3 p.m. Owner Kathy Harig has invited me to be a part of the event, and I enthusiastically accepted. Being able to spend the day in Oxford where my latest novel is set is just what the doctor ordered. And, as an added bonus, it will afford me time to do additional research for the sequel to Inn Significant. I love chatting with those who live in the town. There’s always a need to investigate a place and hear stories from the best sources. As a writer, the more stories you hear, the more material you gain.
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The charm of the Eastern Shore has hypnotized me. As someone who commutes 40-minutes to work and sits on the Baltimore Beltway in more traffic than I wish to recall, taking a trip across the bridge means total decompression. As my character Milly states from my novel when she crosses the Chesapeake Bay Bride, “As the Bay Bridge meets the land on the Eastern Shore, it’s as if you landed in a different world. Immediately, I felt the slower pace of life.” Milly and I think alike.
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That feeling is real. Ask anyone who has the privilege of spending time on the Eastern Shore. It’s the best place to unwind and relax.
If you’re in the area and are looking for a day away and to feel the slower pace of life, I encourage you to come visit Oxford on Sunday. Have lunch at a local establishment. Picnic in the park. Take a Ferry ride to St. Michaels. Bring your bikes and ride the open road. Get an ice cream cone at The Scottish Highland Creamery. Pick crabs on the water. See the Sandaway Inn, the place that inspired the entire setting of Inn Significant.
I think you’ll see why I decided to set my novel in this sweet, friendly, and vibrant little town. And I hope you fall in love with it, too, as I have.
[image error]Stephanie Verni is Professor of Business Communication at Stevenson University and is the author of Inn Significant, Baseball Girl, and Beneath the Mimosa Tree. Along with her colleagues Leeanne Bell McManus and Chip Rouse, she is a co-author of Event Planning: Communicating Theory and Practice, published by Kendall-Hunt.
Filed under: On Life Tagged: Author Visit, Bookstore, Eastern Shore, Inn Signficiant, Kathy Harig, Maryland, Mystery Loves Company, Oxford, Oxford MD, Plein Air Paint Day, Sandaway Inn, Scottish Highland Creamery, St. Michael's, Stephanie Verni
July 12, 2017
Wednesday Wardrobe – Date Night
What to wear on date night?
Well, it depends where you’re going. There are so many different things to do on your night out, and your outfit should reflect what you might do and what makes you feel pretty and comfortable. Today’s Wednesday Wardrobe features different scenarios for different date nights.
An Early Evening Strolling the Town
I love early evening, but since the sun stays out for a while in the summers, a hat and sunglasses may be needed. This little lightweight dress is from Xhilaration. Shoes by Indigo. It’s light and breezy and keeps me cool in the summer heat. It also doesn’t wrinkle. Bonus!
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Summer Concert
On a cooler summer evening, you might want to throw on some jeans and a cute top for a night listening to music. Jeans and top from White House Black Market. Cranberry booties from Sonoma.
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Dinner Under the Stars
Get ready for that great night having dinner under the stars. For a romantic night out, you may want to opt for a pretty black dress–this one’s by Robbie Bee from Nordstrom–and some black heels–these from Adrienne Vittadini.
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Double Date
Meeting friends for a double date for cocktails? This Society Amuse dress is fluttery and feminine. Got it in a boutique in Charleston on vacation.
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[image error]Stephanie Verni is Professor of Business Communication at Stevenson University and is the author of Inn Significant, Baseball Girl, and Beneath the Mimosa Tree. Along with her colleagues Leeanne Bell McManus and Chip Rouse, she is a co-author of Event Planning: Communicating Theory and Practice, published by Kendall-Hunt.
Filed under: On Life Tagged: clothing, date night outfits, Fashion, personal style, wednesday wardrobe, what to wear for date night
