Stephanie Verni's Blog, page 57

Thoughts on Missing Working in Baseball

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Orioles friends from our reunion a few years ago.

It’s a question I get asked a lot.

“Do you miss working in baseball?”

Students ask me this often; then they ask what it was like to work in baseball, in sports, for a Major League baseball team.

I have often blogged about how working in baseball changed my life in so many ways. I became a serious student when I got my job with the Orioles as a sophomore in college. I learned how to budget my time and work long hours. I loved every minute of it. I even roped my best friend and college roommate into working there during my second year when I supervised a small staff and someone quit before Opening Day. She was supposed to be a fill-in and ended up staying the entire season…and then some. I grew up there and stayed for 13 total seasons. My best friends are from there. I met my husband there. I learned valuable skills that I now teach my students. I learned about the game, its history, and its pomp and circumstance—all of which I treasure.

Then I wrote a fictional novel about working in baseball entitled Baseball Girl, summoning my recollections and stories about working in the game.

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On Friday night, I had the wonderful opportunity to spend time with my mentor and dear friend, Dr. Charles Steinberg, in Boston. Our students and faculty were in town for a communication convention, and Charles, who now works for the Red Sox and Pawtucket Paw Sox, took us out to dinner. It’s funny how things come around full circle—I learned so much of what I know from Charles and Julie Wagner, and both are still my dear friends and mentors. Both Charles and Julie also wrote a case study for a textbook my colleagues and I wrote about event planning. Sitting at that table with Charles made me realize a couple of things: (1) how thankful I am that I had the job I had for all those years and that it helps me in my current job today, and (2) that strong friendships sustain themselves even when you don’t see each other as often as you would like.

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Charles and me from Saturday night in Boston at Pico Niccolo.

Today is Opening Day, and I will not be there at Camden Yards to celebrate its 25th season at the ballpark. I have to teach my classes.

I was there on Opening Day 1992 when Camden Yards took center stage, and I helped coordinate the opening ceremonies. I value all of my time there—first as assistant director of community relations and then as director of publishing. For fun, and at Charles’s request, I even spent time as the ballpark deejay for a while, spinning tunes and getting the crowd fired up.

So the question remains: “Do you miss working in baseball?”

On days like today, with a fresh season upon us, a new team, and a clean slate with 162 games to go and a chance to win a World Series ring as a member of the front office, the answer is simply…

Yes.

Sometimes I do.

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Good friends…

[image error]Stephanie Verni is Professor of Business Communication at Stevenson University and is the author of the newly releasedInn 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.  To visit Stephanie’s Amazon Author page and see her books, click here.

Filed under: On Life Tagged: Baltimore Orioles, Baseball, Baseball Girl, Camden Yards, celebration, Friendship, love, marriage, Opening Day, sports, working in baseball

Answering the Question: How Many Books Have You Sold?

How many books have you sold?

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It’s the question people like to ask me about my recently released novel entitled Inn Significant. It seems to be the question people have on their minds as the marker that indicates how successful the book has been thus far.

The funny thing is, I liken the question to someone asking me about my age, how much I make, or how robust my sex life is.

Sometimes we are focused too much on the results and not on the process. At least that’s what my husband and I try to teach our kids. The most important aspect revolves around the process that helps us achieve our goals; the results are often secondary (and yes, at times, can be quite important).

As for Inn Significant, I didn’t set out to write a bestseller. That thought is not based in reality; I like to think more realistically. When I began writing the novel, I set out to start the process, see the process through, and complete a project. A writing project. Do you know how many people start something and never finish it? My goal is always to complete it. Writing has been in my blood since I was about 13 years old. I feel compelled to tell stories, and I’m more concerned with the process of that storytelling journey than I am with the results of that journey.

Moreover, I find myself echoing the sentiments of writer Elizabeth Gilbert when she says, “…if I am not actively creating something, then I am probably actively destroying something (myself, a relationship, or my own peace of mind).” Well said, Ms. Gilbert.

If you have the creative inspiration to redecorate a room, you do it, don’t you? If you have the urge to build a spectacular garden with a fountain in your back yard, you take it on, right? If you sit at a blank canvas and paint something that moves you, you don’t tell your inspiration to run away and hide, do you?

No, you don’t; nor do I. If I have the inspiration—if it happens to bless me with a story I think I can piece together in a meaningful way—I write it. Why would I tell my creativity to take a flying leap?

As for book sales, I do my best to try to promote the book, talk up the book, market the book, and sell the book where I can. Just this week, I entered two independent author book contests, and I’m about to enter more. I sent my book off to people who may be able to help promote it. I mailed out press releases. I was booked to talk at a library and a book signing is in the works at a bookstore. I do what I can.

But this is not why I write.

I write, once again, to quote Elizabeth Gilbert, because of this one, main reason: “…at the end of your creative adventure, you have a souvenir—something that you made, something to remind you forever of your brief but transformative encounter with inspiration.”

[image error]To put it simply, I just like to be able to say that I welcomed inspiration and “I did it.”

I also love the fact that my kids see their mom be fearless about putting her creativity out there.

That’s a process worth teaching.

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[image error]Stephanie Verni is Professor of Business Communication at Stevenson University and is the author of the newly released 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.  To visit Stephanie’s Amazon Author page and see her books, click here.

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Filed under: On Life Tagged: amwriting, book promotion, books, Creativity, inspiration, novels, writer, writing books, writing novels

Photography for Book Promotion

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Promoting a book isn’t easy, as I have previously discussed in many posts. Sometimes you have to take a different route or take some lovely pictures of your book or stand on your head for hours and hope someone notices. I’ve seen a lot of interesting photos on Instagram of books and have been inspired by them. 

Inn Significant takes place at a fictional inn on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. The inn sits on the Tred Avon River, and descriptions of flowers and gardens are described throughout the book. So, some of the photos I took are inspired by flowers.

I love using picturesque places in my novels and taking on the challenge of using words to describe them. 

However, for now, we will let the images of the book do the talking. 

That’s enough writing for today.

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[image error]Stephanie Verni is Professor of Business Communication at Stevenson University and is the author of the newly released 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. To visit Stephanie’s Amazon Author page and see her books, click here.

Filed under: On Life

A Little Gift Book Basket

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A book basket for a friend.

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The best part about giving someone a book as a gift as that it can be the gift that keeps on giving. People love to lend a book to someone when they love it. Therefore, that particular book may have many readers, as it lovingly gets passed from friend to friend to enjoy.

I’ve always loved giving books as gifts because you can write a nice message inside it–even if you are not the author. While it’s lovely to get a signed book from an author, it’s even more special to receive a book from a dear friend and to inscribe the book with a sentimental message.

Just yesterday, a friend of mine was packing her home to move, and she found The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom inscribed to her a few years ago by her late father. It was a touching moment when she found that book and what her father had written to her inside of it.

It’s also fun to make a little gift basket with books. I’m planning on giving this one to a friend of mine. You can pack the basket with things the people like. In my basket is tea, hot chocolate, Blue Crab munchies, and homemade chocolate chip cookies in a Mason jar, along with the three books I’ve written. Yes—signed, of course, with a message in each.

Books are a sweet gift, because when the person is done reading, it warrants a get-together over wine, coffee, or tea to talk about the book.

[image error]Stephanie Verni is Professor of Business Communication at Stevenson University and is the author of the newly released 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.  To visit Stephanie’s Amazon Author page and see her books, click here.

Filed under: On Life Tagged: basket of books, book basket, books, gift basket of books, giving books as a gift, inscribing books, reading

Bridges of Madison County Author Dies: A Tribute

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The year was 1992. I picked up a copy of best-selling author Robert James Waller’s The Bridges of Madison County and couldn’t put it down. I knew it was a love story, and I was riveted. Like many other readers, I was intrigued by Francesca and Robert Kincaid’s 4-day, intense love story set among the landscape of rural farmland in Iowa. Kincaid is a photographer, out to shoot the covered bridges in the area; Francesca is an Italian war-bride whose husband and two children go off to the state fair for the weekend. When Kincaid stops to ask Francesca for directions, a whirlwind affair begins that changes forever the lives of these two souls.

While literary snobs panned this novel, claiming, as the New York Times writes, that the characters were “unconvincing, the sentiments sappy and the writing overripe,” I found the novel charming, sad, relatable, and refreshing. It’s a stark reminder of the choices we make in life and why we make them, despite the overwhelming passions we may feel.

Waller’s ability to paint Francesca as a dutiful wife and mother with a deep-seeded passion, along with his depiction of Kincaid’s tough-guy image with a soft and endearing heart, are at the forefront of his writing. The tenderness that ensues makes you both like the characters and feel sorry for them all the way to the end when you understand Francesca’s request she makes to her own children when they learn the truth.

Another reason why I regard this book so fondly is because I was nearing the end of earning my first master’s degree in professional writing and was taking a class in writing short fiction. Waller’s style is one I admired and tried to imitate; he may have written in dramatic fashion, but he knew how to tug at a reader’s emotions. He is definitely someone who influenced me as a writer.

Waller was 52 when he wrote The Bridges of Madison County, yet another reason to admire the man. After years as a business professor, he got the idea of the story after visiting the covered bridges in Iowa and, as a musician who had written a song about a woman named Francesca, brought the two notions together into his novel. The rest, they say, is history.

The Bridges of Madison County was a best-seller for three years, outselling Gone with the Wind. Clint Eastwood directed and starred in the film version along with Meryl Streep in 1995. Mr. Waller died on March 10 at the age of 77 of multiple myeloma.

[image error]Stephanie Verni is Professor of Business Communication at Stevenson University and is the author of the newly released 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.  To visit Stephanie’s Amazon Author page and see her books, click here.

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Filed under: On Life Tagged: author, authors, book, book review, Bridges, Clint Eastwood, in memorium, Meryl Streep, Robert James Waller, The Bridges of Madison County, writing

Writing Prompt Challenge

So, last night I posed a writing challenge to see who wanted to try and write a short piece of flash fiction (300-400 words) around a prompt. I posted three. I got no takers. But I did it.

I chose the third. I love writing prompts because they force you to immerse yourself in a scene, setting, or situation right away. They force you to be creative, and to use your creative juices in the best possible way. The challenge was to write approximately 300-400 words.

Here’s my result of Prompt #3.

The Young King

The young King’s hair was a rumpled mess, his clothes strewn across the floor, his crown askew and hanging off of the chair. The lingering smell of liquor plagued the room as the gold goblet next to his bed sat empty. He had banished everyone from the castle after an evening of dancing and celebrating at two in the morning—rather earlier than his typical four o’clock dismissal. It was nearly eleven, and the sun had risen high in the sky, the morning dew long dissipated from the lawn.

His mother had married his father, the former King, when she was younger than he was now. She had not been pleased with his antics last night. She publicly reprimanded him in front of a few of the guests, and he in turn, had caused a scene. He was twenty-three, and he had become King two years prior upon his father’s passing. She blamed him for the current state of affairs in the Kingdom, for his lack of leadership and foresight, and for his relentless pursuit of young women. She had fought him privately, but last night she could no longer hold her tongue, and she had, in his estimation, embarrassed him beyond reproach.

She stood looking at him now, he squinting at her through the hazel eyes that so often had reminded her of her dear, departed husband. The blinding sunlight, which she had allowed to stream into the room after pulling open the heavy curtains, was causing him to sit up in bed and acknowledge her presence.

“There were vial words said between us last night, most of which, I would like not to remember or repeat,” she said in a tone he fully recognized as one in which you do not offer a response. She was his mother, after all, and while he was by all means a man, she would always be his most trusted advisor and confidante. He felt a sense of regret at what he must have said last evening, but he offered no reply at present. “It’s your choice,” she shrugged. “You can continue with your worthless life, or you can become someone who matters.”

With that, she turned on her heels and began the walk toward the gilded double doors that shielded and separated his room from the rest of the castle. He was not one to apologize freely as his pride and defensive demeanor almost always got in the way of salvaging his relations, but as she crossed the threshold, she heard him call, “Mother—“

Flash Fiction | Stephanie Verni | 410 words

[image error]Stephanie Verni is Professor of Business Communication at Stevenson University and is the author of the newly released 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.  To visit Stephanie’s Amazon Author page and see her books, click here.

Filed under: On Life Tagged: Creative Writing, Creativity, fiction writing, Flash Fiction, writing, writing prompts

Flash Fiction: Katie’s Snowwoman

The view out my front door of snow. It certainly is pretty, but I’d prefer daffodils in March.

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In honor of the snow that is upon us in Maryland in mid-March (yuck), I’m posting this bit of flash fiction for all those folks who are going to build a snowman, or snowwomanm, today. Ultimately, the story is about friendship. And it’s flash fiction—a short story told in 532 words.

Katie’s Snowwoman

Snow pants. Check.

Coat. Check.

Hat. Check.

Mittens. Check.

Boots. Check.

Scarf. Check.

Susie was ready. It was the first snowfall of the year, and she was ready to take it on. She had everything planned out, because that’s the kind of kid she was. Organized. Methodical. Determined.

She had seen a picture of a snowwoman on her mother’s Pinterest site, and she vowed she would make it with Katie.

Katie had never seen snow—would never see snow. But she could feel it and touch it and taste it. Katie had lost her eyesight at the age of three, her mother told Susie when they moved in the house on their street, and Susie had more compassion for Katie than she even understood.

“I can’t wait for it to snow,” Katie had said to Susie. “I want to play in it.”

“We will play in it,” Susie said. “You are going to help me build this snowwoman.”

“What snowwoman?” Katie asked.

Susie thought for a second, as she was holding the picture of the snowwoman in her hand that her mother had printed for her on the color printer. She realized Katie could not see it, so she took great care to tell her what she was going to look like. “She is going to have a round body, a round middle, and a round head,” she said. “But not too round. We don’t want people to think she eats too much.” Katie giggled.

Katie’s mother was helping her put on her snow clothing as Susie stood in the foyer, feeling quite warm with all her layers on. At the age of nine, the two girls had quickly become good friends over the course of the last six months.

“What is the snowwoman going to wear?” Katie asked Susie.

“I have it all outside,” she said. “My mother gave me a box of old clothes we can put on her. I have a pink scarf with glitter, old clip on earrings, a very pretty hat, and some colorful buttons. I even have a pair of high-heeled old boots she can wear!”

Katie clapped in delight. “Can I put the buttons on?” she asked Susie.

“Of course…you are going to help me with everything. I can’t do it by myself.”

Katie’s mother zipped up the last zip and helped her walk outside the door. “Have fun, girls,” she called.

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Photo credit: Snow Lady, Betsy Bennett,1996, Egg Tempera Published courtesy of CCMOA

For two hours, the girls rolled and sculpted and created their own version of the printed snowwoman.

When it came time for the finishing touches, Susie’s mother came outside to put the hat on top of the snowwoman’s head, as the two were too petite to reach.

“I wish you could see her,” Susie said, breathless and delighted at their creation. She was beaming with pride.

“I can see her,” Katie said. “Because of you I can see it in my imagination. And I know she’s beautiful.”

Susie gave Katie a little squeeze.

“And now the last item gets added,” Susie said, as she handed something to her mother. “Mom, put these sunglasses on her face. We’re going to name her Katie.”

Flash Fiction by Stephanie Verni

[image error]Stephanie Verni is Professor of Business Communication at Stevenson University and is the author of the newly released 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.  To visit Stephanie’s Amazon Author page and see her books, click here.

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Filed under: On Life

Sharing The Prologue Because Book Promotion Ain’t Easy

 

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Today, I’d like to invite you Inn.

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Getting people interested in your book ain’t easy. I know. I’ve begun the everyday challenge of marketing a novel I’ve written. Don’t feel too badly for me, though. I’ve chosen to take this on myself; I’ve chosen the path of an independent author mainly because I’m extraordinarily controlling. When I write, it’s from the heart, and I very much enjoy making sure that every word on the page comes directly from me.

Plus, this is the third time around for me. Third time’s a charm, maybe.

I guess you could say, as a controlling artist, that I’ve utilized my collective skills to be able to do this. As the former Director of Publishing for the Baltimore Orioles, I wrote, edited, and designed all sorts of printed pieces. Additionally, having worked in public relations, and as someone who currently teaches the topic, I would hope I know how to spread the word, at least to garner a bit of publicity. And finally, with two master’s degrees in writing, along with the fact that I teach writing at a university, I feel strongly that it is my duty to write and show what folks who call themselves writers are capable of producing. For all these reasons, I continue to “go for it.”

As I publish directly through Amazon via Mimosa Publishing, there are certain recommendations Amazon suggests, and one is to share an excerpt of the book to perhaps entice readers. The prologue is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, but I thought I would also share it here to see if I can whet your appetite and get you to consider reading Inn Significant.

I can promise you one thing: I poured my heart and soul into it.

 

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ABOUT INN SIGNIFICANT

Two years after receiving the horrifying news of her husband Gil’s death, Milly Foster continues to struggle to find her way out of a state of depression. As a last-ditch effort and means of intervention, Milly’s parents convince her to run their successful Inn during their absence as they help a friend establish a new bed and breakfast in Ireland. Milly reluctantly agrees; when she arrives at the picturesque, waterfront Inn Significant, her colleague, John, discovers a journal written by her deceased grandmother that contains a secret her grandmother kept from the family. Reading her grandmother’s words, and being able to identify with her Nana’s own feelings of loss, sparks the beginning of Milly’s climb out of the darkness and back to the land of the living.

[image error]Stephanie Verni is Professor of Business Communication at Stevenson University and is the author of the newly released 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.  To visit Stephanie’s Amazon Author page and see her books, click here.

 

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Filed under: On Life Tagged: Amazon, author, author marketing, Barnes & Noble, book promotion, books, Eastern Shore, indepdendent writers, Inn Significant, prologue, writer

12 Things To Do If You’re Not Going Someplace Exotic During Spring Break

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The Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay in Cambridge, Maryland, is just a hop, skip, and a jump away from the Baltimore/Washington area. Great getaway place for a weekend…or a full day.

This afternoon begins our university’s spring break, and while I know some students and faculty will be taking a vacation during that week and perhaps even going somewhere exotic, others of us will not be going somewhere exciting. My spring break never falls at the same time as my children’s break, so it’s difficult to get away. Therefore, if you’re like me, we must find ways to make the week special–so think about things you’ve wanted to do but haven’t had time for due to busy schedules or not enough “me” time.

There are plenty of activities to keep you feeling as if you’ve gotten away, even if you haven’t gone that far.

I’ve put together a list for you to help spark some creative ideas. Please let me know if you have any additional ones to share with all of us who are in the same boat. We’d love to hear from you!

Go get a facial, massage, or pedicure at a spa. Treat yourself to a little pampering and indulge just a little bit in a spa service of some sort. It’s amazing what an hour away can do for the psyche…and the skin.
While I’ve never done it and some of my friends have, a spray tan will help you feel the glow without having to hurt your skin in a tanning bed.
Pick up that book you’ve been dying to read that you’ve heard so much about. It doesn’t matter what genre it is—allow yourself to be taken away into the storyline.If you’re struggling for suggestions, I’ve written three that you can get from Amazon or Barnes & Noble, and likewise, I keep a list of my favorite books I’ve read and recommend here on the blog. Just click here.
Catch up on some good flicks or TV series. If you love British history, Victoria on PBS was fantastic. I’m also enjoying 24 Legacy if you were a fan of the original 24 Series. These series require time, and this is a week when you’ve got some time to hunker down.

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The Washington Street Pub in Easton, MD. Great place to have lunch or happy hour with some friends.

Go have lunch with someone you miss. Maybe you don’t see her or him regularly…now is the time to catch up and enjoy something savory.
Whether the weather is warm or happens to be cold outside, visit your favorite city that’s within driving distance. Day trips are THE BEST! Stroll the shops, grab a coffee, hot chocolate, or gelato, and sit and peruse a magazine.

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Ladew Topiary Gardens in Monkton, Maryland – Great day trip!

Head to your local nursery and get inspired by some of the spring plantings, shrubbery, and decorations for your home. Get some ideas for flowers for the spring. Or, if you want a suggestion in the Pennsylvania area, go visit Longwood Gardens. It was a treat beyond measure.
Pick a museum you’ve wanted to visit and make it a plan to get there. Bring a friend or your mom. Make it fun. Eat in the cafe and talk about art.

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The Hippodrome in Baltimore.

Organize an outing with your friends—go bowling, hit the driving range, grab some wine and paint some pottery, head to a book talk or poetry reading, or just get together for dinner and drinks. There are lots of things to do, you just have to check your area’s calendar for some things that are scheduled.
See a show at a theatre, whether it’s your local community theatre or a larger one in your city. Broadway Across America comes to the Hippodrome in Baltimore, where we are blessed with many great shows. See what’s coming to your area.
Do a “Kids Day Out” on the weekend. Ask your kids what they’d like to do for the day (within reason), and do it. Don’t make excuses.
Plan your summer vacation. After all, it takes time to make time. We’re planning on going back to Hilton Head with a stop in Charleston along the way for a few days. I know I need to get on that now, so it’s a good time to plan for that REAL getaway.

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Early evening on Hilton Head Island…planning the next vacation.

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[image error]Stephanie Verni is Professor of Business Communication at Stevenson University and is the author of the newly released 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.  To visit Stephanie’s Amazon Author page and see her books, click here.

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Filed under: On Life

Where Book Ideas Come From & Some Local Press

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This bench in Oxford invites you to sit and read a story…

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The idea for Inn Significant has been in my head for several years. Before I wrote Baseball Girl, a story about a woman who works in professional baseball, I was toying with Inn Significant. However, something wasn’t quite coming together. One problem I faced was that I originally set the novel in Annapolis, but I had already done that in my first book, Beneath the Mimosa Tree, and I decided that I didn’t want to write about the same city again in Inn Significant.

That’s when the idea of setting the novel on the Eastern Shore of Maryland came to mind.

I love the three towns featured in Inn Significant—Oxford, St. Michaels, and Easton. I frequently take day trips there, and when I knew my character, Milly, was facing the tough job of continuing to live after the death of her husband, I wanted her to be in a peaceful setting, a place where recovery could take place. There’s something very quiet and serene, yet incredibly magical, about Oxford.

My magazine class reads a piece each year that I love called Russell and Mary by Michael Donohue. In that magazine article, which was published in The Georgia Review, the writer is a tenant in an apartment in Park Slope, NY. His landlord, Mary, is an old, crotchety woman who most likely suffers from dementia. Within months, she dies and has no heirs, so the state comes and repossesses her things. A large, old microwave box is left behind which contains intimate, personal poetry, notes, sketches, receipts, and photographs that belonged to her late husband, Russell, who had died in 1965. Donohue feels badly leaving the box behind, so he takes it. He becomes so obsessed with the items in the box that depict Russell’s life that he tries to piece together the lives of Russell and Mary, what brought them together, and the trials and tribulations they faced. The story is far from a fairy tale; Russell drew pornographic images, wrote bad poetry, and was admitted to psychiatric hospitals. Mary, it seems, was not a nice person. They did, however, share some heartache. But what is amazing about this piece of writing is how Donohue has his own epiphany as he believes he can connect these two people’s lives and know exactly who they were.

Think about it this way: if someone found a box of your stuff, would they really know who you were as a person?

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Donohue’s revelations about what we leave behind left quite an impression on me about what legacy I may bequeath to my own children. He further estimates that we die twice: once, physically, and a second time when no one is left to remember us.

The reason I’m telling you about this piece of nonfiction writing is because it inspired so much of what I did with Inn Significant. Milly finds a journal that belonged to her grandmother and it contains family history that no one in the family knew anything about. This was the hook I was missing in my early draft of Inn Significant, and it was what propelled me to finish writing the book.

I tried to impress upon my students yesterday that ideas for writing come from so many places, but a lot of times, they come from reading and hearing the stories of others. One little nuance can offer a writer a world of material. And just like that, you have a book idea.

Keep reading, keep writing, and keep asking questions. That’s how the stories begin to grow.

Also, I got a little HOMETOWN PRESS today from the Severna Park Voice. Thank you to Judy Tacyn for writing the story.

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[image error]Stephanie Verni is Professor of Business Communication at Stevenson University and is the author of the newly released Inn Significant,Baseball Girl, and Beneath the Mimosa Tree. Along with her colleagues Leeanne Bell McManus and Chip Rouse, she is a co-author ofEvent Planning: Communicating Theory and Practice, published by Kendall-Hunt.  To visit Stephanie’s Amazon Author page and see her books, click here.

 

 

Filed under: On Life