Stephanie Verni's Blog, page 64

Update on Novel #3 And Words of Encouragement

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I’ve been working on my third novel this summer, and have been having so much fun doing the research and writing of this one. It’s different from the previous two, but it’s an idea that’s been in my head for several years. Finally, it is all coming together.

UPDATES

Currently, I have 42,000+ words written–This novel will probably top out at around 55,000 words to 60,000 words and will be about the same length as Beneath the Mimosa Tree (novel #1).
People have asked me how I write, what my writing process is, and if I outline my novel. I do not make outlines (nor am I a list maker, much to my husband’s dismay). While I am a little Type A where my professional life is concerned as a professor, as a creative writer, I tend to fly by the seat of my pants. I let the characters and plot grow organically, and I always keep in the back of my mind this thought: “What would I want as a reader?” I often do a sketch of each character, including what they like, how they look, what their favorite things are, what they collect, etc. I usually write down anything that helps mold the characters so I know them intimately.
Additionally, I do a lot of editing as I go along. I write a chapter, and then the next morning, I go back through it and edit it. By editing each chapter as I go, I catch mistakes, make any vocabulary changes or awkward sentence changes necessary. When the novel is completely finished, I go through it several times, first as a reader, and then as an editor (many times), and then finally, again, as a reader. This is the hardest part of the job, but setting aside time for it is key.
I have decided to once again self-publish my novel. As a control freak of my projects, I enjoy the entire process, from writing the draft and editing it to designing the cover and pages, as well as marketing it. All of these are challenges, but I relish the opportunity to show my students how things can be done if you tackle them one at a time.
I have already secured my ISBN number, and the front cover is designed. I am very, very excited to show this to you when it all comes together. The back cover design is in progress, but takes much less time than the cover.
The novel is set on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in Oxford, one of my favorite towns. The opportunity to showcase the loveliness of the Eastern Shore and its people is at the heart of my novel.

This is the collection of short stories I hope to finish by year’s end.

I am hoping to  launch the new novel in September.
Fingers crossed. (Really…one never knows).
My other book, which I already have in progress, is a collection of short stories and poetry. I’m still working on two short stories for the publication, so I hope to finally set that into motion by the end of the year.

ENCOURAGEMENT

I love to write and tell stories. To those of you who think you might have a story in your head that you would like to tell, I suggest you do it. There is nothing more rewarding than writing what you love, telling stories you want to tell, and hopefully, having readers enjoy them. Keep at it, and don’t give up. As a mom with two busy (very busy) kids, a husband with a crazy work and travel schedule, and my own demanding professional life, I am proof that when you set your mind to something, you can do it. I know you can.
Take baby steps the first time you write something. I think the reason why projects stay incomplete is because it feels daunting. Think of it as a tennis match: if you think too far ahead, you may lose the game, and then the match. Instead, think one point at a time: just win the next point. That’s the same approach to writing a novel. Just write one chapter. Then the next. And soon, you will see, you just might starting racking up games and actually finish (and win) the match.xx |Stephanie Verni is the author of Baseball Girl, Beneath the Mimosa Tree, and the co-author of Event Planning: Communicating Theory and Practice.

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Filed under: On Life Tagged: novel writing, storytelling, tackling writing a novel, writing, writing challenges, writing encouragment, writing inspiration

One Little Prayer

My daughter and me, September 2015.

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When I read the reflections my students wrote at the end of last semester, I was surprised so many of them cited an article by writer Tom Junod as their favorite. It  wasn’t because Junod isn’t a fantastic technical and creative writer—he is; I find him brilliant—but rather because they were so moved by Junod’s storytelling. Can You Say…Hero? is Junod’s 1998 profile piece from Esquire about Mister Rogers. That’s right…the late Mister Rogers of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, that iconic PBS show that lasted for decades. And some of my students barely knew who he was.

The article is a glimpse into the real Fred Rogers, and he isn’t too far off from the man we saw on television. Junod crafted a masterpiece, one filled with Mister Rogers’ beliefs, love, and charity toward fellow man. He was humble beyond belief. But perhaps what moved us most of all is the ending: a single prayer Fred Rogers urges the writer to say when he is at a complete loss. The prayer consists of three words: Thank you, God.

I found myself uttering those exact words yesterday morning as tears filled my eyes. I had to hold it together when a specialist doctor who examined my daughter for something the general pediatrician discovered during a routine visit told me: “She is fine.”

Immediately, I thought of Junod’s article, the power of spirituality, and Mister Rogers, who humbled us all and made us understand so powerfully what one little prayer can do.

To read Mr. Junod’s piece, click here. And let me know what you thought of it.

xx |

Stephanie Verni is the author of Baseball Girl, Beneath the Mimosa Tree, and the co-author of Event Planning: Communicating Theory and Practice.

Filed under: On Life Tagged: charity, daughters, kindness, love, Mister Rogers, mister rogers neighborhood, one little prayer, spirituality

When Someone Dies

I’ll keep this post short and sweet because it’s Friday as well as Father’s Day weekend, and I don’t want to be glum or morose, but…

The other day, a former student of mine passed away in an unfortunate car accident. She graduated in December. Those who knew her are saddened by her death, especially at the young age of 22. When someone passes at that age, it’s unexpected, and we have to come to terms with a loss like that. And while that in itself is difficult to grasp, it is no less sad when someone older dies. No matter what age, when we love and care about someone, we always wish we had longer with them, and I’m sure my whole family would say that’s true about my grandparents. While we did have some time, we never believe it’s quite long enough.

So, as we move on from talk of death, we take with us sharp reminders–that life is precious, and we owe it to ourselves to not just say we’re going to live life to the fullest and live with gratitude, but to actually do it.

Have a safe an happy weekend, all. And Happy Father’s Day to all the wonderful dads out there.

In memory of Ebi Short, July 13, 1993 – June 14, 2016

xx |

Stephanie Verni is the author of Baseball Girl, Beneath the Mimosa Tree, and the co-author of Event Planning: Communicating Theory and Practice.

 

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Filed under: On Life Tagged: death, gratitude, life, live life to the fullest, loss, love, sadness, tragedy, unexpected death

Walking for Mind, Body, Spirit…AND To Improve Creativity

Approaching the golf course in our neighborhood on today’s walk.

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It’s 1:35 p.m. on a sunny, gorgeous Friday here in Maryland where the temps are a stunning 79 degrees, and I’ve just returned from an hour-long walk. There are no excuses when the weather is this spectacular. As someone who admittedly has not taken very good care of herself over the last few years and has put other things and other people first, I’ve committed the summer to my overall physical and mental well-being. From reading to writing to exercising daily and eating better, it’s time for me to get serious about my lifestyle.

I’m not hear to preach about your health; Weight Watchers, your doctor, and your own family do that for you. But what I can attest to is that walking helps clear the mind, especially if you walk by yourself. Doing it for one hour allows you the time to just reset your brain, reflect on things, and put some distance between you, work, family, and friends. There’s nothing wrong with a little alone time.

It’s amazing how revitalized you can feel after strutting your stuff for one hour at a good pace. I love walking in my neighborhood–there’s so much to see. Many neighbors are in the midst of home renovations, the golf course sits in the middle of the neighborhood, and the trees, flowers, and landscaping of the homes provide an excellent landscape to entertain me. There’s always something new to see.

Walking also helps boost your creativity. According to research by Stanford University in 2014, it’s proven that walking helps creativity. I do some of my best thinking when I’m walking, and I come home and incorporate things I thought about into my stories. Writers are always told to seek inspiration from outside sources, and nature is a wonderful source of just that.

If you’re not in the habit of walking, you may want to give it a try. It really does invigorate your body, spirit, and your mind.

The beautiful sky from last night’s walk…and an airplane headed to BWI Airport.

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Filed under: On Life Tagged: body, Creativity, getting healthy, inspiration, mind, spirit, Walking, walking for health

Day Trip to Oxford and Easton, Maryland (where my new novel is set)

My mom and I typically spend a day together before my kids get out of school for the summer, and today, our day trip took us to Oxford, Maryland. This trip was for fun, but it was also for another reason: we had to do a little research because my new novel takes place there. I like to use the names of real places in my settings to make the fiction feel as real as possible. Therefore, it was up to us to do some legwork so I can finish writing this novel and keep it as true to the setting and feel of Oxford as possible.

As I have been hunkered down writing for the last couple of weeks, and as I still have much more to go, I will stop blogging and let the photographs speak to the sweetness of the places. For those of you who may be unfamiliar, Oxford is located on the Eastern Shore of Maryland near St. Michaels and Easton. All three towns have beauty and charm all their own, and while we didn’t spend time in St. Michaels today, we did have lunch in Easton and shopped in a few of the boutiques.

I can’t wait to finish writing this novel. I’m excited by the storyline, characters, and even the cover, which I recently designed. Now for the photos, as I get back to writing…

P.S. That’s my mom standing near the harbor area where the ferry comes in in Oxford.

OXFORD, MARYLAND

 

EASTON, MARYLAND

xx |

Stephanie Verni is the author of Baseball Girl, Beneath the Mimosa Tree, and the co-author of Event Planning: Communicating Theory and Practice.

 

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Filed under: On Life Tagged: Eastern Shore, Easton, fiction writing, Maryland, new novel, novel writing, Oxford, research, St. Michael's

The Game is Always On: The Truth About Being an Indie Author

I don’t know about you, fellow indie authors, but there are only so many hours in the day for us to write and promote our books. However, the game is always on, and you can’t afford to slack. For me, writing is the most pleasurable and most fun part of being an independent author, just because I love the creative process so much. The marketing is by far the most challenging, and so we rely on others to help us via word-of-mouth or shares on social media.

I’m knee deep into writing my third novel, and it’s going well so far. I hope to complete this book by the end of summer. While writing projects are so much fun, we can’t let up on continuing to promote the other works we’ve crafted. It’s a struggle to juggle the sea of promotion and production.

I’ve had to become adept at social media over the years, and truthfully, sometimes I feel as if I’m failing miserably. Nevertheless, we do what we can do. We trudge forth, balancing that time to write vs. that time to market.

My advice? Though it may feel overwhelming at times (it certainly does for me), I don’t regret a single minute of the time I’ve spent on my passion. When I released Beneath the Mimosa Tree, my husband asked me what would make me happy–how many books did I want to sell? My reply was that I didn’t really have a specific number in mind, but that my overall goal was for readers to enjoy it. The same was true for Baseball Girl, which received an honorable mention in last year’s Readers’ Favorite Contest for sports fiction.

That’s what makes me continue to write, to market, to promote, and to flounder a bit. I’ve taken to Instagram and have a lot of fun on that platform because I enjoy taking photographs; Steph’s Scribe and  Paperblog  provide bloggers with a broad audience; and the daily Facebook and Twitter posts must continue. In the end, being an independent author requires you to focus on one particular segment of the population: YOUR READERS. It’s all about those who actually read your work or intend to read your work, and who will, hopefully, enjoy it.

Marketing your books is a ton of work, but just as we become better writers, we also must strive to become better marketers.

I’m still learning.

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Filed under: On Life Tagged: #authorsofinstagram, #supportindieauthors, author, book promotion, Independent authors, indie authors, Instagram, marketing, marketing books, promotion of books, writer

Our Garden Inspired by Literature

As an avid reader and writer, the books I have read over the years have influenced me or affected me in so many different ways, it would be difficult to pinpoint each one  and just how important they have been. However, an easier aspect to address would be gardens we read about it literature, and just how much those references have influenced the garden at our home.

When we read authors such as Jane Austen, Rosamunde Pilcher, or Maeve Binchy, strolls through the garden are quite commonplace; there are often descriptions of lush gardens with colorful flowers. There is something incredibly romantic about blooming gardens, and I’ve always loved authors who incorporate descriptions of the landscape of gardens and flowers into their stories. Additionally, because yours truly is a hopeless romantic, I always dreamed of having a garden that resembles an English one, and I think we’re pretty close to achieving that goal.

As this year marks our second year of new landscaping on the property we bought three years ago, I’ve enjoyed watching the garden spring back to life. It’s much richer than it was last year, and our landscape architect, who totally got what I wanted when I mentioned the words “English cottage garden,” nailed the fact that we wanted color blooming all season. Right now, we have purples, yellows, oranges, and even some pinks in the front garden, with more stages of blooms to come. His design ensured that we’d have pops of color from spring through the fall.

Last night’s weather gave us some interesting skies, and although we never got the severe storms the weather folks predicted, the skies grew dark for a bit, and then, the sky brightened and turned an interesting color, which I tried my best to capture with my Nikon.

Filed under: On Life Tagged: blooming gardens, blooms, cottage gardens, English cottage gardens, English gardens, gardens in literature, gardens inspired by literature, plants and flowers

Your Earliest Memories: What Do You Remember?

My great grandparents: Old Pop and Nana

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I remember dearly my great grandparents. In fact, my great grandfather outlived my own grandfather, who died of Leukemia at the young age of 63. I bring this up because we were having a conversation the other day about our earliest memories—things we remember from being a kid. I have some distinct early memories as a child growing up in New Jersey before we moved to Maryland when I was five years old.

Several of my early memories involve my mom’s parents’ house on Myrtle Avenue in Cedar Grove, New Jersey. They lived in a Cape Cod style house—an adorable little thing with a back yard full of gardens, a bocce court, grape vines, and way in the back of the yard, train tracks that ran through Cedar Grove. There was a swing my grandfather (Poppy) put up for me in the back left corner of the yard. I remember swinging on the swing. I also remember that my grandparents were going to have a party one afternoon, and my mother made me take a nap at their house before people came over. I had a piece of gum in my mouth, and I slept in one of the two bedrooms upstairs. I did fall asleep, and when I woke up, the gum was mush in my mouth. I ran to the bathroom and stood on the toilet to peek outside the window. The party was beginning, and I remember not wanting to miss it.

Perhaps that’s why I have a love of parties and entertaining.

I also remember wanting to wear my aunt’s high heels. I went upstairs on another occasion and tried on her shoes. As a small kid, I didn’t realize those high heels would make it difficult to walk down the stairs of my grandparents’ house. I fell down the stairs—tumbled all the way down and gave my mother a pretty awful fright.

I’m blaming my aunt for my love of high heels.

Another distinct memory I have as a child is going visit my great grandparents; their home was not too far from my grandparents’ house. Nana and Old Pop had a cukoo clock in their house that did, in fact, cukoo. I loved that thing. I remember being mesmerized by it. I also remember the smell of Nana’s house—it smelled like a combination of old house, basement, and pizza dough. I can still picture Nana in the kitchen tossing pizzas in the air. I remember it distinctly.

I’m pretty obsessed with clocks, used to have my own cukoo clock given to my by my dad’s parents, until it no longer worked, and I make my own homemade pizza now.

I also remember when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. We were living in an apartment in Cedar Grove…I was four at the time…and we had a black and white television set. My mother woke me up very early so that I could see history take place that morning. I remember sitting on the green rug watching it unfold.

And finally, I remember riding my bike and playing on the driveway of my grandparents’ house with the neighbor’s kid Michael. We would play together when I would go over there. He was my first friend who was a boy.

When my grandmother died and I attended her viewing, those very neighbors showed up to pay their respects. Michael wasn’t there, but the parents were. I remember being so touched that they came, seeing as how my grandmother hadn’t lived in that house for many, many years when she passed.

And perhaps meeting them again was all it took to inspire me to write a story about two kids who grow up next to each other and fall in love in my first novel called Beneath the Mimosa Tree.

These are my earliest memories from childhood. What are your earliest memories from being a kid?

 

xx |

Stephanie Verni is the author of Baseball Girl, Beneath the Mimosa Tree, and the co-author of Event Planning: Communicating Theory and Practice

 

 

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Filed under: On Life Tagged: Beneath the Mimosa Tree, Cedar Grove, early memories, family, grandparents, great grandparents, love, memories, moon, Neil Armstrong, NJ, what do you remember as a kid?

Books That Make You Cry

About two months ago, on a nice day in March, I sat on my back porch and cried my eyes out as I finished Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. My friend, Shawna, and I were talking about both the novel and the upcoming movie on Saturday at the pool. She hated feeling so sad at the end of the story, and I didn’t mind it; she also doesn’t want to see the movie, and I get that. It is terribly tragic, but it’s also so touching. I’m ready to face it in the theatre with a box of Kleenex. I’ve been waiting a couple of months to see how it transitions from book to film, one of my favorite pastimes.

This got me thinking about the different books that have made me cry over the years. Another particular book that caused waterworks was Dickens’s classic Great Expectations. I remembered reading it as a high school student, and it had little affect on me emotionally. As an grown up with two small kids who was pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing, I read it again in my forties for my class. That one, I finished on the porch or our former home in Ellicott City, again, tears streaming down my face as I finished it. What a different perspective I had with regard to Great Expectations as an adult than I had as a teenager. I highly recommend reading it for pleasure if you don’t remember it well. Also, Dickens always manages to make me cry with A Christmas Carol, a novel I’ve written about many times before on Steph’s Scribe.

Mitch Albom, no matter what book he writes, typically has the power to make me cry. Whether it’s The Five People You Meet in Heaven, Tuesdays with Morrie, or Have a Little Faith, I find his stories sentimental and often tear-jerking, with profound lessons in between the lines.

I can’t even think about The Book Thief without getting goosebumps. I loved every page, every word, every ounce of creativity Markus Zusak put into that book. He’s inspired me to be a better writer and to write the way your gut tells you to write. The Book Thief is one of my favorite books ever. Tears and all.

Another book that had me crying on the beach–only this time they were tears of laughter–was Jill Davis’s book Girls’ Poker Night. My family watched as I went into hysterics, laughing uncontrollably at this hilarious book. Jill Davis’s sense of humor is right up my alley, and I giggled the whole way through it.

Also, if you’re looking for sentimental books to read with your kids, I highly recommend Kate DiCamillo. Two of my favorites by her are The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane and The Magician’s Elephant. During that mega snowstorm in 2010, my kids and I read The Magician’s Elephant curled up together in bed. I was reading aloud when I got to a part that choked me up. My daughter reached over, grabbed my arm, and said, “Mommy, I can read for a little bit if you want.” Bless her heart. She was so little then, but she understood that it was sentimental and touching.

On the flip side, as a writer, I’ve had quite a few readers of Baseball Girl, my most recent novel, tell me that they got a little choked up and even shed a tear while reading it. I’m glad to hear that it had that affect, because I meant it for it to delve into that deep love people have for their fathers, and I used the relationship of Francesca and her dad to illustrate the power of that type of love.

For a list of some of my favorite books, click here to visit the page BOOKS I’VE ENJOYED, and don’t forget to tell me what you’ve enjoyed reading, whether they’ve caused tears or not.

xx |

Stephanie Verni is the author of Baseball Girl, Beneath the Mimosa Tree, and the co-author of Event Planning: Communicating Theory and Practice

 

Filed under: On Life Tagged: authors, books, books that make you cry, Charles Dickens, Jojo Moyes, Kate DiCamillo, Markus Zusak, Mitch Albom, reading, touching books, writing

Thanks for Leaving Me Melancholy, Mr. Selfridge

Harry Selfridge (Jeremy Piven) & Lady Mae (Katherine Kelly)

Whoa. Last night, my husband and I finished watching the final season of Mr. Selfridge. We’re a little behind the rest of you who watched it unfold each Sunday night in real time. We recorded all the shows and spent the last couple of weeks watching an episode about every other night. A big fan of Downton Abbey, we also watch Grantchester, Call the Midwife, and Poldark all on PBS. The quality of programming and the level of acting in these series is superior.

I’d taken the liberty of reading about the real Harry Gordon Selfridge, the American business man who opened the department store Selfridge & Co. in London, and knew much of the show was fabricated for television. Characters were invented or reinvented for added drama. The writers were able to make the show incredibly entertaining, and even though I was expecting the “real” and “true” biographical ending, they delivered on part of it, but not wholly. Thankfully, they gave us a little bit of hopefulness tossed in with the devastation. However, it’s Katherine Kelly’s character of Lady Mae that offers some sort of happiness for Harry (played by Jeremy Piven) despite the fact that Selfridge’s was in dire straits. And truthfully, after a while in this season, the Dolly sisters were making me wince.

There’s something about watching a man build something from nothing and then watch it all come crashing down that just leaves you a bit melancholy. This season was action-packed, and the episodes moved quickly with three main characters dying, and Miss Mardle, Kitty, and Mr. Grove, along with Harry Selfridge, facing hardships and crisis.

Photo credit: PBS

In the end, it was all worth it–it was entertaining television with great sets and costumes that rival Downton Abbey. And unlike Downton Abbey where the final season put everything into place nicely and tied it up with a big “happy, happy” bow, Mr. Selfridge did not end that way.

For that, I think I’m happy.

Filed under: On Life Tagged: Call the MIdwife, Downton Abbey, Grantchester, Jeremy Piven, Katherine Kelly, melancholy, Mr. Selfridge, PBS, Poldark, series, television