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Little Milestones Receives 5-Star Review from Readers’ Favorite
*** One of the things I won’t ever do on my blog is to pretend that being an independent author is at all glamorous. It’s not. It takes tireless work, both on the creating/writing/editing side, as well as on the marketing/public relations/promotions side. It can be an exhausting adventure—and it is most definitely an adventure every single time—but you have to know this going into the endeavor. And never expect too much. That said, you can imagine my surprise this morning, when I was already feeling down about where my next piece of writing is headed, to see the 5-star review for Little Milestones, a novel a published in October…
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Sundays Are for Stories
✨FROM MY PORCH OFFICE✨ This is what Sunday morning writing looks like here at the Verni house. As I’m now officially over 33,000 words of building this story—probably my most complicated story to create to date—I am feeling the hum of the characters, the movement of the story, the connection of my 5 characters, and the way this story will end up. It’s a great feeling to know you’re on track with the story you want to tell—that the characters are yearning for you to tell. . I write relationship-driven fiction. It comes from a place of understanding the nuances of people and what potentially drives them (or does not…
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The Madness of Writing a Novel (in my own words)
✨HOW DOES IT FEEL WHEN YOU’RE IN THE ZONE?✨ I’ve hit my stride, finally. As we are approaching mid-July, I’ve made some pretty good progress with reading and writing. I’m about to hit 26,000 words on my work in progress, and my goal this week is to make it to at least 30,000 words. As well, I’ve finished one book about bookstores and I’m on to another. My pile of these books is pretty tall, so I have a lot to work toward. I’m also finishing the last week of the master’s course I’m teaching, so it’s been a little busy. What do I mean when I ask how it…
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Booking Remote Book Club Visits
*** As many of us are still in the “working remotely” phase of this pandemic, I’ve decided to promote virtual book club visits to help promote reading and our sanity! I’m currently booked for a book club in July and have a lot of openings for book clubs who might want to read my books and discuss them. As an author, one of my favorite things to do is to meet new people through book club discussions. As I have five books on the market, I’m happy to visit your book club virtually. I’m getting good at this, especially since the back half of the semester I just taught was…
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Getting My Books in Order
This whole lockdown has been pretty strange. Not only are we getting sick of being in the house, we’re in front of our computer screens nonstop, with walking breaks stretched throughout the day to keep us sane. I thank goodness each day for the park/farm up the street and the odd little jobs we’ve been doing, in addition to watching Game of Thrones from the beginning all the way through with our kids (they had not seen my favorite all-time show before) as diversions from work. It’s truly been a whirlwind. One of the projects I decided to undertake was rearranging my bookshelves in both my office and piano room.…
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Books. Book Talks. Bookshelves.
I’m looking forward to this on Tuesday and to helping budding writers in any way that I can. I’ll have copies of my books for sale and tips for writers. Thanks to the Severna Park Library for inviting me to come! Additionally, I have been inspired by so many folks on Instagram who post photos of their lovely bookshelves. I cleaned up mine in the office early this morning, and am posting the outcome. I still want to do more organization by color, and I have more bookshelves in another room that I can combine with these. But it’s a start. Have a great Sunday, everyone. Enjoy the rest of…
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First Book Signing for Little Milestones Scheduled for Skipjack’s in St. Michaels, Nov 24th
Hooray! I am so excited about this! Skipjack’s in St. Michaels will be carrying my book, and has asked me to come and do a book signing. I can’t think of a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon than meeting the folks in St. Michaels over coffee, treats, and a shared love of the town. St. Michaels has always been a special place, and it was an honor to set my novel there. I hope you can make it–and do some holiday shopping while you’re there! xx
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Thank You, Readers! I’m Flattered.
Today, I’m posting a quick THANK YOU to those of you wonderful readers who have purchased my book, attended my book launch last week, or tagged me in social media posts. It’s heartwarming to see so much interest in the book, and I’ve loved hearing from you and seeing the photos you’ve shared with your followers. I’m sharing some of the cool shots today with Steph’s Scribe readers! My newest book is available on Amazon.com and BN.com. Little Milestones, piggybacks onto my previous novel, Inn Significant, but can be read independently. However, if you loved Inn Significant, set in beautiful Oxford, Maryland, I hope you’ll enjoy Little Milestones, set in…
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Scientists Say This Helps You Look Sexy
What’s the last book you’ve read cover to cover and LOVED? If you can’t answer this question, maybe you’re not reading enough. And if you’re not reading enough, you may not be getting the benefits of reading, which include these scientific facts below. Reading makes you more empathic Reading helps prevent Alzheimer’s disease Reading makes you more apt to lean something new every day Reading helps your memory Reading helps your critical thinking skills Reading expands your vocabulary Reading helps people get ahead in life & career Reading makes you seem intelligent, which is regarded as sexy, especially by women Reading helps fuel your imagination Reading develops a person’s ability…
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For the Love of Postcards (and other written correspondence)
I’m romantic about travel. I’m also romantic about writing. Actually, I’m kind of romantic about everything. I have a really bad case of hopeless romanticism, and have been accused many times by people who know me that I tend to see the world in an unrealistic way. That may be true, but I also do see the world in quite a realistic way. Sometimes that makes me resort to my hopeless romantic bubble, which I don’t mind being inside. When we travel, we learn more about the world around us AND ourselves. This is just true and tough to argue. No matter where you go or how far you travel,…
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My Newest Writing Project
People always ask me what I’m working on next, so I thought I’d get this out of the way. It’s a common question I field often. It may disappoint some folks, but it’s not the sequel to Inn Significant, though I still play with that manuscript a little. Instead, there’s a short story in my latest release, The Postcard and Other Short Stories & Poetry, that I fell in love with and that wouldn’t leave me alone, kind of like a pesky fly that won’t go away. After publishing that book this summer, the characters in that story–Life with Nan–sort of came to life in my imagination–and then more characters…
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Book Launch – Day Two Promo
It’s been over 24 hours since the book launch, and since then, I’ve heard words of congratulations, encouragement, and a few people who say I inspire them to tackle their own writing projects. These sentiments couldn’t make me happier. I hope I’ve inspired others to write and publish. That makes my day! Because there are 22 stories in the collection, and because I want to showcase them each in their own way, I’m going to share each story’s promo from The Postcard and Other Short Stories & Poetry. I’m also busy setting up my press room on the site which will contain information about me and my books. Here’s today’s…
