I was just scheduled for a book talk with the Italian Book Club of Annapolis, not for this book, but for Beneath the Mimosa Tree, because it’s set in Annapolis. This book also features Italian American characters, and is probably my best work to date. It was the most intricate story to weave together, and all the characters were fun to write. I liked that this story had more mystery to it than my others.
If you like character-driven stories with a hopeful resolution, you might like THE ONES CLOSEST TO YOU.
Xx,
Stephanie
About the book:
It’s 1956, and rumors begin to swirl: the Brooklyn Dodgers may leave New York for California. As a prominent feature writer for The News, Veronica DeMarco is a woman on the move. She also just signed a book deal with a publisher. Veronica shares an apartment with her older sister, Essie, who suffers from polio. In light of her painful condition, Essie stays at home while Veronica goes to work to pay the bills. When Veronica is introduced to Perry Spada, the new sportswriter who covers the Dodgers, they fall in love. But things are never simple. When the editor of The News and old family friend, Robert Barone, assigns Veronica a story about Rosa Manetti, New York’s infamous, incarcerated mafia dame, Veronica not only uncovers Rosa’s sad and tumultuous story, but also learns truths about Essie and unearths secrets about her own family that have been kept from her. These secrets create a toxic relationship between Veronica and Essie, one that may not be repairable. Veronica begins to understand that maybe she and Rosa aren’t too dissimilar.
About the author:
STEPHANIE VERNI is the author of THE ONES CLOSEST TO YOU, THE LETTERS IN THE BOOKS; FROM HUMBUG TO HUMBLE: THE TRANSFORMATION OF EBENEZER SCROOGE; BENEATH THE MIMOSA TREE; INN SIGNIFICANT; LITTLE MILESTONES; THE POSTCARD; and ANNA IN TUSCANY. She is also a co-author of the textbook, EVENT PLANNING & MANAGEMENT: COMMUNICATING THEORY & PRACTICE. Currently an adjunct professor at Stevenson University Online, she instructs communication courses for undergraduate and graduate students. She and her husband reside in Severna Park, Maryland, have two children, and a little boat that makes them immensely happy.
Connect with Stephanie on Instagram at stephanieverniwrites, (provided they allow it) and on TikTok at stephanieverniwrites.
