Category: Writing Life

  • Dreaming of the Perfect Home- part 4

    Hello, tender friends! I was so excited when I got assigned to write about the art in this home. https://theroanoker.com/magazine/home-and-garden/when-art-comes-home/ But I discovered something even more endearing than the objets d’art in our interview: a couple that loved each other well throughout a long and happy marriage, right up to the end. I left the…

  • Dreaming of the Perfect Home-3

    Hello, tender friends! Thank you so much for your interest and comments on the homes articles I’ve been posting. I have a blast writing them, and it’s so fun to look back at the pictures and remember these beautiful homes. Here’s another for today: https://theroanoker.com/magazine/home-and-garden/blank-slate-built-to-last/ This homeowner was so lovely and even sent me home…

  • Dreaming of the Perfect Home

    Hello, tender friends! https://theroanoker.com/magazine/home-and-garden/eco-friendly-updates-for-year-round-comfort/ To those of you who are new here, thank you so much for signing on to follow along with us! I’ll be sharing a lot of work that I’ve done professionally between now and the end of the year, but I’ll get back to regularly scheduled programming after that. Thank you…

  • A Neighborhood I Love

    Hello, tender friends! I’m sorry I forgot to post yesterday. Because time is a bit tight this week, I wanted to share a home I wrote about in a local neighborhood that I love. https://theroanoker.com/magazine/home-and-garden/satisfying-a-community-craving/ I love touring these homes and interviewing the homeowners. I wish I could do things like this full time, but…

  • A Wedding Story

    Hello, tender friends! I recently published this article with Business Insider. As it went live, I realized that I never actually shared this part of our wedding story on here. So here it is: https://www.businessinsider.com/let-friends-get-engaged-at-wedding-surprise-proposal-good-idea-2025-7 This is a very pared down version of the original, but as I’ve studied Business Insider’s branding, I see how…

  • Celebrating a New Publication

    Hello, tender friends! While it fades, the thrill of a new byline is is fun! I have received so much good, free literary nonfiction advice from the Brevity blog that it was a privilege to publish this with them and pay it forward: https://brevity.wordpress.com/?s=Stacey+manganelli I believe in supporting other writers. I believe that God is…

  • Writers’ Conference Musings

    Hello, tender friends! Here’s a debriefing of the writers’ conference that I attended in Bluefield, West Virginia, at the beginning of April. (Thank you so much for the request, Nancy!) Let’s start with a quote by Hannah Anderson, a writer who actually lives in Roanoke, where we’ve been living for the past 5 years: “Writers…

  • In & Out Travels

    Hello, tender friends! I attended a writing conference this past weekend in Bluefield, West Virginia. This message on the marquee warmed my heart when we arrived. Bluefield was a boom and bust coal town, so much of the city is in poor condition. But the venue itself was beautiful. I’m a sucker for gilded wall…

  • Join Toastmasters With Me!

    Hello, tender friends ! I hope you’re staying safe and dry wherever you are! Here in Southwest Virginia we’re recovering from flooding last night. Thankfully we all stayed safe. While I missed out on some activities yesterday because of the weather, I was fortunately able to attend my Toastmasters meeting this week. I won this…

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    Love Letter to God

    Hello, tender friends! Here are some photos of us enjoying God’s majestic creation: Sometimes I perceive God’s presence a lot; other times I don’t. I found this unedited writing sprint while decluttering and wanted to share it here. I wrote it during a time when I was perceiving God’s presence almost daily in tangible ways…