About Me - Gerri Giovanelli Bauer
Hello!
My idea of a perfect day always includes a book, or three, including one with a happy ending. I write Catholic historical romance novels and novellas set in pioneer Florida, and non-romance short stories that explore the importance of community, connection and human dignity.
I was born and raised in New York City, but found a small-town haven in Florida many years ago. I was a homebody even before the pandemic. I love to spend time at home with my husband, spoil my cats, keep tabs on my far-flung extended family and get out into the garden. Although the plants question my dedication.
I share my space-geek husband’s enthusiasm for our final frontier, which helps me remember I don't live in the 19th century Florida setting of my novels.
I'm a needlework nerd. I quilt, crochet (when arthritis allows) and sew clothing at a pace that qualifies me for the slow-life movement. Among my treasures is my grandmother's 1919 Singer treadle sewing machine. I'm working on my treadling skills but still have a long way to go.
Other Stuff
Well into middle age, I earned a B.A. in English from Stetson University. It took me eight years of lunchtime and evening classes. Daytime was spent working for the university. Eons ago, I earned an associate's degree in Communications from the Fashion Institute of Technology. Decades passed between the awarding of each degree.
On the nonfiction side, my projects have included:
-- Book-length biographies;
-- The Parce Letters: Voices from the Past, a collection of primary sources on Florida pioneers, in 2004;
-- Articles for The Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Journal of Florida Literature in 2015 and 2018;
-- Magazine articles and many newspaper articles from my years as a reporter, editor and layout artist/paginator in print journalism.