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Author of Historical Fiction

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Blog posts about writing and everything in between

January 27, 2021

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Gabriella Saab

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Historical fun fact: this is a government building

Historical fun fact: this is a government building in my home town, but it stands on the childhood home of Alva Smith Vanderbilt (later Alva Belmont), one of the most famous social climbers in history, the woman who fought to be accepted by Caroline Astor and New York society during the Gilded Age and who was later active in the women’s suffrage movement. This location was once the Murray Forbes Smith House—swipe for a photo—which was torn down in the 1930s. The Smith family relocated to New York in the late 1850s when Alva was still a little girl, but some of her relatives are buried in this area.

I didn’t know any of this until recently (after living here for over 20 years of my life!) and happened to be running an errand downtown today, so I stopped by to pay a visit to the location of Alva’s former residence and think about what the area must have been like when she lived here more than 150 years ago. My favorite local coffee shop is across the street from this building. Over the years, I’ve written and researched for countless hours there, all while being steps away from a fascinating bit of history and not even knowing it. I guess the purpose of this post is to say get out and explore where you live! You never know what you’ll uncover 🧐🤓

Have you ever planned a spontaneous trip to visit

Have you ever planned a spontaneous trip to visit your bestie and booked a flight that left the very next morning? Highly recommend ☺️❤️🧡💛

This long weekend was filled with so much fun! Quality time, lots of laughs, great food, scenic twilight walks, manicures, movie nights, long chats, relaxing, playing with the cutest tiny bestie (who was a toddler the last time I saw her in person!!!), my first time apple picking, and a gorgeous dose of fall weather that I don’t get at home in the south 🍂🍁🎃

Long distance friendships are hard when we can’t get together as often as we’d like—throughout our whole friendship, we’ve lived almost a thousand miles apart. But it makes the time we do have in person even more special. I couldn’t be more grateful for this friendship or this visit with Olesya and her sweet family 🥰 Thank you for everything, my friend! Love and miss you so much and can’t wait for all the fun we have planned in 2025! ❤️

Mornings spent tucked away in a coffee shop ☕️

Mornings spent tucked away in a coffee shop ☕️ Fall has yet to grace us with her presence here in the Deep South, but this cardamom and vanilla latte with pumpkin pie chai spice helped me pretend there’s a chill in the air 🎃🍂

September is Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month. Such

September is Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month. Such a personal post is not one I would normally make, but my latest battle scar at the base of my neck is apparently a more common one than I initially expected.

Early this summer, I noticed what I thought was a swollen lymph node - and which, after a scan, turned out to be nothing. However, the scan found a large mass on my thyroid, visible near the base of my neck if I tilted my head back, even though I hadn’t noticed it. Since then, I learned that papillary thyroid cancer is more common in women, often presenting in younger women, and I think that is an important message to share.

Most people with cancer—or other various health issues—face far more difficult battles than I, so I can’t emphasize enough how fortunate I am to have such a positive prognosis, even though it’s been a lot. I felt perfectly healthy and, really, who pays attention to their neck? Clearly not me. Although I pray you never need it, I hope this information helps you.

To those who have walked this journey with me and shared love, wisdom, advice, encouragement, support, and prayers, I can’t thank you or love you enough. To all, I hope this serves as a reminder to prioritize your health, happiness, faith, family, and friends. Finally, to anyone facing cancer or any health struggle: we got this 🤍

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