The Storyteller | Mary Vee

Today I welcome a kindred spirit, an encourager,  a fun-loving mom for her active children, and future authoress.   Enter to win a copy of Terri Blackstock's new book, Covenant Child I met Angie when she joined the Writers Alley group. When I asked her to share the "real" her with you, she said: God Sent Me on an Encouraging Writing Journey Two years ago, I was preparing for my first writer's conference, just as I am preparing for my third conference today. It has been quite a journey for me as a writer. And I thought I'd share what I've learned along the way. I walked away from my first conference with an agent's request for some chapters. It gave me hope that my dream of getting published was tunneling ahead and God's mighty hand was blessing me quickly. Certainly I had discovered my calling and found the door to success. And then came rejection. As quick as the blessing pushed me forward, the rejection pulled me back. ...

By Mary Vee Photo taken by Mary Vee I grew up in a home with rules. Most of us did. Some rules seemed silly to me at the time, and still do. Here are a few: 1. Fold the newspaper and put in on the corner of the davenport when finished (for you Internet readers, a newspaper is several large sheets of thin-rectangular paper containing articles and advertisements....a davenport is what my mom called a sofa). 2. Iron Dad's hankies crisp with no wrinkles. (a hankie is a cloth, reusable-if-washed tissue). 3. Change the car radio station back to Dad's favorite before going in the house.  4. All practical jokes are compliments (at least they thought of us)  5. Shout "Whoa to he/she who opens it next" when finally getting the freezer to close after mom went shopping. and there were many more. Imagine my surprise when I saw the above sign at a river park this last week. I obediently walked on the grass toward the river, climbed a tower on the bank, sat at...

By Mary Vee Heather M is the winner of the book giveaway from last Friday! Stop by this Friday for another book give away. God works through many community settings to help us through our situations. Seems like the one we grow up in tends to be our favorite. Paul and his wife from Jackson, Mississippi celebrated an anniversary. They traveled to the farming community in Ohio where he grew up and had a special celebration with their family.  He told me how he loved the secure and free lifestyle he had while growing up in the small Ohio community. "We never locked our doors, never had to worry about doing it. Folk who live there today do the same. It's a close knit community where people can trust each other." I asked him about Jackson. "Oh, Jackson is a different kind of town. It has all the big city features, shopping and all. The problem is, parents have to watch their children all the time. Crime can get out of hand. We live there because my wife lik...

Today I welcome my good friend,  a Rocky Mountain kindred spirit,  and future authoress, Cindy Wilson Book give away today, see details below. I met Cindy while working with her at  The Writers Alley . This year she is an ACFW Genesis finalist! This dear friend is also a willing-to-take-your-call-and-help persona. She is a godly woman who has written fourteen manuscripts and who knows, with doing so well with the contest, maybe published soon. I so excited for her journey! I asked her to tell us about her writing journey. It Was Meant to Be If you would have asked me ten years ago to write a post about myself or my writing journey, it would not have included the words “God” or “right path” or “blessing” or “Christ-like.” I was a mom in my early twenties who loved to write and tried to live a moral life without the necessary compass. God. I hadn’t been raised in the church, my parents didn’t go to church, and we didn’t talk about the Bible or G...

I like to meet new friends and kindle previous friendships. But, living in remote areas or moving to new places can limit opportunities. Once upon a time the only way to meet a new best friend was face to face. Moving to new neighborhoods, attending community functions, basically getting out of the house gave opportunity to kindle a friendship. Today, new best friends can be made on the Internet. And yes, the friendship can be kindred and like-minded, and helpful. Stepping into another person's world doesn't have to mean literally putting your foot on the same ground anymore. Last week I skyped with my friend Casey, she in Oregon, I in Montana. We met three years ago on a writers loop and two years later met face to face in St. Louis at a conference.  The conversation on skype allowed us to have all the perks of a face to face conversation. We sat "across from each other" using our laptop cameras and benefited from seeing body language to clarify communica...

By Mary Vee Lithuania is a country west of Russia and sets on the Baltic Sea. Many residents live in crowded apartments with cracked wallpaper and few amenities.  A couple, she a PhD chemist, he a PhD biologist live in a four-room apartment with their two children and the grandmother. They ride the trolly to work and hope the electrical black out time doesn't come while dinner is made. They take their meager earnings, stand in line at the market, and hope there is food on the shelf when their turn comes to buy. One day a letter arrives from the United States announcing a visit from his brother and ten family members. Money would be sent ahead for food, the family would stay in a hotel, and all expenses for sight seeing would be covered.  Excited to see his brother after more than twenty years, the man writes back welcoming his guests but refuses the financial help for food. He and his wife pull together every penny from savings and stand long hours in line at the ...

Today I welcome my kindred friend: Julia Reffner Future authoress Julia has helped me with crits, prayed for my needs, lifted my spirits, calmed my storm, listened when I rejoiced, encouraged my writing and has welcomed me to reciprocate. Julia is a fellow Alley Cat. We are co-writers with eight other fabulous ladies for  The Writers Alley , a blog for writers. Julia shares with us who she is: I Want to Be Conformed to Christ's Image              When Mary asked me to write a post about who I am, I didn't quite know where to begin. One thing popped out in my mind: I want to be conformed to Christ’s image. I’m certainly not there. I sin, I come to my knees and beg for His grace, He pours out His love and bids me stand up.             All my journeys together match up to this one overriding goal: to hear well done good and faithful servant. Knowing that I don’t dese...

By Mary Vee A woman who lived in Seattle married a man from the Midwest. The happy couple moved to their first house in his home state.  The woman had been accustomed to rainstorms where she grew up. To quote a movie line "Seattle. It rains nine months of the year there!" She loved the vibrant green grasses, varied colored flowers, and towering trees coating the landscape. She never tired of the floral scent or the misty air. After researching which plants survived best in the unfamiliar Midwest soil, she planted a garden around her new front porch. Her husband noticed the efforts when the first blooms opened. "It smells lovely, just like you, honey." The couple went out for a date that night. As they drove, a thunderstorm rose from the horizon. Humidity increased, leaving a cool mist. She opened her car window and took a deep breath. It smelled like home. A white light flashed across the sky. Sound waves echoed "Crack." Her body flinch...

By Mary Vee This last month, I should have bought stock in tires. Burned enough rubber to keep any tire factory in business. Most of the miles in a rental car. Each rental car white. Why? I haven't a clue. But when walking through the hotel lobby door to the parking lot, I realized everyone in the hotel had rented or purchased a similar white car. Okay, maybe not everyone, but it seemed like it. You know that lost feeling when walking out of a store, "Where did I park this time?" Uh huh. Solution? Sandra Bullock's character, Lucy used this in While You Were Sleeping to prove she knew Peter's car. Katherine Heigl's character Stephanie Plum used this in One For the Money to find Morelli's car. Yes, the FOB. In a row of six white similar cars, mine blinked yellow lights as if it were a long lost friend begging me to save it from the cloned masses. Luke Skywalker lifting off a storm trouper helmet revealing his true identity to the princes...

Today I welcome a kindred spirit, an inspiration, a sparky personality, and future authoress.   I met Casey through ACFW and found her to be a rich source of Christlike friendship. When I asked Casey to share the "real" her with you, she said: Defining You I’m a writer. Words make up my world into a brighter, cheerier place (though sometimes when my characters misbehave, it can become a darker, more dangerous existence. ;-) I have a list of words that describe me. Words that make up who I am to my friends, my family and to myself. Nerdy knitter. Avid reader. General all-around farm girl. Sister. Daughter. Aspiring author. Contest finalist. Friend. Jewelry designer. Nurses’ Aide. I wear a lot of hats. I use a lot of words. But you know the most important ones to me? The words that represent those closest in my lives. Daughter. Sister. Child of the King. Sure, being an aspiring author is great. Donning the scrubs is ...

By Mary Vee The city of Bluffton, Ohio is close to I 75. On a hot summer day, travelers take the second exit, when traveling south, and stop at the Dari Freeze.  The tiny parking lot is on the south side of the building. A sign on the window says, "Place orders on the other side of the building." No problem. Walk around the front, past the picnic tables full of customers enjoying an icy treat and the scale near the first window, to the north side of the building. A large menu complete with items like all you can eat fish fry on Friday nights fills the wall If you skimmed read over the word scale, let me repeat it. Yes. There is a full-sized, medical scale in the front of the building. I had to ask the employees the story. He said the scale was put there seven years ago and is balanced regularly. Seriously? Yes! He said many customers will check their weight, shrug then place their order. He didn't know why.  But the scales have become an att...

By Mary Vee A woman boarded a plane and walked to the last row for her seat assignment. She pushed her roller bag into the overhang storage and sat in her seat. Along came a family. The father asked. "Would you mind. I'm so sorry to ask. Our family is taking a special trip and, well, we, um hoped to travel together. The desk agent said the flight was full and therefore she couldn't change our seats." Before he said another word she stood. "Where is the seat you need to trade?" A warm smile spread across his face. "10B. It's the exit aisle." He helped her pull down her roller bag and thanked her. The woman felt like a fish swimming up stream moving to the front of the plane during boarding. She stopped in row 11 and spoke with the people sitting in row 10. "I think I'm in 10b?" The man sitting in her seat said, "Would you mind. I'm so sorry to ask, I would like to sit by my wife. We originally had seats ass...

Fabulous Feature Friday Sherrinda Ketchersid Come meet my friend, Sherrinda Ketchersid. She recently had a Jacob's ladder experience.  At different times in our lives we all face the ladder. Her words will inspire you: I’ve been calling myself a writer for about six years. It has been the most wonderful, frustrating, rewarding, exasperating thing I have ever done! I’ve loved meeting other writers online and have been planning to go to the big ACFW Conference this fall with great anticipation. It’s what I love! Not long ago, God got a hold of me and we wrestled for quite awhile. You know when God is talking to you, even though sometimes you don’t want to hear Him. You have a disquiet feeling in your heart. You aren’t at peace. You run into road blocks at every turn. You know good and well He is trying to get your attention, but you look the other way. God was convicting me of not being a better helper to my husband, who pastors a small church. I’ve been an active...

Many places offer a bed or meal to the needy. Usually located in urban settings these organizations also provide meals, classes, and a listening ear. I recently visited the Cherry Street Men's Mission in Toledo, Ohio. After hearing the need for bottled water on the news, my sisters and I went shopping, filled the car's trunk and set out for the mission. Temperatures floated in the three digits that day. Three men stood outside the mission wiping sweat from their heads. We toted cases of water and family sized bundles of toilet paper into the mission and set them in the entrance. The greeter smiled and called the head administrator who agreed to give us a tour. Along the way, he showed rooms with beds. The entire facility was dedicated to providing a place to sleep for anyone who needed a bed. The first floor had a large room stuffed with bunk beds. The second floor had rooms in the process of conversion to sleeping quarters. On the third floor, men who took classes ...