The Storyteller | Mary Vee

Have you ever glanced at a total stranger and thought to yourself, I would like to be like him (or her) someday ? Me too! I walked into a little restaurant called The Bridge Street Cafe and sat in a window booth overlooking the frozen Flatt River. It was really cold that day. Having never been in this cute cafe before I looked around and couldn't help but take note of some awesome characteristics.   Country music set the tone. Spunky, fun, inviting, open to conversation. A sprinkling of customers sat at tables around the room. Each small group had a lively conversation except the older lady sitting by herself. With her short grayed hair, she sipped her coffee and watched the customers, including me. I thought she worked there. The young twenty's waitress greeted me with a Julia Roberts smile and a food stained t-shirt.   She took my order and scribbled notes on a small page in a spiral notebook. Fresh, country strong coffee soon came in a mug. Tasted good. A sure

The Winner of last weekend's drawing for Suzanne Woods Fisher's latest book, The Lesson is....scroll to end of post for winner's name. At a recent retreat, arriving attendees were warmly greeted by a hostess. Seats had been assigned to help attendees meet and get to know new people.   Most of the attendees had attended the retreat the previous year and did not have an issue with this concept. After all, seats are assigned for many events when a ticket is purchased. For other events, we assign our own seat. We may walk into a church, movie theater, or other gathering place and think we have control of where we sit. We choose a seat near or away from people, the screen, or the exit. But those who come in after us modify the outcome, bringing people closer or causing others to move away, someone may block the screen or add a chair onto a row. For the new people attending the retreat, some were surprised to find: Friends were assigned to different tables Fa

Today I welcome a well-known authoress who enjoys raising guide dog puppies for the blind. She has a sweet and giving spirit :  Suzanne Woods Fisher .   Enter to win an autographed copy of Suzanne Woods Fisher's book The Lesson I recently met Suzanne on FB and after seeing she had a new release asked her to join us here today and share how God has led her on her writing journey. Please help me welcome her: The Fear of Failure “For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you. Do not fear; I will help you” (Isaiah 41:13, niv).             Years ago, before I received my first book contract, an editor returned a manuscript to me with the comment that the writing wasn’t up to her publishing house’s “caliber.” Ouch! That was a tough remark to swallow. But I did. I gulped down my pride, asked her for editorial comments about the manuscript, and she gave them to me. I r

The presidential inauguration had no discernible glitches. The media searched for topics to discuss during the parade to make the event lively but had difficulty. This inauguration went as planned on a day with nice weather. Except. I had the TV on in the background for hours, waiting for one special something to discuss in this post. Something that showed someone in the audience, or a security person, or participant to demonstrate what their heart felt.  Something unique. I expected the cheering crowds. Whether I voted for this person as the president or not, it would be special to stand along the street or sit in the stands and witness the event. And then something unique happened. Following the ceremony, the president left the platform with his security. He walked up the stairs toward the red curtain passageway into the building. A mass of men and women followed him. At the top of the stairs he stepped under the red curtain threshold and stopped.  The mass of men and wom

Since initiating this website, I have seen the importance of getting out of my writing chair, out of my house, and purposing to be among people.  There is a reality that is not portrayed in movies, one with flaws that don't resolve, or unsung successes that appear not unique enough to the masses. photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net I may think I can suppose how a person may react to a certain situation given my own life's experiences, books I've read, stories I've heard from others, and movies. But it isn't until I step into someone else's world and observe people in their momentary situation that I can understand a unique response. I went to the county health department. I approached the window to ask a question. Three workers did not notice. Instead they were heavily engaged in a discussion. One stood, holding files. Her eyebrows sharply angled down and her left arm moved about, animating her words and sorting files in an unorchestrated rhy

Today I welcome an authoress who has had many books published in a short time. She is friendly, loves to laugh, and is  a sweet friend:  Karen Witemeyer .   Enter to win an autographed copy of Karen Witemeyer's book  Short-Straw Bride   see below I met Karen at the 2012 ACFW conference. The smile in her photo is not "just a moment for the photographer." She not only smiles a lot but laughs a lot, too. What a fun person to be around! I knew right away she would be a great friend. I asked Karen to share how God led her on her writing journey. This is what she said: Persevering Through Roadblocks As I began my publication journey, I expected the road to be arduous. So I prepared. I put my craft muscles through years of intensive training and stretched myself in critique groups and contests. Then in 2007, I took my first completed novel to the ACFW conference. I arrived a day early and wo

I suppose this is a tale of perspective. My husband and I went into a restaurant. Two gentlemen came in behind us. One of the gentlemen said, "I guess I was wrong. I picked this restaurant because I thought it would have more room. Look how crowded it is." The restaurant had maybe ten of the thirty to forty booths filled. Crowded? My husband and I were immediately seated. The gentlemen behind us had to wait the thirty seconds it took for the host to return to the greeting stand. Our food came equally fast. Two days later I went to a medical office for some labs. It was my first time in the building. After searching the lobby, I found the required sign-in clipboard hidden in a shelf near the area where a previous sign said not to go. I signed in and went to the seating area.  Not long after, a woman came and sat in the seating area. She huffed and leaned toward the person sitting across from her. "I came to this medical office today on purpose. It's never

No matter how hard we try, most of us cannot hide our true responses to situations. My favorite category of facial communicators is the teenager. Love them. So honest. They have no qualms with advertising their displeasure with an eye roll and dramatic sigh or  happiness with a bursting smile and squeal. I confess. I annoyed a Best Buy phone sales/clerk. Didn't mean to. And he never said anything to indicate I had. But his face did.  Here's what happened: I needed a service done for my phone. He had never done the service before. The exciting challenge to solve a new techy problem was on his face. His eyebrows rose as he went through his thought process. He pulled out his smartphone, looked up the directions on line and proceeded to follow the steps. The corners of his mouth rose, dimples appeared, the muscles in his cheeks moved up toward his eyes. He seemed proud and happy. Everything went fine. I paid, received instructions, he switched the phone

Today I welcome a well-known authoress, one with such a sweet, gentle,  and encouraging spirit  and is a sweet friend:  Camy Tang .   Enter to win an autographed copy of Camy Tang's book A Dangerous Stage AND Narrow Escape !  see below I met Camy at ACFW. She was one of my mentors. Her gift of listening, understanding, and guidance made me so thankful I had signed up to meet with her. What a blessing. What a treasure. I asked her to share her writing journey with us. Here is what she wrote: Camy and Mary Vee God Asked Me to Lay Down My Writing! I’ve always loved writing, but my attitude wasn’t the greatest. I was more interested in my name on a book cover than in giving God glory. So, God asked me to lay down my writing. At first I thought He was nuts, but once I realized He was serious about it, I fought Him long and hard over it. Eventually, I did it—laid down my writing, stopped cold turkey.

Not all that long ago, men and women were hired to keep the light/candle burning in lighthouses.  They couldn't leave. If the light went out a ship might crash on the rocks and all on board perish.  Fog, storms, night all provided reason for the lightkeeper to maintain the lights. Many keepers lived with their families on the main floor, some lived in a home within a short walking distance.  Each one understood the severity and urgency of their job. Keep the light burning and save lives. Captains and sailors used each lighthouse for navigation, or ticked of completed portions of the journey . . .closer to home. In some cases the spouse would go to town for groceries. In others, the lighthouse was so remote groceries had to be brought by boat by those on the mainland. It took a special personality to be a lightkeeper. Enduring the quiet days and long winter nights, entertaining children who didn't have neighbors, no clubs or social events nearby, etc. Yet I don'

My friend, Pepper Basham tagged me in a fun round of blog hop.  You are invited to play too!. Here are the rules: Answer the ten questions below and post them on your own blog. Tell me what date you are going to post them. I will then put a link here on my post to your blog. Easy, right? Here are the ten questions: 1.  What is the working title of your book? 2.  Where diid the idea come from for the book? 3.  What genre does your book fall under? 4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? 5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? 6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? 7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? 8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? 9. Who or What inspired you to write this book?  10 What else about your book might pique the reader's interest? To see Pepper Basham's answers go to: www.pepperbasham.com Here a

Today I welcome an authoress who has a gift for humor, a kind heart,  and is my treasured friend ,  Mary .   Enter to win an autographed copy of  Out of Control  by Mary Connealy see below. I met Mary through ACFW and through my friends at the Writer's Alley.  She truly has a gift for writing romantic comedy. I laughed through the pages and couldn't wait to pick up another of her books.   I asked Mary to share her writing journey with us. Here is what she wrote: God Gives Seasons of Life I am a big believer that God gives us seasons of life. I couldn’t see it while I struggled to get published but now, looking back, I realize that God waited until exactly the right time in my life to let me be published. I sat down to write a book, a full length novel, with the intent of getting it published, the year my baby, the youngest of four daughters, went to Kindergarten. I wrote fo