The Storyteller | Mary Vee

Today I welcome  author Missy Tippens   Enter to win an autographed copy of  Missy's latest book,  Georgia Sweethearts .     (see end of post)  I met Missy through ACFW and through my friends at the Writer's Alley. She is one of the Seekerville writers with a  a gift for writing Christian Fiction romance. I finished my copy this week.  AND Missy received THE call from the RITA awards. Oh, slap my mouth, I need to let her tell the story.   I asked Missy to share her writing journey with us. Here is what she wrote: My Long Writing Journey I’d like to thank Mary for having me here to talk about my writing journey. This journey has been a long one, one that started with a love of reading and, oddly enough, three weeks on bed rest.  I’ve always been a big reader. But in 1994, while pregnant with my second child, I had some complications that led to me being put on bed rest. Sin...

You are the reason the flowers grow. God made their colors and fragrance for you. You are the reason the sun shines. God made the light and warmth for you. You are the reason the misty rain falls. God freshens the air for you to breathe. You are the reason the birds sing and fly near your window. God gave them a song for you. They deliver it where ever you are. You are the reason the fish fill the oceans. God gave them for you for food and to enjoy. You are the reason animals walk the land. God gave them to you for company, help, clothing, and food. You are the reason other people live where you go. God made each one special, like you, to help each other. You are the reason God sent His Son Jesus. God sent Jesus to demonstrate God's expectations. You are the reason Jesus died on the cross. God loves you so very much, that He sent His one and only Son for you, to take the punishment for your sins. And if you believe in what Jesus did, and desire to follow...

Spring break season is here.  Some schools had their breaks last week, some the week before.  The reason for spring break? Not exactly sure, But this I know, few complain :) As a kid and a college student, I loved spring break. I wish my job let me have a spring break, too! My sister runs an after school day care in the art room of a school.  Last Friday she took her students out for the first warm day they've had since last fall. The kids tossed their coats aside and ran to the playground. She'd asked the children to bring their backpacks out with them, instead of leaving them in the after school care room like usual. One little girl said, "But my mom works until 5. I know I won't be picked up early." Smart comment because a snack is served in the classroom after playtime. My sister nodded. "I understand. Will you bring your backpack anyway?" The girl reluctantly obeyed. Once outside she forgot her concern and ran to the slide. A short ...

Today I welcome  author Dani Pettrey   Enter to win an autographed copy of  Dani's latest book, Shattered .   (see end of post)  I first heard about Dani at the Bethany House session held at ACFW last year. David Long mentioned in his talk Dani's book, how it took him seconds to recognize her talents. Well, I couldn't wait to meet her and read her book, Submerged . This is an exciting story, steeped in action and adventure. Now I can't wait to get her second book, Shattered. During my conversation with her I asked how God had led her on her writing journey. This is her awesome answer: How God Renewed My Love for Story I have always loved daydreaming and making up stories. I dabbled with creative writing growing up, but set it aside. It wasn’t until a bout with a serious illness that I really felt God stirring me to write. He took something that was extremely difficult, brought me through it, and the...

As a writer, I feel I need to recognize the outward displays of human emotions. Recognizing other's responses helps me write portray my characters accurately.Today, because of the partly sunny skies let's talk about joy. Joy is an emotion people love to share. Something exciting, wonderful, unexpected but good, went as planed, received, given, accepted, completed, started, organized, and etc. has happened. This is not just a bubbly feeling to share. A story is attached to this emotion that begs telling over and over again. Photos shared. Videos replayed. This is newsworthy! This man has something to say. Whatever splashed the smile on his face will not remain unspoken. He is energized, vibrant, excited to share the second by second replay, with elaborations, of course. If you let him, he will dramatize  the entire story including adding sound effects.  He will share his interpretation, feelings, allude to outlier details. He will tell his story to ...

As a writer, I feel I need to be aware of the physical response of individual's displaying different emotions. This helps me to accurately express my characters. Today we will look at the different faces of those experiencing disappointment. When I see the face of disappointment, I am drawn to the individual.  Sometimes I approach the person, and sometimes I don't, yet I am still drawn to their need. I watch from my distance and try to figure out if the person is approachable, or if it is appropriate for me to walk close to him/her. The face of disappointment is portrayed in many different ways depending on the circumstances and the person experiencing the situation.  Note this photo. This person's disappointment has pulled her into her own thoughts. If a conversation were held near her she probably wouldn't hear it. She wouldn't want to eat or move, so consumed with rehashing the disappointing situation. We could describe her as quiet and pensive. Perha...

Today I welcome New York best selling  author Terri Blackstock   Enter to win an autographed copy of Terri's book. There will be 2 winners chosen (see end of post)  I feel honored and blessed to host Terri Blackstock this weekend. She graciously agreed to visit with not only me, but you too. During my conversation with her I asked how God had led her on her writing journey. This is her awesome answer: The Prodigal Daughter In many ways, I could be described as a Prodigal Daughter, even though I never openly rebelled against God. I was raised in the church and saved at 14. I walked closely with Christ through my teen years. However, as I reached college age, I grew lukewarm in my faith. Though I attended church, I stopped praying and reading the Bible, and I focused more on things of the world than on spiritual things. When I began writing romance novels in 1982, I struggled briefly over whether to w...

Most if not every day has received some special meaning on our calendars, something significance for us to celebrate. You could google today and find it set aside as the ______ day. Most of these don't impress me. I am, however, wowed with December 25th-Christmas my favorite holiday , Easter, major holidays like that. I learned something interesting this last Sunday. March 10th had been marked as International Bible day. Now there is something I can get behind. My pastor gave a long list of amazing facts about the Bible, including but not limited to:  The Bible is the number one best selling book. I tried, but couldn't write the list he gave fast enough. Some of the things I remembered you probably already knew like:  40 human authors,  Blood has been shed to preserve it.  Stories that brought our Bible together are compelling.   From Psalm 19:10-14 God’s Word is better than a diamond,      better than a diamond set betw...

My family missed doing a tradition activity. Last year we moved. About one hundred fifty thousand things hop on our to do list. In all the rush, we simply forgot to do one of our favorite traditions. For thirty years, our family has driven to Frankenmuth, Michigan. It is a German, Christmas wonderland with quaint attractions three-hundred-sixty-four days a year. One such attraction is the carriage ride over the old, wooden covered bridge and through the village. The carriage workers had helped their last passengers dismount. Family members took photos and then the passengers left.  The parking lot, where one could hire the carriage, had filled with visitors watching a puppet show. Workers removed the horses bit and prepared to feed him. But something spooked the horse. "Whoa." The worker shouted. She grabbed the harness and tried to steady the horse. A second worker stepped on the other side of the horse hoping to help calm the animal. The driver, sitting h...

Today I welcome authoress and my new friend, one whom I have such respect for: Mary Moore   Enter to win an autographed copy of Mary Moore's book. There will be 2 winners chosen  I never know when God is going to bless me by bringing a new friend along the way. After our first chats, Mary Moore and I found we had many things in common. As a result a friendship has been born. During the conversation I asked her how God led her on her writing journey. This is her awesome answer: AN UNUSUAL JOURNEY All blogs and interviews are different, but the one question that almost always pops up is – “When did you know you wanted to be a writer.” I read the responses from other authors, how they’ve wanted to write since they wrote their first story. Or, maybe it was after a college course in literature, or maybe they had just always known. Not me, nope…I never wanted to be a writer! Me too, Mar...