The Storyteller | Mary Vee

Today I welcome  Jody Hedlund, whose characters nagged her until she wrote their story. Enter to win Jody's  September 2013 release, Rebellious Heart Scroll to the end of the post to see how to enter. I keep a close eye on books about to be published. When I saw Jody's book would be released in September I just had to invite her to visit with us. I am so deeply honored she said "Yes." I asked Jody to share with us the journey God has led her on for her writing career. Here is what she said: I Knew I Was Getting Close! Like many writers I was born with a pen in my hand. I filled notebooks with stories when I was growing up. My passion for writing followed me into adulthood. I wanted to be an author. But like most aspiring writers, I struggled to know how I could use my gifts and abilities in a career. When my college years came, I knew I would need a career that could pay the bills while I worked on my novels. So I went to Tayl

I'm taking a deep breath as I reveal my one sheet for the ACFW conference only two weeks away.  The Michigan chapter of ACFW held a one day session in August to teach us how to make our one sheets. Many, many tweaks later, I had this product. It's really important to connect with others in your field. We all seem to have a bit of knowledge about at least one topic. Going to classes, sessions, meetings, gatherings, whatever you want to call them, is a great opportunity to meet people with similar interests and have something to share with you. Of course, you, in turn, have an opportunity to share back. At the Michigan ACFW One Sheet session, I also met people who previously only had a tiny icon photo on the Internet. I read their posts, but didn't know anything else about them. These men and women became real. I heard their voice, their laughter, and saw their personality. What a treasure. Friend, what group has benefitted you? Where have you physically met people

There once was an older gentleman who sat alone in his wheelchair. From morning to evening he sat, waiting. He lived in a lively nursing home where the activities directors loved to keep the residents engaged, laughing, and speaking. Often the gentleman sat in his room listening to men and women down the hall. He wished someone would think to take him there.  Years before the gentleman had lost interest in physical activity for years, choosing to sit in his apartment and watch television alone. He watched several episodes of his favorite show and forgot to eat meals left for him in the kitchen. The apartment manager introduced him to other neighbors his age. He didn't feel like visiting any of their apartments, he might miss one of the shows. Periodically, the neighbors came for a visit, but after a while they stopped visiting.  As the years went by, his legs could no longer support his weight when he attempted to stand. He wished someone would visit, maybe watch a show or

Today I welcome  Vickie McDonough, whose characters nagged her until she wrote their story. Enter to win Vickie's  July release, Whispers on the Prairie Scroll to the end of the post to see how to enter. Vickie is quite an accomplished author. She has twenty-seven books/novellas published. I am pleased to introduce her to you. While we chatted, I asked her to share with us how God led her on this great writing journey. This is her answer: The Story That Kept Me Awake at Night Thank you, Mary, for inviting me to be your guest today. For as long as I can remember, I’ve always loved to read. When I was young, I read every book I could find that had a horse on the cover. Then I graduated to Nancy Drew books, and later, when I was the frazzled mom of four teenage sons, I discovered Christian romance novels, and fell in love with them. As my boys got older, I started praying that God would help me to start a home business—something where I

I especially enjoy reading the longer books. My home library isn't crazy full of books like War and Peace, but I do have and read the full version of Gone With the Wind. Blowing on Dandelions by Miralee Ferrell is a down-to-earth four hundred page book that sinks it's teeth into western pioneering community times. Just like Little House on the Prairie and Ann of Green Gables, this book addresses real life issues and doesn't hold back. Katherine's strong spirit fueled her drive to keep up the boarding house she and her husband bought before he died. There were times when the work load and caring for her two daughters tested her strength, but she managed.  Surprised to hear her mother would soon arrive for a visit, Katherine pushed away memories of their troublesome past. Her mother arrived announcing her trunks needed to be brought in and she needed to go to her room at once. One look at the number of trunks revealed the stressful truth, Momma came to stay. T

I finished my first ebook. I absolutely loved the story, in fact I will be posting the review of this fantastic book on Wednesday.  For today, though, I want to open a discussion about ebooks. At first, I thought holding my mini iPad as I engaged in the exciting story was fun. It is smaller than a book, I can increase the font to match my tired read-before-going-to-bed-eyes, then decrease the font for the morning. I can dim or brighten the light and never lose my place because my iPad keeps track of details like that for me. I could have been hired to be a spokesperson for ebooks . . . until . . . As a rule stories have ups and downs in them but the climax is the big peak. When I hold a paper book in my hand I know the climax is coming, not only from the context clues but also by the balance of the book in my hand. The left side is heavier than the right. I sometimes fumble while fully absorbed in the story and drop the book. I read in anticipation, will the ending be w

Today I welcome  Shannon Taylor Vannatter, who has witnessed God's blessings through family and friends Enter to win Shannon's  new release, Rodeo Regrets Scroll to the end of the post to see how to enter. God Gave Me A Little Help From My Friends For fifteen years I had a story in my head. In the summer of 1999, I realized this story was much more; it was a book. I purchased a computer and began writing my first manuscript. In 2004, six unpublished books later, I sank into a writing crossroad. Two hundred rejection letters littered my desk. I thought I had done everything right—after all, I belonged to two local writing groups and did everything in my power to attend local conferences and workshops. My brain was on overload from learning, but I wasn’t learning anything specific to my genre. I googled “Christian Romance Writers Conference” and stumbled upon the American Christian Romance Writers. What a dream. The conference was held i

Recently two of my adult daughters went on a trip with me. For some silly reason, a GPS came up in our conversation. Could it be they didn't trust my driving? Hah! We eventually made it back home. What I wanted to share with you was their astute observations. The older one had borrowed a friend's GPS for a trip to Chicago. She attended her function and realized she didn't have a clue how to maneuver her way out of the city. She said, "I relied so completely on the GPS I didn't pay attention to anything. So basically I didn't learn anything about the city. I turned off the GPS since I wasn't in a hurry, and figured out the way home on my own." Now there was an interesting take on the situation. A techy generation person chose to turn off the GPS. The younger adult daughter told her story. Two people from a regular "Youtube show said they had used their GPS so much they didn't think they could find their way home, and they had only a f

Who would have thought that any time could be busier than Christmas? It is in our house. My oldest daughter is about to move to Arizona for her Masters program in Choral Conducting, (praying for you sweetie). Grandpa is coming for a visit to celebrate oldest daughter's achievement. He is a gardner. Gorgeous plants flourish all around his home. I on the other hand have a very brown thumb. Rather than cleaning the house spit polish, which Grandpa will not notice, I am spending lots of time trying to make those poor plants look good for his visit. The ACFW conference is coming up. How many of you are going? Make sure to find me there, I want to say hi to you. I finished my one sheet, my elevator pitch, my manuscript, and need to complete the various length synopsis. I also need to buy the perfect dress at a good price. As you read in my last post, hubby and I celebrated our anniversary last week.  Relatives from Germany came for a visit. Fortunately they spok

Today I welcome a small town gal who persistently walked an up and down hill journey. God blessed her with twenty-five published books, and she continues to use the gifts He gave her: Ann Gabhart Enter to win Ann's  new release, Small Town Girl   Scroll to the end of the post to see how to enter. Like many of my fantastic Friday guests, I met Ann through the Internet. I saw her sweet smile and the books she has written and immediately wanted to become friends. I asked Ann about the journey God has led her on, this is what she answered: Writing isn't Just Magical... At ten years old, a kid can imagine doing anything. That’s why I picked up a pen and began writing my first story–a mystery modeled after the Hardy Boys books I’d been reading. Of course, in my book I was the cute, smart kid who solved the mystery. Through the magic of imagination, I was no longer shy and awkward. I was the heroine. Right then, the dye was set. I discover