The Storyteller | Mary Vee

I have been wanting to read a book by Susan May Warren this whole year. Just recently, I set my hands on a copy of Duchess, the third book in a series called Daughters of Fortune. As local chapter president of Poky Readers Anonymous, I was cast out of office after sailing through this delightful historical read in less than three days. I've always been intrigued by any historical series that follows the daughters. Typically each generation has a book devoted to the current daughter. We, the readers, get to step back in time then walk forward witnessing the changing political and economic influences of history while being captivated by a wonderful story.. Duchess opens shortly before the great stock market crash in October of 1929. Rosie Worth dreams of becoming a famous movie star. Standing in the right place at the right time, she finds herself an instant starlet playing roles on the silver screen. Her new career also gives her a name change: Roxie Price. Fans crowd a

http://www.marcussamuelsson.com/about As a boy growing up in Ethiopia, Markus, his sister and his mother became sick with tuberculosis. His mother died from the disease.  He and his sister had no place to go. One day, a family from Sweden decided to adopt a child. I don't know if they were unable to have children, but I do know they had room in their lives to give an orphaned brother and sister a loving family. Markus and his sister moved with his new family to Sweden, he went to school, and grew tall. He became interested in cooking and was able to go to a culinary school. Markus skills enabled him to become an accomplished chef. He worked in fine restaurants, has been a judge for cooking competitions, and has cooked in the White House for the president. Markus volunteered for a program for poor children interested in becoming cooks. The program provides training, scholarship, direction, and opportunities for those who complete the training. From the look on his fa

ACFW Conference in St. Louis        Mary, Amy, Laurie Alley Cats             Mary Vee and Lee Carver Casey chilling Krista chilling Casey fun photo Organization Booth Cara Putnam and Candace Calvert Amy Simpson and Laurie Tomlinson Casey Herringshaw and Beth Vogt The bookstore Mary Vee with Erica Vetsch Mary Vee, Krista Phillips, Casey Herringshaw Mary Vee and Joy Melville AND THERE IS MORE TO COME!!!! Meeting with friends, learning, talking with agents and editors...WOW God is good.

Today, I head off on a solo road trip. To save money, I'm driving seven hours to the ACFW conference in St. Louis. I've Googled directions, Map Quest for a back up, and AAA online trip tik to check for road issues. I have a few cd's of past writing conferences to keep my mind alert. Cruise control is my friend. Drivers in a hurry are not my friends. Also impatient local drivers who know where they are going, and expect me to know the same then cut me off to communicate said impatience, are not my friends. Photo Courtesy Sigh. I have allowed the day to land at my destination. I expect to get lost a few times and be forced to call my techy teen at home to bale me out and direct me back to the road I somehow turned off of. These adventures can make great fodder for stories and awesome pictures. Speaking of the which, I have my AAA card. I hate changing tires. I have my umbrella. Soggy Mary's can get grumpy. I'm wearing comfy grunge clothes and

My family and I went to see The Hundred-Foot Journey. There are so many things to talk about regarding this movie. All good. We really enjoyed this film. Today, we'll choose to talk about family roots. Spoiler alert. In this movie, the character, Hassan is a young and hopeful chef.  His story is very Romeo and Juliet, country vs city, Cinderella, and all worth seeing from this very unique presentation. Hassan first attempts to prove his ability to cook to a famous French restaurant owner who happens to live and have her establishment one-hundred feet away from his family's new home. Since he is not French, and since his family has opened a restaurant across the road, she immediately rejects his dish and turns away from him.  Hassan refuses to give up. He works late and gets up early, dedicating his time to learning how to master his cooking skills. In time his work pays off. The key? Mixing what he knows with what he is learning and forming new tastes. Hassa

Today I welcome author:  Sherri Wilson Johnson To win a copy of  To Laugh Once More Scroll to the end of the post  to see how to get your copy. Sherri had two books published then ran into a snag. The publisher closed down their fiction line. Her strength and courage to keep going is inspirational. I asked Sherri to share with us how God has led her on her writing journey. This is what she said: The Right Door. The Wrong Way Last winter, I went to downtown Atlanta with my son for an appointment and stopped in a public restroom beforehand. When I got into the stall, the latch bolt wouldn't slide across into the keeper because it was misaligned. I had no way to lock the door and wasn't doing my business with the door unlocked. So I decided to change stalls. However, the door wouldn't open! I panicked! I was stuck in the stall. In a bathroom in downtown Atlanta. With my son waiting out in the hallway.

Ree Drummond's Orange Chicken I saw a fantastic orange chicken recipe and decided to try it. I'm one of the last persons who would be able to do a cooking show. I especially appreciate not only the video of what the chef is doing but also the text version of the recipe. Ree Drummond is a ranch wife, writer, photographer, and obviously a great cook. Her teen daughters love Chinese take-out, unfortunately they live to far from any restaurant. Ree figured out how to make her daughter's favorites: orange chicken and beef with broccoli. The closest restaurant to me is thirty minutes. My choices there are: McDonalds, Big Boy, yeah, nothing fancy. To get to a nicer restaurant hubby and I have to travel one hour. I find myself in the same boat as Ree. If only I could cook as well as she does. *Chefs take much less time to cook a meal than a novice like me. The forty minute chicken took me two hours. Gack! I know!! It's that perfection thing going on in me.  I deci

Photo Courtesy During our one-week stay in Paris, we rushed to get up in the mornings, hurried down to the quaint breakfast area of our hotel then briskly walked to whatever sight we wanted to see. Each morning we passed so many cafes on our way to the subway or bus or walkway. Seriously, there seemed to be a cafe on each corner. And each cafe had fifty percent of the seating outside under an extended roof.  One morning we left our hotel around seven. We walked a block and passed the first cafe. Two men sat across from each other, engaged in what seemed like a political discussion.  I couldn't understand the French and only assumed. But you know what two people look like when they have these types of conversations. They leaned their body forward to make their point then sit back when satisfied they won...until the other person leaned forward and countered the thought. As they spoke, their hands moved to emphasize certain words. Of course their eyes also engaged