The Storyteller | Mary Vee

Today we welcome author: Kristy Cambron One commenter will win a copy of Kristy's book:  A Sparrow in Terezin Scroll down to see how. Mary here. I'm so glad you joined us today. Like many other authors, Kristy has had an incredibly busy schedule, yet she has been able to make time to visit with us. I'm so happy!! You will be too, when you see what she wrote after I asked: Tell us how God has led you on your writing journey. You're gonna love this: "I Love You." --Dad I didn’t have a thimble full of confidence left in me. After several dismal (I call them crash-and-burn experiences) showings in unpublished writing contests and enough rejection emails to wallpaper our dining room, I had just enough oomph left to click ‘Send’ one more time. But this time, I wouldn’t tell anyone about it. Not my closest friends. Not my co-workers or my supportive parents. Not even my husband. Mary: Not even your husband? ...

Photo by Mary Vee I planned to go to a meeting with some fellow writers. I plugged the address into Google and looked over the three plans it gave.  The directions seemed good. But I didn't trust them. Poor Google didn't know when construction and other unusual issues, like too many traffic lights, delay the trip. It thinks like a crow. So I disregarded the first half of the instructions and jotted down the rest. Once on the expressway, Google had to be my guide since I was out of my element. Yeah! I reached my destination ten minutes early. On the ride home, though, I thought I'd take a chance and drive the "quicker" route according to Google. Yea. Fortunately, I had a compus in my car. Photo by Mary Vee--I haven't a clue where I was. After the meeting, I thought it might be fun to try Google's fastest route. I exited the express way and drove a short ways to an intersection.  To go straight, as the directions indicated, wo...

Today we welcome author: Wayne Thomas Batson One commenter will win a copy of Wayne's book: War for the Waking World  Dreamtreaders, Book 3   My daughter said, "I really liked these books. The main character is very relatable. He went through the same things I did at the time. Like Chronicles of Narnia (which is for children) the main character became someone of worth when he went to the new world. I'd say these stories are for young teens." Mary here. My kids and I have been avid readers of Wayne's books. They also are books in our home library that are not given away because they are reread. I feel really honored to have Wayne join us. He has an incredibly schedule. It took a lot of dickering to land on a date he could spare. In case you didn't know, he also teaches sixth grade. I asked Wayne to tell us how God led him on his writing journey. Be ready--his answer is written with a wild roller-coaster-ride flair. Hold ...

2 weeks after surgery Photo by Mary Vee Pollyanna was a character in an old Disney movie. Here is the basic plot according to IMDB:  A little girl comes to a town that is embattled by feuds and intimidated by her aunt. By the time she must leave, she has transformed the community with her indominatable will to see the good side of even the worst situations and bring it out for the betterment of all. My daughter destroyed her knee in martial arts. Sigh. She has such a great attitude about the healing process. We walked through her college campus five days after surgery and out of the blue, she started laughing. "Yah know, Mom, there are a lot of advantages to crutches." HAH! Immediately I thought--POST idea! So, without further ado, I give you:  The Top Ten Advantages of Using Crutches According to A User 1. Crutches give you really long arms. 2. People are willing to open doors for you, and wait while you hobble through. 3. Crutches give you a ...

Today we welcome author: Zachary Bartels One commenter will win a copy of Zachary's book:  The Last Con Mary here. I recently learned Zach is a pastor of a church only an hour's drive from my city. Small world! A couple of weeks ago I went to the Great Lakes ACFW meeting and was happy to see my friend, Ann Byle. Ann happened to be one of the speakers. During her talk she mentioned Zachary Bartels, saying, "His book is absolutely amazing. Fast pace. Filled with action." I raised my hand and said, he is going to be a guest on my blog!. I later found out that she is also Zachary's agent and is very excited about Zachary's next book. I asked Zachary to tell us how God has lead his writing journey. What he said will inspire you no matter what your career is: Two Sides of the Same Coin When I see God at work in my life, he seems to use an awful lot of Judo moves. Wait. Let me back up. My sermon podcast on iTunes is available i...