The Storyteller | Mary Vee

I went to the grocery store to pick up an item Saturday morning. I know. I know. Big mistake. The store was packed with weekly shoppers. The kiosk samplers blocked the aisles. Sales. Long lines. Yeah. Any who.  I happened past one particular kiosk. The gal had frozen strawberries and a few other ingredients. Little white paper cups held some pink liquid. I thought, I'll try it. I like strawberries.  I'm a finicky eater and am only willing to try new foods that have ingredients I like. The yum factor hit pretty high, although I thought it was a bit too sweet.  Here is what she used: A juicer (I didn't have one) Low fat vanilla yogurt frozen strawberries honey Huh. This looked like an easy way to use left over pieces of fruit before they go bad. I bought a ten dollar single server juicer (which I've been wanting for a long time), some fresh strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, kiwi, and dragon fruit, (the dragon fruit was my chefy daught...

Today we welcome author: Rick Barry One commenter will win a copy of Rick's book:  The Methuselah Project Scroll down to see how. Mary here. I first met Rick Barry at a writer's conference in Chicago several years ago. He read his short story to our critique group. I knew then that any book he would have published would be better than fantastic. I was intrigued. I was spellbound. His story was unique and amazing. When I heard his first book was due to be released--update: The Methuselah Project just hit store shelves, I asked him to come visit us. I asked Rick to share how God had lead him on his writing journey. This is what he said: Whims, Hobbies, and Ministry Hi Mary, and all the friends visiting your blog! You asked me to share my writer’s journey. I can honestly say that this journey consists of many mistakes and many rejections.   But let’s start at the beginning—as a reader. In grade school I enjoyed different types of stori...

Photo Courtesy Every once in a while, we need to dig up a moments from the past and laugh. You'd be surprised what is still stuck in your head. With a little prodding, you'll come up with something like I just did: Every Sunday afternoon...okay it wasn't every single one, but most of them, Dad played board or card games with my sisters and me. His philosophy-never give the win to his daughters.  He was an accountant, and had a sharp mathematical-logical mind, which put him in the winning circle...let me count...yep, every single time. One game we played was hearts. With three girls bent on beating Dad, he still found a way to shoot the moon. Shooting the moon meant he managed to get ALL the points. Points were ALWAYS bad, EXCEPT when a player received ALL the points--shooting the moon. The result? All other players received all the points and the one who shot the moon received Zero. Zip. Nada. Ack! How did he do that? The unknown benefit to us? We became...

One of the most important things we can do is network. Networking is the core to: *spreading the Gospel *keeping up to date with our family *learning our trade *selling a product and not only that, God knew we would be lonely if we didn't network. I have been in Dallas this week, and will be for half of next week, speaking to K-12 classes in a school and attending the ACFW Gala event. Today, I'm sharing with you some of the fun pics taken by the teachers. Highlights:  8th Grade English-Mary Vee All the students indicated they enjoyed the presentation. I taught the students how to write stellar stories--How to turn a blank piece of paper into meaningful black ink.  10th Grade English-Mary Vee   "Every story has..." and so went the lesson for twenty minutes. Included was a reading from my story. The manuscript I am hoping to pitch to an agent Saturday night.    I also gave them a way to remember the lesson: The Kit Kat b...

Adventures. Suspense. Memories. I can't get enough.  From Florida to Arizona to Alaska and now to Dallas. Imagine those geographical settings. Hot, cold, sunny, rainy, snowy, city, rural, and mountains. This has been the year for travel. Each trip a-mazing. Today as I fly to Dallas, I'm hoping I've remember everything. I'm fidgety in my cramped airplane seat flipping pages of some book that I'm not really reading. My mind is like a hunted animal searching for a topic to hide in until the plane lands. I'm nervous. Not about flying.   I AM BURSTING WITH EXCITEMENT!  Some of you may know about the ACFW conference this week.  Because of a unique opportunity, I will not be attending the sessions, although I couldn't resist getting a ticket to attend the big gala on Saturday to visit with writing friends. So what is the big news? There is a K-12 school in Dallas that has invited me to be their speaker, volunteer, DEAR time reader, ...

Today we welcome author: Amy Clipston One commenter will win a copy of Amy's books:  A Gift of Love and A Season of Love Two winners will be chosen!! Scroll down to see how. Mary here. I'm so glad you joined us today. I was touched by Amy's story about her kidney donation. She told me a bit of what is in her book, "A Gift of Love". Such a calling. Such a gift. Today, Amy expands what she told me by sharing with you how God lead her on her writing journey--the fruit of God inspired circumstances. This is what she said: A Leap of Faith I always wrote for fun as a child. While in elementary school I carried notebooks and filled them with silly stories that I shared with only one friend. In junior high and high school, my stories turned into fan fiction based on my favorite television shows or movies. Back then writing was a stress-reliever and a fun hobby. When I entered college, both my time and my muse dissolved, and I di...

Photo by Mary Vee Someone special is coming to your office or home. You rush about cleaning, preparing appropriate items (the project for the office situation, a meal for the home), and yourself. The person is due to arrive any minute. You look around and probably say, " Oh no, I forgot to--" Strangely enough, that one item you noticed at the last second stands out to you like a neon sign. You're convinced the guest sees it also. I mean why not? It's as clear as a red stain on white carpeting! To make matters worse, you didn't hear the last thing the guest said because thoughts of the undone inundated your mind. Should you ask them to repeat it, or try to figure it out contextually? Good grief!! On this wild and wacky note...Happy Labor Day to you! Whether your career has you raising children and endlessly cleaning your home, or you're a business person filling out form 207/J for the forty millionth time, this is your day to rest. D...