The Storyteller | Mary Vee

Whether a book has an amazing plot, incredible characters, or a spectacular setting, one way to turn a reader away from the story is to misrepresent a crucial fact. Ex: Did you know vehicles are not allowed to cross the Mackinac Bridge on Labor Day 6 am to noon.  As small as a sliver is, the irksome little irritant, pain can explode with a single touch.  So also is the incorrect portrayal of a cultural detail. Readers will notice!! We don't have to visit the setting used in our book, but it helps. If you can't go to the location, there are other ways to ensure the culture is properly represented. And this is  SOOOOOO crucial to keep readers reading the story! Take for example the book I am reading. I won't mention the title, but it was chosen because I happen to be in a beautiful rut reading tons of books with Parisian settings, watching movies filmed in Paris, and studying French, I've visited Paris--spent weeks in France, and okay, you get the drift. As a resu...

This summer a pair of wild geese raised a family on the grassy shore outside our home. This was the first time a family stayed from gosling to raised geese. Recently, they flew away and didn't return. I read  North by Night  this week as part of my research for the story I'm currently writing. The main character is Lucy, a teen girl living in small town, Ohio, who helps her family hide slaves fleeing north in the 1800's. The story is powerful and I highly recommend it. In the days of the Underground Railroad, individuals fleeing slavery were called Wild Geese. It was a code word. Pictures and drawings of wild geese pointed the way north, because, as we know, geese go south for the summer, have their babies, then fly north. It took courage to modify businesses or homes to harbor, feed, and cloth these individuals on the run. Families risked their lives to help men, women, and children find freedom. They often kept their secret from r...