The Storyteller | Mary Vee

Today I welcome a kindred spirit, an encourager,  a fun-loving mom for her active children, and future authoress.   Enter to win a copy of Terri Blackstock's new book, Covenant Child I met Angie when she joined the Writers Alley group. When I asked her to share the "real" her with you, she said: God Sent Me on an Encouraging Writing Journey Two years ago, I was preparing for my first writer's conference, just as I am preparing for my third conference today. It has been quite a journey for me as a writer. And I thought I'd share what I've learned along the way. I walked away from my first conference with an agent's request for some chapters. It gave me hope that my dream of getting published was tunneling ahead and God's mighty hand was blessing me quickly. Certainly I had discovered my calling and found the door to success. And then came rejection. As quick as the blessing pushed me forward, the rejection pulled me back. ...

By Mary Vee Photo taken by Mary Vee I grew up in a home with rules. Most of us did. Some rules seemed silly to me at the time, and still do. Here are a few: 1. Fold the newspaper and put in on the corner of the davenport when finished (for you Internet readers, a newspaper is several large sheets of thin-rectangular paper containing articles and advertisements....a davenport is what my mom called a sofa). 2. Iron Dad's hankies crisp with no wrinkles. (a hankie is a cloth, reusable-if-washed tissue). 3. Change the car radio station back to Dad's favorite before going in the house.  4. All practical jokes are compliments (at least they thought of us)  5. Shout "Whoa to he/she who opens it next" when finally getting the freezer to close after mom went shopping. and there were many more. Imagine my surprise when I saw the above sign at a river park this last week. I obediently walked on the grass toward the river, climbed a tower on the bank, sat at...

By Mary Vee Heather M is the winner of the book giveaway from last Friday! Stop by this Friday for another book give away. God works through many community settings to help us through our situations. Seems like the one we grow up in tends to be our favorite. Paul and his wife from Jackson, Mississippi celebrated an anniversary. They traveled to the farming community in Ohio where he grew up and had a special celebration with their family.  He told me how he loved the secure and free lifestyle he had while growing up in the small Ohio community. "We never locked our doors, never had to worry about doing it. Folk who live there today do the same. It's a close knit community where people can trust each other." I asked him about Jackson. "Oh, Jackson is a different kind of town. It has all the big city features, shopping and all. The problem is, parents have to watch their children all the time. Crime can get out of hand. We live there because my wife lik...

Today I welcome my good friend,  a Rocky Mountain kindred spirit,  and future authoress, Cindy Wilson Book give away today, see details below. I met Cindy while working with her at  The Writers Alley . This year she is an ACFW Genesis finalist! This dear friend is also a willing-to-take-your-call-and-help persona. She is a godly woman who has written fourteen manuscripts and who knows, with doing so well with the contest, maybe published soon. I so excited for her journey! I asked her to tell us about her writing journey. It Was Meant to Be If you would have asked me ten years ago to write a post about myself or my writing journey, it would not have included the words “God” or “right path” or “blessing” or “Christ-like.” I was a mom in my early twenties who loved to write and tried to live a moral life without the necessary compass. God. I hadn’t been raised in the church, my parents didn’t go to church, and we didn’t talk about the Bible or G...

I like to meet new friends and kindle previous friendships. But, living in remote areas or moving to new places can limit opportunities. Once upon a time the only way to meet a new best friend was face to face. Moving to new neighborhoods, attending community functions, basically getting out of the house gave opportunity to kindle a friendship. Today, new best friends can be made on the Internet. And yes, the friendship can be kindred and like-minded, and helpful. Stepping into another person's world doesn't have to mean literally putting your foot on the same ground anymore. Last week I skyped with my friend Casey, she in Oregon, I in Montana. We met three years ago on a writers loop and two years later met face to face in St. Louis at a conference.  The conversation on skype allowed us to have all the perks of a face to face conversation. We sat "across from each other" using our laptop cameras and benefited from seeing body language to clarify communica...

By Mary Vee Lithuania is a country west of Russia and sets on the Baltic Sea. Many residents live in crowded apartments with cracked wallpaper and few amenities.  A couple, she a PhD chemist, he a PhD biologist live in a four-room apartment with their two children and the grandmother. They ride the trolly to work and hope the electrical black out time doesn't come while dinner is made. They take their meager earnings, stand in line at the market, and hope there is food on the shelf when their turn comes to buy. One day a letter arrives from the United States announcing a visit from his brother and ten family members. Money would be sent ahead for food, the family would stay in a hotel, and all expenses for sight seeing would be covered.  Excited to see his brother after more than twenty years, the man writes back welcoming his guests but refuses the financial help for food. He and his wife pull together every penny from savings and stand long hours in line at the ...

Today I welcome my kindred friend: Julia Reffner Future authoress Julia has helped me with crits, prayed for my needs, lifted my spirits, calmed my storm, listened when I rejoiced, encouraged my writing and has welcomed me to reciprocate. Julia is a fellow Alley Cat. We are co-writers with eight other fabulous ladies for  The Writers Alley , a blog for writers. Julia shares with us who she is: I Want to Be Conformed to Christ's Image              When Mary asked me to write a post about who I am, I didn't quite know where to begin. One thing popped out in my mind: I want to be conformed to Christ’s image. I’m certainly not there. I sin, I come to my knees and beg for His grace, He pours out His love and bids me stand up.             All my journeys together match up to this one overriding goal: to hear well done good and faithful servant. Knowing that I don’t dese...