The Storyteller | Mary Vee

Last year I did it! I polished my at-that-time current WIP and decided to enter it in a writing contest.  I felt my writing had progressed with the several years of training notches on my belt. My work was not perfect, just ready to put out there . Open it up for a one-on-one look see that a judge could give me. Before pushing the send button, I looked at the rules to insure I formatted my entry correctly for this particular contest. Each writing contest has different requirements. I read through the information listing what the judges wanted to see, ingredients like: can the reader see, hear, taste, feel, and smell the scene; is there a clear story question, and etc.  Oh yeah, I felt all those ingredients were in these pages. Confident with my entry I pressed  the send button.  While waiting for my scores to be sent, I attended the free online Monday classes at  My Book Therapy  and learned tips how to add rich components to my story and ta...

Max Aaron, a teen ice skater recently competed in an US Men's Figure skating championships.  He worked numerous hours preparing for the moment, getting up in the mornings, way before his friends had and choosing to practice rather than hang out with his buddies. photo courtesy of icenetwork.com In an interview after the competition he freely admitted he didn't think he would place (the top two would be allowed to go to the Olympics). He counted the competition as a next step.  Something he would try his best and be happy with whatever the outcome. Something to gain experience. Someday he hoped to place. His 2010 and 2011 competitions showed the times he fell, but got up and kept going. He entered the 2013 rink, prepared. He like the music he'd chosen, the choreography his coached helped him with, and in truth he enjoyed the crowd. The announcer said his name and the audience cheered.  He skated forward to his starting position. Listened to the opening no...

Today I welcome one of the funniest, sweetest  and generous people I know :  Ruth Logan Herne .   Enter to win an autographed copy of Ruth Logan Herne's book:  A Family to Cherish I didn't know what I was getting in to when I met Ruth Logan Herne at ACFW. From the first moment I said hi, she cracked a joke. She is a person who can make you smile and yet see how rich one can be with Christ. Need proof? Read her answer to my weekly question: How has God led you on your writing journey: Take it away Ruthy- Mary Vee, thank you so much for inviting me over today! I brought coffee… and an old-fashioned “Angel Pie” from a garden club cookbook I found at an antique co-op…  Let me just quietly take full and substantiated credit for the lemon filling aspect of the pie, although the rest of it was stolen (according to Mrs. Robert Grosjean of Katonah, NY, now deceased) from a Norwegian cook. (Just pictu...

Have you ever glanced at a total stranger and thought to yourself, I would like to be like him (or her) someday ? Me too! I walked into a little restaurant called The Bridge Street Cafe and sat in a window booth overlooking the frozen Flatt River. It was really cold that day. Having never been in this cute cafe before I looked around and couldn't help but take note of some awesome characteristics.   Country music set the tone. Spunky, fun, inviting, open to conversation. A sprinkling of customers sat at tables around the room. Each small group had a lively conversation except the older lady sitting by herself. With her short grayed hair, she sipped her coffee and watched the customers, including me. I thought she worked there. The young twenty's waitress greeted me with a Julia Roberts smile and a food stained t-shirt.   She took my order and scribbled notes on a small page in a spiral notebook. Fresh, country strong coffee soon came in a mug. Tasted good. ...

The Winner of last weekend's drawing for Suzanne Woods Fisher's latest book, The Lesson is....scroll to end of post for winner's name. At a recent retreat, arriving attendees were warmly greeted by a hostess. Seats had been assigned to help attendees meet and get to know new people.   Most of the attendees had attended the retreat the previous year and did not have an issue with this concept. After all, seats are assigned for many events when a ticket is purchased. For other events, we assign our own seat. We may walk into a church, movie theater, or other gathering place and think we have control of where we sit. We choose a seat near or away from people, the screen, or the exit. But those who come in after us modify the outcome, bringing people closer or causing others to move away, someone may block the screen or add a chair onto a row. For the new people attending the retreat, some were surprised to find: Friends were assigned to different tables Fa...

Today I welcome a well-known authoress who enjoys raising guide dog puppies for the blind. She has a sweet and giving spirit :  Suzanne Woods Fisher .   Enter to win an autographed copy of Suzanne Woods Fisher's book The Lesson I recently met Suzanne on FB and after seeing she had a new release asked her to join us here today and share how God has led her on her writing journey. Please help me welcome her: The Fear of Failure “For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you. Do not fear; I will help you” (Isaiah 41:13, niv).             Years ago, before I received my first book contract, an editor returned a manuscript to me with the comment that the writing wasn’t up to her publishing house’s “caliber.” Ouch! That was a tough remark to swallow. But I did. I gulped down my pride, asked her for editorial...

The presidential inauguration had no discernible glitches. The media searched for topics to discuss during the parade to make the event lively but had difficulty. This inauguration went as planned on a day with nice weather. Except. I had the TV on in the background for hours, waiting for one special something to discuss in this post. Something that showed someone in the audience, or a security person, or participant to demonstrate what their heart felt.  Something unique. I expected the cheering crowds. Whether I voted for this person as the president or not, it would be special to stand along the street or sit in the stands and witness the event. And then something unique happened. Following the ceremony, the president left the platform with his security. He walked up the stairs toward the red curtain passageway into the building. A mass of men and women followed him. At the top of the stairs he stepped under the red curtain threshold and stoppe...