The Storyteller | Mary Vee

Dad use to work in the Chrysler building.  I think it was the tall one to the right...not sure. Photo Courtesy The city of Detroit is preparing for an event to remember the 1967 riots. The purpose is to help other cities cope and possibly prevent the same from  happening to them.  I was really young at the time. So was my Dad and Mom. We lived less than a mile from the action. Fights broke out in my school. The national guard was called in. Dad listened to the news. He and Mom probably spoke privately. I could only guess right now what they said. The riots started in downtown Detroit. Gangs of people moved up Woodward, some up Livernois setting buildings on fire and breaking windows.   As a child, I had no idea what caused the riots. I only knew a lot of people were afraid. People of every race were afraid. Afraid for their children, their homes, their jobs, their businesses. Dad stood strong. He worked in downtown Detroit and had a second job deliverin...

Today we welcome author: Dorothy Love One commenter will win a copy of Dorothy's books:  A Respectable Actress Scroll down to see how. Mary here. I'm so glad you joined us today. I had quite an amazing chat with Dorothy, learning how God has led her writing career. Today, Dorothy wants to share with you how God led her on her writing journey: Stories of Hope and Forgiveness I didn’t start out to become a writer of Christian fiction. I arrived in this market through a series of events in the general market that became increasingly at odds with who I am as a person and as a writer. Attending my first ever writers’ conference I was advised by editors and agents to “write what you know.” My background was as an educator—I had been principal of a mid-sized public school before leaving to pursue writing full time. The world of kids and teenagers was the world I knew, so despite my original intent to become the next mega star of women’s...

Abbott and Costello performing Who's on First? I love to watch Abbott and Costello.  I'm not as big of a fan of the Three Stooges mostly because they can be cruel to each other. None the less, they are comedic. THIS was a day when Abbott and Costello bumped into The Three Stooges. I mean, when you read what happened, you probably will say...nah--she embellished the story.  NOPE. This is for real. Ready? 1. Saturday night at the ACFW gala I was so excited about...well everything. Back at my sister's house--a mere 1.5 hour drive away, I looked for my phone to set the alarm for the next morning, but couldn't find it. I knew then...yep, I had left it at the gala. Only God could fix this problem. I FB my friends at the hotel Sunday morning. They checked their room and with security and found it! I had a small window of time to drive to the airport, get my phone, and drive back before the evening scheduled activities. I drove to the airport and was reunited...

Today we welcome author: Kristi Ann Hunter One commenter will win a copy of Kristi's books:  A Noble Masquerade Scroll down to see how. Mary here. I'm so glad you joined us today. The most amazing thing happened. I totally enjoyed an acceptance speech for an award. Seriously! Kristi words after receiving her Genesis award had the entire audience laughing. She has such a gift. Today, Kristi shares how God led her on her writing journey. This is what she said: The Lure of Stories An author weaves a story, planting seeds in chapter three that won't bloom until chapter twenty-two. Sometimes we go where we set out to. Other times we ourselves are surprised, but we are always pulling together many seeming unrelated strings into a united picture. Though He is never surprised, God does similar things with our lives. He drops notions, experiences, and plans into our lives that we might think are leading to one thing, but turn out to comb...

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...