The Storyteller | Mary Vee

Once upon a time.... Most stories with this beginning take place in a setting from long, long ago.  Dragons. Knights. Castle. Secret passages. Quest Today's rules of writing prevents authors from using this fabulous opener. This doesn't mean these stories can't be written, they just can't start with those words. And so I would like you to meet my new fantasy novel very much about a once upon a time but without the opening words. Fire and Thorn is scheduled to release sometime between April 4 and 10. Perfect for an Easter gift especially for young adult readers. Available in paperback and ebook. Here is what the story is about: The day the king of Aerlis heroically dies and his lovely queen is viciously carried off to the dark north, dragons invade the land. Crops and homes near the border burn to the ground. Prince, Gilbert must give up what he wants most to save his father’s kingdom and himself.  The Keeper of the Kingdom advises Gilbert ...

Great news comes in packages. Last week I shared one friend's new suspense book release. Scroll down if you missed this fabulous post. This week, my good friend, Kathy McKinsey announces her new book,  All My Tears . I have read these stories and have been so touched by the five women's lives portrayed in this book. Stories of hope, forgiveness, and more. Kathy belongs to the same ACFW critique group 201 as my last guest and me. I'm so excited to share this second release from our group! Kathy writes heart-warming women's fiction. She has seen the rough side of life. From these experiences she pens stories destined to help readers who either walk similar paths or know someone who has.  Kathy has a heart for sharing God's love for us in her stories. She asked to share her thoughts with you: ALL MY TEARS,  releasing April 2,  is a collection of five novellas about women fighting battles within themselves. Fear; addiction; regret; anger at God a...

I connected with a gifted critique group through the American Christian Fiction Writers Association years ago. I credit them with teaching me the bulk of what I know about writing. Accuracy. Clarity. Compelling. Interesting. Stories. Dave Arp is one of those amazing author/critique members in my group. He writes mystery suspense. His specialty is telling believable stories. He does this by taking pieces from his life experiences and weaving them into fast-paced, page-turning, riveting suspense stories.   Dave's work has been recognized by Agent Terry Burns and Pelican Book Group. The result is his new release: ORB Just so you know, Dave did not ask me to do this post to promote his new book. I offered because as a reader, I felt ORB was that good! Without further ado, let me introduce Dave Arp. David has spent the past 35 years in the oil industry, drilling wells offshore and onshore, from Texas to Asia to the Middle East.  His thirst for storyt...

There are times when storms throw us off course.  I joined the gang of fallen hikers.  Not in the woods, or on the backroads. It happened 1/3 mile from home. The paved road portion. Where the black ice hides. Black ice forms when snow mostly melts followed by a freeze. Often snow will fall after the freeze, hiding the thin layer of very slippery ice. Boom. Naturally, I did the wrong thing by bracing for impact with my arm. My hands stretched out and took the force, breaking the distal radial bone. Smashed would be a better word. The surgeon was impressed. He put in plates and screws forming the letter "T" on the Xray. Look for a character in a future story of mine with a broken arm. I know now how to paint it realistically. :) When these storms come, though, I have found it very helpful to think of what is true, what is honest, what is just, what is pure, what is lovely, what is of good report, those things that have virtue and praise. Then I remembe...

Marksburg Castle, Rhine River Photo by Mary Vee Last week, a friend of mine mourned on the anniversary her brother took his life. He was in pain. Physical pain. Emotional pain. And chose to solve the problem.  He was young. A teen. So much yet for him to live. So much to look forward to. But he didn't see it. Or Feel It. What he felt was pain. If only he truly understood how much his family loved him. How much they would sacrifice to help him...if they had only known his thoughts, the moment before the decision. A very different story happened this weekend, A weight lifter heard a crash outside his gym as.he turned off the lights for the night. He opened the door. Two cars had collided near his business. One man lay trapped against a signpost and under the weight of his car. Four people pushed, endeavoring to lift the vehicle and free the man, but the SUV weighed too much.  The weight lifter rushed to the scene wanting to help. He reached through the broke...

Photo by Mary Vee The power is out. Day three. I am thankful for the fleet of electrical power workers who are out in the wind and ice storm that is attacking our area.  On our backwoods American road, trees are down, a power line fell and ignited the road, and the power is out in our community. Temperatures are expected to drop throughout the day. At this time we are experiencing a whiteout (when cloud and snow on the ground meet and prevent visibility). Repair men and women are braving the elements to restore our power along with the power for thousands of others in the north.  Fleets of electric repair vehicles park at fire stations where crews change shifts and hopefully get something warm to drink. Photo b Mary Vee Perhaps the task wouldn't be as difficult if once the repair was finished, the restored area could be checked off the list. But ice ladened trees or their heavy branches continue to fall on power lines. It's like a whack-a-mo...

Photo by Mary Vee A cornfield by summer, snow and wind playground in winter Like many folk in the northern parts of the United States, I have stayed inside and watched white swirling winds drop the temperatures far below 0 today.  Yesterday was freezing, but today is, well, a good day to be inside. I plan to have a warm, hearty meal for my hubby who is working in the Emergency Room. Kudos to all the emergency services who are on standby for us. Don't forget the homeless. The shelters are crowded. I am going with a group on Sunday to spend the afternoon and evening at a rescue mission, talking, keeping them company, being their friend. The one issue that amazed me with this polar vortex is an odd problem in Chicago. The train rails are so cold they are malfunctioning. CNN and ABC posted an article about this situation. The link is below. The sub 0 temperatures cause the metal rails to contract and separate. The separation pulls at the bolts holding the rail...