3AD
MARY"S STORY
A Novel
Copyright © 2003 by Billie Matejka
The members of MOBS (Midnight Oil Burners), helped tremendously, reading this manuscript numerous times, giving advice.
I"d especially like to thank Jane Osinski, who never stopped encouraging and pushing me to finish. To Deanna Durbin, my thanks for asking questions so I"d have to do additional research. To Peggy Weagraff who never seemed to tire of reading and editing.
To Mary Shaw, whom I met at MOBS, and who later began The Christian Writers" Club. So many people from this club helped tremendously by encouraging every step of the way. Mary Beasley, who edited the book.
Barbara Pugh, who has read and reread the completed work, keeping errors to a minimum.
To Liesl Hynes, who spent so much time, talent and energy into making the cover a work of art.
To Tom Hendricks, a friend who never gave up on me.
forward
This is a FICTIONAL account of events that could have happened some 2000 years ago.
Since there is no actual diary of Mary"s life nor the lives of people she touched, I knew the story must conform with the one related in the Bible as closely as possible.
Research let me in on a few secrets...not nearly as many as I would have liked. My imagination led the rest of the way.
I pray this book offends no one...only that it will show people how Mary and her family lived in those days. I also wished to show her as an ordinary person given an extraordinary job to accomplish.