TAMERA ALEXANDER is the bestselling author of Rekindled, Revealed and Remembered, the critically acclaimed FOUNTAIN CREEK CHRONICLES historical series with Bethany House Publishers. Her deeply drawn characters, thought provoking plots, and poignant prose have earned her devoted readers—and multiple industry awards, including the 2007 RITA® for Best Inspirational Romance, the 2007 Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, 2007 Bookseller’s Best, and Library Journal’s Top Christian Fiction for 2006. Her third book, Remembered, is a finalist for the 2008 Christy Award.
Tamera’s newest release, From a Distance, is part of a second trilogy (Timber Ridge Reflections) with Bethany House. This three-part series focuses on “women firsts,” women who were first in their fields and who helped pave the way for women today. She’s also recently completed the first historical for the WOMEN OF FAITH fiction line (Thomas Nelson). The Inheritance, a stand alone novel, is set in Colorado Territory 1877 and releases in March 2009.
After living in Colorado for seventeen years, Tamera has returned to her Southern roots. She and her husband now make their home in the quaint town of Franklin, Tennessee where the history is rich, where the tea is always sweet, and where they enjoy life with their two college-age children and Jack, a precious—and precocious—silky terrier.
Name: Allen Arnold Organization: Thomas Nelson Publishers Position: Sr. Vice President & Publisher Website:http://www.thomasnelson.com
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EB: Moving from Mid-list to Best-seller WS13: Optimizing the Author/Publisher Relationship LNC7: Big Questions That Authors Never Ask
Allen Arnold is Publisher and Senior Vice President of Thomas Nelson Fiction. Having launched the Fiction group in 2004, Allen's goal is to deliver the best stories to the broadest possible audience in the most entertaining, relevant, and God-honoring manner. Current authors include Ted Dekker, Lisa Samson, Stephen Lawhead, Homer Hickam, Neta Jackson, Robert Liparulo and many others. A veteran of the publishing industry since 1992, he's overseen the marketing and branding campaigns of many best-selling Christian authors utilizing the skills learned while working for some of the world’s largest advertising agencies. His favorite way to spend the day is with his wife and children - preferably with a C.S. Lewis book or Superman comic close at hand as well!
JAMES SCOTT BELL is a bestselling novelist and screenwriter. His books include Presumed Guilty, Glimpses of Paradise, Breach of Promise, Sins of the Fathers and several other thrillers. He is a winner of the Christy Award for Excellence in inspirational fiction, and is a three-time finalist for that award. He is a contributing editor to Writers Digest magazine. His book Plot & Structure (Writers Digest Books) is one of the most popular books on the market for novelists and screenwriters.
WS12: Top 10 Strategies for Becoming More Productive
Joseph Bentz is the author of four novels and two non-fiction books. His most recent releases are the contemporary novel A Son Comes Home (Randall House, 2007) and the non-fiction Christian living book, Silent God: Finding Him When You Can't Hear His Voice (Beacon Hill Press, 2007). His other books include contemporary novels published by Bethany House and a fantasy novel, Song of Fire, published by Thomas Nelson. Some of his books have been chosen for the Guideposts and Crossings book clubs and have received various honors. Bentz is a professor of English at Azusa Pacific University in Southern California, where he teaches courses in American literature and writing. He earned a Ph.D. and M.A. in American literature from Purdue University, and he graduated with a B.A. in English from Olivet Nazarene University. He and his wife Peggy and their two children live in Southern California. More information about his books and speaking is available at his website, www.josephbentz.com.
WS14: Survival of the Fittest: 20 Year Veteran Authors Share Their Experience
Terri Blackstock’s books have sold six million copies worldwide. Her suspense novels often debut at number one on the Christian fiction best-seller lists, and TRUE LIGHT, which released last year, was number one of all Christian books—fiction and non-fiction. Known for her “Up All Night Fiction,” Blackstock has had twenty-five years of success as a novelist.
In 1994 Blackstock was writing for publishers such as HarperCollins, Harlequin and Silhouette, when a spiritual awakening drew her into the Christian market. Since that time, she’s written over thirty Christian titles. Her most recent books are the four in her acclaimed Restoration Series, which includes LAST LIGHT, NIGHT LIGHT, TRUE LIGHT and DAWN'S LIGHT. She is also known for her popular Newpointe 911 and Cape Refuge Series.
In addition to her suspense novels, she has written a number of novels in the women’s fiction genre, including COVENANT CHILD, which was chosen as one of the first Women of Faith novels, and her “Seasons” books written with Beverly LaHaye, wife of Tim LaHaye.
Blackstock has appeared on national television programs such as The 700 Club. She has been a guest on numerous radio programs across the country and the subject of countless articles. The story of her personal journey appears in books such as TOUCHED BY THE SAVIOR by Mike Yorkey, TRUE STORIES OF ANSWERED PRAYER by Mike Nappa, FACES OF FAITH by John Hanna, and I SAW HIM IN YOUR EYES by Ace Collins.
Name: Stephanie Broene Organization: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Position: Acquisitions Editor, Fiction Website:http://www.tyndale.com
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LNC8: Tyndale: A Publisher's Perspective
Stephanie came to Tyndale nearly three years ago after working for several years in magazine publishing. She has always been a self-professed fiction addict and is passionate about working with authors on stories that illustrate the power of God’s grace at work in our world. She has had the privilege of working with many creative, talented authors and continues to look forward to discovering fresh voices and unique concepts in a variety of genres.
Name: Sue Brower Organization: Zondervan Position: Sr. Acquisitions Editor Website:http://www.zondervan.com
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WS22: Publishing 101
Sue Brower is the Sr. Acquisitions Editor for the Fiction and Inspiration at Zondervan. Prior to taking on this role, she was Sr. Director of Marketing for Fiction and Inspirational product for over thirteen years. Fiction is business as well as pleasure for Sue as she is an avid reader of both inspirational and mainstream novels. Sue is on the Advisory Board for the Christy Awards. She lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan with husband, Todd, and “kidz”, Pepper and Shep.
Terry writes inspirational fiction and is an agent with Hartline Literary http://www.hartlineliterary.com. He is one of ten agents nominated by the American Christian Fiction Writers as Agent of the Year. As a writer he has a series that began with Mysterious Ways from River Oak Publishing and the series bears that name. The second, Brothers Keeper came out Feb 1, 2006 and Shepherd's Son came out January 1, 2007. That gives him 22 books in print counting the NF and short story collections. Other fiction includes Trails of the Dime Novel, a trade paperback from Echelon Press and in audio from JBS Publishing. He has published over 200 articles and short stories. A popular speaker at workshops across the country, his available works as well as a daily blog can be found at www.terryburns.net. As an agent Terry says "I'm looking for a good book, well written, aimed at a market that looks promising, and where I feel I have the contacts appropriate to b e able to sell the book in t hat market."
Name: Gina Conroy Organization: Writer...Interrupted Position: Founder, President Website:http://writerinterrupted.com
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LNC13: Writing Buddies
Gina Conroy has been writing for twenty four years with over 300 articles in the U.S. and abroad. Her co-authored books include Reach for Your Dreams, Graduate, and Anytime Prayers for Everyday Moms. She is president of the ACFW WIN chapter and founder of Writer...Interrupted, the blog, webring, and community with over 200 members for those who are balancing a writing career with family, work and other responsibilities.
Margaret Daley is an award winning, multi-published author in the romance genre. Recently one of her romantic suspense books, Hearts on the Line, won the American Christian Fiction Writers’ Book of the Year Contest. She currently writes inspirational romance and romantic suspense books for the Steeple Hill Love Inspired lines. She has sold fifty-seven books to date.
Lena Nelson Dooley is a multipublished author who writes fulltime. She has judged contests for ACFW and RWA for many years. She has also done paid critiques for ACFW for several years. She loves helping other authors. In 2006, she received the ACFW Mentor of the Year award.
Along with Margo Carmichael, Lena was instrumental in establishing the local Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of ACFW. She served as the first secretary and is now the vice-president.
Of the 20 book releases by the end of 2009, 13 of them have been historical. One thing she’s careful about is making them as historically accurate as possible. She’s found a large number of ways to ensure this.
Lena has hosted a critique group in her home for over 20 years, as well as participating in an ACFW critique group. Thirteen people she’s helped have become published after she helped them—Pamela Griffin, Lisa Harris, Candace Speare, Jeanie Cash Smith, Cheryl Wyatt, and Elizabeth Goddard, to name a few. And several have acquired an agent. This year, three of the members of her critique group are finalists in the Genesis contest, with one of them a double finalist.
In addition to mentoring, Lena is also a freelance editor and a speaker. She’s doing a workshop at this conference.
Lena and her husband have been married almost 44 years. They love to spend time with their family. They also enjoy traveling and watching decent movies. They are both active in church with Lena volunteering in the bookstore and for the Global Ministries.
Sharon Dunn is the author of numerous humorous who-dun-its including the Bargain Hunters mysteries Death of a Garage Sale Newbie and Death of a Six-Foot Teddy Bear published by Multnomah, a division of Random House. The third book in the series is scheduled for release in 2009.
In addition, she is the author of the Ruby Taylor Mysteries published by Kregel. The first book in the series, Romance Rustlers and Thunderbird Thieves, quickly went into second printing. Romance Rustlers was nominated for Inspirational Novel of the Year by Romantic Times magazine and was a finalist in the Foreword magazine novel of the year in the religious category. Book Two in the series, Sassy Cinderella and the Valiant Vigilante, was voted Mystery of the Year by ACFW in 2004. Cow Crimes and the Mustang Menace, the third book in the series, was released summer 2005.
Sharon Dunn holds degrees in film and television production (BA, 1988) and in history (MA, 1993) both from Montana State University where she works as a tutor/instructor. She is an award-winning playwright and short story writer. Her teachers heart has led her to publish how-to articles for writers which have appeared in Byline, The Christian Communicator, The Writer, Writers’ Forum, Spirit Led Writer, Writer’s Journal and numerous other publications. She lives with three children, her husband of twenty years, three cats, and lots of dust bunnies.
“There's a reason the Christian publishing industry sat up and took notice when Sharon Ewell Foster's first book released several years ago: She's good, very good…”—faithfulreader.com
Sharon Ewell (rhymes with jewel) Foster blazed onto the publishing scene nine years ago with the first successful work of African American Christian fiction--the critically acclaimed and Christy Award-winning Passing by Samaria. In fact, it was that first novel that opened the flood gates of interest in fiction with ethnic and inspirational flavor. This double-RITA Award finalist and Daily Guidepost contributing writer weaves multicultural tales that span racial, religious, age and gender boundaries to share the best of the human heart. The author and speaker uses poetic and prophetic words to dramatically inspire, humorously uplift, and masterfully entertain. She seamlessly weaves faith and scripture into unique stories that enthrall readers of all ages.
Her writing workshops are favorites! She holds a B.A. in Radio-TV-Film from the University of Maryland and is a graduate of the Act One Screenwriting Program. A former Department of Defense instructor, writer, and logistician, Sharon’s writing has earned multiple awards including the Christy Award (she is a three-time finalist and the only African American Christy Award winner), Golden Pen Award (Black Writers Alliance), NAACP 2000 Book of the Year, and the 2006 Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award for Best Inspirational. Passing into Light, her fourth novel, was recently translated into Russian. She has contributed to anthologies like Tavis Smiley’s Keeping the Faith, Proverbs for the People, and the Women of Color Devotional Bible. Her work has been featured in magazines like Ebony, Charisma, Publisher’s Weekly, and Christianity Today. Sharon currently lives in Durham, North Carolina, where she is a Creative Arts in Public and Private Schools (CAPS) artist. She has publis hed seven novels, with an eighth due to be published by Howard/Simon & Schuster in 2009.
"Sharon writes for those of us who want more than just words on a page, but pictures painted on the canvasses of our minds. She has proven to be 'the Picasso of the pen!"—Bishop T.D. Jakes
A librarian for over twenty-five years, Judy Gann reviews/recommends CBA fiction for a large library system in Washington State. She also coordinates the Christian Authors Network (CAN)'s public library marketing efforts. The author of The God of All Comfort: Devotions of Hope for Those Who Chronically Suffer (AMG Publishers), Judy lives in Lakewood, Washington where, when she isn't writing, speaking or playing matchmaker for books and readers, she enjoys collecting children's books of the 1940's and 1950's, reading, cheering the Seattle Mariners, and taking long walks--even in the rain.
Jeff has been called the de facto gatekeeper of Christian spec-fic. He has a special place in his heart for "weird" Christian fiction (SF, fantasy, supernatural thrillers, etc.) and maintains a thriving Web site dedicated to those genres: www.WhereTheMapEnds.com. Jeff has served as an editor for Multnomah Publishers, Strang Communications, and NavPress. While at Strang, Jeff launched Realms, an imprint of Christian speculative fiction. In October 2008 Jeff is launching Marcher Lord Press (www.marcherlordpress.com), an indie publishing company specializing in Christian speculative fiction. Jeff currently makes his living as a freelance editor and book doctor specializing in helping Christian novelists improve their fiction and get published. He is also a published novelist. Under the pen name Jefferson Scott he has authored six Christian novels and coauthored two nonfiction books. Jeff and his wife and two children live in Colorado Springs. They are adopting a little girl from China.
WS7: The Ensemble Cast WS10: Is it a Ministry or a Profession? The Real Life of a Christian Writer
Rene Gutteridge is the author of thirteen novels, including The Boo Series, The Occupational Hazards Series, The Storm Series, My Life as a Doormat and the novelization for The Ultimate Gift. She has also studied screenwriting and has worked as the Director of Drama for First United Methodist Church OKC for five years. She lives in Oklahoma City with her family and works as a full-time writer.
Tamela Hancock Murray is proud to represent a winning roster of authors, and she is honored to be part of the respected and experienced Hartline Literary Agency team. An award-winning author in her own right, Tamela looks forward to sharing her expertise and advice with her friends at ACFW.
Joyce A. Hart is the CEO and Founder of Hartline Literary Agency.
Joyce has been involved in CBA Publishing since 1978. She is a former Vice President of Marketing for a Christian publishing company. Hartline Marketing was established in 1990 and Hartline Literary Agency in 1992. The literary agency serves over 150 clients. There are five Hartline agents, with three scheduled to attend this year’s ACFW conference. Joyce and her staff teach workshops and meet with authors at many writers’ conferences each year.
WS18: You Write Like A Girl: Understanding the Male POV
Rachel Hauck is a multi-published author living in central Florida. She is a graduate of Ohio State University, and was first published in 2004. She is the 100th member of ACFW, the past Vice President, Conference Coordinator, Past President and now serves as an Advisor.
Along with Susan May Warren, Rachel runs a blog and manuscript service MyBookTherapy.com.
Roxanne Henke’s, first novel, After Anne, was selected as Christianbook.com’s Favorite Book of 2002. Her subsequent six books have appeared on a bestseller list, been “Top Picks” for Romantic Times magazine, and given a Retailer’s Choice award. Roxanne was named Writer of the Year at the 2003 Mt. Hermon Writers Conference. In addition to writing, Roxy also speaks and teaches at conferences and events across the nation on the topics of friendship, depression, achieving goals, and writing. She writes from her home in rural North Dakota, where she lives with her husband and an annoying-friendly dog. She has two daughters and two wonderful sons-in-law. You can find Roxy on the web at: www.roxannehenke.com
Sharon writes “stories for the hero in all of us,” about ordinary people experiencing God’s grace in unexpected ways. Known for their authenticity, emotional range, and spiritual depth, her novels include the humorous contemporary fiction, The Secret Life of Becky Miller (Bethany House, 2006), Renovating Becky Miller (Bethany House, 2007), and Symphony of Secrets (Bethany House, 2008), along with the ground-breaking Sword of Lyric fantasy series (NavPress, 2007-2008) which include The Restorer (a Christy finalist), The Restorer’s Son, and The Restorer’s Journey.
Sharon’s undergrad degree is in education, and she earned an M.A. in Communication from Regent University in 1986. When she isn’t wrestling with words, Sharon enjoys speaking to conferences, retreats, and church groups. She and her family make their home in Minnesota.
Christy-Award winner Angela Hunt writes for readers who have learned to expect the unexpected in novels from this versatile author. With over three million copies of her books sold worldwide, she is the best-selling author of more than 100 works ranging from picture books (The Tale of Three Trees) to novels.
Now that her two children have reached their twenties, Angie and her husband live in Florida with Very Big Dogs (a direct result of watching Turner and Hooch and Sandlot too many times). This affinity for mastiffs has not been without its rewards--one of their dogs was featured on Live with Regis and Kelly as the second-largest canine in America. Their dog received this dubious honor after an all-expenses-paid trip to Manhattan for the dog and the Hunts, complete with VIP air travel and a stretch limo in which they toured New York City.
Afterward, the dog gave out pawtographs at the airport.
Angela admits to being fascinated by animals, medicine, psychology, unexplained phenomena, and “just about everything” except sports. Books, she says, have always shaped her life— in the fifth grade she learned how to flirt from reading Gone with the Wind.
Her books have won the coveted Christy Award, several Angel Awards from Excellence in Media, and the Gold and Silver Medallions from Foreword Magazine’s Book of the Year Award. In 2007, her novel The Note was featured as a Christmas movie on the Hallmark channel. Romantic Times Book Club presented her with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006.
In 2006, Angela completed her Master of Biblical Studies in Theology degree and completed her doctorate in 2008. When she’s not home reading or writing, Angie often travels to teach writing workshops at schools and writers’ conferences. And to talk about her dogs, of course.
WS13: Optimizing the Author/Publisher Relationship
Denise Hunter began writing in 1996 and has since published ten books and three novellas, including the bestselling Surrender Bay (Thomas Nelson). When Denise isn’t orchestrating love lives on the written page, she enjoys traveling with her family, drinking lattes, and playing drums. Denise makes her home in Indiana where she and her husband are raising three boys.
WS3: Perfecting Those Pesky Motivation-Reaction Units
Randy Ingermanson is the award-winning author of six novels and has taught at many writing conferences around the country. He is the editor of the Advanced Fiction Writing E-zine, the world's largest electronic magazine on how to write fiction, with over 12,000 readers. Randy holds a Ph.D. in theoretical physics from UC Berkeley and often writes about issues in faith and science. He is known around the world as "the Snowflake Guy" because of his Snowflake Method of designing a novel.
WS34: THE POWER OF PREMISE: The Heroine’s Journey and the Faith Journey
Natasha Kern has personally sold more than 850 books and has a strong commitment to discover and develop new talent in inspirational fiction as well as developing writers careers. Her list includes: mainstream women's fiction, romantic suspense and romantic comedies; mysteries and thrillers; contemporary and historical novels; and multicultural fiction. Her clients include several New York Times best-selling authors, USA Today Best Sellers; and RITA winners. She represents Christy winners Robin Lee Hatcher and Michael Joens as well as Christy finalists Angela Benson and Harry Kraus and other popular CBA authors like Tamera Alexander. Natasha regards herself as a steward of ideas and stories that inspire hope, faith, insight and action. Information about the agency is available on the Internet at www.natashakern.com.
Name: David Lambert Organization: Howard Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Position: Senior Fiction Editor Website:
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WS33: The Differences Between ABA and CBA Fiction
David Lambert is the author of nine published books, including the gold medallion award-winning Jumper Fables, coauthored with Ken Davis. Four of the nine have been fiction for juvenile or young adult readers. His short fiction has been published in periodicals as diverse as TQ, The Chariton Review, Sand, Virtue, Moody, Guideposts for Kids, and Story. David has an M.F.A. in fiction writing from the University of Montana. He has held a variety of positions in publishing, including managing editor of a youth magazine and founding editor of two others. He spent eighteen years as an acquiring editor at Zondervan, most of that time as Executive Editor for fiction. He is now senior fiction editor at Howard Books, a division of Simon & Schuster. David also sits on the Editorial Board of Jerry Jenkins’s Christian Writers Guild and wrote the Guild’s fiction curriculum.
Name: Steve Laube Organization: The Steve Laube Agency Position: President / Literary Agent Website:http://www.stevelaube.com
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WS27: Working with an Agent LNC4: Pitching Your Proposal Agent Panel
Steve Laube, a literary agent and president of The Steve Laube Agency, has been in the book industry for over 27 years, first as a bookstore manager and book buyer for a major national chain. While manager, his store was named National Store of the Year by the Christian Bookstore Association (CBA) in 1989, out of 4,000 eligible stores. He spent 11 years with Bethany House Publishers rising to the position of Editorial Director/Adult Nonfiction. In 2002 he was named the Editor of the Year by the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association. The agency has represented over 400 new titles. He has taught at writer’s conferences in more than 50 cities. His office is in Phoenix, Arizona.
General EB: Deep Editing Power WS35: Style Inventory
Margie Lawson—writer, psychotherapist, and international presenter -- developed psychologically-anchored editing techniques, and teaches writers how to edit to write page-turners. In 2008, Margie presents 16 full day master classes across the US and overseas, including Australia and New Zealand.
Margie also teaches on-line courses. Empowering Characters’ Emotions, covers writing nonverbal communication, Powering Up Emotion, and her EDITS System. In her advanced editing course, Deep Editing: The EDITS System, Rhetorical Devices, and More, writers learn her Five Question Scene Checklist, dig deeper into the EDITS System, and explore 25 rhetorical devices. In Defeat Self-Defeating Behaviors, Margie shares her psychological expertise, providing writers with the insights and skills to enhance their productivity and creativity.
Margie is offering a new, two-week, intensive, on-line course in October: Digging Deep into the EDITS System. Please visit her web site for information on her on-line courses, Lecture Packets, and upcoming full day master classes.
Name: Chip MacGregor Organization: MacGregor Literary Position: President Website:http://chipmacgregor.com/
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LNC4: Pitching Your Proposal Agent Panel WS32: Weaving Characters Together
Chip MacGregor has been in the publishing industry for more than 30 years, making his living as an author, editor, publisher, and agent. He is currently president of MacGregor Literary, and represents such ACFW favorites as Lisa Samson, Jenny B Jones, Claudia Mair Burney, Mindy Starns Clark, Susan Page Davis, Ginger Garrett, Susan Meissner, Irene Hannon, Chris Coppernoll, Mark Bertrand, Alison Morrow, Elizabeth Musser, Mark Mynheir, Janice Thompson, Kaye Dacus, Amy Wallace, Ann Tatlock, Nicole Young, and Chris Well. The authors he represents have hit just about every bestseller list, including the New York Times, LATimes, Denver Post, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Barnes & Noble, Amazon Hot 100, and CBA lists. They have also won numerous awards, including the Christy, RITA, and Gold Medallion.
Chip has a comprehensive knowledge of the industry, having discovered some famous authors, and having shaped the careers of many others. He has contracted more than 1000 books, worked with every major publishing house, and become part of the fabric of the Christian book world. He has his master's degree from Biola and did his doctoral work at the University of Oregon in Policy and Management. Chip has spoken at more than 100 writing conferences across the country, and last year served as a writing professor in Taylor University's renowned Professional Writing Program. He and his wife, Patti, have been married for 26 years and live on the Oregon coast. His goal is to help authors produce books that make a difference.
Award-winning author, Gail Gaymer Martin, writes women’s fiction romance and romantic suspense for Steeple Hill and Barbour Publishing. Beginning to write fiction in 1997, she sold her first novel in 1998 and now has signed forty fiction contracts and has more than two and a half million books in print. Gail’s books have been honored with seven national awards, including the Romantic Times Reviewers Choice. She is the author of Writing the Christian Romance released by Writers Digest. This book is a comprehensive textbook for anyone including romantic elements in Christian fiction. Gail is a keynote speaker and workshop presenter across the U.S. She has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Before writing, she was a high school English and public speaking teacher, later a guidance counselor and finally an adjunct instructor of English and public speaking at Davenport University. Visit her web site at www.gailmartin.com and her blog on Writing Fiction Right at www.writingright-martin.blogspot.com
WS6: The Power of Pre-Writing WS17: Anatomy of a Great Story
Susan Meissner is a multi-published author, speaker and writing workshop leader with a background in community journalism. A devotee of purposeful pre-writing, Susan encourages workshop audiences to maximize writing time by planning ahead, mapping the writing journey and beginning from a place of intimate knowledge. She is a contributing writer to the Christian Authors Network marketing blog and the leader/moderator of a local writer's group. Her books include Blue Heart Blessed, the Rachael Flynn Mystery series, and A Window to the World, named by Booklist magazine as one of the Top Ten Christian novels for 2005. When she's not writing, Susan directs the Small Groups and Connection Ministries program at her San Diego church.
I'm a wildly entertaining mother of two, who writes books for Harlequin's Steeple Hill LIS line and Barbour's Heartsong Presents Mysteries. When I'm not ducking the paparazzi, I make my home in Northern California where the weather is awesome and the cheese is divine. In the 'miscellaneous' category, I review cookbooks for the newspaper, taste test for the National Food Lab and write for the occasional magazine.
Dineen A. Miller graduated in the top four of her class from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale with an Associates of Science Degree in Advertising and Graphic Design. In 1991 she received the Communi Graphics Award for Outstanding Visual Impact, Effective Communication, and Design Excellence from the Memphis Design-Conference. She’s designed ads for such publications as Time Magazine, Car and Driver, and most recently, Seattle Metropolitan’s premier bridal magazine, Bride & Groom.
Since then, she’s freelanced in the advertising industry and has found a new niche in serving the design needs of writers and authors through her company, Designer Girl Graphics. Helping her fellow writers and authors enables her to give back to the writing community that has given her so much.
She writes suspense novels, articles, and devotionals using her past experiences as a youth counselor, a Stephen Minister, and as one of God’s “works-in-progress.” Her writing achievements include semi-finalist in the suspense category of 2005 ACFW Noble Theme Competition, Honorable Mention in the 2006 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense, and second place in the romantic suspense category of the 2007 ACFW Genesis Competition. Her most challenging adventures to date are being the mother of two teens, wife of an avid disc golf player, and getting her first novel published.
Hey, Gang. What can I say? I'm the USC Trojan of agents. Either ya love me with a passion, or ya can't stand me. Why? I have a bad habit of being truthful. "Hedging" isn't in my vocab--neither are the words "politically correct." While I don't try to hurt anyone's feelings, I say what I think. I take a stand and, well, I stand by it. I'm stubborn and opinionated. But I'm the first to admit when I'm wrong. And I treat industry professionals with the respect due them (almost always).
Nancy Moser is the award-winning author of nineteen inspirational novels that share a common message: we each have a unique purpose—the trick is to find out what it is. Her genres include contemporary and historical novels. Her contemporary novels are known for their big-cast style, utilizing multiple points-of-view and intricate plotting. Titles include "The Good Nearby", "Time Lottery", "Solemnly Swear", "Steadfast Surrender", and the Sister Circle and Mustard Seed series. Her historical, biographical novels allow real women-of-history to share their life stories and include "Just Jane" (Jane Austen), "Mozart’s Sister" (Nannerl Mozart), and "Washington's Lady" (Martha Washington). Upcoming titles include "John 3:16" (September 2008) and "How Do I Love Thee?" (a bio-novel on Elizabeth Barrett Browning, coming in the summer of 2009.)
Nancy and her husband Mark live in the Midwest. She’s earned a degree in architecture, traveled extensively in Europe, and has performed in numerous theaters, symphonies, and choirs. She gives Said So Sister Seminars around the country, helping women identify their gifts as they celebrate their sisterhood. She is a fan of anything antique—humans included. Find out more at www.nancymoser.com and www.sistercircles.com.
Mark Mynheir is the author of Rolling Thunder and From the Belly of the Dragon and a police detective whose law enforcement career has included serving as a narcotics agent and a S.W.A.T. team member. Mark and his wife, Lori, live with their three children in central Florida.
CE3: Advanced Fiction Writing: Writing the BIG Story
John B. Olson is a full-time novelist who lives with his wife Amy and two children in San Leandro, CA. John earned a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and did postdoctoral research at the University of California at San Francisco. His books have won several awards, including a Christy Award, a Christy finalist, a Silver Angel award, and placement on the New York Public Library’s Books for the Teen Age. See John’s website at www.litany.com.
Donita K. Paul retired early from teaching and dove into a new career as a writer. Since 1999, she has published eight novels, four novellas, numerous short stories and articles. Teaching has morphed into mentoring, and she often offers instruction from the preschool level in the school setting all the way up to adults at conferences.
LNC15: GETTING IT DONE: Goal setting and task management for writers
Allie Pleiter has over a dozen fiction and non-fiction titles in print or under contract. Her 2006 novel MY SO-CALLED LOVE LIFE was a finalist in both the Rita and the American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year Award. She frequently speaks around the country on parenting, women’s issues, faith, and the craft and career of writing.
DEBORAH RANEY is at work on her eighteenth novel. Her books have won the RITA Award, the HOLT Medallion, National Readers' Choice Award and Silver Angel from Excellence in Media. Deborah's first novel, A Vow to Cherish, inspired the World Wide Pictures film of the same title. Her newest books are the Clayburn Novels from Howard Books/Simon & Schuster, including Remember to Forget, a 2008 Christy Award finalist. Deb serves on the advisory board of American Christian Fiction Writers and teaches at writers conferences and women's retreats around the country. She and her husband, Ken Raney, have four children and enjoy small-town life in Kansas.
Name: Emily Rodmell Organization: Steeple Hill Position: Assistant Editor Website:
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LNC2: Out of the Slush Pile: How to Sell to Steeple Hill
Emily Rodmell joined Harlequin/Silhouette in 2005 as an editorial assistant for Steeple Hill. In her current position as Assistant Editor, she acquires and edits for the popular Love Inspired, Love Inspired Suspense and Love Inspired Historical lines. Previously, she worked in the editorial department at Scholastic and at as an editor at several daily newspapers. She holds a B.A. in Journalism with a minor in English Literature from the University of South Florida and attended the New York University Summer Publishing Institute in 2004.
Bestselling, award-winning author Kim Vogel Sawyer is fond of "C" words like children, cats, and chocolate. From her earliest memories, she wanted to be a writer, so seeing her books in print is the culmination of a life-long dream. Kim relishes time with her family, which includes military-hubby Don, three daughters, and five grandsons.
A former elementary school teacher, Kim now enjoys a busy speaking ministry in addition to her writing schedule. Visiting with writer groups about her love for words and books brings pleasure, and she takes great joy in sharing her testimony of healing with women's groups.
Kim stays active in her home church by teaching adult Sunday school, leading the drama troupe, and participating in the music ministry as a vocalist and a "ding-a-ling" (bell choir participant). If she has a spare hour, you'll find her quilting; a spare month? Acting in a play or musical. Not a day goes by that she doesn't sing, even if it annoys the cat. And not a day goes by that she doesn't praise God for her blessings--He is good!
WS20: Tips from a Publicist: how to get ink, airtime and other coverage for your book
Founded in 1994, Phenix & Phenix Literary Publicists is a boutique publicity firm that is widely recognized as one of the top literary PR agencies in the country. P&P has publicized almost 30 best sellers and has implemented successful publicity campaigns for books across every major genre.
The company handles both general market and Christian books and most CBA publishers look at P&P as a great resource for crossover titles. Top CBA authors P&P has worked with include Vicki Courtney, Dr. Kevin Leman, Drs. Les & Leslie Parrott, Karen Kingsbury, Angela Thomas, Dr. John MacArthur, Stephen Baldwin, Dandi Daley Mackall, Dr. N.T. Wright, Stormie Omartian, Nancy Rue, Dr. Gary Smalley, Stephen Arterburn, VeggieTales, Marvin Olasky, Point of Grace, Ed Young Jr., Douglas Gresham, Rebecca St. James and many others.
Publishing houses P&P works with include Thomas Nelson, Zondervan, St. Martin's Press, Tor/Forge, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, Strang, B&H Publishing Group, Howard Publishing, New Hope Publishers, Baker Publishing Group, Tyndale House, Harvest House and others.
WS4: Make Your Point Without Preaching LNC9: Colonel Mustard in the Library with the Lead Pipe
Award winning novelist Virginia Smith launched her writing career in 2006 with the release of JUST AS I AM. Since then she has released four additional novels and received contracts for another five that will hit bookstores in the coming months. Ginny serves on the board of directors of the Christian Authors Network and as the critique group moderator for Christian Writers Fellowship International. She was recently honored with the Writer of the Year award at Mt. Hermon Christian Writer Conference. She publishes humorous contemporary novels, like STUCK IN THE MIDDLE and SINCERELY, MAYLA. She also writes romantic mystery/suspense novels, including MURDER BY MUSHROOM and BLUEGRASS PERIL.
Name: Sarah Anne Sumpolec Organization: In Jesus' Name Productions Position: Movie Producer Website:http://www.ijnp.org
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WS23: YA-Palooza - Writing for Teens
Sarah Anne Sumpolec is the author of Becoming Beka, a teen fiction series published with Moody Publishers. Active in the young adult market, Sarah maintains a website for her series and participates in a live daily blog with ten other authors who write for teens.
Sarah has been known to skip adult Bible studies in favor of going to youth group and recently got involved with Christian Youth Theater because she gets to hang out with the coolest teens on the planet. She's passionate about this market and hopes that other YA writers will be energized to keep telling their stories. Pop Quiz - where can you find more teens - at the local Christian bookstore... or at the movies? The obvious answer to that explains Sarah's latest adventure, working with In Jesus' Name Productions as a movie producer!
In her grown-up life, Sarah is married to the most wonderful guy in the world (sorry, ladies!) and has three fabulous daughters of her own.
WS8: Story Structure: Build your story from the ground up or remodel your fixer-upper
Camy Tang is a loud Asian chick who writes loud Asian chick-lit. She just released her first two novels, Sushi for One? and Only Uni. She grew up in Hawaii, but now lives in San Jose, California, with her engineer husband and rambunctious poi-dog. In a previous life she was a biologist researcher, but these days she is surgically attached to her computer, writing full-time. In her spare time, she is a staff worker for her church youth group, and she leads one of the worship teams for Sunday service.
On her blog, she gives away Christian novels every Monday and Thursday, and she ponders frivolous things like dumb dogs (namely, hers), coffee-geek husbands (no resemblance to her own...), the writing journey, Asiana, and anything else that comes to mind. Visit her website at http://www.camytang.com/ and sign up for her newsletter YahooGroup for monthly giveways!
Janice Thompson is the author of over thirty books for the Christian market. She writes across the genres, focusing on everything from romantic comedy to inspirational romance, historicals, cozy mysteries, non-fiction devotionals and even children's books. Janice has a background in theater and loves writing and directing musical comedies for the stage. She was blessed to have a screenplay produced in the 1980's. Because "genre jumping" is part of her particular calling, Janice has been able to teach/mentor other writers in a variety of ways (something she loves to do) through her freelance editing business (Writers GPS/www.writersgps.com).
Janice's life is filled with adventure! Being the mother of four daughters in their twenties has kept her pretty busy over the past four years. She's coordinated multiple themed weddings (talk about fun)! As a result, most of her books have a distinctive wedding theme. Janice particularly loves writing comedies, and tries to infuse her stories with bits of humor throughout. She adores quirky characters and believes every good story should have at least one off-beat character. Janice is very passionate about her faith and hopes her readers see that passion in every tale.
Some of Janice's more recent titles include: The Wedding Caper, Gone with the Groom, Pushing Up Daisies, White as Snow, Out of the Blue, Salt Water Taffie, Mommy-to-Be and Bride-to-Be. Janice is currently writing six romantic comedies for Revell. She is excited about the conference and can't wait to meet her students face to face!
WS9: Lost in Novel Land WS26: Don't Wear Your Emotions on Your Sleeve LNC10: Brainstorming Blitz
Susan May Warren is the award-winning author of over twenty novels. A three-time Christy award finalist and a RITA finalist, she’s also won the ACRW/ACFW Book of the Year award twice, and is a multi-time winner of the Inspirational Reader’s Choice contest. With over 500,000 books in print, she teaches at writing conference around the country, as well as her private Book Therapy retreats. She is the founder of www.MyBookTherapy.com a daily craft blog and community for writers, and runs Book Therapy, a fiction editing service that helps a writer uncover the structural and craft issues in a story. She can be found online at: www.susanmaywarren.com
LNC8: A Publisher's Perspective: from Manuscript to Book
en Watson, Acquisitions Director of Fiction, has been at Tyndale for 12 years. Her Tennessee roots have given her a love for a good story and her role in fiction is a natural and happy gift in her life. Karen's began her career in the children's area and her first work in fiction was in the 40-book Left Behind:The Kids series. She has had the priviledge of working with many of the industry’s top authors including Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye, Karen Kingsbury, Francine Rivers, Randy Alcorn, and Dr. Gary Chapman. Karen lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband, Bill. They are the parents of three grown children and are enjoying a season of the empty nest.
Cheryl Wyatt's closest friends would never dream the mayhem she plots during announcements at church. An RN-turned-SAHM, joyful chaos rules her home and she delights in the stealth moments God gives her to write. She stays active in her church and in her laundry room. Her debut novels from Steeple Hill Love Inspired (A Soldier's Promise and A Soldier's Family-Wings of Refuge Series) both received Top Picks from Romantic Times. Her debut novels both also received the honor of coming in at #1 and #4 on eHarlequins Top-Ten-Most-Blogged-About-Books, a list containing several NYT Bestselling authors. Cheryl credits much of her success to ACFW.
Visit this award-winning author at www.CherylWyatt.com and sign up for her newsletter there for the chance to win great prizes (think autographed books, iPods, Sony Readers and Kindles!) and receive updates on new releases and short stories only provided to her newsletter subsribers.
Visit her in the blogosphere at www.Scrollsquirrel.blogspot.com or www.seekerville.blogspot.com or catch her skittering around Steeple Hill or ACFW's forums here: www.SteepleHill.com or www.acfw.com
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