Continuing Sessions

	1 - Advanced Fiction Writing, Or How I Hurtled Every Obstacle and Got Fabulously Published
			Jeff Gerke www.marcherlordpress.com www.WhereTheMapEnds.com 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.

	You're not a beginner. Perhaps you've written one or more complete manuscripts. But now you want to take your fiction to the next level. Here you'll learn how to avoid the 20 things that can kill your novel's chances. You'll do hands-on exercises on show vs. tell and POV. You'll learn how to find your story (hint: it all starts with character). And you'll learn how to write a killer synopsis and what to include in a top-shelf fiction proposal.

2 - Book Marketing A Through Z
		Carmen Leal - carmenleal.com Carmen is a frequent and popular presenter at writers conferences nationally and internationally and is the author of WriterSpeaker.com and You Can Market Your Book. As her husband's caregiver for twelve years, Carmen knows first hand the stresses and the joys of caregiving. Out of her experiences God birthed a ministry to families with Huntington's disease and those in caregiving situations. She is the founder of SomeOne Cares, a Christian caregiver conference sponsored by LifeWay, and the author of, among others, The Twenty-Third Psalm for Caregivers, The Twenty-Third Psalm for Those Who Grieve, and Faces of Huntington's. Her writings have been featured in Guideposts, Focus on the Family, Decision Magazine, the Orlando Sentinel, and numerous national and local publications. A storyteller with a dramatic testimony, she is a popular presenter at women's retreats, church groups, conventions and conferences. Her wit, humor, and poignant personal observations, coupled with her down-to-earth style and common sense approach to dealing with life, inspire her audiences. Through her transparency, she has the ability to encourage and bring hope to all. Carmen lives with her family on the island of Oahu in Hawaii.
This continuing session is designed to help you understand basic book marketing principles needed to help you fulfill God's plan for your book. You'll learn from and enjoy this fast-paced, high energy brainstorming session filled with practical low-cost ideas, strategies, and case studies designed to get books into the reader's hands. We'll cover distribution, book signings, online marketing, book tours, Web sites, and much, much more. Whether you're in the process of writing the next best-seller or you're a multi-published author Book Marketing A Through Z is a must attend.

3 - Communicate to Change Lives
		Jim Watkins - www.jameswatkins.com Jim is the author of twelve books and over two thousand articles; a conference speaker who has shared in Africa, Asia, Australia, and across North America; an acquisitions editor for Wesleyan Publishing House; editorial advisor for ACW Press; and online professor at Taylor University Fort Wayne. But most of all, he’s a grateful child of God.

Most writing books and seminars for Christians are very good at teaching the techniques of good writing and marketing, but I’m not aware of any that specifically deal with how to write to change lives. Learn how to effectively get people’s attention, how to write and speak to cause people to change their hearts and minds, and how to motivate without manipulating.


4 - Digital Photography and Writing - Merging the Best of Both Worlds
		Sandy Cathcart Sandy has published hundreds of articles and over a thousand photos with regional and national publications, both in the Christian and general markets. Several of her photos have appeared on the cover of Oregon Fish and Wildlife Journal. She has her own line of popular greeting cards and recently added a line of requested photojournalism books.
Give your writing a WOW factor by offering top-notch photos with your articles and stories for greater reader appeal. This hands-on class will cover the step-by-step process of making great photos, writing articles, and merging them for publication. We’ll discuss greeting cards, special products, affordable POD opportunities, web site appeal, finding a niche, marketing, submission of photos and writing, and we’ll do some creative brainstorming. Bring your camera for a hands-on photo session and at least three of your best photo prints for critique. For best results, students will fill out a questionnaire and submit one-to-three photos and a writing sample pre-conference along with a paragraph explaining how the two go together. NOTE: Please visit again for questionnaire.

5 - Getting Into Print: The Essentials of Non-Fiction Writing for Beginners
		Sherri Langton Sherri serves as the Associate Editor of the Bible Advocate print and Now What? online magazine. Her writing has appeared in Discipleship Journal, Today's Christian Woman, Decision, and other Christian publications.
Learn how to analyze magazine markets; shape ideas into the right genre (personal experience, article, devotional, etc.); and ensure the takeaway value. "Target practice" will include finding the right market for your writing; slanting the same idea for different magazines; successful queries; basics of manuscript preparation; and setting goals. Lots of hands-on work in class.

6 - Making Your Living as a Writer

			Jeanette Gardner Littleton Jeanette has written six books of her own, and has edited many others for Barbour, Adams-Media, Tyndale, Jordan House, and others. She has also written more than 3000 articles for all kinds of magazines, including Today's Christian Woman, Marriage Partnership, and Live. She has been an editor with Moody Magazine, Christianity Today Publications, and Beacon Hill Press.
			Mark Littleton - www.marklittleton.com www.winsunliterary.com life-ology.townhall.com Mark has written 94 books to date with many major publishers, and more than 2000 articles in both Christian and secular magazines from Discipleship Journal and Today's Christian to Reader's Digest and op-ed pages in major newspapers. He believes strongly that God has invested him with a sincere and open ministry to Christian writers.

Have you dreamed about quitting the day job and paying your bills entirely with your writing income? Or if a day job isn't involved, have you wondered how to contribute a substantial amount of family income through your literary talents? Then this workshop is for you! In it, professional full-time writers and editors Mark and Jeanette Littleton will give you inside tips you need to know to make it as a full-time freelancer. They'll help you learn to keep ideas flowing, contacts going, and contracts growing. They'll answer the questions you have, and many you haven't thought to ask yet. Mark draws from experience in writing 90 books and 2000 articles. Jeanette draws from experience in writing 5000 articles, a dozen books, and being on the editing team for several publications.

7 - Please, NO Pat Answers!
		Lissa Halls Johnson - www.lissahallsjohnson.com Lissa is the author of novels for teens, tweens, and young adults. She currently edits novels as a freelancer, and occasionally writes for others. Formerly a book producer at Focus on the Family, she was the creator, editor, and writer for the Brio girls series and for the Kid Witness book series. She has contributed to Reader’s Digest, Brio, Breakaway, Focus on the Family Magazine, TQ, and other periodicals.
		Mick Silva Mick served five years as an editor and writer with Focus on the Family before coming to WaterBrook Press in 2005. He is especially interested in fresh approaches to familiar issues.
How do you write to hurting people without pushing them further away from God? Whether you're writing a nonfiction book or a novel, this continuing session will help you write to the life needs of your readers in a way that shows them they are not alone in their pain and offers hope rather than sincere but impotent words.

8 - The Writer's Call
		David Manuel - www.awakeningllc.com In the past 33 years, David has written 37 books including The Light and the Glory, co-authored with Peter Marshall, and the Faith Abbey Mystery series (Paraclete Press, hardcover; Time-Warner, paperback). Following a profound religious conversion in 1970, he left Doubleday Canada, Ltd. where he was the first managing editor to set up and head the book division of Logos Int'l, the first Charismatic publishing house. Three years later, he mustered the courage to try the other side of the editor's desk. His first assignment: ghost-write the sequel to Merlin Carothers' Prison to Praise - in ten days!
Do you know beyond the shadow of a doubt that God has called you to write? As you strive to give Him your utmost for His highest, you need to learn the foundation of Writing for Him: The Call to Write, Protecting the Call, The Bond, The Write Environment, Counting the Cost, Outlining, Your Lifeline, How to Show Don’t Tell, and The Anointing. Flash-writing exercises with compassionate correction will show you how to trust your intuition (under the guidance of your Writing Partner) and free you of the crippling effect of pre-editing. Discover how your writing can ultimately become a journey into intimacy with Him.

And . . . offered during the continuing sessions
Nangie 101: Laying a Solid Foundation for Your Fiction

Nancy Rue & Angela Hunt
Prolific, award-winning authors Nancy Rue and Angie Hunt—affectionately dubbed Nangie—have over 40 years of writing
experience and 180 published books between them.

Nancy Rue - www.nancyrue.com

Angela Hunt - www.angelahuntbooks.com

Learn how to make the most of your natural instinct toward plot-driven or character-driven work. Nangie offers an interactive, small group, hands-on experience in a friendly, fun, and nonthreatening environment that will help you hone your fiction skills. Basic plotting, basic mechanics, basic characterization, reading with an editor’s eye, gentle critiques, and an opportunity to get your questions answered. Click here for more information and online application that must be emailed by July 16. Limit 12 participants.