Stacy is an award-winning author, speaker, and freelance journalist whose body of work has focused on women’s relationships with God, with other women, and with themselves for more than a decade. She has penned six nationally published Christian fiction novels and one nonfiction devotional book. Her recent releases include the novels The Someday List, Worth a Thousand Words, and Dreams That Won’t Let Go, and the nonfiction Who Speaks To Your Heart? Tuning in to Hear God’s Whispers. Her next novel will be released by Zondervan in 2012.
     Stacy is a captivating speaker who inspires and equips faith-based and secular audiences to discover and pursue the life assignments uniquely designed for them. Her messages center on personal value, the power of pursuing one’s purpose, and how to deepen one’s faith.
     Before becoming a full-time author and freelance writer, Stacy served as a newspaper reporter and columnist for fourteen years. She currently writes a freelance parenting column for the Richmond Times-Dispatch in Virginia and a faith-based column for an online teen girls’ magazine, www.SusieMag.com. Other freelance clients have included Crosswalk.com and Gospel Today.
     Stacy is a member of the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association and served as the founding president of the Richmond Chapter of the American Christian Fiction Writers. She recently launched a group coaching service called Author In You (www.AuthorInYou.com), through which she provides personalized motivation and advice to fiction and nonfiction writers seeking to complete a manuscript.
     Stacy lives in a suburb of Richmond, Virginia, with her family.

Workshop - Speak What You Write (3G) - Most writers shy away from speaking; however, authors tend to sell more books after giving a speech. More importantly, pairing a speaking ministry and writing ministry gives you two opportunities to share the Gospel. Fiction and nonfiction writers will gain tips on how to pull themes from their books, or works in progress, and craft them into relevant speeches.
 

Verinda is a writer, singer, and Bible teacher. She is a Connecticut Yankee living in Baltimore, MD. She was first published by a newspaper at 16 years old as a feature story on school integration for the Farmington Valley Press (Farmington, CT). Her "love affair with newspaper writing" started when she joined her high school newspaper at 17 years old. Verinda writes Christian devotionals, two news columns on local homelessness and Christianity for the Baltimore Examiner, and has been published by several local and national newspapers. She also teaches women recovering from addiction at a Christ-centered transitional house and blogs about grief lessons. Her main writing ethos: "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy" Proverbs: 31: 8-9, NIV.

Workshop - When Citizens Write for Justice (6G) - Do you have passion to speak up for those who can't speak up for themselves (Proverbs 31:8-9)? Learn how to break into newspaper writing and engage newspaper audiences through column writing providing a platform for you to declare God's perspective on social issues in your local community and abroad.
 

Gary is a professional environmental scientist and a well recognized speaker and technical writer. He has accumulated more than 25 years of experience studying, lecturing, and teaching on the human senses for evaluating changes in the environment. Gary is also a published Christian author with Healthy Life Press.

Workshop - Created for a Sensory Experience (2C) - Discover nine human senses. Hear what the Bible says about them. Get links to websites. Have fun with class exercises. Improve your writing and speaking with better sensory descriptions.

Earlybird Workshop - Less Is More (E5)
Come with markers in hand, ready to slash. A hands-on class to tighten your article or short story. Bring a 1,000 word or less manuscript.

Workshop - Conquering the Deadly Ds (4A)
How to keep on in the face of disappointment, doubt, discouragement, despair . . .

Emily formerly taught Bible at Messiah College and now speaks to thousands of young people each year on the issue of healthy relationships. Emily enjoys injecting humor into heavy topics that others fear to tackle.
     As Coordinator of Educational Services at the local Care Net pregnancy center, Emily developed the "Waiting–The Smart Choice!" abstinence education program. Using skits and humor, the program has a 99% positive response from students in public school settings and is especially effective in helping teens understand how sexual baggage resulting from past choices can affect their future relationships and marriage.
     Her first book, If I'm Supposed to WAIT, Why Do I Have Hormones NOW? (Life Cycle Books, 1999) was picked up for a national promotion by the Family Research Council. The book was released in 2003 by Christian Publications and Wingspread under the title, Why Say NO When My Hormones Say GO? This book was released in Spanish by Portavoz in Spring, 2006. 
     Other books in the relationship series include What Do I Say to a Friend Who Is Gay? (Kregel, 2006) and Help! My Family’s Messed Up! (Kregel, 2008). You, Me, and WHO? (Kindred, 2006) is a book of devotionals for dating teens. Her newest book, Standing Tall after Falling Short, will be released this fall by WingSpread. Emily's stories appear in national publications such as Guideposts and Chicken Soup for the Soul.
     Emily is also a humor columnist. She and her husband, Dr. Gene Chase, have been married for 34 years. They attend West Shore Evangelical Free Church in Mechanicsburg, PA. They have three married children. 

Lisa A. Crayton   Unable to come
Freelance Writer, Editor
Mentor with the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild

Lisa is an award-winning, freelance writer, editor, mentor with the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild, and contest judge. She is the founder and publisher of SPIRIT-LED WRITER, which is presently on hiatus. Lisa has provided freelance services to diverse clients, including magazines, publishers, self-published authors, and a book packager. She is the author of two books, including I Want to Talk with My Teen about Money Management. Among other things, she recently contributed to a devotional book that debuts in 2012.
     Lisa loves speaking at conferences. Earlier this year, she presented an academic paper during the pedagogy forum at the Association of Writers and Writing Programs’ annual conference. Lisa, who has years of church leadership experience, presently serves on the Board of Directors of S.T.E.P. USA, an educational nonprofit organization. She also is a Sunday school teacher for 5th and 6th graders at her local church.

Amy is an author and publisher. Her first novel, A Lever Long Enough, presents evidence for and against the resurrection of Jesus and was written to promote open-minded discussion. She has also developed an algorithm of novel story structure called The Story Template. Amy is a scientist and skeptic who came to faith through studying the historic circumstances surrounding the death of Jesus.

Earlybird Workshops - You Can Epublish Your Book, Part 1 & 2 (E1, E7) - Last summer Amazon reported they'd sold more ebooks than hard-cover books. The trend away from DTBs (dead tree books) is growing, and selling an ebook has never been easier for small publishers and individuals. This is a step-by-step workshop to learn how to format and publish your ebook on Amazon's Kindle and other e-readers.

Mike is the author of four novels of suspense: The Hunted, Scream, Darlington Woods, and Darkness Follows. He is also a newspaper columnist and feature writer for ACFW's Afictionado. Mike teaches writing to a variety of ages at conferences and other venues.

Continuing Session - Writing Suspense/Thrillers
Starting with a Bang [Thursday am) - We'll discuss where ideas come from, outlining vs. seat-of-the-pants, great beginnings, and techniques for grabbing and holding the readers' attention.
Keep 'em Turning Pages [Thursday pm] - Want to learn how to keep readers glued to the pages? We'll discuss the nuts and bolts of pacing, mood, dialogue, characterization, and more.
Finishing with Purpose [Friday am] - We'll talk about how to finish strong and leave the reader wanting more. Also discussed will be themes, spiritual tone, and your purpose for writing.

Paid Critiques - Fiction book proposals, contemporary suspense, crime/mystery, romantic suspense, supernatural thrillers, suspense and thrillers
 

Dr. M. Tina Dupree is an expert in motivational programs especially designed to inform, inspire, motivate, and leave a positive lasting impression.  Her personal motto: “You’ve invested countless dollars and time in other things.  Now it’s time to invest in yourself. “
     As Founder of a non-profit organization, Professional Speakers Network, Inc., Tina has personally trained and certified more than 200 professional speakers.  As a result of her training, 100+ of the members have written and published their own books, several have started their own businesses, and all have improved their public speaking skills.
     Tina is lovingly known internationally as ‘The Chicken Lady’’ because of 12 years experience as spokesperson for a major fast food chicken restaurant chain. She has authored three books and she is working on her fourth book, Room to Grow: The Doorway to Achieving Your True POTENTIAL! 

Mona is a novelist, children's author, magazine writer, and newspaper columnist. Since Mona began writing for publication 22 years ago, she has participated in more than 75 writers' conferences and seminars as a student, a faculty member, or as the director. Her credits include 28 children's books; several hundred articles, poems, and short fiction for adults and children in more than 50 periodicals; and contributions to 11 books for adults.

Joy Kieffer
Freelance Writer
www.joykieffer.com

Joy is a freelance writer and artist. Her artwork has been to the White House, but she has not. Joy is the (only) wife of a pastor, radio host, church planting center director, and college chaplain (The Foundry Church) and mother of teenagers (sorry, no links to the teenagers) who has recently been awarded the title of Missionary for Cultural Creativity for the Southern Baptist Convention (www.joymsc.com. She and her husband lead mission teams doing outreach projects which combine service and the creative arts to impact unchurched people and then share those ideas with anyone interested in reaching their culture for Christ.
     As the founder and senior editor of J.A.M. Magazine, she was on hand while her student writers interviewed Tammy Trent, Rebecca St. James, Steven Mark Pasch, Marvin Frazier, Randall Cunningham, Trent Dilfer, David Robinson, and more. To her amazement, she continues to receive submissions from kids from all over the world even though the magazine was never distributed outside the continental United States. Her message to writers young and old is; "Never set limits on where your words will go—once you release them, they’re in God’s control."

Teens Write - Impress the Editor (4:00 pm) - Time to put your drama queen tactics into practice! Play the role of editor as you review submissions; then get real with your own writing goals and questions about getting published. Plan to bring a page or two of your own work to share with Joy and Patti Shene, editor of Starsongs Magazine. IMPORTANT: Don’t forget pen and paper. By the end of the day you’ll have pages of notes, which will be invaluable as you role-play editor-in-chief of your own publishing syndicate.
 

Alan resides in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, with his wife and three sons, one sheltie, a homicidal parrot, and way too many cats. His poems, novellas, and short stories have been published in various venues.

Rick has written or edited more than 60 books and hundreds of magazine articles. Called by Bostonia magazine "perhaps America's foremost authority on popular culture," his diverse career has included drawing political cartoons, serving as Editor of Marvel Comics, and writing for Disney. For the past decade he has worked mostly in the Christian field, as product manager and editor in youth ministry resources; Managing Editor of Rare Jewel magazine; coauthor (with Dr Jim Garlow) of The Secret Revealed; and author of the forthcoming biography Johann Sebastian Bach for Thomas Nelson. He is represented by WordServe Literary Agency.

Workshop -  Life Stories . . . the Bible Way (5D) - Connect with your subject, deal with quotations and releases, place your writing, maintain God's agenda.

Seminar - Help Save Our Nation! (Friday 1:00 - 4:30) - Accusation: You were a Christian during a time of unprecedented moral decay and decline in biblical standards. You did little to defend America's cultural heritage. You were ineffective in fighting for a spiritual revival. You missed chances to really inspire those in your circle of influence about these problems. How do you plead?
     Behind every challenge facing our nation - economic, political, racial, cultural, moral, educational, and so on and on - there is one common element: a spiritual crisis in America. Spiritual problems need spiritual answers! As Christians it is NOT a question of whether we play a role in these challenges. The only question is whether we fulfill our roles and honor the Lord who is calling us to make a difference or waste the gifts He has entrusted to us and expects us to use.
     We are fighting a cultural war in the United States of America. The biblical term is "spiritual warfare." It is here, and we are in it. The only questions are whether we fail to use the tools of defense God has provided and become unarmed casualties, or we use His weapons to overcome. As Christian writers and/or leaders, God Almighty has equipped us for this battle and has special orders drawn up!
     We will discuss elements of the crisis . . . the unique opportunities given to those who have been graced by God with talents and with a passion for writing . . . a new way to look at the Whole Armor of God . . . and approaches that have not worked, as well as have not yet been tried, in rescuing our culture for Christ.

Elaine is an author and a speaker who uses warmth, enthusiasm, and humor to connect with her audience. A member of the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, she has been a featured guest on radio and TV, a keynote retreat speaker and seminar leader, and a faculty member of the Montrose Christian Writer’s Conference and the Upstate New York Christian Writers’ Gathering. Elaine is the author of two books in the Splashes of Serenity series. Her writing is in Sanctuary: A Devotional Bible for Women and in several magazines. Elaine and her husband, Dan, live in Rome, NY. They are blessed with three children and seven lively grandchildren.

Karen Moore
Author
www.karenmoore.net

Karen has been in and around publishing for a number of years, serving as Children’s Book Manager at David Cook, Senior Acquisitions Editor and Publisher in the Bible Division at Thomas Nelson, and as a Creative Director in the Greeting Card Industry. Recently, she has acquired books in the areas of ministry and non-fiction. As the author of over fifty children’s books and gift books and devotionals, Karen has helped to develop a number of character licensed properties.
     Karen has a Master’s Degree in Education and has taught English and Reading in grade schools and in colleges. As part of the greeting card industry, she helped to create the original Care Bears and has written and published over 8,000 greeting cards, including the first Chicken Soup for the Soul greeting card line and the first Hugs greeting card line. She served as a new product development consultant for Dayspring Cards and for Blessings and Designs in Costa Rica. Karen loves creative opportunities and continually seeks them in her work today. She says, "I have learned to listen with my heart, to write with compassion, and to filter out what’s important. In that regard, I’m eager and happy to work with you and help you create new opportunities for your talents."  

As a New York Times bestselling author and international speaker, Cec is the author/co-author of more than one hundred books, including the bestseller, 90 Minutes in Heaven (with Don Piper). His books have sold millions and have been translated into nearly 40 languages. Cec has also written hundreds of articles that have appeared in a variety of publications. His passion is to stimulate people's minds and nourish their souls. Since 1984, he has been using his writing and speaking to help him accomplish those goals.

Keynotes - Write His Answer . . . Transparently (Friday 8:30 am)
Write His Answer . . . And Don't Give Up (Saturday 4:15 pm)

Yvonne is a ten-year cancer survivor, Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Substance Abuse Treatment Practitioner, Clinically Certified Domestic Violence Counselor, speaker, and author. She is the author of Finding Hope for Your Journey through Breast Cancer, Revell 2010, and a contributing author to The Embrace of a Father, Bethany House, 2006. She has also been published in the Christian Communicator, Spirit-Led Writer, The Secret Place, The Quiet Hour, The Virginia Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors VAADAC Views, and other magazines.
     Yvonne has presented workshops at the Colorado Christian Writers Conference, the Greater Philadelphia CWC, the Maine Fellowship of Christian Writers, and the Richmond VA Fall Conference. Yvonne is a graduate of CLASS and of Carol Kent’s Advanced Speak Up Seminar. She is on the board for Christians in Recovery, Kairos Prison Ministry at the VCCW at Goochland and for the Virginia Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors Association. She hosts a program for breast cancer patients at www.blogtalkradio.com/hope-for-the-journey. Find out more about her book by clicking here.

Becky Spencer
Author, Songwriter
www.beckyspencerministries.com

Becky is an author, speaker, singer, and songwriter. She has released two CDs and received the KCCM 7th Inspirational Artist of the Year award. She has also written two books. When Prince Charming Falls off His Horse . . . and you've become his nag! tells her story of selfishness, temptation, and despair that turned to hope, joy, and unconditional love. It is helping women everywhere find real answers to their pain, pointing them to the Prince who is truly concerned with every longing heart. Leapin' Lizards . . . and other leaps of faith! tells the adventurous story of rearing eight children and challenges believers everywhere to find their purpose here on earth. Becky is also the Executive Director, Grand Staff Ministries, Inc.

Night Owl Devotional & Prayer Fellowship
God Is Real . . .  - Wednesday night
We live in a society racked with unbelief.
Let's discover how real He is by unlocking the door of faith!

God Is Reachable . . .  - Thursday night
Unbelief can lead to skepticism and bitterness.
Let's connect with the One who treasures us and drive the lies far away!

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