2021 Virtual Conference Faculty
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WS 12: Marketing for Indies
MISTY M. BELLER is a USA Today bestselling author of romantic mountain stories, set on the 1800s frontier and woven with the truth of God’s love. With over 25 novels published, she writes as both an indie author and for Bethany House Publishers, and is Managing Editor of Wild Heart Books, a traditional publisher specializing in Christian Historical Romance novels.
After thirteen years working in professional project management and marketing, Misty uses her experience in the corporate world to develop best practices in her writing and book marketing efforts. It is her passion to help other authors on this journey.
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WS 8: Brainstorming Your Character’s Journey
Patricia Bradley is a Carol finalist and winner of an Inspirational Readers’ Choice Award in Suspense, and three anthologies that included her stories debuted on the USA Today Best Seller List. She and her two cats call Northeast Mississippi home—the South is also where she sets most of her books. Her romantic suspense novels include the Logan Point series and the Memphis Cold Case Novels. Obsession, the second book in the Natchez Trace Park Rangers series, released February 2, 2021. She now hard at work on the third book and fourth book, Crosshairs and Deception.
Writing workshops include American Christian Fiction Writers online courses, workshops at the Mid-South Christian Writer’s Conference, the KenTen Retreat where she was also the keynote, Memphis American Christian Fiction Writer group, and the Bartlett Christian Writers group. When she has time, she likes to throw mud on a wheel and see what happens.
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WS 9: How to Layer a Novel
USAToday bestselling author Colleen Coble’s novels have won or finaled in awards ranging from the Best Books of Indiana, the ACFW Carol Award, the Romance Writers of America RITA, the Holt Medallion, the Daphne du Maurier, National Readers’ Choice, and the Booksellers Best. She has 4 million books in print and writes romantic mysteries because she loves to see justice prevail. Colleen is CEO of American Christian Fiction Writers. She lives with her husband Dave in Indiana. Visit her website at http://www.colleencoble.com and connect at Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/colleencoblebooks?ref=hl
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WS2: Plot? Pants? Blueprint. How to write deep characters and compelling plot lines without endless planning, massive rewrites, and still have fun.
Jennifer Crosswhite owns Tandem Services, a company that empowers authors to improve their craft, develop their writing careers, find community, and create effective commerce around their books. Her twenty years’ experience spans both sides of the publishing desk, from managing editor to author of 15 books and counting.
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WS 10: Filling the Well: A Writer’s Devotional Life
CHRIS FABRY is an award-winning author of more than 80 books, including his novelizations of the Kendrick Brothers films, Overcomer and War Room. His latest novel, A Piece of the Moon, released in April 2021. He helps those with a dream to write at heyyoucanwrite.com. Chris is also the host of Chris Fabry Live on Moody Radio
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WS 4: Five Marketing Mindset Shifts: How to Break Out and Find New Readers
Amy Lynn Green Lokkesmoe has been connecting readers with books as the fiction publicist at Bethany House Publishers since 2013. She loves to help writers overcome their fear of marketing and brainstorm ways to reach new readers and believes the best marketing is just storytelling in a different form. Her debut historical novel, Things We Didn’t Say, released in 2020 and gave her the chance to experience novel marketing from the other side of the desk.
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WS1 Sitting at the Feet of Jesus
Liz Curtis Higgs loves the Lord, loves His Word, and loves His people. She’s the author of 37 books with nearly 5 million copies in print, and has spoken for more than 1,800 Christian conferences in all 50 states and 15 foreign countries. Her Scottish historical novels have won the hearts of readers and reviewers around the globe. Whence Came a Prince received a Christy Award for Best Historical Novel. Here Burns My Candle won the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best Inspirational Romance, and Mine Is the Night was a New York Times bestseller. In 2018 Liz was presented with ACFW’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
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WS 5: TRACK DOWN THE WEASEL WORDS! (Self-editing)
Christy-Award winner Angela Hunt writes for readers who expect the unexpected in novels. With over five million copies of her books sold worldwide, she is the best-selling author of more than 150 works ranging from picture books (The Tale of Three Trees) to non-fiction books, to novels.
Now that her two children are grown, 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, chickens, 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. She received a Lifetime Achievement Award from American Christian Fiction Writers in 2019.
Also in 2006, Angela completed her Master of Biblical Studies in Theology degree. She completed her doctorate in biblical studies in 2008 and her Th.D. in 2015. 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 pets, of course. She is also an avid photographer, using her photos to help find homes for animals at local rescues.
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WS 16: Be All You Can Be: When your God-Given calling will not let you quit.
Joy K. Massenburge crafts contemporary love stories of pastors and their kids. She was born the sixth child of a pastor. She married a football player turned pastor…they raised pastor’s kids; a son and two daughters. She is blessed to love on five grandchildren.
During the week, she works as a CPA assistant. She serves as American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW East Texas) chapter’s President. When she is not writing, she is speaking at retreats and conferences.
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WS 13: The Art of Writing Together : Co-Authoring - How does that work?
Tracie Peterson is the award-winning author of more than one hundred novels, both historical and contemporary. She is often referred to as the “Queen of Historical Christian Fiction,” and her avid research resonates in her stories, as seen in her best-selling HEIRS OF MONTANA and ALASKAN QUEST series. Tracie considers her writing a ministry for God to share the Gospel and biblical application. She and her family make their home in Montana. Visit her website at http://www.traciepeterson.com or find her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/AuthorTraciePeterson.
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WS 6: Marketing
Bio coming soon.
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WS 11: Proposals 101
Cara Putman is the award-winning author of 34 novels and a non-fiction title. By day she is an award-winning lecturer at a top business school at a Big Ten university. By night she writes the stories her characters whisper to her. Her latest novel Lethal Intent released in January from Harper Collins Christian Publishing. You can learn more about Cara and her books at http://CaraPutman.com You c.an also listen to her podcast Book Talk with Cara Putman on Spotify, Google, or Apple Podcasts
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WS 14: New School Marketing for Old School Authors
Bestselling author Michelle Stimpson has penned more than fifty faith-based books including traditional bestseller Boaz Brown, the beloved Mama B series, and Deacon Brown’s Daughter’s, for which she produced an award-winning independent film. Additionally, she has published more than fifty short stories through her educational publishing company, WeGottaRead.com. Michelle holds an English degree from Jarvis Christian College and a master’s degree in education from the University of Texas at Arlington. She loves combining her passion for writing with her gift of teaching in various capacities.
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WS 15: Deep POV: Increasing the Intimacy Between Your Characters and Your Readers
For those who love to smile as they read, bestselling author Karen Witemeyer offers warmhearted historical romance with a flair for humor, feisty heroines, and swoon-worthy Texas heroes. Voted #1 Readers’ Favorite Christian Romance Author in 2019 by Family Fiction Magazine, Karen is a two-time winner of the ACFW Carol Award and four-time RITA®/Vivian finalist as well as a winner of the National Reader’s Choice Award, HOLT Medallion, and Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award. Karen is an avid cross-stitcher, and makes her home in Abilene, TX with her husband and three children. Learn more at http://www.karenwitemeyer.com or join her private Facebook group-The Posse.
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WS 13: The Art of Writing Together : Co-Authoring - How does that work?
Kimberley Woodhouse is the best-selling and award-winning author of more than twenty-five books who loves the JOY of story. A lover of history and research, she often gets sucked into the past and then her husband has to lure her out with chocolate. She’s spoken to more than 2 million people at more than 2,500 venues and has taught the craft of writing around the country. Married to the love of her life for thirty plus years, she makes her home in the Poconos.
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WS3: How To Break Into Love Inspired—or better yet, walk through the door 
A member of the American Christian Fiction Writers Honor Rolls, Lenora Worth writes romance and romantic suspense for Harlequin’s Love Inspired and sweet romance for Tule Publishing. Her books have finaled in the ACFW Carol Awards. She also received the Romantic Times Pioneer Award for Inspirational Fiction. Lenora is a NY Times, USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestselling writer and a 2019 RWA RITA® Finalist. With eighty-plus books published and over three million books in print, she enjoys adventures with her retired husband and loves reading, baking and shopping … especially shoe shopping.
Visit her website to sign up for Lenora’s newsletter and find her book list and upcoming releases.
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WS 7: Dissecting the Dual-Time into Four Corners
Jaime Jo Wright is winner of the Christy,Carol, Daphne du Maurier, and INSPYAwards. She’s also the Publishers Weeklyand ECPA bestselling author of threenovellas. Jaime writes from her house inthe Wisconsin woodlands, where she liveswith her husband, two children, fourfelines, gecko, and various aquatic andamphibious tag-a-longs .
Participation of an individual presenter, agent, editor, or publisher in the ACFW conference does not constitute endorsement by ACFW. Conference attendees are advised to use due diligence and take personal responsibility when choosing industry professionals with whom to schedule appointments or enter into agreement.