2023 Conference Faculty
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WS13-Newbie in a Nutshell
Daphne award winner and Publisher’s Weekly Bestselling author Sami A. Abrams writes heart-stopping romantic suspense. Sami grew up hating to read. Mostly because she couldn’t stay focused. Now, she writes fast-paced stories full of danger that keep the most distracted reader engaged. Sami lives in Northern California, but she’ll always be a Kansas girl at heart. She loves to travel and watch sports. However, most evenings, you’ll find her engrossed in a romantic suspense novel. She thinks a crime plus a little romance is the recipe for a great story.
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CE06 Mentor/Critique Group
Rick Acker writes novels during his commute to and from his “real job” as a Supervising Deputy Attorney General in the California Department of Justice. His unit prosecutes corporate fraud lawsuits of the type described in his #1 bestseller, WHEN THE DEVIL WHISTLES. Rick has led investigations and lawsuits that made headlines in and out of California. Most recently, he and his team won a string record-breaking judgments and settlements against the Wall Street players who created the toxic mortgage securities that triggered the Great Recession. When Rick isn’t writing or lawyering, you can usually find him with his wife, Anette, and their four children. They’ll be exploring in the hills east of San Francisco, watching a good movie together, or, of course, reading.
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WS01 Demystifying the Synopsis
Jerusha Agen imagines danger around every corner, but knows God is there, too. So naturally, she writes suspense infused with the hope of salvation in Jesus Christ. Her fiction has been published traditionally and independently, and she writes nonfiction for multiple Guideposts’ publications. With over twenty years of industry experience, a B.A. in English, and a background in screenwriting, Jerusha is a speaker, editor, author coach, and authorpreneur. Jerusha also teaches as an industry professional in Tricia Goyer’s “Write That Book” subscription group and moonlights as a writing instructor for teens.
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WS02 Your Author Website as Your Bestseller
Kate Angelo once sold a lion to a circus in Shreveport after her mom realized lions weren’t great house pets. Growing up, Kate was a bookworm, dog groomer, exotic pet wrangler, horse trainer, cowgirl, and teenage pool shark. After aging out of foster care, Kate cultivated her inner computer nerd and worked as a web programmer. During a visit to Australia, Kate encountered Jesus and left the corporate world to pursue a life in ministry.
From her home in Southwest Missouri, Kate serves alongside her husband, strengthening and encouraging marriages and families through their nonprofit ministry. And after raising their 5 children, they are now fluent in both sarcasm and eye rolls.
Kate is a romantic suspense author, a coffee addict, tech guru, productivity enthusiast, expert knitter, avid boater, dog lover, prayer warrior, and known klutz. With Willow, her long-haired chihuahua taking up half her desk space, Kate writes thrilling stories with flawed characters who encounter hope and healing while ducking danger along the way. Connect with Kate at https://kateangelo.com/
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WS03-Your Messy Best: Juggling Writing, Family, and other things
WS21-The “Tea” on Social Media—with Betsy St. Amant Haddox
Pepper Basham is an award-winning author who writes romance “peppered” with grace and humor. Writing both historical and contemporary novels, she loves to incorporate her native Appalachian culture and/or her unabashed adoration of the UK into her stories. She currently resides in the lovely mountains of Asheville, NC where she is a wife, mom to five great kids, a speech-language pathologist, and a lover of chocolate, jazz, hats, and Jesus. Her novel, Hope Between the Pages, was a finalist for the prestigious Christy award. You can learn more about Pepper and her books on her website at http://www.pepperdbasham.com
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WS17-Market a New Book Release
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 30 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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WS09-Selling Direct
WS19-The Importance of Community…panel discussion
With nearly a million sales, USA TODAY bestselling and award-winning author Hallee Bridgeman writes action-packed romantic suspense focusing on realistic characters who face real-world problems. Her work has been described as everything from refreshing to heart-stopping exciting and edgy. Hallee has served as the Director of the Kentucky Christian Writers Conference, President of the Faith-Hope-Love chapter of the Romance Writers of America, Secretary and Assistant Programming Chair of Novelists, Inc. (NINC), is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), and the American Christian Writers (ACW). An accomplished speaker, Hallee has taught and inspired writers around the globe, from Sydney, Australia, to Dallas, Texas, to Portland, Oregon, to Washington, D.C., and all places in between. Hallee loves coffee, campy action movies, and regular date nights with her husband. Above all else, she loves God with all of her heart, soul, mind, and strength; has been redeemed by the blood of Christ; and relies on the presence of the Holy Spirit to guide her
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WS22-Plotting 101
Crystal Caudill is an award-winning author of “dangerously good historical romance” with Kregel Publications and is an experienced writing workshop presenter. She’s taught workshops for teenagers, writing groups, and several conferences. As a former educator, she has a heart for teaching and encouraging others to grow in their God given callings to write. She is a member of ACFW, Faith Hope & Love, and is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency.
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WS11-No Sagging Middle
WS16-Spilling Secrets—with Terri Reed, Lenora Worth, and Dana Mentink
WS28-Hit and Run Romantic Suspense—with Terri Reed
Lynette Eason is the best-selling, award-winning author of over sixty books including the Extreme Measure Series. Her books have appeared on the CBA, ECPA, and Parable bestseller lists. She has won several awards including the Carol Award, the Selah, the Golden Scroll and more. Her novel, Her Stolen Past, was made into a movie for the Lifetime Movie Network. Lynette teaches at writing conferences all over the country and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), Mystery Writers of America (MWA), International Thriller Writers (ITW), and Faith, Hope, and Love. Lynette can be found online at http://www.lynetteeason.com and www.facebook.com/lynette.eason and @lynetteeason on Twitter.
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WS20-Conquer the Chaos, Writer!
Liana George is a sought-after speaker, blogger, and author. Before pursuing a career in writing, she was a professional organizer and the former owner of By George Organizing Solutions in Houston. Her first two books in the Hopeful Heart Series, Perfectly Arranged and Perfectly Placed (Scrivenings Press), are based on her experiences as an organizer and her time living abroad in China. The third and final book in the series, Perfectly Matched, will release in 2023. In addition to penning novels, she is also the Co-founder and Creative Director at The Author’s Write Hand, a marketing/platform building/virtual assistance agency for Christian authors. When she’s not putting things in order or scribbling away, you can find her reading, traveling, or watching tennis.
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WS08-Disciplined Author Life Formula
While at York University completing a B.A. in English and English education with a minor in theatre, Tasha married her best friend. Now, instead of analyzing Shakespeare’s plays, she writes with hope and humor to encourage and entertain, pointing readers to a God of grace. Although she spends a good deal of time creating worlds on the laptop, washing dishes, cooking for six, sewing, and folding laundry, her favorite thing is family. They give her the kind of love people write books about. She stays busy raising a passel of kids, watching sunrises and sunsets, and everything in between.
Tasha wrote her first novel over the course of three years, stopping periodically to have a few more babies. Yearning for rest, yet still “wanting it all” she dug into entrepreneur business strategies and altered the advice to fit mothering, homemaking, and writing in order to stay afloat. Friends say she is an endless ball of energy, but they forget she’s usually in bed before nine. Though her schedule isn’t perfect, she runs a tight ship. Her four children have learned better than to bother her when she’s locked in her tower, knowing she’ll be 100% available when she reemerges.
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WS21-The “Tea” on Social Media—with Pepper Basham
WS25-Will You Marry Me? Creating An Irresistible Proposal
Betsy St. Amant Haddox is the author of over twenty romance novels and novellas. She resides in north Louisiana with her hubby, two daughters, an impressive stash of coffee mugs, and one furry Schnauzer-toddler. Betsy has a B.A. in Communications and a deep-rooted passion for seeing women restored to truth. When she’s not composing her next book or trying to prove unicorns are real, Betsy can be found somewhere in the vicinity of an iced coffee. She writes frequently for http://www.ibelieve.com
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WS30-Podcasting for Writers
Sarah Hamaker loves writing books “where the hero and heroine fall in love while running for their lives.” She’s written romantic suspense novels (both indie and traditionally published) and nonfiction books, as well as hundreds of articles as a freelancer. Her indie published book, Protecting Her Witness, won the 2022 Selah Award in the romantic suspense category. As a AWSA certified writer and speaker coach, her heart is encouraging writers. She’s a member of AWSA; Christian Authors Network; ACFW; ACFW Virginia Chapter; and Faith, Hope and Love, as well as the president of Capital Christian Writers Fellowship. Her podcast, “The Romantic Side of Suspense,” can be found wherever you listen to podcasts. Sarah lives in Virginia with her husband, two college-age daughters, two teenage sons, a kindergartner foster child and three cats.
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WS07-Mastering the Rewrite
WS18-Why You’re Getting Rejected—with Kristy Cambron
Rachel Hauck is an award winning, New York Times Bestselling author,
conference speaker and writing coach.
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WS27-Writing to Market
Multi-published and Best-Selling author Cynthia Hickey is an Amazon bestseller and had three cozy mysteries and two novellas published through Barbour Publishing. Her first mystery, Fudge-Laced Felonies, won first place in the inspirational category of the Great Expectations contest in 2007. Her third cozy, Chocolate-Covered Crime, received a four-star review from Romantic Times. All three cozies have been re-released as ebooks through the MacGregor Literary Agency, along with two new cozy series, all of which stay in the top 50 of Amazon’s ebooks for their genre. (Talk about a series success story!) Cynthia is considered one of the leading, cutting-edge hybrid authors of our day, earning her full-time living from her writing. She has several historical romances releasing in 2013, 2014, and 2015 through Harlequin’s Heartsong Presents, along with novellas in Barbour collections. She is active on FB, twitter, and Goodreads.
She lives in Arizona with her husband, one of their seven children, two dogs and two cats. She has five grandchildren who keep her busy and tell everyone they know that “Nana is a writer”.
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CE05 The Author-Preneur: Creating Your Author Business
Tracy Higley has been attempting to time travel through the pages of books since she was a child. She started her first story at the age of eight, and has since authored nearly twenty books, including the recent Christy-nominated A Time to Seek, and her latest release, Nightfall in the Garden of Deep Time. She has a Master’s Degree in Ancient and Classical History, and has traveled to Egypt, Greece, Jordan, Israel, Italy, and Turkey, researching her books and falling into adventures. Peruse her travel journals and learn more fascinating history at http://www.tracyhigley.com.
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CE01: How to Write a Successful Novel
WS05: Paths to Publication
WS12-Writing Children’s Books
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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CE03: Help! How Do I Run My Launch Team?
Tammy Karasek uses humor and wit to bring joy and hope to every aspect in life. Her past, filled with bullying and criticism from family, drives her passion to encourage and inspire others and give them The Reason to smile. She’s gone from down and defeated to living a “Tickled Pink” life as she believes there’s always a giggle wanting to come out!
A writer of Romance—with a splash of sass. She’s also The Launch Team Geek helping authors launch their books and also a Virtual Assistant for several best-selling authors. Her work was published in a Divine Moments Compilation Book—Cool-inary Moments. She’s also the Social Media Manager for the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference, Founding President and current Vice-President of ACFW Upstate SC, and Founding President of Word Weavers Upstate SC. She’s a writing team member for The Write Conversation Blog, Novel Academy, MBT Monday Devotions, The Write Editing and more.
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WS29-Listen up! Audio books
Publisher’s Weekly bestselling author, Tracey J Lyons sold her first book to a major publisher on 9/9/99! (The day everyone thought our computers were going to crash!) Since then, she has gone on to work with several other publishing houses, including, Christian publisher Waterfall Press and Harlequin’s Love Inspired line.
Her books have been translated into several languages and are available in print, digital and audio formats.
A true upstate New Yorker, Tracey believes you should write what you know. Her historical and contemporary novels are all set in the New York State area. Tracey considers herself a small-town gal who writes small-town stories. Tracey is a member of ACFW, Novelist Inc., and several other professional writing organizations.
Tracey is excited about branching out into the audio book format with her popular Women of Surprise sweet- historical romance series. She is looking forward to sharing her experience in her Listen Up! Audio Book workshop.
You can learn more about Tracey and her books by visiting her website at http://www.traceylyons.com.
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WS15: Welcome to the Jungle: Exploring the four communication styles to spice up your characters’ dialogue and enhance their descriptive body language.
Joy K. Massenburge is a published hybrid author. She serves on the board of American Christian Fiction Writers. When she is not writing, she is speaking at women’s retreats and conferences and team building workshops for companies. As the CEO of Joy K. Massenburge & Associates, she leads a team of mindset coaches who help purpose-driven women declutter their daily lives by co-authoring a schedule that generates clarity so they can be productive and a JOY to someone else.
She resides near Tyler, Texas. You can find her curled up on her back-porch swing reading a good book with her grandchildren, caretaking for two donkeys and a dog, or filling her five-acre country home with fifty-plus people for a Blue Bell ice cream party.
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WS23-Building Your Newsletter and Creating Superfans
Dineen Miller is an Amazon best-selling and award-winning author in both fiction and nonfiction. Published both traditionally and independently, she has produced close to 20 books. From her years of experience in ministry leadership, she learned to value of building community and has taken those lessons and applied them to her marketing strategies to grow her following and to connect with more readers. In the process, her newsletter has become an integral tool in her author career that she no longer dreads using. In fact, it’s now one of her favorite things to do as an author. As a graphic designer and book cover artist, she’s constantly studying new advertising and marketing techniques.
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CE02: Exploring the Art of Plotting
Carrie Stuart Parks is a multi-Christy, Carol, Golden Scroll, and Inspy award-winning author in addition to numerous other awards. An internationally known forensic artist, she teaches courses in forensic art to law enforcement professionals across the US and Canada. Carrie is a popular speaker and presenter and has been the Special Guest at the Writer’s Police Academy, Early Bird Special Presenter along with Frank Peretti at the American Christian Fiction Writers, Keynote at the Oregon Christian Writer’s Conference, as well as presented at ThrillerFest, Daphne Du Maurier’s Kiss of Death, BlueRidge Mountain Christian Writer’s Conference, and numerous other conferences. As a professional fine artist, she her paintings hanging in a number of corporate and private collections and has written and illustrated best-selling art books for North Light Publishers.
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WS26-Writing When Life Gets in the Way
Robin Patchen is a USA Today bestselling author of Christian romantic suspense.
She’s also an editor and a writing coach dedicated to helping other authors hone their craft. Through mentoring, online courses, master classes, and in-person seminars, Patchen has helped new and experienced authors to level-up their writing.
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CE04: Successful Indie Publishing (Co-Presenter is Scott Phillips)
Lisa Phillips is a USA Today and top ten Publishers Weekly bestselling author of over 50 books that span Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense line, independently published series romantic suspense, and thriller novels. Lisa is a British ex-pat who grew up an hour outside of London and attended Calvary Chapel Bible College, where she met her husband. He’s from California, but nobody’s perfect.
As the team behind Two Dogs Publishing, Lisa and Scott combine the skills of writing and business and stand as a powerhouse in the indie space able to strategize and rise to market demand. With a heart for building up other authors, they are excited to share all they’ve learned through starting and running a business. First, with Lisa as the solo-preneur and then hiring Scott out of his corporate VP job to form the team they are today.
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WS04 SHOW ME A STORY—WRITING CINEMATICALLY
DEBORAH RANEY’s first novel, A Vow to Cherish, inspired the World Wide Pictures film of the same title and launched Deb’s writing career. Forty books later, she’s still creating stories that touch hearts and lives. A RITA Award, Carol Award, and National Readers Choice Award winner and three-time Christy Award finalist, Deb is a recent transplant to Missouri, having moved with her husband, Ken Raney, from their native Kansas. They love road trips, Friday garage sale dates, time with their kids and grandkids, and breakfast on the screened porch overlooking their wooded backyard. Learn more at http://www.deborahraney.com.
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WS10-Author’s Secret Weapon—with Lenora Worth
WS16-Spilling Secrets—with Lenora Worth, Lynette Eason, and Dana Mentink
With over 60 books in print, Terri Reed’s romance and romantic suspense novels have won awards and appeared on numerous bestseller lists. Her novel, A Family Under the Christmas Tree, was adapted into a Hallmark movie and
retitled Picture a Perfect Christmas. When not writing, she’s doing agility with her Australian shepherd or spending time with her family.
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CE06 Mentor/Critique Group
Throughout her illustrious career writing fiction, nonfiction, and even children’s books, Gayle has collected many accolades and honors such as the Carol Award, the RITA Award, the Holt Medallion, the Reviewers’ Choice Award, and many others. But another thread has woven its way through the pages of her life—her deep passion for mentoring others. This is where her heart lies for the Freshman Bootcamp.
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WS 06- Writing Fiction Worth Thinking About
Chawna Schroeder is a Minnesotan bibliophile who loves chai tea, museums, and playing “what if?”—even if that game occasionally gets her into trouble. As a result, she explores in both her writing and teaching the boundaries of imagination and faith, as well as the intersection of the two.
She has spoken and taught in a variety of forums including ACFW’s online classes, Minnesota NICE (ACFW’s Minnesota chapter), home educator conferences as a vendor speaker, and a weekly Bible study for the past four years.
She has two fantasy novels currently published with Enclave Publishing, Genesis winner Beast and Carol finalist The Vault Between Spaces. She has also self-published a few non-fiction resources, including a curriculum that
teaches the basics of discernment. More information can be found about her at her website (http://www.chawnaschroeder.com).
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WS14-Can You Hear Me Now?
Bestselling author Kathleen Y’Barbo is a multiple Carol Award and RITA nominee of more than sixty novels with almost two million copies in print in the US and abroad. A tenth-generation Texan, she has been nominated for a Career Achievement Award as well a Reader’s Choice Award and is the winner of the 2014 Inspirational Romance of the Year by Romantic Times magazine.
Kathleen is a paralegal, a proud military wife, and an expatriate Texan cheering on her beloved Texas Aggies from north of the Red River. Connect with her through social media at http://www.kathleenybarbo.com.
Sadie’s Secret, a Secret Life of Will Tucker historical romantic suspense novel, is in stores now, as is Firefly Summer, the first in the contemporary Pies, Books & Jesus Book Club!
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WS24-Learning the Arcs at the Arch
Darlene L. Turner is an award-winning and a Publishers Weekly best-selling author and lives with her husband, Jeff in Ontario, Canada. Her love of suspense began when she read her first Nancy Drew book. She’s turned that passion into her writing and believes readers will be captured by her plots, inspired by her strong characters, and moved by her inspirational message. Darlene is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency. You can connect with Darlene at http://www.darlenelturner.com where there’s suspense beyond borders.
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WS10-Author’s Secret Weapon—with Terri Reed
WS16-Spilling Secrets—with Terri Reed, Lynette Eason, and Dana Mentink
With over one-hundred published books and novellas, Lenora Worth is a NY Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestselling author and a member of the ACFW Honor Roll, a three-time Carol Award finalist, and a recipient of the Romantic Times Pioneer Award in Inspirational Fiction. She has written for several different publishers of sweet and inspirational fiction. A Southern girl, Lenora lives in Florida with her retired husband, where she finds inspiration and ideas on her weekly beach walks.
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.