Paid Critiques
For an additional fee of $45.00 (over and above Conference Registration Fees) you may opt to purchase critiques of your manuscript and/or synopsis and a fifteen-thirty minute critique session with the reviewer of your choice.
All submissions should follow standard manuscript formatting unless otherwise noted (Courier or Times New Roman font, 12 point font size, double spaced with 1-inch margins). You will be contacted and provided with instruction regarding your reviewer's preferred method of delivery. Submission must be received by the reviewer's deadline.
The Conference Appointment Coordinator, Casey Miller, will schedule your critique appointment. All times are CDT for the virtual conference.You will receive the date/time/location of your appointment prior to the virtual conference.
Adding a Paid Critique to your choice of additional options will be part of the Conference Registration process. Payment will be submitted along with Conference Registration Fees.
PLEASE NOTE: The Paid Critique service includes only ONE critique of the work submitted. Critiques of revised pages ARE NOT included and SHOULD NOT be requested from your reviewer.
Reviewers Available
Please read each reviewer's guidelines as they vary per submission length and entry deadline. On the Conference Registration Form, you will be asked to indicate a first and second choice, in the event your first choice is unavailable. Critiquers only have a limited number of slots available. Selection is done on a first come basis, so be sure to register early.
Genre(s): Contemporary Romance, Historical Romance
Submit Via: Email
Status: FILLED
Web Site: http://www.pepperdbasham.com
Bio: 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
What to Send: Short synopsis and first chapter
Genre(s): Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Romantic Suspense
Submit Via: Email
Status: FILLED
Web Site: https://www.crystalcaudill.com/
Bio: 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.
What to Send: 15 pages of your choosing from anywhere in the story plus a one- to two-page synopsis
I am particularly good at helping with fight scenes, whether they be physical, verbal, etc. I write historical romantic suspense set in the 1880s, but I am familiar with most time periods. While I will note grammar and punctuation issues as I see them, I will be focusing on the content of the story and providing encouragement on where you are doing well, and suggestions and guidance for how you might improve your story.
Genre(s): Contemporary Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense, Young Adult
Submit Via: Email
Status: FILLED
Web Site:
Bio: 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 baby-talking her dog, Betsy can be found somewhere in the vicinity of an iced coffee. She writes frequently for iBelieve, a devotional site for women, and offers author coaching and editing services through Storyside LLC.
What to Send: First chapter or 3000 words (whichever comes first) and a one page summary
Genre(s): Historical Fiction, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Speculative Fiction
Submit Via: Email
Status: FILLED
Web Site:
Bio: 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
What to Send: The first 20 pages plus synopsis
Genre(s): Contemporary Romance, Historical Romance
Submit Via: Email
Status: FILLED
Web Site: http://www.traceyjlyons.com/
Bio: 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
What to Send: First two chapters and a synopsis
I've been published since 2000 and have worked with publishers ranging from small press to major houses. I'm excited to offer my help to aspiring authors.
Genre(s): Contemporary Romance, Historical Romance, Women's Fiction
Submit Via: Email
Status: FILLED
Web Site:
Bio: 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.
What to Send: First 20 pages
While not included in the critique, I would enjoy seeing the blurb for the story.
Genre(s): Contemporary Fiction
Submit Via: Email
Status: FILLED
Web Site:
Bio: 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.
What to Send: Not a regular critique. To go along with the workshop I'm presenting, my critique will be of your website or newsletter. I will assess their regular newsletter, onboarding sequences, and website branding. Please include links to your last five archived newsletters. Request screenshots or pdfs of one onboarding sequence, and include your website link.
Please include information on what email client you are using.
Genre(s): Contemporary Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Speculative Fiction
Submit Via: Email
Status: FILLED
Web Site: http://www.diannmills.com
Bio: DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. She weaves memorable characters with unpredictable plots to create action-packed, suspense-filled novels. DiAnn believes every breath of life is someone’s story, so why not capture those moments and create a thrilling adventure?
Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists; won two Christy Awards, Golden Scroll, Inspirational Readers’ Choice, and Carol award contests.
DiAnn is a founding board member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, an active member of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers, Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Mystery Writers of America, the Jerry Jenkins Writers Guild, and International Thriller Writers. DiAnn continues her passion of helping other writers be successful. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops around the country.
DiAnn has been termed a coffee snob and roasts her own coffee beans. She’s an avid reader, loves to cook, and believes her grandchildren are the smartest kids in the universe. She and her husband live in sunny Houston, Texas.
What to Send: First 10 pages with 1 1/2 page synopsis
Double-space manuscript and single space synopsis
Genre(s): Contemporary Romance, Historical Romance, Romantic Suspense
Submit Via: Email
Status: FILLED
Web Site:
Bio: 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.
What to Send: first three chapters
Genre(s): Contemporary Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Women's Fiction, Young Adult
Submit Via: Email
Status: FILLED
Web Site: http://www.carrieturansky.com
Bio: Carrie Turansky is the bestselling author of eighteen inspirational romance novels and novellas. She writes both historical and contemporary fiction and is the winner of the ACFW Carol Award, the International Digital Award, and the Crystal Globe Award. Carrie has been a member of ACFW since 2000 and looks forward attending the conference each year. She loves to encourage aspiring authors and pass along encouragement and ideas to help them polish their writing and move toward publication. Visit her website for writers’ tips and information about her books: http://carrieturansky.com/
What to Send: Please send the first 20 pages. Also please send a 1 - 2 page synopsis and tell me the genre.
Genre(s): Contemporary Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Romantic Suspense, Women's Fiction
Submit Via: Email
Status: FILLED
Web Site: http://www.kathleenybarbo.com
Bio: Bestselling author Kathleen Y’Barbo is a multiple Carol Award and RITA nominee and bestselling author of more than one hundred books with over two million copies of her books in print in the US and abroad. A tenth-generation Texan and certified paralegal, she is a member of the Texas Bar Association Paralegal Division, Texas A&M Association of Former Students and the Texas A&M Women Former Students (Aggie Women), Texas Historical Society, Novelists Inc., Sisters in Crime, and American Christian Fiction Writers. She would also be a member of the Daughters of the American Republic, Daughters of the Republic of Texas and a few other fabulous organizations if she would just remember to fill out the paperwork that Great Aunt Mary Beth has sent her more than once.
Kathleen and her hero in combat boots husband have their own surprise love story that unfolded on social media a few years back. They make their home just north of Houston, Texas and are the parents and in-laws of a blended family of Texans, Okies, and one very adorable Londoner.
What to Send: First 20 pages. Along with the first 20 manuscript pages, please send the genre and estimated final word count (if known) of the book. Optional: a synopsis of NO MORE than one page.
Make sure your synopsis tells the whole story. Give away the plot twists and surprise ending. I want to see what the story is about before I read your first chapter.
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.