I made the October deadline. Isn't that all that matters? Happy Halloween (despite the fact that I despise this holiday - lol).

I have no excuse! None. Except that there was nothing to share with you so I skipped September. That's only partially true. Well...3/4 true. There was nothing to share with you. Otherwise, time just got away from me. Please accept my apology. I am usually on this newsletter like white on rice, but September was VERY busy for us. Quick update:  The Prince (aka my hubs, Tim) underwent his 1 year cancer scans, blood work, and x-rays. Of course, we held our breath, while all the while, doubting that God had done as He promised. You see, isn't that what we all do? We say we trust God, believe in Him and His promises, and then we doubt over something like cancer. Well, God showed up and we ate a little crow. Tim's tests were all NORMAL. After the year we had last year, not counting it being a covid-stricken year for so many, I have to admit, my trust wavered. Still, God being God, proved once again that He is true to His word and when He healed Tim, He REALLY HEALED TIM. The tests were the end of August and we waited until the 9th of Sept. before we saw the doctor. It was wonderful news. Doc says, "Two more years like this one and Tim will be deemed medically healed. I laughed and said, "Well, that's okay, but as we found out just now, Tim was healed at surgery." We came home rejoicing, and well...we fiddled away the rest of the month doing things around the house that needed to be done. All that to say, I MISSED DOING A SEPTEMBER NEWSLETTER.

So now that you are up to snuff on the personal level. Here's where we stand.

HOUSING ON CAMPUS
With Covid still raging in parts of the country, when I spoke with the staff at the Cove last year, they agreed we should lessen our rooms by ten. So we have 55 on-campus rooms reserved. This was a decision made last year with the unsurety of what the future held. As of last week we had 25 conferees signed up and I began to sweat if this conference would happen. We now have 65 registered, 18 are faculty, so I am feeling better. Eddie told me, "Cin, you worry every year and GOD SHOWS UP EVERY TIME." He's right. I do worry every year but it's just an opportunity for you to see that I am human and I fail ...frequently. All this to say, we have 13 rooms left for on-campus housing. I will check tomorrow tomorrow with the Cove to see if there is a possibility of more on-campus rooms. Like I said, this decision was made last year when no one knew what Covid would bring or take. So if you have a friend who wants to attend and STAY ON CAMPUS, then they need to register ASAP. These on-campus rooms fill quickly. Obviously, God is showing up already. So help us out. Spread the word. Now, it is important that you understand that even WHEN the on-campus rooms fill, there are hotels at the foot of the Cove which are listed on the website. There should be plenty of rooms available right at the foot of the Cove. We can register up to 135 conferees, some will just have to register as OFF-CAMPUS and drive up the hill daily. (Remember, all meals and conference fees are included in the off-campus rate - conferees will make their own rooming arrangements off campus).

DON'T CALL THE COVE ABOUT HOUSING OR PAYMENT
If you have a question about housing or payment, call me. The Cove does not do the registrations or housing. They fill the rooms once I give them a list. Contact me. If you call their registration line, they won't know what you are talking about because they only manage their own conferences and meetings.

SCHEDULE
The schedule is not available yet. Faculty is still sending in classes so I do not have a schedule ready at this time. The TIME FRAME on the class schedule is correct. But who is teaching what, is not. So bear with us as we gather in this information.

We will return to our two-track program this year. We will have Step up and Step Out classes. Step Up are classes for the less experienced writer. Step Out will be more advanced classes. You are not required to stay in any one track though we think if you do, you'll be studying where your writing level is. But you don't have to worry about hearing each teacher. You'll get a taste of them all (How'd you like that Halloween innuendo? Taste of them all...arr arr.) The class schedule will be up soon.

VIRTUAL RECORDING
At this time, we are not having enough folks sign up for virtual classes. Honestly, this is exciting for us because it means you plan on attending the conference in person. If you have registered for the virtual recording, we will be contacting you and offering you the MP3s for $50 and refunding you the remainder of your registration. OR you can apply to in-person and come visit with us. The thing is, the virtual streaming is horribly expensive. Hint - $7000. Last year God provided the exact number of virtual registrations and we broke even. It paid for itself. This year, that is not happening and this ministry cannot afford to stream live at that cost if there are not enough folks who sign up. We are in the process of removing this from the website as an option. We're sad, but not. Like I said, sad we cannot do it, but happy that you will be with us in person.  If this changes, we'll let you know.

SCHEDULING APPOINTMENTS
Terri Kelly is once again the guru of appointments. Her years as a first grade teacher have made her more than organized (kinda makes me ill - lol) but you can look down the list of faculty and see who is doing what. Choose a faculty member and email Terri. Her email is on the Scheduling page of the site APPOINTMENTS. She may give you a temporary appointment time and then firm up once we have all the faculty classes in order. Remember, most of our faculty does appointments, many do paid critiques and mentoring. So read about this on the website under critiques and mentoring.

OUR LOSS IS HEAVEN'S GAIN
As many of you know, we lost our sweet, sweet Yvonne Lehman last May to cancer. I can't lie, my heart was broken. For 16 years, Yvonne served on the Christian Devotions Board, and she served as a mentor to both Eddie and myself. Her years of experience brought so much to our conference and more so, her love for the ministry and for writing. Yvonne believed in Eddie and I when we told her we would begin this ministry and she stood firm behind us. She was a business partner with me in Write Right Writer Mentoring Services and ...Yvonne was my dear friend. Her daughter, Lori is stepping in to her role with Write Right but Yvonne will be missed terribly.

Forgive us, if we miss removing her from a spot or two on the site. We've tried to catch them all, but when there is so much content, it grows difficult. We will miss Yvonne but we know she's wearing those high heels and clicking down the golden streets of heaven.

MENTORING and CRITIQUES - AND CONTESTS
Consider mentoring with one of our mentors. You'll get 1 hour of one-on-one help from a mentor. Money well spent. Paid critiques are wonderful for a fast review and quick help. AND DON'T FORGET THE SPARROW AWARD book contest. Check out those things on the site.

THAT'S ENOUGH FOR TODAY. I hope you enjoy your Halloween (cringe). Visit the site regularly and check out the newsletter page. Every newsletter will post there and any sudden changes. Our CONFERENCE UPDATE PAGE is for conference weekend.

.".. and every gifted artisan in whom the Lord has put wisdom and understanding, to know how to do all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, shall do according to all that the Lord has commanded.” Exodus 36:1


I love how the writer of Exodus explains about all the artisans who contributed to the Tabernacle. It's a wonderful example of the many gifts God has graced each of us.

In May, Eddie and I sat in the audience at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference. We watched as the awards were given and we cheered for writers we'd worked with over the years. There is no reward greater than seeing the work you pour into someone, pay off. It was what we prayed God would allow us to do in this ministry - be the ones who encouraged, taught, and made a way for new writers to succeed in the publishing industry. God answered our prayers. For the last 16 years now, Eddie and I have worked together, along with our spouses, to make this ministry be a tool for God. It has never been about what WE could accomplish but rather could we, through prayer and faith, be worthy to do what He called us to do.

As the night ended, a special award was announced. One that would carry the love and care Yvonne Lehman built into the beginnings of Blue Ridge through her 25 years of directing it, then passing it into capable hands when the time was right. The Yvonne Lehman Award was born. I cannot tell you how stunned Eddie and I were to be given that inaugural award. We both cried then we sat down in the prayer garden and prayed that God would accept the gift of the award. After all, it was really His. 

All God asks of us is to use the gifts He has given us...the artisan. Artisan of words. You hear us say repeatedly, "You are called!" And you are. Before you were born, God named you artisan of words. What an amazing thing, to be an artisan of words...to give back to the Tabernacle of the Lord.

It was never about us, this award we were gifted. It was about being what we were called to be. Artisans of His Word, of His work. The award warms our hearts but the meaning goes far deeper than just an award. It stands to prove God's work continues. If He calls, we answer.

You are an artisan of words. Called into His service to write. So write. And with each piece you write, offer the gift back to the tabernacle, back to the Lord of all.

We will see you in February. BEGIN TO PRAY FERVENTLY FOR THIS CONFERENCE AND FOR YOUR CALL TO SERVE.