Newsletters

Week 5 of extended learning comes from:
Bob Hostetler. Bob is an author or books that have sold over 1 million copies (Please don't dote over him, we have to work with him! LOL - and of course, we love to pester him), and he is an agent with the Steve Laube Agency. Bob is a long time teacher at this conference and we do love and appreciate him so much. This week we are taking a lesson he offered us two years ago. Writing a bio. This is probably one of the most important things you must master as a writer - your bio. Read closely. Then practice.  It is my hope you are taking these weekly assignments and looking over your work in progress. There are great tools in these posts. Click BOB's name or here on BLOG.


February 5 is the final date you can order a shirt.
(And faculty - You have a shirt waiting. Stop ordering! LOL)
After the 5th, you'll have to contact Taryn yourself. But YOU REALLY NEED ONE OF THESE. Last week I gave you a list of reasons why. And just to remind you, they are as follows: 1) It's a great way to introduce yourself, let folks know what you do for a living, and strike up a conversation that may lead to book sales and speaking engagements.
2) You'll look really COOL, cuz Taryn only makes COOL STUFF.
3) You'll put a star in your heavenly crown for being a benefactor to our mission. 
4) Your purchase will help the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation create new and updated medications that Bob's grands and my cousin now take which improves their quality of life. And when that happens, there are happy tears everywhere.
I KNOW YOU WANT ONE OF THESE!!! I KNOW YOU DO!! Our own Taryn Souders has graciously INVENTED these. They are available on the front page of the website. The shirt is listed in the right sidebar. Just scroll down till you see it. The shirts are $14 small to large. $16 for XXL and up. But here is the really great thing. $2 of every sale goes directly into our Bob Box for the Cystic Fibrosis mission of this ministry. Besides having a fun shirt that folks will definitely comment on, you're helping our mission for the weekend. What are your benefits from purchasing a WARNING: I AM A WRITER shirt?
So go to the website, scroll down that sidebar and purchase your shirt. Then send me an email to let me know (as a back up to pay pal) and I can get your info to Taryn. Your shirt will be waiting for you when you arrive at the conference in our conference bookstore. Just tell Bennie, Kevin, or Wendy you're there to pick it up.


Mentoring and Critiques
Mentoring and paid critiques are still available but only through FEB 2. HURRY! I have a lot of faculty willing to do mentoring this year so if I have missed adding one to the list on the site, just send Terri a note and ASK! FOLKS, you're looking a the picture of imperfection here. I miss stuff ALL THE TIME! So, if you don't see a name of a faculty member listed, ASK. We'll see if we can threaten them with bodily harm to mentor you. LOL!  Contact Terri Kelly at [email protected]. She will set up your mentoring or be the grim reaper because we all know, I'm all sugar and candy! (snicker).
 We have (FORGIVE ME IF I MISS SOMEONE)

I cannot stress enough the value in a paid critique or mentoring. Yes, it costs a little pocket change, but you are getting one-on-one mentoring or a line-by-line critique. There is nothing that can help you more than this direct and strong learning opportunity. This is the time to show your work, ask questions, get clarifications,  make notes. And if you are being mentored...wow. Let me tell you something. When I began attending Blue Ridge years ago (and I mean years ago), I had the opportunity to participate in a class where only 10 conferees were accepted. It was a week long, intensive mentoring, critiquing with the amazing Gayle Roper. It changed my complete view of writing and what to do to be successful. It was THE BEST MONEY I HAVE EVER SPENT. From that class of 10 came success stories.  Lynette Eason sat next to me. Eight of the ten writers in that class are now multi-published and well, I mentioned Lynette, because she just sold over 1 million books last year. Was the mentoring what caused the success. No - not all by itself, but it certainly laid the path. It took hard work from those eight but I dare to say any one of them would not credit that intensive class to steering down the right road. Folks, I learned SOOOO much, not only about the craft of writing but how to BE a writer. So I encourage you, step out on faith and give it a try. We have an amazing faculty. All just waiting to help you.
Bob Hostetler - fiction and nonfiction
Edie Melson - Blogs, websites, social media
DiAnn Mills - fiction
Linda Gilden - Nonfiction & speakers
Billy Wayne - Playwriting, writing lyrics, melding ministry
Linda Glaz - fiction and nonfiction
Larry Leech - memoirs and fiction
Nancy Lohr - Fiction and YA
Susan King - editing, nonfiction
Denise Loock - fiction and nonfiction
Andrea Merrell - fiction and nonfiction
Taryn Souders- YA
Les Stobbe - nonfiction and fiction
Candy Arrington - Nonfiction
Lori Hatcher - nonfiction and speaking

WHERE DID EDDIE GO? Well, he's at the conference and he has stepped to the side for mentoring because...GRANDBABY 2 IS DUE and if Baby J arrives, we won't be able to hold on to him or Bennie. So rather than chance missing an appointment, Eddie will be around the conference. He has some wonderful info on marketing God's way. We ran out of room for him to teach, though we might find an after-hours time in the hotel lobby where he can share this info. Hopefully, he will record it for the MP3s. All this to say, don't fret. If you see Eddie, talk with him. Pick his pea brain. It's full of great info.

FACULTY - If I missed someone - I'M SORRY. My brain is only so big.
CONFEREES, If I missed someone you want to mentor, CONTACT TERRI - She cleans up this puppy's puddles. :~|
[email protected]
____________________________
OFF-CAMPUS REGISTRATIONS ARE STILL AVAILABLE THROUGH FEBRUARY 11!

We do still have off-campus registrations available. On-campus is sold out. So, if you have writing peers that may be interested...give them a shout. We'd love to have them. LET'S SEE ACWC GROW THIS YEAR!


FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5 IS THE LAST DAY TO ORDER SHIRTS!
Click on the Front Page Sidebar and scroll down on
www.ashevillechristianwriters.com to order your shirt. Remember $2 of every sale goes into the BOB BOX!


The Devotion Contest goes into February 5. PLEASE PAY ATTENTION: Send your entries to [email protected]. Attach your document to your email and send with DEVOTION ENTRY listed in the memo box. I want to sure we don't miss any devos. Also, heads up for those who enter the contest. Once the devotions are judged they will be forwarded to our Christian Devotions Editor who will then make a few tweaks and schedule your devotion for publication on the website. When you get a note from Martin Wiles, open it up. Good things are inside. EXCITING? You'll get a writing credit under your belt. PLEASE DO NOT SEND TO MY PERSONAL EMAIL.
___________________________________


CHECK-IN  DETAILS - These details will come closer to the conference and we'll post them on the website as well.

A COVID REMINDER - Please, please, do not come to the conference if you are sick. Contact me and we will work something out with your housing costs.Help us keep everyone safe. Just so you know, your temperature will be taken twice. Once at the gate, and once when you check in with us (for insurance reasons).  If you are running, even a small temperature, you will not be allowed on campus. Again, this is for the safety of everyone. Contact me if you are ill. (But you won't be...I trust in that fact.)

Our insurance waiver - Yearly we are required to present the Cove with a certificate of insurance. AND our insurance company requires you to sign a liability release. Below is a copy of the Liability Release form that you will be asked to sign at check-in. This way you have a heads up. It's a general liability release common at most conferences. Read it now and then when you arrive, you won't have to waste time reading.
Liability Release Form
To:  Christian Devotions Ministries
From: [Participant’s Name] _____________________________   Date: February 18, 2022 
Dates of Event(s): February 18-20, 2022               Event Name: The Asheville Christian Writers Conference
In exchange for receiving permission to participate in the event organized by Christian Devotions Ministries, I, for myself and my family, heirs, executors, and representatives, agree to the following:

• I assume the risk of any harm or injury that may occur as a result of, or in connection with, my participation in the Event(s).
• I accept full responsibility for myself, my actions, and my possessions while participating in the Event(s).
• I release Christian Devotions Ministries, the Billy Graham Training Center, The Cove, their members and affiliates, officers, employees, agents, staff, faculty, and volunteers from any and all liability, costs, damages, or other claims that may occur as a result of, or in connection with, my participation in the Event(s).
• I give my consent for Christian Devotions Ministries and Billy Graham Training Center, The Cove, its members and affiliates, officers, employees, agents, staff, faculty, and volunteers to assist me in the event of an emergency, including seeking emergency medical treatment on my behalf and I agree to accept financial responsibility for the costs related to any medical treatment.
• I agree to conduct myself and behave in Christian manner, treating all individuals with respect, consideration, and charity, at all times during my participation in the Event(s) .I agree to refrain from any behavior that is threatening, violent, aggressive, or sexually or morally improper. I agree to report to Christian Devotions Ministries any behavior by others that I witness that does not meet this standard.I understand that if I engage in inappropriate behavior or fail to report inappropriate behavior that I witness, I may be asked to end my participation in the Event, and if asked, I agree to abide by the decision.

___________________________________

PRAY FOR US:
Pray for good weather
Pray for good health and safety over us
Pray for open hearts and minds
Pray for good learning
Pray for safe travel
____________________________________

MP3s, Pre-Registration, and BOOKSTORE - We will have MP3s available to purchase. For $45 we are offering the full conference PLUS ADDITIONAL CLASSES YOU WON'T HEAR IN PERSON. We always encourage conferees to purchase MP3s. It's something you should plan for regardless of which conference you attend. WHY? Because you have the extended learning at home FOREVER. I always get the MP3s at conferences and when I travel or when I am home, I can continue to learn the craft of writing. This is money well spent. Plan on purchasing the MP3s. You can pay for these in the bookstore with Wendy. We'll contact you when they are ready to download (it's usually early April. It takes time to edit and upload.) We'll send you an email and a link to our password protected page.

Preregistration - For $35 you can preregister for 2023. This will assure you an on-campus room. Around end of Aug, we'll send you a note for your first payment. If we do not hear from you, the money goes into our scholarship fund. But we hope we hear from you.
Go ahead and preregister. Secure an on-campus room.

We will offer a bookstore for your shopping. It will have books by our faculty. Unfortunately, we can only house faculty books. We simply do not have the space to house conferee books. BUT, that doesn't mean you can't carry your book with you and share it with your peers. If they wish to purchase one, you can work the details out with them.  We hope you will visit our bookstore. Your purchases will help our faculty and also help build our scholarship fund.

_____________________________________
REMINDING YOU AGAIN!!! WHY DO I DO THIS? Because being a servant is what we are called to do. GIVE BACK.
REMINDER: THE BOB BOX - If you know our conference, then you know we never do a conference without doing mission work as well. We are, after all, a ministry.  Each year we opt to support the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Our own Bob Hostetler, has two grands who have Cystic Fibrosis, I have a family member with this, and a number of ministry friends also either suffer with CF or have children who do. It is only fitting that we support this as a ministry. Each year, we set a box in our bookstore, lovingly labeled the BOB BOX, and we hope you feel moved to donate. Whatever is in the box at the end of the conference, the ministry matches the amount and we then hand it over to Bob Hostetler, whose son works for a company that doubles every donation. So by all due rights, it's multiplied three times. Which is awesome. Please consider donating to the Bob Box and let's do as we are commanded...to care for others. We will also provide a link via Pay Pay that you can also donate on line. DONATE TO THE BOB BOX.

_______________________________________


I THINK THAT IS ALL - Continue to check the website NEWSLETTER page for updates. Just before the conference happens we'll post all your registration information on the conference update page.

                                              

   I've attended other conferences around the country and the one thing I see that sets those conferences apart from the rest is P.R.A.Y.E.R.
 
OUR STANCE ON PRAYER:

   We push prayer. Some have said we're a bit obsessive with it, but I'd like to set the record straight on that right now. Scripture tells us to pray without ceasing. Last time I  checked, that meant, continuously. Don't stop. This ministry does not belong to us. Never has. It was born by the Spirit and gifted to us as caretakers. It is owned in its entirety by God the Father. He lays out the guidelines. He makes the decisions, and He pays the bills. Oh...and He shows up on the first day of the conference and doesn't leave until every one of us are home safely. 

   We have tried very hard over the years, to be sure that GOD is the lead dog in the pack. We've done our best to never claim success as our own, but praise Him for the blessings He has given us. We have prayed as writers, that God would allow us the opportunity to serve, whenever and however, we can. Sometimes that means stepping out shaking in our boots. The success of this ministry, though we are small by most worldly standards, is that we don't wave a flag and say "Come to OUR conference." We say, "We are praying that God will send those He would have attend." And He always does.

   So on behalf of the the many conferences represented by our faculty, I offer you this:

Prayer is the basis of this work. It is the reason we trust. It is how we get through even when the odds are stacked against us. Prayer is the why, the please, the help us, the Oh God, hear us plea. And if there are those who think we obsess over it, then let's talk a little more in depth about that. 

   You see, I don't know what you believe, but I believe there is a huge dam of blessings hold up at the gates of heaven just waiting for the little boy to take his finger out of the hole. And the way to unleash those blessings of joy, happiness, success, service, and peace is through prayer. I believe that through prayer, the gate is opened. Through prayer, our needs are heard. Through prayer our help descends. And through prayer, our gifts are blessed. Through prayer, God experiences our love. Through prayer He sees our faith. Through prayer He suffers our losses, struggles with us in our pain, and walks us straight into His arms.

   Yes, we are Prayer Mongers. We are the biggest of the big prayer mongers. And through our prayers, God not only loves us, hears us, answers us, but He tests us as well. I don't know about you, but I want to pass the tests. I want this great and loving God to hear my cries, laugh with me in joy, rest with me in peace. I want His love. I want His blessing...I don't want to wait until heaven...I want what I can get here on earth, because that is just a drop in the bucket to what happens when we land on the streets of heaven.
 
   We trust this work to Him. We offer the praise and glory to Him and only Him. We are grateful to HIM for what He has done and continues to do through our writing. We give it all to Him.

It doesn't hurt one bit if you think we are a bit obsessive about prayer. We say thank you, because that thought strengthens the power of Christ through His people.

   I hope that when you attend this conference, you walk away with more than just writing skills, networking, and new friends. I hope you walk away having been filled. Having been loved. Having recognized how you are PRAYED OVER.  This is why we, and other conferences across the country, who bear the name of Christian, do what we do. - For HIS GLORY AND ONLY HIS. May you benefit from the gifts of the Spirit given to us to share with you.

    With all our love,
     The Prayer Mongers.