Newsletters

Week 6 of extended learning comes from:

ME! Yep, ME! I had to put my two cents in somewhere beside conference planning. We're talking about spit shinning your work. Is that just a mountain term? Translated...making sure everything is right before you send. I did make an exception for auto correct. I'm not sure there is an industry standard yet, other than most professionals HATE AUTO CORRECT. Mine tends to change AFTER I hit send. Maybe I'll share some of those with you at the conference. Anyway, this lesson is important. Making sure you send out your work, the best you can make it. It is my hope you are taking these weekly assignments and looking over your work in progress. These extra lessons are small but they always offer such good information. I encourage you to visit our blog and scroll back through years past. Some you will see repeated and others not, either way, the learning is important. There are great tools in these posts. Click CINDY'S name or here on BLOG.

WHERE ARE WE STAYING? - Well, this is wonderful news because we will be at Shepherd's Inn which is the Inn directly beside the Training Center. You won't have to take the bus. Just a few steps down the sidewalk and you will be in the Training Center.

I will list the instructions for check in on our website on a page called ARRIVAL. I hope to have this up by Monday. It is important you remember, check in is 3 p.m. Friday. If you are attending early bird classes, park your car at the Inn, go inside and get your name tag, then go to the Training Center. Your room keys will not be available until 3. There will be time for you to get that key before supper. IF THE ROOMS ARE READY, you may be given the key when you pick up your name tag. Otherwise, it will be after 3 when you can get that key. You may slip in and out of early bird classes if need be, but don't fret, there will be time, even if it's after supper.

When you go through the gate at the Cove, stop at the guard gatehouse, they will verify your conference attendance and take your temp. Then drive ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN. Shepherd's Inn is the last Inn and the training center is right beside it.

Check the site for more information on check in after Monday.
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OH MY GOODNESS....ONLY TWO WEEKS AWAY. I haven't even pulled down the conference storage box yet. Guess I'll be doing that today. I am so excited to see you all and I can't wait for you to meet my writing friends - our faculty. They are such fun and honestly, though we banter A LOT, Bob is pretty okay too! :) Really, you will have four keynotes that I promise will blow you away. DiAnn Mills, Eva Marie Everson, and Bob Hostetler - these folks have so much amazing information and experience  - none of them under 25 years worth of publishing behind them. So, get ready!! Oh, I said that didn't I. GET READY.

And if that isn't enough, we are introducing a new man on the team, Billy Wayne Arrington. Billy Wayne has been in the music and theater for over 20 years. He's a wonderful minister, music guy, and storyteller. So, I am excited for you to worship with Billy Wayne. It helps that he's just a mountain boy too! Not that I am prejudice to us mountain folk! 

Also new to our ranks this year is Susan King, past editor for The Upper Room. Susan is wonderful (and she makes you laugh). Edwina Perkins, an assistant director for the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference and editor for Harambree Press. Edwina is the ultimate in sweet and special. She knowledgeable and oooohhh so smart in the publishing world. Taryn Souders is tearing up the awards lists this year in young adult. Her book is gangbusters and we're so proud of her. She is so great with the YA market and she's Eva Marie's right hand gal at the Florida Christian Writers Conference. Don't miss out on her teaching. Suzanne Kuhn, an associate publisher with Ironstream Media...if you want to know about marketing - this is your gal. I encourage you to talk to her in those 15 min. appointments, ask her about marketing, sales, and you can even pitch your book to her (she is a publisher). OH AND THEN, there's the "blow em outta the water", DiAnn Mills. I can't begin to tell you about DiAnn except that she has won more Christy Awards than you can hold in your arms and she is co-director emeritus of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference. Lori Hatcher is returning after a few years off. She is the Editor of South Carolina's Reach Out Columbia magazine and she's a spiffy speaker. So meet up with Lori. Linda Glaz, agent with Hartline Literary Agency and an author herself, is joining us. She is an amazing teacher. And she's an agent. So you can pick her brain from both sides. Martin Wiles, is the Managing editor of ChristianDevotions.us and InspireaFire.com. Martin has worked with Christian Devotions Ministries for several years. We're proud of him. He started out as a writer on Christian Devotions and determined to be good at it. Martin is special to our ministry and we trust him to mentor our new writers.  Candy Arrington, (no kin to Billy Wayne) is what I have often referred to as the queen of non-fiction. She is a superb writer, author, and teacher. And finally, Lori Marret is a screenplay writer and a mentor along side of me with Write Right Author Mentoring Service. Lori has had a movie produced and she is suuupppperrrr at content editing.

And this is just our new faculty. We can't forget, Bob Hostetler, Eva Marie Everson, Edie Melson, Larry Leech, Nancy Lohr, Linda Gilden, Sarah Thomas, Les Stobbe, Eddie Jones, Denise Loock, and Andrea Merrell. (If you wanna count me...I'm in there somewhere!)

OH MY GOODNESS...that line up rates right up there with the big conferences. So now you can see why I am excited for you to meet my friends.

All this to say - Friday night we will open up an opportunity for you to sign up for those 15 minute appointments. Terri Kelly is so good with our scheduling (and you have no idea what a headache it can be - ask Taryn).  Those paid critique spots are now closed. We have a couple of mentoring spots available, and then those 15 minute appointments. Here's a quick note from Terri:
Good News for Mentoring
We have mentoring slots available. Terri is extending the deadline for a few more days if you’re interested in a 1-hour mentoring slot. Submissions and payments must be sent ASAP. Contact Terri for an appointment.
Available Faculty: Edwina Perkins, Linda Gilden, Nancy Lohr, Linda Glaz, Billy Wayne Arrington, Candy Arrington, Les Stobbe,
 ***If you are interested in these slots it is imperative that you move quickly. Our mentors have to have time to study your work. These folks will all be available for free 15 minute appointments. TAKE ADVANTAGE.
 
SCHEDULE CHANGES   If you booked an appointment for mentoring or a critique, the schedule has changed. You’ll hear from Terri or the faculty member you are meeting with to update you on the appointment time. Contact Terri Kelly at [email protected].


SPEAKING OF SCHEDULE CHANGES - It seems every year our schedule gets bumped around and not by our doing. Terri and I spent a good part of the afternoon yesterday redoing the schedule because our meal times changed at the Cove. So please, check the schedule on the site. Our times have changed. We were able to add a class back that we lost, so the early bird classes have Eddie's class added.

Our shirt orders are complete. And let me say. WOW!
Taryn has her work cut out for her. This thrills me that so many of you have ordered shirts. Not only does it help our mission for the Bob Box, but it tells me this is something you will enjoy through out the year. So, Taryn...buckle up. We may make this a yearly thing! Thank you all so much for your orders. The shirts will be available for you to pick up at our bookstore.

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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!


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.)


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
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OUR BOOKSTORE - Our bookstore is open all day Saturday. Wander in and visit. If you need a break to stretch your legs, the bookstore is on the first floor of the Cove. So go down the staircase and it is the first room on your left. There are only small times worked into the schedule for the bookstore in the schedule but you can go in anytime during the day, Friday evening and Sat evening and early Sunday.

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 have books by our faculty.  We hope you will visit our bookstore. Your purchases will help our faculty and also help build our scholarship fund.

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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.

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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 love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,  my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. ~ Psalm 18:1-2 ESV