Newsletters

Assignment 2 is up on the site
Okay folks,  Assignment 2 is up on the site. You can click here for Andrea Merrell's awesome assignment on Quotation Quotas.  I've said before, these assignments 7 weeks prior to your arriving at the conference are something we feel sets us apart from the pack. We want to educate you as much as we can and you'll find these little snippet assignments are going to help you prepare your work for the conference. It's my hope you'll take advantage of them. Andrea Merrell is a top notch editor, you'll learn much from her wisdom.

So assignment 2 is up on the site. You can access it today by going to our blog by clicking this link: http://wp.me/p2Fbzx-MJ

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SITE ISSUES -
As much as I love technology and all it affords us, it's not always kind. This past week Wordpress has experienced multiple issues with updating, dropping sites, and crashing them. Thank goodness our site has not crashed but we have experienced a number of "down times".  I spent almost three hours with Go Daddy last night as they worked through server connection issues with Wordpress and as they worked along side Wordpress technicians to correct the Wordpress issues. All I could say was, THANK GOODNESS, I'M NOT LOSING MY MIND. IT REALLY IS YOUR FAULT. The technician laughed out loud. "Nope, Wordpress is just not playing fair." My apology to you if you have tried to visit the site and had issues. Hopefully the problem is corrected. We were not the only site effected. 

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FYI - WE ARE SOLD OUT - If you feel you may not be able to attend, it is vital according to our cancellation policy, that you notify me as soon as possible. This way I can refund (according to policy) what I can, and we can give the spot to one of those on our waiting list.

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All CONFERENCE UPDATES - From here forward, you will find all necessary information for your arrival at the Cove at this link. http://ashevillechristianwritersconference.com/prepare-for-arrival/  
Everything from where we meet, to what to wear is on the conference update page.  About checkin - We are tentatively set to stay in Pilgrams Inn (this is the first hotel as you go up the campus of the Cove). You will park your car there and the Cove runs a bus every 10 minutes for the 2 minute ride to the main building. YOU CANNOT PHYSICALLY ENTER YOUR HOTEL ROOM UNTIL AFTER 2 PM...BUT you will go to Pilgrams Inn, check in and get your name badge. You'll also find Dee Dee Parker and Beth Fortune waiting there to give give you all necessary items you will need for the Conference. You'll go straight to the main building, Floor 3, after you get your badge - Early Bird classes begin at 1. There will be time after early bird classes for you to move your baggage into your room. The rooms are not ready for occupancy before 2 p.m. 

Also the Newsletters are posted under the conference update tab, by clicking Forms and Newsletters. Each newsletter is placed on this page so you can go back and review information you might need.

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THIS IS RED FOR A REASON!

PAY CLOSE ATTENTION - DO NOT RESPOND TO ME VIA REPLY ON THIS EMAIL.  Please send any responses to me in a new email to [email protected]. With over 100 people responding the thread grows long and emails are missed. PLEASE ALWAYS SEND ME A NEW EMAIL WITH YOUR CONCERNS OR QUESTIONS.

I'm not sure what I have to do to get this point across...HELP ME OUT HERE FOLKS.  Also, don't send me information via chat or FaceBook chat. I have no way of keeping up with it. I have folks sending me chats to change housing arrangements, and when you manage 5 emails, 4 websites, 2 facebook accounts, and a twitter account...it gets hard to know where WHAT came from. Please email me in a NEW EMAIL if you need to send me a message. Do not reply to this newsletter.

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Mentoring - Our appointments for Edie Melson and Vonda Skelton are filled. There is plenty of appointments for mentoring with Yvonne Lehman and Linda Gilden. I can't encourage you enough to spend a little extra on your work and schedule time with Yvonne and Linda. Yvonne is the lady we call the Momma of Christian Romance. She has 60+ books under her belt and oh my...at the wisdom and knowledge she has. Yvonne is a "tell-it-like-it-is" teacher and trust me, if she says something is working just right... you can take it to the bank. Linda Gilden is amazing both in speaking and in writing. She's the author of hundreds of articles, and numerous books, and like Yvonne, she's a wealth of information. I encourage to take your manuscript and carve out a little time for a mentoring appointment. Contact Terri at [email protected] for an appointment (Linda is not on the website yet for mentoring but we're working on getting her there - like I said earlier, we've had site issues and been unable to access the site to update.)

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REMINDER:  BADGE OF HONOR BOOK CONTEST Deadline is nearing

The deadline for our book contest is drawing near. January 20 is the deadline. This is a prime opportunity for you skip the hubbub and get your work straight before a publishing committee. The winner will have their manuscript placed before the publications board of Lighthouse Publishing for a possible book contract.  What a wonderful opportunity - to be able to slide past editors, agents and paperwork to have an opportunity for your work to go directly to the publications board. Now, it's important for you to know that the publications board may or may not grant a contract. It depends on the book - just as it would with any publisher. But this is a step closer. We have had three authors receive contracts out of the last 4 years. So shine up those manuscripts, and click on the link for your additional information to enter.
http://ashevillechristianwritersconference.com/badge-of-honor-contest/ 

Time is quickly passing and we must have at least five submissions in order to hold this contest. Don't let the clock run out on you.

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SEND THOSE BIOS AND JPGS to Cindy Saab
IF YOU ARE NEW TO OUR NEWS LETTERS we need you to send a .jpg and a short bio (under 75 words to [email protected] . This is VERY IMPORTANT. We need your photo and bio along with your email address so that we can complete our roster. This roster will be sent to you just before the conference so you can use it as a networking tool and familiarize yourself with your peers. PLEASE send this to Cindy Saab (not me...but CINDY SAAB) asap. We want you all in our roster. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE HELP US WITH THIS. We'll be sending you this networking tool the week prior to your arrival at the Cove. This is  soooo helpful. You'll be glad you have it. So send those bios and photos to Cindy Saab ASAP.

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Appointments - We will be allowing our faculty to do 15-minute appointments with you at the conference. So go to the faculty page and look over the faculty. See who you'd like to meet with and chat about your work, your direction, or any questions you may have. Please contact Terri Kelly if you have questions [email protected]

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Critiques - Terri Kelly is preparing our critique schedule and mentoring schedule. Critiques cost you a little money but BOY ARE THEY WORTH IT. Consider taking this next step in your writing career and do a paid critique. You'll get amazing and professional feed back about your work, and who knows...maybe you'll get an invitation to send your work to one of them for possible publication. Check out the critiques page

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ACWC 2018
We have our booked dates for February 16-18, 2018.  The Cove is wonderful to book ahead for us. Next year we are stepping out on faith and reserving 60 rooms. You have no idea how this scares me. But I want as many ON campus as possible. So if you think you might attend next year, pay your $25 deposit to hold the room of your choice (single or double - you'll tell us your preference when you reserve). This will assure you have a space on campus. This is the 5th year in a row we have sold out this conference. God is good. If you think you might attend, make a small deposit. We'll contact you mid-summer to see if you are still interested. Plan ahead. Get your spot reserved on campus.

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OUR EMAIL ADDRESSES - We want all our conferees to be a part of our ministry and so we will add you to our www.christiandevotions.us email list and also to our prayer warrior list. It is our hopes you will enjoy Christian Devotions and that you will actively participate by praying daily for the work of our ministry. You can always unsubscribe...but I hope you won't. Help us spread the ministry. Write a devotion for Christian Devotions...be a part of what God has assigned us to do - SPREAD HIS WORD.

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DO NOT BE ASHAMED

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. - 2 Timothy 2:15 NIV

"Times, they is hard and they is clampin' down on a body's heart like a snake that bites and won't let go." 

I loved my grandmother. She was such a hoot. A true woman of the Appalachian Mountains whose mountain phrases would either make you roll with laughter or stop and scratch your head. Either way, there was always wisdom in her words.

Times are growing more difficult with each passing day. As Christians, we are quickly seeing the Word of God, pounced, trounced, and pushed down. So what does that mean for us as writers for His Word? Well, plain and simple, strap on the belt of truth. Gird yourselves. Arm yourselves for battle for there is a spiritual battle raging in the heavenly realms. 

You cannot be afraid to stand your ground in writing truth. You can however, write it appropriately and still be firm. Begin with yourself. What are the words that stream out of your mouth? If they are negative, hateful, and argumentative then perhaps you need to rethink your own personal approach to others. Social media is the perfect example. Just look at how horrid FaceBook became during our presidential election. Remember this, how YOU RESPOND to others directly dictates what you need to work on internally and spiritually. If you were blasting others over the candidate of your choice, then perhaps you need to look at your own attitude.

God has gifted us with this passion to write. And when we write, we need to represent Him in every holy and perfect way. It doesn't mean you can't have an opinion, but it does mean,your representation God in your words, deeds, and actions should be a glory to His name. 

Timothy said it well, "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does NOT NEED to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth." I couldn't say it better. Use this gift of writing as a reflective image of God Himself. 

Strong words of truth cannot be squelched but words of anger and hate, destroy. Don't be afraid to write for God. Accept His call to you to use your gifts. Then pray for the appropriate way to speak, present, and share the story placed in your heart. There's no need to stoop the to the world's level, because it will press you to comply. It will clamp down on your heart like a snake that bites and won't turn loose. Raise the bar. Be "holy and acceptable" in all you do. God will bless your efforts.

Gird UP!

Cindy