Newsletters

Halloween is not my favorite time of the year 
Never has been - even as a kid I've never liked being scared. SOOO, October always brings me lots of stress because I dread it. Given that, here's what's happened. I have not been getting all my email for months. Not by my own hand but because our internet provider goofed. They upgraded the speed of our internet (yeah), but they missed a section of our area replacing modems. In other words, I was not the only one in this sinking boat. Last week, the provider replaced our modem, along with about 5000 other folks, then they proceeded to download everything that was backed up on their servers pertaining to each customer. Needless to say, through the weekend, literally THOUSANDS of emails hit my email. For lack of better words, I nearly peed my pants. What that means is I have no idea where to start to sort through except at the bottom and work my way to the top. If you have emailed me and I have not answered, please resend and in the subject line, please note 2nd notice so I can see this is something backlogged. See...it's October. I am not a Halloween lover so it gets even. LOL.  Please bear with me. PURTY PLEASE.

THE BUSINESS AT HAND!
Payments are continuing to come in. Thank you. And we are nearly at capacity. This is awesome. God sells this conference out yearly. All that is available are the off-campus spots. This means, new folks will secure their own lodging at one of the hotels at the foot of the Cove, however, their registration provides ALL THEIR MEALS at the Cove. YEAH! If you have someone who wants to attend, encourage them to register now. I imagine by mid-November we will be completely sold out.

I have begun a waiting list for any rooms that open ON CAMPUS due to cancellations. Many have requested to be added and I have the list going. If someone ON CAMPUS cancels I will notify the top person on the list and work my way down.

October 24, 2018

THE SCHEDULE AND CLASSES
Our classes are locked in. There could be a few last minute changes but hopefully at this point we are set. Some of our faithfuls are rotated out this year simply because we need to offer a little variety to returning conferees. BUT most will be at the conference to see appointments and to work and visit with you.

TO FACULTY - Faculty members, please return your consignment sheets. Also please send me your handouts in a WORD DOCUMENT. Please do not send PDF's. I do not have a way to extract or convert the file. When we convert them, it loses formatting you may want. Please send these in a Word Doc. I will need these by middle of November so I can get them complied and to the designer for our book.  If you have not responded about your desire to do critiques, please let me know. Send your requests, desires, and my info requests to [email protected].

TO CONFEREES
SCHOLARSHIPS
Will be announced at the end of November.

Contests 
Each year we offer contests for our conferees to enter. It's great practice for you to 1) invest a little skin in your work and 2) learn how to participate, win or lose. Check out the contest pagehttps://www.ashevillechristianwritersconference.com/bookcontest. Get ready to enter NOW! We want to see your work.

HERE I GO...REPEATING MYSELF...
Mark our email as safe so it does not go to your trash or spam.

These emails are one of two ways to keep you informed of updates, changes, and additions. If you are not receiving the emails, please mark our address as safe so we don't go to your spam or trash. If you still do not receive the emails, every newsletter will be posted on the website Under Conference Updates - Newsletters. You should check that page on a regular basis so you do not miss out on important information. ESPECIALLY beginning in January when our additional teaching emails begin. You won't want to miss those.

Also, keep in mind if you feel it necessary to contact me regarding one of these emails.

DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL.
Does that make it big enough for you to see? Please, please, PLEASE, do not hit respond to this email. It creates a monster thread that I cannot sift through. If you have questions, email me at [email protected] 
Emails are missed when you reply to this newsletter. PLEASE, PLEASE don't hit reply. RESIST THE URGE!

ROSTER
If you are new to our ranks then send me a short bio (50 words and include your website and email in that). Also send, AS AN ATTACHMENT, a photo of yourself. We put together a roster yearly to serve as your networking tool. You'll be glad to have this on the first day of the conference because it will not only serve as your networking tool, but it will help you recognize faces. That, in and of itself, is valuable.

Even if we had your SHORT bio last year, resend it along with a photo.  Send your photo as an attachment not in the body of the email. Short means 50 words. You can do it. Remember, we don't need your life history, just a snapshot of who you are for the roster. Send it to [email protected] (This one says bio and photo! )

If you would like to help out with this task for the conference, I WELCOME THE ASSISTANCE. Contact me at ...you got it...
[email protected]

You're going to see me repeat a few things OVER AND OVER. It's because there is always someone who misses something. Bear with me!

MENTORING and PAID CRITIQUES
Just because we are small does not mean we will not offer you multiple opportunities. Paid critiques are always available. You will hear this over and over. It's because it's important. Part of the writing journey means stepping out to make improvements in your work. Paid critiques offer you just that. You will have a 15 min. appointment (just like the big conferences) and in that appointment, the professional of your choice will look over your work, help you make some changes, suggest ideas, etc. This is something you will come to value in your writing career. DO IT.  See the critique page on the site for information. Remember, the names will change for those doing critiques. So bear with us as we update those professionals.

All the information you need is on the website https://www.ashevillechristianwritersconference.com/critiquesandmentoring. Terri Kelly is heading up this division of the conference. She will give you the needed information once you email her with your desire to be mentored or have a critique.

MENTORING
Each year these one-hour appointments sell out. Trust me, they are valuable. For example, when I began my writing career, I would have paid double to sit one-on-one with Yvonne Lehman and learn from her. Our professionals will spend 1- 1.25 hours with you...and only you, going over your work, guiding you, teaching you. Oh people...this is golden time. 
Our mentors for 2019 are as follows:

Edie Melson - Blogs and Social Media
Linda Gilden - Non-fiction and also speaking
LaTan Murphy - Speaking and Ministry
Larry Leech - Memoirs and fiction
Yvonne Lehman - Fiction
Les Stobbe - Non-fiction, Christian Living

If you are clipping along on your novel or non-fiction, take the time and invest in a mentor. Last year, ( I heard through the grapevine) two of our writers landed an agent after their mentoring. There are only a few spots per person so if this is something you want to do...hurry and get your name in the pot.

VISIT THE SITE!
Go to our site www.ashevillechristianwritersconference.com and read through. Everything you need is on the site. INCLUDING THE SCHEDULE. It may have some tweaks as we move along, but basically it's good.  We want you to be comfortable when you arrive so spend some time on the site and get to know the faculty. As time progresses we'll talk more about paid critiques and mentoring. If you want some amazing one-on-one time, then consider a mentoring session. It will be money well spent as an investment in your career.

Additional charges
Every conference offers add-ons for their conferees. They are not required but they are certainly well worth your time and money. We encourage you to learn to prepare for a conference by knowing  you will want to take advantage of of these additonal items. Start now investing in your writing career. You will be glad you did. Here are a few optional things: MP3 recordings of the entire conference. Individual mentoring. Critiques. Contests.

We can't wait to see you so gear up and get ready to step up and step out!

CONTESTS
Don't miss the opportunity to enter our Badge of Honor Book Contest. Visit the website for information. The deadline is approaching quickly. The winner has the opportunity to have their book sent the publication board of Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas. What an opportunity. If it meets a need, the winner may just get a contract. 

Our Bookstore
Unfortunately, our bookstore will only sell faculty books. There is a reason. 1) The Cove is gracious enough to allow us to NOT run these through their bookstore simply because of our location in the building. This is oh, so kind, since their bookstore is on the lower level and we are on the top level.  2) This is what we can do for our faculty. Conferences try to pay faculty but peanuts rarely do the trick. We sell only faculty books to help supplement funds for our faculty. Everytime you purchase a book you are saying thank you to the faculty for taking time out of their busy schedules to work for peanuts. :) They do this because they love their jobs and teaching.  3) We are very limited on space. We just don't have the space to sell everyone's books.  4) and probably the biggest...I don't want to manage the sales tax. So there you have it. Support our faculty by shopping in our bookstore. They appreciate it when I give them their checks and bags of peanuts.

Begin to pray that God will send those He would have attend. This is first and foremost, the most important task.

Here's your Spiritual takeaway:

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. - Proverbs 9:10 NIV

I loathe Halloween. My husband calls me the Scrooge of Halloween. It's a title I have lived up to for years . . . and with great pride. When my children were little, we did the whole trick or treat thing and I grumbled under my breath. Never out loud. I would never take their joy of seeking goodies away. But I dreaded it.

As the years passed, I looked forward to the day I wouldn't have to turn on my porch light for little tikes screeching "Trick or Treat." But the hubs happened and candy mysteriously appears in a bowl by our door, along with the porch light welcoming every one to our door.

You may wonder if I enjoyed the holiday as a child. Nope! I hated being scared. Ugly faces, bones, and the grim reaper horrified me. Frankly, they still do. Our office decorates HUGE for Halloween and right at the front door is an ugly, creepy, life-sized ghoul. I hate opening the door to a dark building and having this thing growl at me.

Fear is something I have struggled with, obviously, since I was little. It makes me cautious, leery, and it drains my self-confidence. I'm guessing many of you are fearful too. Maybe not of Halloween, but of how God will use you and your writing. 

It's easy to see that tab for a contest or critique, and want to press it, but you're afraid. The writer of  Proverbs hit the nail on the head when he told us the only thing we really should fear is the Lord. And it's the kind of fear that's different from the shaking-in-your-boots type. It's more like - trust. Belief. Surrender. When we grasp hold of these things in God, we gain wisdom and knowledge. Fear subsides because what we fear, is generally what we don't understand or cannot see. God erases that for us.

Trust me, I know first hand what fear can do to you in the writing world. I've been afraid to punch the button to enter contests because I felt like, well...what I did wasn't good enough. The day I did hit send and let go of Mercy's Rain, my agent took flight. She sold the book, it became a best selling novel. Won awards. Goodness...things happened I never imagined, but I had to step past the fear. 

Fear is a lie and it's one Satan loves to use against us. It's an easy sell to us humans, don't buy in. Remember, you are a product of a God who is amazing. You are made in His image, with His attributes, and HIS talents and gifts. There is not need to fear for He will never send you into a situation that will get you in trouble. You may enter places where God refines you, grows you...but never, one to get you in trouble. Trust in the Lord. Fear not.

We are praying faithfully for you. We are asking God for His presence in your lives, for His hand in your work, and for His strength to make you strong and - fearless.  Remember you are not the only one who shakes in their boots from time to time. Just think of me with chicken feathers. 

My grandmother used to say,  Do as I say, not as I do, better yet, do what the Lord says, not what you think and you you ain't got a thing to be afraid of.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Step out. Step Up. Be fearless.


Blessings,
CIN