Why You Should Attend a Writing Conference by Susan Anne Mason

Susan Anne Mason

In light of the opening of registration for this year’s ACFW Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, I thought I’d share my views on the benefits of attending a writing conference.

Before I ever attended one, I was fascinated by all the pictures posted on Facebook of writers having what looked like a fabulous time at the annual conference! But the thought of facing such a large event felt too big, too scary. Thank goodness in 2011, I overcame my fears, and with the right motivation (meeting my favorite authors), finally took a leap of faith and booked my flight to Missouri. This year will be my 4th conference and each one has been a unique experience. 

Here are some of the advantages I’ve found:

• Being able to meet with editors and agents to pitch your book! This is a huge and likely the most important advantage gained by attending a conference—the opportunity to get your work in front of experts and receive valuable input from someone in the industry. Granted it takes a lot of courage to make that appointment, but there’s comfort in the fact that you are not alone!
• Paid critiques! For a very reasonable price, you can have your work critiqued by a seasoned author. Pick someone from the list that you like, someone who perhaps writes the same genre as you, and be open to their suggestions. I will always be so grateful to Karen Witemeyer for the wonderful advice she gave me on the opening pages of “Irish Meadows”.
• Meeting other writers and feeling like somebody really understands you! It was such a blast meeting other aspiring writers like myself, people who understood the struggles of trying to write while juggling the responsibilities of a part-time job, a home, and a family. It was also a huge thrill to meet my favorite authors and to find they were all so gracious and approachable!
• The great workshops! No matter what stage of your writing career you’re at, you can learn something new, and there’s a great selection of workshops to choose from.
• The worship. I must admit I was a little afraid of what this might entail. I pictured loud, evangelical-type gatherings, and for this reserved, private person, it seemed very intimidating. I’m happy to say that even if I didn’t know the songs, or the words to certain prayers, I never felt out of place. Only wonderfully blessed! And the music is fantastic! (Thanks Rachel Hauck and team!)
• Last, but not least—THE FOOD! Yes, prepare to go on a diet after the conference. The food is so good, you won’t be able to resist temptation! Especially the desserts!

A Worthy Heart
by Susan Anne Mason

If you’ve ever wondered if spending the money to attend a conference is worthwhile, I urge you to set aside your fears, save your pennies and plan to attend. You won’t regret it! You’ll probably make a new friend or two, and who knows, you might even sell your story! Hope to see you in Nashville!

About the Author

Susan Anne Mason describes her writing style as “romance sprinkled with faith.” She loves incorporating inspirational messages of God’s unconditional love and forgiveness into her characters’ journeys. A Worthy Heart is her second historical novel in the Courage to Dream series. Irish Meadows won the Fiction from the Heartland contest sponsored by the Mid-American Romance Authors chapter of RWA.

Susan lives outside Toronto, Ontario, with her husband, two children, and two cats. She loves red wine and chocolate, and is not partial to snow even though she’s Canadian. Learn more about Susan and her books at www.susanannemason.com.

A Worthy Heart
Maggie Montgomery’s dream of seeing America has finally come true. While visiting Irish Meadows, Maggie meets an intriguing man whom she thinks is a stable hand. Only when her brother, Rylan, demands she stay away from Adam O’Leary does she learn he is Rylan’s brother-in-law, recently released from prison. Nonetheless, Maggie can’t seem to make her stubborn heart conform to her brother’s request. Adam O’Leary has never felt worthy of his place in the family. Now a free man, Adam’s only desire is to earn back his family’s trust. Falling in love with the newly arrived Maggie, however, was never in his plans. Despite everyone’s effort to keep them apart, the two develop a bond it seems nothing can break—but they soon discover the past isn’t easy to overcome.

Being About the Father's Business by Marianne Evans

Marianne Evans

“His Father in Heaven trusted him to fulfill the greatest mission of all. Jesus was about his Father's business until the bitter end. Even as he hung on the cross, he won souls for the Lord. We too have a mission for the Lord.” ~ Ruth Mytty, St. Monica Reflections Team

Those words are part of a daily devotion I read each day, and they gave me a lot to think about at church this weekend as Scripture verses unrolled, revealing the triumphant journey Jesus took to Jerusalem, and the rapid-fire fall from public favor that left him questioning everything.

Yes. Everything.

The most sacred season in the Christian calendar—Holy Week—is under way. As I near the end of Lent and my ‘journey through the desert,’ I’ve come to recognize, strongly, the Jesus was uncertain. Jesus questioned Himself. Jesus wondered whether or not He had accomplished God’s plan. He had doubts, like me. He was uncertain and fearful, like me. He wasn’t sure of his mission, like me.

Writing is a call I’ve embraced with all that I am. It’s a blessing I never take for granted. Does that make it easy? Oh, no. In fact, lately, my writing life has been fraught with timing struggles, insecurity and self-doubt. In my present season of change and challenge—of beauty and shifting priorities, I find myself struggling to focus on writing and carve out enough time to create. What does that mean?

Does that mean I’m not meant to continue writing? Is the process of creating books what He still wants from me? It’s not that I don’t love writing. It fires and inspires me like nothing else. It’s not that I don’t have stories to tell. God keeps planting fertile plot seeds. My struggle stems from finding the time and energy to write fresh pages each day.

In the shifting sands of life, I’ve found the only way through is to pray—to seek God’s guiding voice—to listen, and pay attention to the movement of His hand in my life. A hiatus from writing isn’t an option when such things as new releases, book tours and commissioned future titles fill my view. Yes, it’s challenging. Yes, the degree of influencing factors in my life sometimes leave my head to spin, but that’s when I think of Jesus and his very same struggle with the Mission God gave him.

Jesus understands. He had to battle turmoil. That’s assuring to me. No matter what the calling, I want always to be about the Father’s business. No matter the outward constraints, I intend to embrace my mission and rely on the prayerful support and encouragement of the people He leads into that path. That’s what leads me to the other side of doubts and anxiety.

If you’d enjoy more inspiration from St. Monica’s Parish, here’s the link where you can sign up for their daily devotions: ST MONICA’S PA RISH DAILY REFLECTIONS I’ve been a subscriber for years, and can’t tell you how many times the messages these authors share have lifted me up.

God bless, and HAPPY EASTER, friends!!!!

CLICK TO TWEET:

Be about the Father's business
Experiencing a season of doubt in your mission? Jesus has been there.

*****

Marianne Evans is an award-winning author of Christian romance and fiction. Her hope is to spread the faith-affirming message of God’s love through the stories He prompts her to create. Devotion, earned the Bookseller’s Best Award as well as the Heart of Excellence Award. Hearts Communion earned a win for Best Romance from the Christian Small Publisher's Association. Finding Home won the Selah award for Best Novella. Marianne is a lifelong resident of Michigan and an active member of Romance Writers of America, most notably the Greater Detroit Chapter where she served two terms as President.

*****

Country music bad boy Chase Bradington is on the comeback trail. Fresh from rehab for alcohol addiction, and transformed by the power of Christ, Chase is battling to rediscover the music he loves and a career he nearly ruined. Then he meets up and comer, Pyper Brock, and instantly sparks ignite.

Pyper knows of Chase’s reputation, so despite a rampant attraction to the handsome and talented icon, she soundly dismisses his romantic overtures. Decades ago, her father, in a drunken rage, tossed her and her mother onto the streets. No way will Pyper make the mistake of falling for a man whose done battle with the bottle.

What happens when Chase’s quest to win Pyper’s love breaks down chains of resentment and eases the long buried wounds of her childhood? And what happens when Pypers father shows up in Nashville, clean, sober and seeking a chance to apologize?

Can Pyper follow a pathway to peace when it comes to her father? Can she fully trust Chase? Above all, can a sin damaged past be released in favor of forgiveness?

Releasing 11/1/2016 ~ Available for pre-order now at Amazon.com in PRINT and E-BOOK formats

Writing With Heart, No Matter How Cliché by Amy Leigh Simpson

Amy Leigh Simpson

Amy Leigh Simpson and I met at an American Christian Fiction Writers conference some years ago when we both sang on the conference worship team. Her warm personality and sense of humor draw people in. Amy’s journey to publication reminds me of Proverbs 19:21. “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails” (NIV).  Enjoy! ~ Dawn

Writing With Heart, No Matter How Cliché

“Follow your dreams.” “Live your passion.” “Never give up.” As trite as they seem, we’ve all clung to some variation of these types of affirmations. Even on the other side of the coin we have, “You’re better off.” “When one door closes, another opens.” “It wasn’t meant to be.” etc. Well-meaning contradictions, these clichés, but knowing which side you’re on is not always “cut and dried.”

First off I want to say whether they come to fruition or plummet from our starry-eyed sky like a dismantling airplane, your dreams have a purpose. You need only to look back on the memory of a dashed dream or broken heart to see the hand of God plotting an even greater adventure, honing us in the gifts we were meant to develop, and building up perseverance and character for the race we are meant to win. If you’re a writer like me, it might be the story he has already written in your heart that is awaiting its debut. But the fact is, not all who dream get the happily ever after they are longing for. So how do you know when to tackle your next plot problem or when to let that chapter simply end?

For me, I watched one big beautiful dream I’d cultivated for most of my life gradually lose its luster. Oh, I clung to it like a toddler in tantrum for a while, but I eventually started to see the cracks that I’d so naively turned a blind eye to for years. My heart was restless for a time, but the good old cliché proved tried and true, “another door opened.” A new dream. An author. Ha! Tell that to Amy ten years ago and she’d laugh you straight out the door. That Amy dreamed in music, she would never in a million years consider writing a book. For most of my life I didn’t even like to read. But then, my heart changed, and another old standby came back to taunt me. “Never say never.”

So I wrote. My heart on the page. I wasn’t writing to sell, (though I secretly hoped my stories would reach farther than my mom’s laptop) I was writing what I loved to read.

But even though I’d gained notice for the quality of my writing craft, my story—my heart—didn’t quite “fit the mold.” Rejection. Wave after wave of “close, but no cigar.” Having already lost a dream I held a certain talent for I had to step back and ask myself, “Am I setting myself up for another fall? Is this a bigger part of my story or just a footnote?”

The bottom line… no dream is wasted. Whether yours ends up as a book on a shelf or simply a handful of beautiful chapters dreaming in story until another adventure begins, enjoy the ride.

We’ve clung to the verse about the “desires of our hearts” in times of fledging courage and redundant failures, and we can often rally enough faith to pull ourselves up by our “bootstraps” to go another round. But ultimately you have to trust the author of your story. He knows your heart and he delights in your joy.

Keeping dreaming big! When your time comes, it’ll be worth the wait!

Amy

When Fall Fades

When Fall Fades

One dying secret. One missing truth. And a whole lot of trouble…

Sadie Carson is an expert on unfinished business. Five years after the derailment of her dreams she’s just barely existing, using her job as a hospice nurse to give others the one thing she can’t seem to find—closure. So when her elderly neighbor Charlie, a brilliant conspiracy nut known for harassing the FBI, is murdered, Sadie suspects Charlie might’ve been onto something and intends to make sure someone solves the mystery of her friend’s death, even if it’s her.

The feisty little blonde may have found the victim’s body, but FBI Special Agent Archer Hayes has no intention of letting some nosy civilian interfere with his investigation. The guilt he feels is bad enough. The last thing Archer needs is another distraction to haunt him. Especially one as beautiful and beguiling as the girl next door.

But throw in a mountain of hoarded evidence and suspiciously coded journals and the case takes a puzzling turn toward a decades old conspiracy cover-up from World War II—one only the victim’s closest confidant can help untangle. Sadie and Archer reluctantly join forces to decode the riddle—one that lands Sadie in the crosshairs of a desperate killer. And when the dangers of the past and present collide, Archer must fight to save the life of the woman he’s falling for . . . only to discover he might be the one in need of saving.

Amy Leigh Simpson writes romantic mysteries with honesty and humor, sweetness and spice, and gritty reality covered by grace. When she’s not stealing moments at naptime to squeeze out a few more adventures in storyland, she’s chasing around two tow-headed miscreants (Ahem)—boys, playing dress up with one sweet princess baby, and being the very blessed wife to the coolest, most swoon-worthy man alive. Amy is a Midwestern-girl, a singer, blogger, runner, coffee-addict, and foodie. Her Sports Medicine degree is wasted patching up daily boo boo’s, but whatever is left usually finds its way onto the page with fluttering hearts, blood and guts, and scars that lead to happily ever after.

I’d be delighted to connect with you on Facebook and completely tickled if you checked out my DEBUT novel When Fall Fades! And stay tuned… Book two is due out at the end of May!

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/When-Fall-Fades  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorALSimpson

Website: http://wbp.bz/whenfallfades

Blog: https://www.facebook.com/authorALSimpson

Bathroom Graffiti by Heidi Chiavaroli

"Randy loves Liz."

"Justin wuz here.

Sentiments of love, sentiments of hate. Desperation. Some simply expressing a desire to be heard long after they are gone. 

We've all seen the typical graffiti on those bathroom stalls. And although I've never been a graffiti offender myself, I suppose I can see the appeal in it...

The author is anonymous, and forever safe from hurtful judgments.

The words will be read.

Unlike a daily newspaper or monthly magazine, these words will last a bit longer. The writer has successfully left their one small mark on the world.

But do these words matter to the reader? Do they make a difference in even one person's life? Maybe...if you're name is Liz. ;)

As I ponder this, I can't help but realize that all my efforts, all my works—whether they be writing, being a “good” wife and mother, or helping my neighbor—are nothing but graffiti on a grimy bathroom stall if I'm not giving them over to God. Only He can make them useful in the grand scheme of things.

For this reason, I dig deep into my heart. Deeper than I usually want to. What is my motivation for what I do? For writing? For trying so hard to be a "good" mother? A "good" wife? For helping others?

Sometimes I don't like the answers I get. And if you're not ready for my complete honesty, read no further.

Often I find myself performing these works not for Jesus—and sometimes not even for others—but for me. My heart can be ugly. I want to look good. I want the best...after all, don't I deserve it?

Bathroom graffiti. All of it.

What I deserve is not what my Savior has given me. He's given me grace. He's given me mercy. I am nothing if it weren't for Him. And when I fall, it's Jesus's arms that catch me and my undeserving efforts.

As I continue to wade through my motivations and seek to be faithful, I have hope that He will use my efforts—even if they are as inconsequential as bathroom graffiti.

How do you consciously offer your writing to your Creator? At what times do you struggle most to do this?

Heidi Chiavaroli is a writer, runner, wife, mother, and grace-clinger—not necessarily in that order. Ever since taking her first trip to Plimoth Plantation with her sister, mother, and grandmother at the age of nine, she has been fascinated with history and its significance to today’s people and culture. Heidi is the winner of ACFW’s 2014 Genesis Contest, Historical Category. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband, two sons, and Howie, her standard poodle. Learn more about Heidi on her website: www.heidichiavaroli.com.