Advanced Christian Writers Conference

[NOTE: Some of the material that follows is based on the 2007 conference including the schedule. Some faculty and class sessions are subject to change. --Editor]

October 5-9, 2008

Nothing could be finer
                                 . . . . than to be in Carolina
                                                                        . . . . in the Autumn

The second or third week in October is the peak season for leaf color in the mountains of western North Carolina and the perfect time for novelists to come together for inspiration and improving on the skills and gifts God has made available to us. Requirements are that you have attended a writers conference “somewhere” and have a novel in progress.

LOCATION
All sessions will be held in the new hotel, Mountain Laurel (sleeping rooms, classrooms, auditorium), located at Ridgecrest/LifeWay Conference Center, Ridgecrest NC (20 miles east of Asheville, home of the famous Biltmore House and Gardens).

RETREAT PROGRAM FEE
On Campus: $315.00
Off Campus: $375.00

MEALS
Sunday Dinner - Thursday Lunch: $96.00

LODGING
Per Night (Mountain Laurel Inn)
Single: $64.00     Double: $64.00     Triple: $74.00    Quad: $84.00

REGISTRATION
To register, call 1.800.588.7222 or click here

DAILY SCHEDULE
Click here to view this year's Novel Retreat Schedule.

FACULTY
Janet Benrey earned her degree in Communication (Magna cum Laude) from the University of Pittsburgh and is a graduate of York House College in Kent, England where she studied commerce and languages. She is co-author of more than seven novels, plus a romantic anthology for Barbour. She is familiar with the secular and Christian marketplace and owns Benrey Literary Agency: www.benreyliterary.com and is a mentor for the Christian Writers Guild.

Ron Benrey is a highly experienced writer who has written more than a thousand bylined magazine articles, seven published non-fiction books and is co-author with his wife, Janet, of several mystery novels. Ron holds a Master’s Degree in management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a juris doctorate from the Duquesne University School of Law. He taught advanced business-writing courses at the University of Pittsburgh.

T. Davis Bunn is an ABA and CBA award-winning author whose books include the bestsellers Winner Take All, Drummer in the Dark, The Meeting Place, The Book of Hours, Imposter, and The Quilt. He's also the coauthor of the Song of Acadia series with Janette Oke. As a result of his book, To the Ends of the Earth, Bunn was named the Novelist in Residence at Regent's Park College, Oxford University. He and his wife, Isabella, live in Oxford, England.

Eva Marie Everson is an award-winning writer of fiction including the widely popular The Potluck Club, placing third in Book of the Year sponsored by ACFW. She speaks at writers and women’s conferences across the country, is a graduate of Andersonville Theological seminary and is president of Word Weavers.

Dr. Dennis E. Hensley is author of six novels, more than 150 published short stories, 42 nonfiction books (including 8 textbooks on writing) and is the director of the Taylor University Fort Wayne professional writing major, where he is a professor of English.

Alton L. Gansky is the author of 20 published novels. His novel, A Ship Possessed was a Christy Award finalist and Terminal Justice an Angel Award winner. He holds a BA and MA in biblical studies. When not writing his own books, Alton is often retained by publishers to bring his experience to various projects. He also writes for businesses through his Gansky Communications.

Steven James is an award-winning writer and popular conference speaker. He is author of the Patrick Bowers thrillers, published through Revell/Baker Publishing Group. In the past six years he has written 23 books and spoken more than 1000 times across North America.

Yvonne Lehman is director of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference and “Autumn in the Mountains” Novel Retreat. She is an award-winning, best-selling author of 45 novels including her 2007 releases—Moving the Mountain, By Love Acquitted, A Bride Idea, and novellas in the collections Carolina Carpenter Brides and Kentucky Brides.

Deborah Raney is a novelist whose first book, A Vow to Cherish was awarded a Silver Angel for Excellence in Media and inspired the World Wide Pictures film of the same title. Her books have won the RITA Award, the HOLT Medallion, the National Readers’ Choice award as well as being a finalist for the Christy Award.

Ann Tatlock is a novelist whose books have received numerous awards, including the Christy Award, the Silver Angel Award for Excellence in Media, and the Midwest Book Award for General Fiction and one of Library Journal’s Best Books of 2006. She has a Master’s Degree in communications from Wheaton College and spent five years as an editor with Decision magazine (Billy Graham Evangelistic Association).

MORNING LARGE-GROUP SESSIONS:
T. DAVIS BUNN – Taking Your Fiction to the Next Level (characters, plotting, action)
ALTON GANSKY – Hands On (prose, person, place, graphic outline)
DENNIS HENSLEY – Power of Positive Productivity (focus, prioritize, manage time, enhance career options)
EVA MARIE EVERSON – In the Beginning (first sentence, first paragraph, first page)

AFTERNOON BREAKOUT SESSIONS MAY INCLUDE (your choice)
JANET and RON BENREY – Cozy Mystery, Strategic Thinking, Selling to CBA and ABA
EVA MARIE EVERSON – Dialogue, Senses & Setting
AL GANSKY – Suspense, Proposals
DENNIS HENSLEY – Mainstream, Literary, Grammar & Style, Three-dimensional Characters, Titles with pizzazz and vibrancy
STEVEN JAMES – Storytelling Prinicples, Emotions, Actions
YVONNE LEHMAN – Romance Novels and Novellas, Cover Blurb, Synopsis
DEB RANEY – Women’s Fiction, Re-writing, Business Aspects
ANN TATLOCK – Self-editing, Literary