Faculty

Twila Belk

Since June of 2007, Twila Belk has worked full time with veteran author Cecil Murphey (author or coauthor of more than 140 books, including the best sellers 90 Minutes in Heaven and Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story). Through her work with Murphey, she’s gained a wide variety of publishing and writing experience. She’s also developed relationships with writers, editors,

A Working Writer

Say It With Humor

Writing Devos

Sandy Cooper & Mary K. Tiller

Sandy Cooper and Mary K. Tiller are writers who felt trapped by social media, believing it was the only way to grow their audience and share their work. Years of chasing the algorithm left them feeling anxious and exhausted, so they ditched their individual accounts in search of life-giving and sustainable alternatives. In 2023, they co-founded Writing Off Social, a movement for female Christian writers who want to grow and nurture their audience without social media. Through their top-rated podcast and their courses, they challenge the current cultural narrative and empower writers to discover alternative pathways that play to their strengths and yield a better ROI on their time, energy, and money.

Pre-Conference Session – How To Grow Your Author Platform Without Social Media (3 hours)

How To Leave Social Media Without Regret

Balanced Productivity for Writers

Jane Daly

Jane Daly is a seasoned author with fourteen published books, including two nonfiction works. With her wealth of experience and knowledge, she is often invited to speak at writers’ conferences, sharing insights on the intricacies of the craft. Beyond writing, Jane also serves as an acquisitions editor for Elk Lake Publishing, Inc., utilizing her expertise to guide aspiring writers towards securing coveted book contracts. When not diligently working at her computer, she can be found exploring the vast landscape of the United States in her trusty motor home, aptly named Rigsby. Accompanied by her loving husband of forty-eight years and two pampered feline companions, Jane embraces the freedom and adventure of life on the road.

Writing Through The Wall

Those Pesky Proposals

How To Find Your Voice

Ann Gabhart

Fiction is People – Creating Characters

Facts in Fiction – Using History in Your Story

Dialogue – The Fizz in Fiction

Heather Greer

Heather Greer loves God and good books, especially those that point readers to Him. She is blessed to use her God-given passion for stories to encourage and challenge readers in their faith. From her books to her blog to the Staying Real About Faith and Family podcast she co-hosts, Heather encourages readers to live real, active, heart-changing faith in the everyday mess we call life. She has also been blessed to pray for and support other Christian writers through her work as a virtual assistant and acquisitions editor for Scrivenings Press.

Building Your Writing Community

Ditching Discouragement/Imposter Syndrome

One-on-One Pitch Session

Larry Leech

Usually with a hot beverage nearby, Larry J. Leech II spends his days working with words—as a writing coach of award-winning authors, as well as Acquisitions Editor and Master Book Coach at Illumify Media. More than forty years ago, Larry started his career as a sportswriter in southwestern Pennsylvania where he covered prep sports, college sports, and the Pittsburgh Pirates and Steelers. In 2004, after 2,300 published articles, Larry shifted to book publishing. Since that time, he has ghostwritten thirty-four books, edited more than 500 manuscripts, and coached hundreds of authors through the writing and publication process. For nearly two decades Larry has taught at numerous general market and inspirational conferences nationwide. When he has a minute, Larry likes to hang out on Facebook and Instagram.

Adorable Antags

Use Your Words

G.R.E.A.T. Writing

Post-Conference Retreat

Dayna Lovelady

Dayna Lovelady is a freelance writer and Biblical scholar working full-time at The Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) as an Employee Engagement Manager. She writes devotionals for the widely read Daily Devotional on CBN.com. Dayna also writes devotionals for CBN’s national partner magazine, Miracle Living Today Magazine. She previously wrote for the Christian Post, Passages Israel, Nashville Christian Family Magazine, Dave Ramsey, and Mt. Zion Baptist Church, to name a few.

How to Handle Criticism Of Your Writing: Growing Through Criticism

Prayer For Your Writing Process: Developing a Strong Prayer Life as a Writer

Using Personal Stories for Devotionals and Christian Life Articles

Hallee Bridgeman

USA TODAY bestselling and Carol award-winning author will be leading a working lunch. She’s going to present the workshop Where Do I Begin?

Hallee has attended, often as a speaker, DOZENS of writers’ conferences over the last fifteen years. A standard remark toward the end of a conference is, “My mind is spinning. I don’t know where to start.”

It’s exhausting – the overload of information and ideas – and sometimes we don’t even know what to tackle first.
Hallee is going to go over her post-conference strategy and give tools and suggestions to help you organize your thoughts and make solid plans.

AFTER HALLEE’S CLASS:
We’re going to have a writing and brainstorming session! How exciting is that? There is nothing better than a group brainstorming session for encouragement and ideas.

We’ll spend two hours in a guided and organized writing and brainstorming session to help you start putting some of those tools and ideas from Hallee into play.

You don’t want to miss this!

Greg Turnquist

Pro coder by day and author by night, Greg has written nine software books. His soon-to-be 10th software book, The Pro Coder’s Guide to AI, is loaded with tips on how to leverage AI to accelerate your efforts in ways you didn’t imagine. He also wrote his debut spec fiction novel, Darklight, and has started writing The Riemann Murder Hypothesis, the first in a series of Holmesian-styled murder mystery novels set in the early 1900s. As Chief Web Dude at Mountain Summit Press, Greg maintains the technical assets that back indie author Sara R. Turnquist’s 26 books, her podcast, and her YouTube content.

Transforming Your Writing Process With AI Tools

The Author’s Digital Arsenal: Essential Tools For Success