2025 Speakers | Editors | Agents

• Friday Pre-Conference Masterclass: Writing a Novel They Can’t Put Down
• Friday Evening Keynote: Storytellers Save the World

JAMES SCOTT BELL is a winner of the International Thriller Writers Award, the Christy Award (Suspense) and the ACFW Lifetime Achievement Award. He’s also the author of the #1 bestseller for writers, Plot & Structure (Writer’s Digest Books). He was the fiction columnist for Writer’s Digest magazine and has taught writing workshops all over the world. His website is www.jamesscottbell.com

• Saturday Mini Masterclass: Advanced Marketing
• Indie Chat Saturday Night

MISTY M. BELLER is a USA Today bestselling author of over 45 Christian historical romances with more than 1 million books sold. She writes as both an indie author and for Bethany House Publishers, and is Publisher at Wild Heart Books, a traditional publisher of Christian historical romance novels. After 13 years of working in project management and marketing, Misty uses her experience in the corporate world to develop best practices in her writing and marketing efforts. It is her passion to help other authors on this journey.

Treatment Plan (Keeping the medical specifics in your WIP understandable)

HANNAH ALEXANDER is the pen name for the writing team of Dr. Mel Hodde and Cheryl Hodde, who began collaborating on medical novels soon after they were married. They are the published authors of thirty-five novels.

Antagonism: The Grit that Makes the Page-Turning Pearl

Award-winning author LORI ALTEBAUMER is only half-joking when saying she lives with one foot in a parallel universe. She enjoys writing atmospheric stories of mystery and suspense from her home in Texas, where she embraces life as a wandering soul with a home-keeping heart in search of life’s best adventures. Her writing adventures have made her a multi-finalist for the Selah award, as well as the BRMCW Directors’ Choice and the AWSA Golden Scrolls. Her short stories have won both the Foundations award and the Cascade Award for Short Fiction.

The Art of Cover Design

Professional artist and former writing teacher, RUTH DOUTHITT is an award-winning artist and author. She is known for her books for middle grade readers and adults in fiction. She was a Finalist in the 2023 American Writer Awards, the winner of the 2022 Christian Indie Awards First Place in YA, the 2017 Moonbeam Children’s Books Award-Bronze Medal for Best Book Series. Ruth not only designs her own book covers, but her award-winning art graces the homes of clients all over the world.  She currently works for Grand Canyon University and lives in Phoenix with her husband Scott and their little dog. When she isn’t writing, Ruth loves to run, draw, paint, and garden.

My Alabaster Box

TARI FARIS is the acclaimed author of the Home to Heritage and Restoring Heritage series, inspired by her deep love for small-town life and romance. While she resides in the sun-drenched deserts of the Southwest, her heart remains rooted in her beloved hometown in Michigan. A passionate mentor, Tari was honored as the 2023 Mentor of the Year and is a proud 2017 Genesis winner. At novel.academy, she leads monthly writing classes that delve into the craft of storytelling, the intersection of faith and creativity, and the realities of life as a writer. Tari thrives on helping fellow writers elevate their craft, igniting a fresh excitement for their stories, and reminding them that their story matters. Visit her at www.tarifaris.com to learn more!

10 Ways to Add Depth to Your Characters

Award-winning, NY Times bestseller LINDA GOODNIGHT has authored 65-plus novels featuring characters her readers call “real” and “memorable”. An Okie with 25 years in the business, she enjoys sharing what she’s learned with other Christian writers. A history buff, she loves to travel and bake.

Writing in the Age of AI

ROBIN LEE HATCHER is the author of over 90 novels and novellas with over five million copies in print. She’s known for her heartwarming and emotionally charged stories of faith, courage, and love. Her numerous awards include the RITA®, the Carol, the Christy, the HOLT Medallion, the National Reader’s Choice, and the Faith, Hope & Love Reader’s Choice. Robin is also the recipient of prestigious Lifetime Achievement Awards from both American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America®. Learn more about Robin at https://robinleehatcher.com.

Writing What You Don’t Know

Heart, home, and faith have always been important to LISA JORDAN, so writing stories with those elements comes naturally. Represented by Cynthia Ruchti of Books & Such Literary Management, Lisa Jordan is an award-winning, PW-bestselling author for Love Inspired and an author and line director for Sunrise Publishing’s contemporary romance line, Hometown Hearts. She is also the operations manager for Novel Academy, an online writing academy powered by My Book Therapy. Happily married to her real-life hero for over thirty-five years, Lisa and her husband have two sons and two rascally rescue dogs. When she isn’t writing, Lisa enjoys quality family time, being creative with friends, or getting lost in a good book. Learn more about her at lisajordanbooks.com. 

Formatting Uncertainty . . . And Some Clarity

SARA TURNQUIST is a hybrid author of over 22 titles, having been traditionally published with a smaller press and now fully indie. Sara is a sought-after speaker and has taught at many Christian writers conferences, including ACFW Virginia, Kentucky Christian Writers Conference, Lancaster Christian Writers Conference, Capital Christian Writers Fellowship Summit, and LiteraryScape Summit, as well as appearing on multiple writing podcasts and writers groups. She appears weekly via livestream on Facebook and YouTube and also speaks into the lives of writers struggling with anxiety and depression on her YouTube Channel.

Sweet & Swoony: Writing Clean Romantic Scenes that Sizzle

KAREN WITEMEYER is a bestselling, award-winning author and experienced speaker who has taught workshops at national conferences such as RWA and ACFW as well as at numerous regional events such as the Texas Writes Speaker Series. Her books have won the Christy Award, ACFW Carol Award, National Reader’s Choice Award, HOLT Medallion, and Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award.

TAMELA HANCOCK MURRAY has been a literary agent since 2001 and was awarded the title Agent of the Year by ACFW. She is a bestselling author of over thirty Christian novels, novellas, and nonfiction books, and won an RWA Inspirational Readers Choice Award. Tamela currently confines her public writing to blog posts for The Steve Laube Agency. Because of her experience as a multi-published author, Tamela brings the perspective of a working writer to her role as a literary agent. She gratefully approaches her career as a literary agent as an opportunity to serve. She represents many top authors and continues to develop new talent. She enjoys living in Northern Virginia with her own knight in shining armor. They are the parents of two lovely, all-grown-up princesses. When not focused on her passion for being a literary agent, Tamela enjoys cooking and is always on the lookout for new recipes. As delicious aromas of dinner waft through the castle, Tamela loves reading all sorts of amazing books. 

LINDA GLAZ worked for thirteen years as an agent before opening her own agency, the Linda S. Glaz Literary Agency. She loves helping authors realize their dreams and launching publishing careers.

What Linda is looking for: Suspense and romantic suspense both full-length 80K and shorter for Love Inspired 55-60K. Thrillers also if they are clean reads. Historic and historic romance. Contemporary Romance. Western settings both historic and contemporary. Mysteries, especially those with subtle humor. Amish, both full-length 80K and those for Love Inspired 55K. Nonfiction: Devotionals, daily living, how tos, self-help. MUST have strong online presence/platform to submit.

LINDSAY DANIELSON is an associate editor at Kregel Publications. She has a bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Wheaton College. In her free time, she enjoys the outdoors and music. A native Midwesterner, she currently resides in Chicago, Illinois.

Kregel Publications publishes books on an array of topics in both the nonfiction and fiction spheres. One of our distinctives is content and themes that are definitively Christian instead of simply clean. For fiction, we’re in search of strong historical and contemporary romance titles, as well as rom-coms. We’re also interested in seeing proposals that include fantasy, sci-fi, or other magical/speculative elements. Currently, Kregel is not actively seeking Regency or suspense titles.

MELISSA ENDLICH is the Senior Editor of Love Inspired Books. She has over 25 years of experience in the publishing industry, mainly in the romance genre. She started her career working on illustrated reference books for Reader’s Digest, then joined Harlequin in 1999. She launched the Love Inspired Historical line in 2008, then became the Senior Editor for Love Inspired, the flagship program of the Love Inspired franchise. She has worked with several best selling inspirational authors such as Irene Hannon, Marta Perry, and Emma Miller, and has participated in workshops and publisher spotlights at many conferences including the Romance Writers of America and the American Christian Fiction Writers. While not working at her dream job, Melissa is a huge movie buff, and enjoys cooking and baking. 

Love Inspired is looking for sweet contemporary romances (55,000 words) that feature families/single parents, dogs (service or therapy dogs), Amish, ranchers/cowboys, and juicy stories (secret baby/secret identity), all set in small town North America. In addition, Love Inspired Suspense is looking for romantic suspense stories (55,000 words) that are equal parts romance and suspense, with tropes such as cold case, Amish, law enforcement heroes, protecting babies, and rugged settings such as the wilderness and the mountains. If you are interested in Love Inspired Trade, we are currently seeking longer trade paperback fiction (90,000-100,000 words). We would like to see suspense,mysteries, thrillers, historical fiction, historical mystery, historical thriller, action/suspense spy romance, or contemporary mystery with humor.