KEYNOTE
New York Times and Publishers Weekly Bestselling Author, Jessica R. Patch has penned over 30 novels and is known for her pulse-pounding plots, emotionally charged characters, and signature twists. Jessica’s stories explore themes of justice, resilience, and the unshakable power of hope. She’s also a contributing author of ten devotions in Guideposts Every Day with Jesus, and has served as a Women’s Ministry Leader and Biblical Studies and Discipleship Coordinator. Currently, she coordinates the Bible Hive–a Goodreads women’s community who read the Bible through in a year chronologically. Jessica lives in the MidSouth with her husband and her spoiled Shetland Sheepdog since officially becoming empty nesters. She also loves being Mina to her first grandchild who lives nearby. Sign up for her monthly Patch of Hope devotionals and get a free thriller at JessicaRPatch.com
Ink and Immanuel: Partnering With God Through Every Word
Part 1: Created to Co-Create
From first drafts to final edits, His presence—not your performance—defines your calling.
Part 2: A Hope That Outlasts the Hard
How to stay encouraged over years of writing, rejection, revision, and release.
WORKSHOPS
How to Dictate Your Novel (Without the Overwhelm)
Have you ever thought, “I should try dictation,” only to get overwhelmed by the tech, frustrated by your messy drafts, or convinced it just doesn’t work for writers like you? In this presentation, author and writing instructor Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer will walk you through the exact secrets that helped her—and hundreds of other writers—ditch perfectionism, stop editing every sentence as they go, and finally enjoy writing again. Whether you’ve tried dictation and failed… or you’re just curious if it could work for you… this is your chance to learn what actually makes dictation click for fiction authors. You’ll discover why dictation is about more than speed, and how it can help you build a sustainable author career, how to overcome perfectionism and fear of messy drafts so you can dictate your novel, and the simplest way to get started without fancy gear, confusing tools, or tech overwhelm. You’ll walk away with a clear understanding of how to make dictation part of your daily writing life—even if you’ve struggled with it before.
Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer is an author and writing instructor who takes authors struggling to master the tools and knowledge of their author journey and helps them become confident in writing their books. She has been featured on Joanna Penn’s The Creative Penn podcast, Jane Friedman’s blog, Writer’s Digest magazine, and more. She’s published 19 books, 11 of which she wrote solely by dictation. Sarah is also host of The Confident Fiction Author podcast which empowers authors to live their best creative lifestyle. As a tribal member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, her signature course, Fiction Writing: American Indians, is equipping authors to write authentic stories that honor Native American history and culture. Her Fictation™ Digital Course takes authors through the exact process of mastering dictation to write fiction. Find out more at www.fictioncourses.com
Social Media Doesn’t Sell Books . . . But It Does! Which Is It?
You’ve all heard it: “social media doesn’t sell books”. But actually, it does. Just not necessarily how you think. Join this discussion to learn why abandoning social media is hazardous to your book’s health, but also find out what’s important there and what’s not–so you don’t risk flying off the hamster wheel of social media exhaustion.
Jaime Jo Wright is a 3-time Christy Award-Winning author, Publishers Weekly bestseller, a professional coffee drinker and self-proclaimed cat whisperer. She loves all things Edgar Allan Poe, macabre, witty, and quirky. She’s essentially an author’s pawn shop of randomness. Find out more at JaimeWrightBooks.com
Heroes and Villains
A hero’s acumen is measured against the nature of the forces of antagonism he must overcome. Establishing memorable heroes and worthy villains while avoiding clichés and caricatures is vital. This in-depth session will show you how to uncover poignant, memorable, and intriguing protagonists and antagonists.
Steven James is the critically acclaimed author of 22 novels and numerous nonfiction books. He is also a popular keynote speaker and professional storyteller with a master’s degree in storytelling. Find out more at stevenjames.net
Author-Branded Marketing
Your author brand is how readers perceive you and your books. Consistency is key. The brand should be reflected in everything you do as an author. Therefore, it is important to spend time strategizing and developing your unique author brand. In this workshop, attendees will receive handouts to help brainstorm and develop their own personal brand. We will examine key areas in an author’s brand—website branding, social media branding, email branded marketing, and in-person event branding. We will also review how to utilize author branding as a marketing strategy leading up to a new book launch.
Lisa Carter is the Publishers Weekly bestselling and award-winning author of more than thirty contemporary romance, historical and romantic suspense novels. Two of her books have won Carol Awards—Under a Turquoise Sky and The Christmas Bargain. The Stronghold won a Daphne du Maurier Award for romantic suspense. When she’s not working on her next novel, she loves spending time with family and teaching writer workshops. Lisa enjoys traveling and researching her next fictional adventure. A native North Carolinian, she has strong opinions on barbecue and ACC basketball. Visit Lisa at lisacarterauthor.com for more information about her books or to sign up for her newsletter.
Layered Reaction Blocks: The Five-Beat System for Deep POV Reactions
This workshop is a practical, character-focused presentation designed for fiction writers who want to craft emotionally vibrant scenes without falling into melodrama or telling. During the session, I’ll teach a repeatable, flexible method for writing layered responses to momentous revelations between characters. The result? Character responses that better reveal their heart and motivation, and that create a deeper character-reader connection.
April Gardner is an award-winning author, certified editor, and Author Accelerator book coach. As the founder of Write Start Fiction Studio, she empowers Christian fiction writers to start right, stay faithful to their calling, and finish strong.
Multiple Streams, One Calling: Smart Income Strategies for Christian Authors
Today’s publishing world can feel uncertain, but wise authors know they don’t have to rely on book royalties alone. Join multi-published, award winning author Sara R. Turnquist as she shares practical strategies for creating multiple income streams while staying faithful to your calling. From collaborative promotions and speaking to podcast guesting…and more, this session will help you think beyond the book and steward your writing career with greater confidence and purpose.
Sara R. Turnquist is a coffee lovin’, word slinging, Jesus lovin’ Christian Historical Romance author whose superpower is converting caffeine into novels. Her more than 26 titles range from the Czech lands to the American Wild West, with time periods varying from ancient Egypt to the early 1900s. She hails from Middle Tennessee where she lives happily ever after with her own Prince Charming and their gaggle of minions…three to be exact. Sara is a sought-after speaker as a writer and a woman of faith. Her teaching is heralded as practical and concise. She co-hosts the faith-filled, writer-minded podcast Soul & Story. Find out more at SaraTurnquist.com
Ask the Agent Panel
Find out the answers to your burning questions about publishing, working with agents, best practices, and developing your writing career, and glean wisdom from literary agents Rachel McMillan, Blythe Daniel, and Rachel Kent.
Rachel Kent has been an agent with Books & Such since 2007, and has more than fifteen years of experience and training working closely with Janet Kobobel Grant and the Books & Such team. Through Rachel’s work at the agency and with authors, she has gained an understanding of the publishing process, contract negotiation, and what it takes to successfully write and market a book. Rachel’s goal is to develop strong relationships with her authors and to help them to develop lasting relationships with their editors and publishers. She has worked with many authors to place their books with publishers and to help shape their writing careers. Rachel acquires fiction and nonfiction projects and is open to children’s picture book submissions. Rachel lives with her family in Northern California. She was named 2025 ACFW Agent of the Year.
Blythe Daniel is a literary agent and marketer who secures books with publishers, conducts publicity campaigns and online marketing. She helps writers build the right book proposal, secures contracts, promotes books, and has placed authors in the national media. She has worked in publishing for more than 20 years and represents bestselling non-fiction authors and new voices. She lives in Colorado Springs with her husband, daughter, and boy/girl twins. Blythe actively works with the next generation ministry at their church and loves talking about God, exploring places and conversations with her family, and watching Auburn football games and Hallmark movies with Starbucks in hand.
Rachel McMillan is the author of over 20 novels including the bestselling The London Restoration and The Mozart Code and the upcoming Operation Scarlet. She has also co-written The Liberty Scarf and The Castle Keepers with Aimie K Runyan and J’nell Ciesielski. Her works of non-fiction include Dream, Plan and Go: A Travel Guide for Independent Adventure and the upcoming An Aim at Eternity: The Life of Christopher Wren. Rachel lives in Toronto where she works as a literary agent, teaches frequently for Writer’s Digest, Resilient Writers and Agents Helping Authors and is always reading.
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