Lynette Eason is the best-selling, award-winning author of over sixty-five books. Many have appeared on the USA Today, Publisher’s Weekly, CBA, ECPA, and Parable bestseller lists. Lynette teaches at writing conferences all over the country, but when she’s not teaching or plotting her next story, she has her agent hat on and is searching for that next bestselling story. Find out more at lynetteeason.com
Turning Rejection Into Motivation
Rejection is an inevitable part of every writer’s journey, but what if those “no, thank you” emails could become your secret weapon? In “Turning Rejection into Motivation”, Lynette talks about how she dealt with the rejections that came and how she used them as a springboard for success, trusting that God’s timing was perfect. As writers we need to develop a thick skin and the ability to have a mindset that turns each “no” into a stepping stone toward your writing goals. Harness rejection’s hidden power and keep your creative fire burning.
Jaime Jo Wright is a multi-award-winning and best-selling author with over 150,000 books sold. She writes Gothic mystery and thriller, while enjoying her quirky life with six felines, one axolotl, and a plethora of fish. Oh yes, and she’s married and has two kids also. Find out more at www.jaimewrightbooks.com or her podcast madlitmusings.com
How to Be Spiritual Without Being Annoying
With Christian fiction ranging from “clean” to overtly evangelical in message, how do you know what the balance is in your own story? How do we incorporate faith and the “one-way” Gospel without being offensive? And what hills should I die on when it comes to my spiritual content versus pleasing publishers and readers?
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. Find out more at mistymbeller.com
Marketing For Indies
Learn the marketing approaches successful indie and hybrid authors use to sell books, both during a new release and over the long term, tools like pre-orders, pricing, email lists, advertising, and data analysis. We’ll also discuss the “write the next book” philosophy to marketing, and how combining this approach with early marketing efforts builds raving fans, eager for your next title!
Danielle Grandinetti is an award-winning inspirational romance author fueled by tea, books, and the creative beauty of nature. Her stories combine romance, mystery, and suspense against the backdrop of the 1930s to tell the tale of finding home and hope in hard times and have finaled in awards such as the Daphne du Maurier, FHLCW Reader’s Choice, and the Selah. With two decades of teaching experience, including as an adjunct professor teaching intercultural communication, she put her Master of Arts degree in Communication and Culture to work. Originally from Chicagoland, she now lives on the Wisconsin side of Lake Michigan with her husband and two boys. Find her online at daniellegrandinetti.com
Writing Conflict Without Words
Nonverbal Communication in Fiction … What to write when your characters aren’t talking. Looking to add conflict to your story? Tired of boring dialogue tags? Want to improve your showing vs. telling? Deepen your fiction writing by applying nonverbal communication to your characters. Nonverbal signals make up over half of our ability to communicate. Add in tone of voice and nearly all our communication has nothing to do with our actual spoken words. In this class, you’ll learn not only the definitions of various nonverbal communication skills, but how to show them within the confines of a story. You’ll also learn how to layer character conflict while showing action and emotion, rather than telling how a character feels. This will strengthen your word choices and add dynamic description across all genres.
Tanya Agler is an award-winning author of ten Harlequin Heartwarming novels, including her upcoming April 2025 release, Saving the Rancher. A graduate of the University of Georgia with degrees in journalism and law, she lives in metro Atlanta with her husband, four children, and two dogs, including Linus the Beagle. She has conducted workshops for many writing organizations, is a past president of Georgia Romance Writers, and a past secretary for FHLCW. When she’s not writing, chauffeuring her children or folding laundry, Tanya loves classic movies (preferably black and white or anything with Cary Grant), waterfalls, and enjoying a cup of tea alongside a good book. Find out more at tanyaagler.com
How to Make Your Manuscript S-P-A-R-K-L-E
A hook, your book, and the cook. This program explores ways to make your manuscript pop during the editing process. Were there places in your work-in-progress that you wanted to skip over whole paragraphs or chapters? If so, it’s time to make your manuscript S-P-A-R-K-L-E. This workshop will cover seven areas to add layers and depth to your manuscript from starting strong (S) to ending stronger (E). Writers will leave with a question guide they can tailor and send to beta readers.
Kristi Woods, author and speaker, writes stories about Jesus and other heroes in contemporary Christian romance and nonfiction. Her award-winning work is published across the Internet and in print, including her gift book,101 Prayers for Military Wives. Kristi, her Desert Storm pen pal-turned-husband, and three (now adult) children survived a nomadic, military lifestyle and have set roots in Oklahoma. There, she keeps a close watch for tornadoes and decadent chocolate. Connect with her at KristiWoods.net
Using Canva to Create Knock-Out Book Marketing Resources
Ever wonder how people create knock-out author and book graphics without hiring outside help? Think Canva. In this session, we’ll discover how Canva can help authors affordably create beautiful subscriber magnets, DIY social media marketing images, eye-catching promotional materials such as bookmarks, business cards, one-sheets, and much more.
Multi-award-winning and best-selling author of inspirational romantic suspense, Sarah Hamaker loves writing books “where the hero and heroine fall in love while running for their lives.” She’s an AWSA certified writer and speaker coach, and podcaster of “The Romantic Side of Suspense.” Sarah lives in Virginia with her husband, four children and three cats. Find out more at sarahhamakerfiction.com
Playing Well With Others: How to Leverage the Power of Group Promotions
We all want to grow our audience to reach more readers, but many of us take the scattershot approach by signing up for group promotions without thinking through whether it’s the right promotion for us. This presentation will help you discern how to evaluate group promotions from groups like Booksweeps, Authors XP, Celebrate Lit and Just Reads, while also teaching you how to develop your own successful group promotions. Sarah will share her secrets to running your own group promotions, from blog tours to newsletter swaps to email giveaways—all designed to grow your email list.
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