Aaron's Books visits Lancaster Christian Writers on Saturday, April 19th

Dear Lancaster Christian Writers:

 

We had a WONDERFUL day together last Saturday, didn't we! Thank you to so many who volunteered with setup and takedown at our one-day writers conference, Super Saturday 2011, making it all run so effortlessly. And a thanks to our wonderful faculty and Marlene Bagnull, director Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference, who traveled to be with us. We've had nothing but glowing feedback from all the workshops. If you couldn't make it this year, do consider getting it on your schedule already for next year. It will be once again around the third Saturday of March.

 

Meanwhile, next month is always only a few weeks away. Lancaster Christian Writers meets again on Saturday, April 16th, at Lancaster Evangelical Free Church, 419 Pierson Rd, Lititz, PA, 17543, from 9:30AM-12 noon. We are delighted to welcome as our guests for that date the owners of Aaron's Bookstore in downtown Lititz, Todd and Sam Dickenson. Todd will be sharing with us the benefits a community bookstore can offer you as a local writer. He shares the following: "Aaron's Books in Lititz is Lancaster County's independent general interest bookstore, offering new and quality used books, as well as e-books. Owners Todd and Sam Dickinson and their son Aaron (age 8) – for whom the store is named – are committed to community involvement. Todd will offer the bookstore owner's perspective on bookselling and discuss ways authors and locally-owned, independent bookstores can work together to promote the author's work, as well as the love of reading." Check out more about their facilities and many community and author events at: http://www.aaron'sbooksonline.com/   

We will also be holding our regular peer critique session, SO put to use all those tips you picked up at this year's Super Saturday conference and bring along that piece to critique. Remember the guidelines: no more than 1500 words and ten copies for group critique. IN OTHER NEWS:

 

1) It is an enormous pleasure to announce that one of SS2011 faculty, Tracy Higley, has just been nominated a Christian Book Award 2011 fiction finalist for her title Petra (yes, the one a lucky SS2011 conferee took home from the drawing!). Check out the details at: http://christianbookexpo.com/christianbookawards/finalist2011.php. 

 

2) If you are looking for some free spring reading, awardwinning author Lena Nelson Dooley has just posted an author interview and book drawing for my (Jeanette Windle) Kregel release, The DMZ, set in the Colombian guerrilla zones where I grew up. To be entered in the drawing for FREE COPY, do drop by and leave a comment: http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com/2011/03/dmz-jeanette-windle-free-book.html.  

 

3) I leave Monday for a twelve day trip in Israel and Jordan, my first time in the Holy Land. I will be checking email  and Facebook sporadically along the way, but will be otherwise fairly unavailable until my return on April 9th. Meanwhile, happy writing!

 

Blessings,

Jeanette Windle

Chapter President, Lancaster Christian Writers

http://www.lancasterchristianwriters.org/

http://www.jeanettewindle.com/

Lancaster Christian Writers Super Saturday 2011 Schedule

SUPER SATURDAY SEMINAR

8:45AM-4PM PM, MARCH 19, 2011

LANCASTER EVANGELICAL FREE CHURCH

419 PIERSON RD., LITITZ, PA, 17543

8:00 AM--REGISTRATION OPEN

8:45 AM--OPENING IN SANCTUARY

9:30-10:45 AM--FIRST WORKSHOP:

A-101-- T.L. HIGLEY: "Stereotypes: Love ‘em and Leave ‘em." Learn to both utilize and break from personality types to create memorable fiction characters that leap off the page.

A-103-- EMILY PARKE CHASE: "Pro/Con: Cool it!" Addressing hot topics with temperature-lowering grace.

10:45-11:00 AM--BREAK, Bookstore Open

11:00 AM-12:15 PM--SECOND WORKSHOP:

A-101--ALAN LOEWEN: "Fantasy is a Christian Genre Too!"

A-103-- TERRI GILLESPIE: "Apples of Gold—Writing for the Devotional Market."

12:15-1:00 PM--LUNCH, Bag Lunch served in foyer. Bookstore open.

1:00-2:15 PM--THIRD WORKSHOP:

A-101-- JEANETTE WINDLE: "The Nuts and Bolts of Plotting High-Octane Fiction."  Developing a compelling story lies not only in who, what, where, and when, but how and especially why.

 A-103-- HANA HAATAINEN CAYE: "The Business of Writing--Ways to Make Money as a Freelance Writer."

2:15-2:30 PM--BREAK, Bookstore Open

2:30-3:45 PM--FOURTH WORKSHOP

A-101-- JOYCE MAGNIN: "Make ‘em Laugh—But not too much." Infusing fiction and nonfiction with a laugh track.

A-103-- CAROL WEDEVEN: “Choosing WORDS for Kids.” Enjoy the adventure of discovering WORDS of gold which will thrill the reading child.

3:45-4:15--FINAL BOOKSTORE CALL



SUPER SATURDAY 2011 WORKSHOP DESCRIPTIONS

 Dear Lancaster Christian Writers:

Many have been asking exactly what workshops our wonderful faculty will be offering for Super Saturday 2011. The descriptions are now in. Check them out below and share them with your friends.

HANA HAATAINEN CAYE: "The Business of Writing--Ways to Make Money as a Freelance Writer." Running a freelance writing business can be more profitable than you may think. This workshop will cover the various types of business and creative writing opportunities that exist for writers who see beyond their fiction and poetry and want to find a way to make a living, or simply earn some extra cash, through the written word. Examples include press releases, advertising copy, magazine articles, on hold message scripts, sales letters, webpage writing, search engine optimized writing, newsletters, and more.

EMILY PARKE CHASE: "Pro/Con: Cool it!" Hot topics like politics, abortion, and homosexuality can separate readers into opposing camps.  Incorporating humor and anecdotes into your writing can lower temperatures and bridge the divide that stalls dialog on important issues.

TERRI GILLESPIE: "Apples of Gold—Writing for the Devotional Market." Devotional writing is a great way to break into publishing and to reach others with sweet, life changing messages of God’s redemption. This class will give you markets and practical formats for devotional writing.

T.L. HIGLEY: "Stereotypes: Love ‘em and Leave ‘em." Learn to both utilize and break from personality types to create memorable characters that leap off the page.

CRAIG ALAN LOEWEN: "Fantasy is a Christian Genre Too!" Christian-themed fantasy/sci-fi has a growing fan base within both the CBA and ABA marketplace. This interactive workshop will cover the various sub-genres of fantasy writing as well as carry the participant through the process of creating ideas for the story, doing research for the background, writing and revising the story, and then having it published in a suitable market. The tips and resources will be helpful to all writers regardless of the genre they prefer to work in.

JOYCE MAGNIN: "Make ‘em Laugh—But not too much." It’s been said that there would be no laughter without sorrow. Discover the science behind the funny and learn how to infuse your fiction and nonfiction with a laugh track. Sometimes it takes the unexpected to get a chuckle and other times it’s simply a tiny curlicue on a sentence or two to relieve the tension.

CAROL WEDEVEN: “Choosing WORDS for Kids.” Enjoy the adventure of discovering WORDS of gold which will thrill the reading child. Don’t settle for less. Collect the best. Get rid of tongue twisters. Put characters in place. Use color-coded WORDS. Every manuscript deserves your rapt attention to detail.

JEANETTE WINDLE: "The Nuts and Bolts of Plotting High-Octane Fiction." Developing a compelling story lies not only in who, what, where, and when, but how and especially why. Interweaving plot lines, conflict, POV, dialogue, forward motion vs. flashback, character vs. action-driven are among the elements necessary to tell an effective story.

Lancaster Christian Writers February News/Opportunities

Dear Lancaster Christian Writers:

 

What a talented group you are, as we were privileged to see and hear at our January LCW meeting. With the weather, holidays, and no guest speaker, I will admit I'd expected a small turnout. Instead upwards of fifty braved the cold, and we were blessed by a truly outstanding compilation of poetry, inspirational, short story, and comedy pieces shared by LCW members. Thank you all who participated, and a special thanks to Shirley Shenberger whose devotional presentation was a true reminder of what Christmas is really about--the restoration of peace between a lost humanity and a loving Creator.

 

JUST A FEW NEWS TIDBITS:

 

1) February LCW meeting: Don't forget that we are meeting this coming month on the second Saturday, February 12th, instead of the third, at Lancaster Evangelical Free Church, 419 Pierson Rd, Lititz, PA, 17543 from 9:30AM-12 noon. We will be meeting downstairs in the church lower level due to activities on the main floor, so be aware of that change. We will make sure there are signs posted to get downstairs. We are privileged to have award-winning journalist Lisa Bartelt sharing a work shop: "Dr. English and Mrs. Twitter: Tips for living with a love for words in an age of texts and tweets." Lisa amplifies, "I'll be sharing information about how to write within word count guidelines, when to use short words vs. long words, and some exercises to help us keep our writing readable. The information is based on my 8 years of experience as a (award-winning!) journalist and editor for daily newspapers in Illinois and a workshop I attended at Blue Ridge Writers Conference given by an editor from The Upper Room magazine."

 

2) Florida Christian Writers Conference: The FCWC is coming up quickly March 3-6, 2011. FCWC is one of the larger Christian writers conferences with a lot of editors, agents, publishers in attendance. If you are interested in attending, LCW has just received a partial scholarship offer from FCWC director Billie Wilson--$200 off the usual price. Registration must be received by February 15, 2011. Not available for online registration. No other discounts apply. Attached is the scholarship form. For further information, email: billiewilson@cfl.rr.com  FAX 321-267-9654.

 

3) And a request for input has come into LCW from local area Christian journalist and editor Valery Weaver-Zercher:

 

       "Are you trying your hand at Amish fiction? Or know another writer who is?  A journalist/editor in the Harrisburg area, I am writing a book about Amish romance novels and would like to speak with any writers, published or unpublished, who are working in that genre. Contact Valerie Weaver-Zercher at valerie@vweaver-zercher.com if you’re open to speaking about your writing, your hopes for your work, and your reflections on the Amish fiction market. More info at website: www.vweaver-zercher.com."

4) Super Saturday 2011: And finally, I hope you've got Saturday, March 19th, blocked out on your calendar to attend SS2011. More information as to faculty bios and workshop titles will be up soon at our LCW Blog. Meanwhile, please do help us get the news out, above all by forwarding the SS2011 flyer to anyone you can. Thank you again, Rebecca Wenger, for putting that together for us.

Blessings,

Jeanette Windle

Chapter President, Lancaster Christian Writers

www.lancasterchristianwriters.org

www.jeanettewindle.com

 

Final LCW January Reminder/News

Dear Lancaster Christian Writers:

Saturday promises to be a sunny day, if cold. So do consider joining us for coffee/tea and fellowship with other writers at Lancaster Evangelical Free Church, 419 Pierson Rd, Lititz, PA, 17543 Saturday, January 15th, from 9:30AM-12 noon. There are still openings if you'd like to share your own favorite gem of writing with the rest of us. Word count limit 300-500 words; platform time 3-5 minutes. There will also be a Q&A session and the usual critique groups.

OTHER NEWS:

1) For our February meeting, please mark the following date change. Due to some schedule conflicts. we will be meeting Saturday, February 12th, instead of February 19th. We are privileged to have award-winning journalist and newspaper editor Lisa Bartelt sharing with us a workshop: "Dr. English and Mrs. Twitter: Tips for living with a love for words in an age of texts and tweets".

2) A special thanks to LCW member Rebecca Wenger who kindly produced for us a REAL flyer for Super Saturday 2011 (I will never claim to be a graphics designer!). Email me at jeanette@jeanettewindle.com for flyer (and if you know how to post it online, please enlighten me!). Please begin to help us get this beautiful flyer up on bulletin boards and forwarded to as many interested writers as you can think of. :)

Until Saturday,
Jeanette Windle
Chapter President, Lancaster Christian Writers
www.lancasterchristianwriters.org
www.jeanettewindle.com

Lancaster Christian Writers January Meeting/News

Dear Lancaster Christian Writers:

 

LCW kicks off the 2011 calendar year Saturday, January 15th, at Lancaster Evangelical Free Church, 419 Pierson Rd, Lititz, PA, 17543 from 9:30AM-12 noon with a wonderful panel of speakers--YOU! Yes, this is your opportunity to share your own favorite gem of writing with the rest of us. If you have a short devotional, poem, prose piece, short-short story, we'd like to hear from you. It's still close enough to the holidays that if you have a Christmas piece, we'd love to hear it. BUT in order to permit as many as possible to share, a few GUIDELINES: Word count limit 300-500 words; platform time 3-5 minutes.  Please drop me a note if you'd like to participate, so I can have a basic head count.

 

We will still be allowing time for critique groups and also a brief Q&A session. Some of the same questions concerning agents, self vs. traditional publishers, and other matters have been popping up from a number of you, so we'll take some time to answer those questions. OTHER NEWS:

 

1) Super Saturday 2011: We have a fabulous speakers lineup for Super Saturday 2011, coming up quickly on March 19, 2011. Attached is a flyer. Please consider doing what you can to get this info out beyond the LCW group to so many others who can benefit from the outstanding author lineup and reasonable cost of this one-day conference. Some ideas. Post the flyer to your Facebook. Send it on to your email contacts. Get it up on your library, school, church, community bulletin boards (PS. I am not a graphic designer, so if anyone would like a stab at creating a prettier flyer, that would be hugely appreciated. Just drop a private email). Speaker info and regular updates will be posted here at on the LCW blog: 

 

2) Writing Opportunity: Joyce Tilney, Editor of 'Voice of Grace & Truth", a PA Christian newspaper that distributes in Lancaster, Montgomery and Chester County and beyond, is inviting LCW members to submit articles and columns. Such LCW members as James Castellano have been published by VGT. For Guidelines, drop me an email.

 

3) Christian Sci-Fi Comic: And for those who enjoy Sci-Fi and Comics, LCW member Ellen Campbell has shared the following link for the new Science Fiction web comic, Carpe Chaos, produced by a wonderful group of young Christian adults: carpechaos.com. Launched this summer, it has aired at several comic conventions. "The comic doesn't preach, but has truth," its producers share. Which makes it perfect to pass on to a teen, university student, or just plain sci-fi fan in your life.

 

Finally, we'd like to thank Joyce Magnin for a wonderful session this past LCW meeting. After sharing on developing your own voice as an author, Joyce scratched the surface of using humor to touch a reader's heart. For those who missed her and/or want more, she will be returning for Super Saturday 2011 to offer a full workshop on sharing your heart's message with a humorous touch. Thanks, Joyce!

 

Blessings,

Jeanette Windle

Chapter President, Lancaster Christian Writers

http://www.jeanettewindle.com/

Lancaster Christian Writers December Meeting and NEWS

Dear Lancaster Christian Writers:

 

Are you as astounded as I to look up from your keyboard and discover that 2010 is almost over? I've got whiplash turning my head to catch it as it zipped by! We do have one more  LCW meeting this year.  If you can tear yourself away from holiday activities, do join us Saturday, December 18, 2010, at Lancaster Evangelical Free Church, 419 Pierson Rd, Lititz, PA, 17543 from 9:30AM-12 noon. Sharing her newest title, Charlotte Figg Takes Over Paradise, and tips for both fiction and non-fiction writers will be Joyce Magnin, author of The Prayers of Agnes Sparrow, chosen as one of the "Top 5 Best Christian Fiction Books of 2009" by Library Journal. Here is a perfect chance to pick up that final personally autographed Christmas gift for someone on your list! ALSO we will again be offering opportunity for LCW members to showcase their titles and/or craft items for Christmas shopping. So come meet Joyce Magnin and bring along checkbook or cash for your final Christmas shopping.

 

OTHER NEWS:

 

1) A special thanks to Hana Haatainen Caye, for her workshop at our November LCW workshop on making a  living with freelance writing and editing. Feedback from those there included 'one of the most practical workshops I've ever heard' and 'you really knocked it out of the ball-park with this one'. Despite twenty years as a writer'edit and fifteen books in print, I personally learned more new, practical tips for my own freelance writing career than I've ever done in the course of only ninety minutes. If you missed Hana, you have opportunity to pick her brain again, BECAUSE:

 

2) 2011 LCW Super Saturday Seminar: We have just confirmed the date of our 2011 one-day writers workshop for Saturday, March 19, 2011. Already we have a stellar lineup of speakers confirmed from fiction authors Tracy Higley, Wanda Dyson, fantasy author Alan Loewen, children's author Carol Wedeven to non-fiction authors like Terri Gillespie, Emily Chase, and Hana Haatainen Caye. We will have a poster ready to begin passing on by the end of the year. One thing we've learned this year is how reasonable the price is for this one-day event compared to any other writers events across Pennsylvania. So PLEASE consider how you can help us this year get news of this event out to writers who can profit from our 2011SSS. 

 

3) And one more writing opportunity has come to LCW: The publishers of Deep River Books has sent the following contest invitation tor Christian manuscripts to LCW members, top prize $1000! Info below. Let's see if an LCW member can take home this prize.

 

In this holiday season, let us use the words God has gifted us with as writers to remind a listening/reading world of the true reason for our rejoicing, our Creator stepping into  time and space, the greatest gift wrapped not in shiny paper, but human flesh, Emmanuel, God with us, Jesus Christ.

 

Blessings,

Jeanette Windle

Chapter President, Lancaster Christian Writers

http://www.lancasterchristianwriters.org/

http://www.jeanettewindle.com/

 

FROM DEEP RIVER BOOKS:I wanted to share with you an opportunity for the members of Lancaster Christian Writers.  Deep River Books is holding a contest for Christian manuscripts and a chance to win $1000.  Please read the press release below.  Feel free to call us if you have any questions at Bring It On! Communications (541) 549.1139. You will find all the rules at the Deep River website listed below.   

Sincerely,

Shelby Stafford
Bring It On! Communications



PRESS RELEASE

Contact: Rhonda Funk     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Email: mhtml:{34EC0C83-C718-4B55-909C-755E86E806A5}mid://00000114/!x-usc:mailto:rhonda@bringitoncommunications.com


Deep River Books Giving Away $1000 to The Best Christian Manuscript


Deep River Books, www.DeepRiverBooks.com  a full-service Christian partner publishing company, is looking for the next bestselling Christian book and they are offering a $1000 cash prize to the best manuscript submitted by an unpublished author.  Second and Third Place winners will receive $500 each.  A“Certificate of Merit” will be awarded to runner-up contestants whose manuscripts are of merit but do not win a cash prize.

If publishing your book idea has become a burning desire, then you owe it to yourself to check out Deep River Books and their Best New Manuscript Contest. 

The contest ends January 31, 2011, so hurry!

Deep River Books has published an array of best-selling Christian authors including Coach Bill McCartney (founder of Promise Keepers), Kimberly Cash Tate, John Claeys, Rosemary Trible, Sam Batterman, Ace and Bethany McKay, and many others. 

Mentoring new authors, DRB offers more than most publishers. With their top of the line design team, typesetters, editors, and publicity team, DRB products command attention. 

As one of our authors put it, "[Deep River Books] is the perfect place for talented but unknown authors to get a chance. If you can write and have a compelling story to tell or a significant message to put forth from a traditional values point of view, [Deep River Books] will give you the chance to get the exposure you deserve. If you are lucky enough to be selected, you will not be disappointed."  Michael Hayutin, author of Character Immunization- How to Raise Children Strong Enough to Resist Popular Culture

Right now, DRB is accepting unsolicited manuscripts in the following categories:
Inspirational books
Marriage, Family, and Parenting books
Christian Fiction (Adult and YA)
Christian Self Help/Counseling/Leadership Issues
Contemporary Issues from a Christian Values point of view

To enter the contest, go to www.DeepRiverBooks.com and click on the “Contest” bar for entry rules and more details.