ACFW Conference Registration Now Open

Quick note before I talk about the conference: Violet Dawn, first in my Kanner Lake series, is now free on the Kindle. If you don't have a Kindle, you can download a Kindle app for your iphone, computer, or iPad. Go here to download Violet Dawn.
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Registration is now open for the American Christian Fiction Writers' Conference, held in Indianapolis from Sept. 17-20. This is the largest Christian writers' conference in the country (last year about 540 people attended), and it's the only conference that does nothing but fiction. If you're interested in writing faith-based fiction, this is the conference for you.

The conference is special to me for many reasons, two being the very disparate roles I get to play during the event. In my "out front" role I serve as emcee, and have done so since the very first ACFW conference. In my "quiet" role I serve in the prayer room. Much of my time that is not spent up front is spent in the prayer room, meeting with people to pray for their physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. (Often people make appointments with me ahead of time to meet them in the prayer room so we're sure we have that opportunity.) Every year I've seen miracles occur. For me, what happens in that room, quietly, between God and attendees, is the highlight of the conference. And I do believe God has blessed our conference because of its focus on prayer. It's no small thing to have a dedicated prayer room each year. It means we pay for an extra hotel conference room that is not used for teaching, but is set aside and dedicated to prayer.


Regarding the conference as a whole:


1. You'll see more fiction agents and editors at attendance at ACFW than any other conference. These professionals know that, as far as fiction goes, this is the conference to attend.


2. You'll receive training in fiction on five different levels, ranging from beginners to professional level. So no matter where you are in your journey of writing fiction, there are classes and workshops for you.


3. Our conference continues to grow, which is a testament to how helpful attendees find it. Even in the down-turned economy of 2009, when other conferences were struggling, ACFW had a larger attendance than ever. We expect the same this year.


4. The atmosphere is very friendly. ACFW members are like a big family. And if you're not a member, or a new member, you'll make friends quickly. First-time ACFW conference attendees benefit from a special e-mail loop that runs about six weeks before the conference, and a special meeting just for them at the beginning of the conference. This newcomer welcome is led by Cara Putman, and I'm along to help. Through the e-mail loop newcomers can pose all their questions, from meeting with editors and agents to what to wear and everything in between. By the time the newcomer hits the conference, he/she has already made acquaintances online. The meeting is then a chance for last-minute questions and getting to know each other. We are amazed at the number of newcomers we have each year.


If you're interested in writing fiction, do check out this conference. You won't be sorry. If you're not a member of ACFW, that's okay. You can still attend. Or for about the same amount of money you can join ACFW and then attend as a member.


Hope to see you there in September!