Here are just a few of our amazing members and their writing careers:
 | Cara is an author living a dream. Between October 2007 and September 2008, her first four books will release. Three are a historical romance series set in Nebraska during World War Two, which Heartsong Presents will release. One is a suspense, also set in Nebraska, that will release from Love Inspired Suspense. She's working on a proposal for a legal thriller as she writes like a woman under deadline. Cara is also an attorney, wife, mom, women's ministry leader, ACFW national board member, and going slightly crazy. But even in the craziness, she strives to stay right in the middle of God's will for her life. And she can't wait to see what He has next. Visit me on the web... |
 | On a recent plane trip, best-selling author Colleen Coble and a friend were discussing how best to murder someone. When she realized they had the rapt attention of several traveling companions, Colleen explained she writes romantic mysteries, much to the relief of the other passengers. Her thirty-five titles have won or finaled in contests from the Romance Writers of America’s RITA, the Holt Medallion, the Booksellers Best, the ACFW Book of the Year, the Foreward Magazine Book of the Year, the Readers’ Choice and the Best Books of Indiana. Colleen is CEO of American Christian Fiction Writers and has won their Mentor of the Year award twice. Her favorite thing is playing with her new granddaughter Alexa, affectionately known as "Punky." Visit me on the web... |
 | Denise is the best-selling author of The Convenient Groom and Surrender Bay and has written 14 novels. Her books have earned awards such as the Holt Medalion and the Reader's Choice Award. Denise lives with her husband and three sons in Northern Indiana. When she's not writing or reading, Denise enjoys playing drums, eating dark chocolate, and traveling. Visit me on the web... |
 | Diann Hunt writes women’s fiction with a hefty dose of romance and humor. She admits to seeing the world from a slightly different angle than most, and she will do just about anything (within reason) for chocolate. Since 2001, she has published three novellas and twelve novels. Her first novel with WestBow Publishers, Hot Flashes & Cold Cream, finaled in the Holt Medallion and won second place in the ACFW Book of the Year Contest. In 2006, RV There Yet? was a Women of Faith pick. Hot Tropics & Cold Feet won in the lit category ACFW book of the year in 2008. Diann has lived in Indiana forever, been happily married forever, loves her family, chocolate, her friends, chocolate, her dog, and, well, chocolate. Visit me on the web... |
 | A Preacher's Daughter Born and raised in Vincennes, Indiana, Jamie is the daughter of a preacher man. Road trips with her dad—to and from Bible studies across Indiana—were filled with talks of things beyond earth’s bounds - creation and the fall, God and Jesus and the rapture, the earthly walk compared to the spiritual walk, and how we are born for more than what we can see or touch. The highlight of those nights was stopping at a truck stop in the middle of the night where her dad would spend a little of the offering basket on two slices of pie and a couple of Cokes. Nothing ever felt so special as a middle of the night slice of pie with her dad. And nothing could stop the writing pouring out of her. Piles of poems, short stories, skits and song lyrics later, Jamie grew up and married. When her eldest son turned five she decided to try her hand at novels. Snow Angel was published and won the USA Book News “Best Books 2007” Awards winner, and 2008 RITA Awards® Best First Book finalist. Now, with seven books and counting, it was the beginning of her dream career. Jamie and Tony have been married for twenty-two years and live in Indianapolis with their three sons and a giant of a dog named Leo. If she could only say one thing to her readers it would be, "Live the dreams God has destined you for!" Visit me on the web... |
 | Janet Dean writes inspirational historical romances. Her journey toward publication took nine exciting, sometimes painful years of learning her craft and dealing with rejection. Two of her manuscripts were 2005 and 2006 Golden Heart finalists. One of those manuscripts was a 2006 Genesis finalist. Her first novel, Courting Miss Adelaide, a Steeple Hill Love Inspired historical, will be released in September, 2008. Courting the Doctor's Daughter will release May 2009 from Steeple Hill Love Inspired Historical. She's currently working on the third book in the series. Visit me on the web... |
 | Jude Urbanski writes inspirational romance and non fiction. In 2006 Langmarc published Jude's non fiction story of her daughter's tragic automobile accident resulting in a traumatic brain injury. Jude has had magazine articles published and won the Writing for Excellence award from her Indiana State Nurse's Association. She's also edited newsletters and writes a column for her church paper. People, reading, travel and nature are her passions. She and her husband enjoy their large family, antiquing or crewing for hot air balloonists. She's a former nursing professor and nurse practitioner in women's health. Visit me on thew web... |
 | Karla Akins is a pastor's wife, mom of five and grandmother of five living in North Manchester. She is the Indiana Correspondent for Mother Nature Network and a national columnist for Examiner.com. She writes narratives for kids under a contract with Bramley Books as well as content for geography and history iPad applications for the same company. Her agent is Linda Glaz of Hartline Literary Agency. Karla also writes historical and contemporary Christian Fiction. Karla was first nationally published at the age of 16 in a Sunday School take-home paper when she won a national writing contest. She wrote a three-act musical in high school and it was performed for the American Theater Convention in New York City in 1979. She has wonderful memories of typing her manuscripts on an old Smith-Corona on top of a TV tray at her grandmother's house. Her hobbies include book-hoarding, swimming and riding her motorcycle. Visit me on the web... |
 | Kathryn is a wife, mother, writer, speaker, and licensed attorney. Her hobbies include photography, sailing, music, and, of course, reading. On the writing front, Kathryn is the author of "In God We Trust: How the Supreme Court's First Amendment Decisions Affect Organized Religion" (FaithWalk Publishing, 2006) and numerous articles. She is currently working on a contemporary novel for a Christian audience. Visit me on the web... |
 | A retired college prof and second generation MK, Millie writes novels about China where she was born and grew up. She has also written and published a collection of memoir-like stories for performance and study about the women and children disciples of Jesus at the Last Supper. In costume, she enjoys speaking about these topics to bring encouragement and wisdom to Jesus' followers today. While Millie is self-published so far, she looks forward to signing a contract with a traditional publisher one of these days. For that reason, she is pleased to be represented by Diana Flegal of Hartline Literary Agency. Visit me on the web... |
 | Erma Bombeck Global winner Rachael Phillips began her unplanned writing career when a church secretary seeking newsletter articles held her at gunpoint. She recently signed her first fiction contract with Barbour Publishing for her novella, Ride with Me Into Christmas (part of a Door County Christmas collection to be released September 2010). She also won the Young Adult category of the 2007 ACFW Genesis contest for her unpublished novel Song of the Orphan Train. Rachael has authored four biographies: Frederick Douglass, Billy Sunday, St. Augustine and Well with My Soul. A newspaper columnist with more than 200 bylines, Rachael has written humor for ACFW’s Afictionado, Today’s Christian Woman and others. She has contributed stories to collections such as Moody Publishers’ Pearl Girls: Encountering Grit, Experiencing Grace (2009). Rachael’s classes on humor writing have enlivened gatherings such as ACFW Indiana meetings, the Glorieta Christian Writers Conference and the 2008 Books and Such Literary Agency retreat. She will take her workshops, complete with beach balls, to Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference in March 2010. Rachael often rides a tandem bicycle with her husband of 35 years, Steve, around the picturesque Indiana countryside. They love serving God together and especially enjoy worshiping Him through their church’s music ministry. Rachael and Steve have three grown children and four perfect grandchildren. Visit me on the web... |
 | Ramona K. Cecil is a wife, mother, grandmother, freelance poet, and award-winning inspirational romance writer. Now empty-nesters, she and Jim, her husband of thirty-four years, make their home in southern Indiana. Her creative writing credits began first, with the publication of her poetry. Between the mid 1980s and 1990s over eighty of her inspirational verses were published by Dickson, Inc., a leading publisher of inspirational and Christian gift items. It was about that time that a visit to Conner Prairie, a living history museum near Indianapolis, IN, inspired the story that would one day become Larkspur, her first inspirational historical romance novel. In 2002, she became serious about writing Christian fiction and joined American Christian Fiction Writers. Since then, she has written five novels, four novellas, and several short stories. Her work has won first place in three writing contests and placed highly in two others. Larkspur, her debut novel, was the 2005 winner of Vintage Romance Publishing’s Vintage Inspirations Contest. Part of first-place prize was a publishing contract with Vintage Romance Publishers, and the book was released November 2006. Since then, two more inspirational historical romance novels, also set in Indiana, have been accepted by Barbour Publishing’s Heartsong Presents line. Sweet Forever, is scheduled for release March 2008 and Everlasting Promise has not yet been given a release date. When not writing, her hobbies include reading, gardening, and visiting places of historical interest. Visit me on the web... |
Crystal Laine Miller
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Crystal Laine Miller is no stranger to big shadows in small towns. Married 30 years to an ER physician and mother to four boys ages 20 to 26, Miller lives where “Cool Was Born,” hometown to James Dean and Jim Davis (creator of “Garfield”), outside the little Quaker village of Fairmount, Indiana.
Ten years as an elementary teacher, P.E. teacher and coach, she understands small town Hoosier life and relationships. A book reviewer who has amassed over 900 published reviews in magazines and ezines, written articles and columns on books and parenting, and a paid manuscript reader/critique/freelance editor for authors, editors and agents, ACFW Book of the Year judge and ACFW unpublished Genesis writing contest judge, Miller has read much of the Christian books coming out into the market.
Nominated three years in a row for ACFW’s Mentor of the Year, she has helped many to be published or improve their writing. She has been a Christian school board executive, Christian elementary curriculum chairman, teacher-hiring chairman, children’s department director at church, VBS leader, and a Bible Study Fellowship leader, as well as a leader for various civic and auxiliary organizations and fundraisers. Over the years she has been editor for newsletters of nonprofit organizations, been Indiana ACFW Chapter president and advisor, taught Sunday school, led worship, played in bands, written letters for Angel Tree, served on juries, and headed up school parenting organizations and school events. Her hobbies include trapshooting, golf, motorcycle riding, playing music, reading, and trying new restaurants with her husband and friends.
But the most important thing in her life is her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, whom she embraced in faith as a child.
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Joe Allison is an ordained minister who lives in Fishers, IN, with his wife, Judy. Joe has worked in Christian book publishing for more than three decades, having served on the editorial staffs of Warner Press, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Zondervan Publishing House, and Evangel Publishing House. He has been coordinator of publishing and creative services at Church of God Ministries in Anderson, IN, since 2004.
Joe’s first nonfiction book, the Bible Study Resource Guide, was published by Thomas Nelson in 1982. His other books include the Devotional Resource Guide (Nelson: 1984), Setting Goals that Count (Chosen: 1986), and Concerned Parents, co-authored with Linden Boggs (Standard: 1986). He is also the ghostwriter for six nonfiction books, some of which have remained in print for more than twenty years.
The Wrong Side of the Mountain is Joe’s first historical novel, set in Depression-Era Appalachia, and the first in a trilogy tentatively called “Stories of the Highlands.” Watch Hoosier Ink for the publication dates or visit Joe’s blog http://hoosierwriter.wordpress.com/
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Ronda Wells has volunteered as a hostess for workshops and late night chats at the ACFW national conference, and thinks that joining ACFW in 2003 was one of the best things she ever did. She writes medical suspense--and by day, is a physician, by night, a daring doctor saving the world from the newest medical threat. She is married, with two children and a brand-new daughter-in-law, and enjoyed the opportunity to serve Indiana ACFW as treasurer. She served as Treasurer in 2010, 2011, and 2012.
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Jeff Reynolds is an ordained minister (not currently serving at a church), a song-writer, a clerical worker at a clinical lab, and has served as a volunteer for Voice of the Martyrs. He also has been in Toastmasters, earning the Distinguished Toastmaster award, during which he filled several club offices, a term as an area governor, and a successful assignment as a club coach. Jeff has completed a murder mystery with another in progress and three more novels on the back burner. Additionally, he's had several letters to the editor published in both the Nashville Tennessean and the Indianapolis Star. In his free time (what's that?), he is a fan of the WNBA, and with Becky, his wife of 28 years, has visited over 35 different zoos around the country. Jeff served as Secretary in 2012. Jeff frequently posts at http://sleuthsandsuspects.blogspot.com/
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