Free Pass into ACFW 2015

For those who didn't attend the national ACFW conference, it can be a bit painful to read about all the fun folks had. But try not to think of it as missing out. Think of everyone sharing their experiences as your FREE pass to an inside scoop on what conference provides.

I've always been grateful for the opportunity to attend an ACFW National Conference. They get better and even less overwhelming each year I go. And this year? For some reason, there was a gracious peace that settled over me. I don't know how many others felt that at this conference, but I know I did. God's presence was felt by me both in the atmosphere and in the people I met.

I learned a ton from the classes as I always do. And I think I even came back home with a little more clarity as far as the direction the Lord wants me to take in my writing. This is something I've been wondering about. What better place for the fog to lift than at a writer's conference?

Here are some of my most fun highlights.

Night One: Genre Dinner. I dressed as a Steampunk Biologist. I've only written a few short stories in the Steampunk genre, but it's such a fun way to dress up, I couldn't resist. I put the outfit together myself and rediscovered how much I enjoy working with costumes. (More than 32 years ago I spent my fair share of time in theater costume shops.)

The second night I got to have dinner with my fabulous agent and meet my crit partner, Tom Threadgill, and his beautiful wife, Janet, for the first time. We joined other clients of my agent, Linda Glaz.

Glazites

The last night is the highlight of the conference--the reward banquet. I have no idea how or why, but somehow I ended up on the front row in the middle. I've never been that close to the stage before. In the past I've always been in the very back in the corner, barely able to see even a screen.

It's been a difficult 2015 for me, and this gift from God was precious. It was if He was reminding me that He's got my back. He's there. And He's guiding my steps. I only have to trust.

To be inspired by so many authors is an overwhelming blessing. To be just feet away from Francine Rivers as she gave her speech while accepting the Lifetime Achievement Award left me, well, speechless.

It was great fun listening to people give their speeches for their awards and imagining what it must feel like for them. Congratulations to fellow Hoosier, Denise Hunter for wining the Carol Award for her book, The Wishing Season!

Denise Hunter accepting the esteemed Carol Award

And the meal? So delicious. All the food all the time was the sort that you dream about when you get home.

The Salmon was amazing. I wish I could have eaten the steak, too!
Too much food!

I need to learn how to make Creme Brulee

Huge berries in Texas! And so delicious!

Next year's conference will be August 25-28 at the Omni in downtown Nashville. And the Keynote Speaker is Ted Dekker!

Excuse me for a minute.

::::SQUEEEEEEEEE!!!!::::

I'm going to start saving my pennies now. Nashville is one of my favorite places in the world, and to get to hear Ted Dekker speak?

Is it greedy to hope God gives me another front row seat?

Would you be so kind to tweet: Free Pass into ACFW 2015!

Karla Akins is the author of The Pastor's Wife Wears Biker Boots and countless short stories, biographies and other books for middle grades. She currently serves as Vice-President of ACFW-Indiana Chapter and resides in North Manchester with her pastor-husband, twin adult sons with autism, and her mother-in-law with Alzheimer's. Her three dogs and two cats are attentive editors.

The Accidental Bride by Denise Hunter

A Writer’s Book Review 

by Hoosier Ink member Dawn Crandall

My favorite books are always ones in which the characters go through struggles to get their happy endings. Well, not really just struggles... but intense, heart-breaking, emotional pain. And this is why I am addicted to Denise Hunter’s writing. 

Her book The Accidental Bride was excellent. I was so exited to see that it was about Shay Brandenberger, a character from Denise Hunter’s first book in the Big Sky Romances series, A Cowboy’s Touch. She was referred to in the first book as a brokenhearted single-mom who was unable to get over her first love, Travis McCoy, who’d left her at the altar fourteen years ago.

 

Denise Hunter weaves an amazing story between these two—a story that had my heart hurting for both of them continually throughout the book. But don’t think it’s a downer of a book—it certainly is not. It is a book about a deep, undying love between seemingly star-crossed soul-mates. It’s about a love that wins in the end despite Shay and Travis’ very real fears and apprehensions caused by their past experiences—a love that wins despite everything standing in its way.  

This book is the second book in Denise Hunter’s Big Sky Romances series, but can also be read on its own. 

NetGalley (with permission from Thomas Nelson Publishing) supplied me with an electronic version of this book as an Advanced Reader’s Edition (which means it was an uncorrected proof and not the final interior of the novel) in return for my honest opinion of the book. I give Denise Hunter’s The Accidental Bride 5 stars. 

If I had this book in paper form I would pass it around to everyone I know and insist that they read it.

To read an excerpt from the first book in the series, A Cowboy’s Touch, click here.

If you would like to read the first chapter of The Accidental Bride right now, click here. 

       

 

Coming Oct. 2nd: The Trouble with Cowboys—the final installment of the Big Sky Series!

Annie Wilkerson is Moose Creek’s premiere horse trainer and equine columnist for Montana Living.

When her column is canceled, she’s given first shot at a new lovelorn column—and she can’t afford to turn it down. Only problem is... Annie's never been in love.

Always resourceful, she reluctantly strikes a deal with the town’s smooth-talking ladies’ man Dylan Taylor.  

But the more Annie tries to control things, the more they fall apart. And the trouble with this cowboy is that he might just be exactly what she needs.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dawn Crandall writes long inspirational historical romantic suspense from first person point of view and is represented by Joyce Hart of Hartline Literary Agency. She has written two books which are on submission as part of a series, and is working on the third. Soon after finishing her first book and becoming a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) in July 2011 she attended the ACFW national conference where she gained literary representation and soon-after became a 2012 ACFW Genesis Contest Semi-Finalist. She has a BA in Christian Education from Taylor University, writes full-time and lives in northeast Indiana with her ever-supportive engineer husband, Jonathan, and their two cats, Lilly and Pumpkin. Dawn co-hosts a book review blog called A Passion for Pages at apassionforpages.blogspot.com and tweets those reviews at @dawnwritesfirst. To find out more about her, visit her author webpage at dawncrandall.blogspot.com or her Facebook author page: facebook.com/DawnCrandallWritesFirst.

A Novel In Process

Every job has tasks that are enjoyable and some that . . . well, just aren't. One thing I love about writing novels is that it's done in stages. Each stage is very different, but all of them are necessary and enjoyable to some extent. Since people often ask what being a writer is like, well, here's what it's like for me.

Stage 1. Writing the first draft. This takes me about 5 months and is a mostly pleasant routine of meeting my daily page goal, using my outline, but also feeling my way through the story in an intuitive way, and making any necessary changes along the way. Colleen reads my chapters as I write them and offers immediate feedback, which helps me see if I'm headed in the wrong direction. At some point during this 1st draft, my previous book hits the shelves, and I begin doing radio interviews set up by Thomas Nelson's publicist, a book signing or two, and book club phone-ins.


Stage 2 is my favorite. I read through the story 4 or 5 times over the course of a month. The first time through I look for plot holes, ferret out character inconsistencies, add symbols, and refine the theme. The other read-throughs I'm cutting excess words, playing with sentences, reordering paragraphs, finding more precise words. This is the fun part. My heart is beating faster just thinking about it. Stage three ends with me sending my manuscript to my editor, a loud WOOHOO, heard across the state of Indiana, and, hopefully, a celebratory massage.


Stage 3. While I wait, with fingers crossed, for my editor's feedback on the manuscript, I start on my next story idea (which is not easy with my fingers crossed.) This takes me at least a month, as I like a detailed outline, and the story has to feel just right before I start writing it. During this stage, I spend many hours thinking, plotting, daydreaming. It may look like I'm staring out a window but, honest, I'm working. The story can change drastically overnight as new ideas crop up. I slowly peck out a 7-9 page synopsis.


Stage 4 starts when I receive my "Revision Letter" from my editor and ends with me slumped on the floor weeping and wailing and wondering why I thought I could write another novel. Just kidding. The floor's hard, so I cry from the comfort of my chair. Next, I eat as much dark chocolate as I have in the cupboard, tell myself repeatedly that the letter wasn't as bad as I think, then re-read it.

More chocolate.

A good night's sleep.

Some ice cream.

Okay, a gallon, but who's counting?

Then I dig into the re-writes, taking a month to incorporate my editor's ideas and rework the story until, hey, what do you know, it's better than it was before.


Stage 5. Line edits. No sooner do I send the revised manuscript back to my editor then the thing boomerangs back. This time the document is filled with little nit-picky corrections that keep me from looking like a complete idiot to the general public. Oh, it's flower petal, not flower pedal. Duh. And about 500 more silly mistakes I need to approve or disapprove.


And then we're back to Stage 1 with then new story idea I developed. At some point during the first draft of my new story, I'll receive the "First Pages"--My previous story typeset and looking all fresh and pretty. It's my last chance to fix any errors before going into print. Sadly, I now have the story memorized and it's about as exciting as reading the white pages.


And there you have it: the entire novel process from the author's standpoint. So it's your turn now. What's your job, and what are the parts you enjoy and the, well, other parts.
Denise Hunter