Writers Conference

The Art of Writing – Conference Blog Blitz with Giveaway

October 10, 2022 by Suzie Waltner 2 Comments

Welcome to the Takeover Blitz for the Art of Writing Conference organized by ECPA, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

A QUICK NOTE ABOUT THE CHRISTY AWARD FINALISTS

Christian fiction fans are invited to register and watch the free webcast announcement of The Christy Award finalists in each category live on October 11 at 11 am (CDT), featuring award-winning novelist and radio host Chris Fabry and ECPA president Jeff Crosby.

Registration is available at ecpa.org/event/Christy22Finalists

ABOUT THE CONFERENCE

The Art of Writing conference will be held from 12:30-5 pm (CDT) on November 17 at Lipscomb University in Nashville, TN, and is designed to bring Christian writers, creatives, storytellers, and publishing curators together for a half-day of intensive seminars that: celebrate the creative life while recognizing the weariness; provide practical tips for engaging in a rapidly-changing industry; introduce challenges to become better writers; and answer the questions authors are asking.

The four-session conference will bring together writers, creatives, and publishing curators for training and connection around these topics presented by industry experts, authors, and publishers:

What Makes a Gush-Worthy Book with book reviewer Carrie Schmidt, Revell senior acquisitions editor Kelsey Bowen, author and agent Cynthia Ruchti, and WaterBrook editor Jamie Lapeyrolerie.

How Reading Diverse Books Makes Us Better Authors and Humans with a panel of writers, agents, and publishers including Edwina Perkins, Deborah Gonzalez, Dorena Williamson, Jeff Crosby, and Jevon Bolden who share their own stories and best practices through this approach

To Tok or Not to Tok with reel pros Emilie Haney (pen name Bell Renshaw) and author/ podcaster Kristi Ann Hunter

When Weary & Discouraged: How We Can Care for Our Writing Souls with author Carolyn Weber, whose debut book Surprised by Oxford, is being made into a feature film

REGISTER: The Art of Writing conference $99 | The Art of Writing conference + The Christy Awards Gala Bundle $139

Nashville: A City of Story

May 4, 2016 by Suzie Waltner 5 Comments

Music City USA. NashVegas. The Athens of the South.

Nashville has a few nicknames rolling around, but to me, the most important one is this: HOME.

I’ve lived in the Nashville area for eighteen years and as I’ve worked on this blog post, one intended to share just a few highlights and attractions of this wonderful city, it’s occurred to me that this city is a lot like a good story.

Get pulled in with the excitement of walking the same road as some country music stars, stand in awe of the storied Grand Ol’ Opry and Ryman Auditorium where musicians dream of performing, and settle back into the easy rhythm that is life in the south. With a diverse cast of characters ranging from the famous faces of country and Christian musicians as well as some you may have seen on the big screen (Nicole Kidman, Johnny Depp, and Ashley Judd all have residences in Nashville) to those trying to break into the spotlight and the others who simply keep the city running.

In fact, I have a little challenge for you while you’re in town. Try and find three people who were born and raise in Nashville. It’s harder than you’d think. This city is full of transplants, people who’ve moved here to find the draw of big city amenities with a small town feel. We watch and wait with anticipation to see where this city will take us next.

It’s these things and many, many more that make this city special and unique. And while I’m here to introduce you to the city and offer a few suggestions of places to visit within walking distance of the hotel, it kind of feels like I’m sharing a chapter in the middle of a book, those parts that are hardest to write while you’re still unsure of where the story is leading you.

So here’s just a little taste…

The tallest building on the left with the blue glass and the two towers is The AT&T Building, affectionately known around the area as The Batman Building (come on, you see it, right?). This building is a great point of reference anywhere downtown. It’s located between Third and Fourth Avenues behind the Ryman.

Our hotel is located about three Nashville blocks (approximately five city blocks) south on 5th Ave S. By the way, this town is hilly so if you plan to do some sightseeing, pack a comfortable pair of shoes!

Let’s start from inside the Omni.

What does one do in Music City USA? Visit the Country Music Hall of Fame, of course. This Nashville landmark is connected to the hotel. General admission tickets are $25.00.

Also located in the hotel lobby is the Hatch Print Show. Perhaps a group of authors can appreciate this historic letterpress shop that’s been in operation since 1879. Stop in and watch as the posters roll off the press.

The big building on the next street north is one of my favorites. The Bridgestone Arena (Broadway and 5th) is the home of the Nashville Predators.

Continue past the arena and you’ll hit the heart of downtown. Broadway. Take a right on this street for a variety of Honky Tonks, restaurants, and souvenir shops. Please don’t buy your Nashville souvenirs from the airport or the hotel gift shops. Not only will it help the city’s economy to shop from outside those areas, it will stretch your dollars further.

Just a few highlights along Broadway include:

Tootsie’s: This purple and white building is a honky tonk staple
The Big Bang: A dueling piano bar. Stop in and request a song
Ernest Tubb Record Shop
Jack’s Bar-B-Que
Margaritaville
Tin Roof Broadway
Boot Country (just in case you can’t leave Nashville without a pair of your own Cowboy boots)
Hard Rock Cafe

Broadway ends at the Cumberland River and Riverfront Park. Across the river, you’ll find the Nissan Stadium, home of our NFL football team.

If you’re not ready for the hustle and bustle of Broadway, continue up 5th Avenue and check out the historic Ryman Auditorium. This church-turned-music venue is a Nashville Landmark. But if you want a tour inside, you’ll need to get there before the building closes at 4:00 PM.

Make your way back to the hotel along Second Avenue where you’ll find BB King’s and The Wildhorse Saloon (always good for dancing).

If country music isn’t your forte (and even though I’m a Nashvillian, I’m not a fan of this genre myself), there’s something a little more classy offered at The Schermerhorn Symphony Hall.

When you’re finished with your downtown tour, take a right on Demonbreun (pronounced Dee-mun-bree-un, not demon brewin’) to return to the hotel.

I hope you enjoy some southern hospitality (and survive the summer humidity) while you’re here. Honestly, my inclination when it comes to Nashville is to go on and on, but I narrowed it down for the sake of time (who can spend an hour online when they’re working on their own stories, right?).

This city is beautiful and welcoming. My prayer is you will take a little bit of Nashville home in your heart after this year’s conference.

To learn more about the ACFW conference, visit Cara Putnam’s blog and the ACFW conference site (prices increase June 26).

Thanks for stopping by. I can’t wait to see y’all in August!

If you have any questions about other things to see, do, or buy in Nashville, please leave it in the comments.

Writers Conference Day 1 Recap

September 17, 2015 by Suzie Waltner 2 Comments

So, I’m back in my hotel room after a full afternoon at my very first writers’ conference. And since it was packed from 2:00 to 9:00, I wanted to get some thoughts down on day 1.

When I registered for the conference back in the spring, I decided to volunteer. And what better way to get to know a few faces than to help at the registration desk. So, that’s where the fun began for me today. From 2:00 to 5:00, I helped man the registration desk. What I didn’t realize when I signed up for this shift was that I would miss the first timer’s orientation and the first general session with keynote speaker Bill Myers (if his name is not familiar to you and you are over…let’s say 30….you may remember a little cartoon series called Adventures in Odyssey. That was Bill’s project. More on why I’m calling him Bill in a bit).

So registration was fun. A few people I’ve reviewed books for on this blog came through my line—Becky Wade and Courtney Walsh. And a few more people who I’ve seen their names but haven’t read yet—and those people look nothing like what I had pictured in my head. One of the other volunteers at the check in desk and I had fun joking around with each other during the quiet times. Oh, and about ¾ of the way through my shift, I realized I’d been directing people down the wrong hall for the bathrooms.

Dinner was at 5:30. This was a genre dinner and a few people dressed up in costume. I met several new people. Interesting note: This year, 465 people registered, 140 of us are first time attendees. More than ¼ of the authors here are first timers. And while I missed the keynote address, I did get to have dinner with Bill Myers since he sat at our table.

Best story ever: Bill told us about a friend of his who wrote 2500 words a day every day for years. This friend then got thirteen rejections but kept pushing for someone to publish his stuff. The friend? Frank Peretti.

After dinner there were a couple spotlights. Basically panels with different agents and publishers. I wanted this conference to be a learning experience for me so I didn’t sign up for any appointments with editors and agents but I’m interested in hearing what they have to say so I went to one of each. A session with agents and one with a publishing house (Love Inspired). Here’s my take away:

Agents: I believe I did the right thing holding off on the agent thing. First of all, I’m not sure I want to go the traditional publisher route. Self-publishing allows me a lot of freedom. I can write as often or as sporadic as my schedule allows and I can choose my release dates. The thing that struck me most with the agents was sometimes it takes a while to have the right book at the right time. I was actually a tad discouraged after this little q&a session.

But…

I had one more to go to. Love Inspired is the faith-based Harlequin line. I’m familiar with this line as I’ve been involved on street/influencer teams for a couple authors in this line. And they were really encouraging. They take submissions through their website, don’t require you to have an agent, and publish A LOT of books (192 a year) and are always look for new authors with a hook.

Again, not sure I’m going to even pursue that but it’s out there.

Tomorrow is the start of the classes and what I’ve been looking forward to!! Hopefully I’ll gain more knowledge and make more friends. Until then….check out my freebies from today.