By Karen H. Richardson It happens to the experienced and the inexperienced among us. It happens when we least expect it or have time for it. We desire to put words on a page to tell a story, share an emotion, or express some great truth. We have a list of topics and an outline. We want each syllable to …
Go in Strength
by Eddie Jones On the last day of a recent writers’ conference I mentioned to Ann Tatlock that I should start a new imprint called, Dry Bones Publishing because, as I explained to Ann, “So many books have no chance of surviving in this desert wasteland called book publishing.” I was kidding, of course. Last thing I need to manage …
ACFW New Releases: October 2014
October 2014 New Releases More in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on the ACFW Fiction Finder website. Amish Romance: An Amish Second Christmas by Kathleen Fuller, Tricia Goyer, Ruth Reid and Beth Wiseman — “When Christmas Comes Again” by Beth Wiseman: Katherine Zook and her four children are facing their first Christmas without a loved one, and the …
40 Days of Prayer: Day 12
Day 12 Topic: That we rejoice with those who rejoice Romans 12:15a–Rejoice with those who rejoice . . . Father, Tenderize us. This business of writing can be so egocentric. Especially when it seems our careers are going nowhere and others, who perhaps started after us, are whizzing down the highway of success. Not only do we fight the demons …
40 Days of Prayer: Day 31
Day 31: Topic: Editors at the conference Psalm 141:2–May my prayer be counted as incense before You; the lifting of my hands as the evening offering. Dear Lord, We come before You to pray for the editors at this 2014 ACFW Conference. We pray editors would be blessed with times of rest and moments of solitude. Give them Your wisdom …
40 Days of Prayer: Day 38
Day 38: Topic: Keynote Speaker – Lauraine Snelling Jeremiah 1:9–Then the Lord stretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me, Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. Dear Lord, we ask You to touch our beloved keynote speaker, Lauraine Snelling. May you bless her message to us and allow her to use …
Writing for “The One”
By Kariss Lynch Every Tuesday night, three thousand young adults across Dallas come for a little get together we call The Porch. For three years now, I’ve volunteered, entering the worship center to fulfill my assigned task of shepherding people to seats and hopefully to a closer relationship with the Lord. Those of us who volunteer have a saying, a …
Real Civil War Spies
by Mary Ellis While researching my latest romance, The Lady and the Officer, I discovered several real-life spies whose lives provided plenty of inspiration. Probably the most famous Confederate spy was Belle Boyd. At 17, Belle was arrested for shooting a Union soldier who had broken into the family’s home. Though Union officers cleared her of all charges, they watched …
Building the Faith of a New Generation
by Cathy Gohlke My life has been changed through stories-especially the stories of Jesus, and writers who, Divinely inspired, penned on parchment the very breath of God. I never worry that the Bible, essential and timeless, will go out of print or vogue-it’s the bestselling, essential, Holy Book of all time. But, I’m concerned that new generations will lose or …
Trusting Your Gut
by Suzanne Woods Fisher A few years ago, I was staying in a nice hotel-very safe, oriented to business clientele. As I went into an elevator, a hotel employee came in behind me. He waited until I pressed a button for my floor, then he smiled, as if that was just the floor he needed. Something just didn’t seem right. …