September 2023 New Releases More in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on the ACFW Fiction Finder website Contemporary Romance: A Louisiana Christmas to Remember by Morgan Tapley Smith, Betsy St. Amant, Lenora Worth — Three heartwarming, interconnected stories of faith, love, and restoration, brought to you by three Louisiana-native authors. Will a rare snowy Louisiana Christmas bring restoration …
The Practice of Perseverance
By Lisa Kelley @LisaKelleyWrite Waiting to be published can be daunting as well as disappointing. I closed out 2022 empty. I had semi-finaled in a writing contest but didn’t progress. One judge suggested I shouldn’t have made it to the semi-finals. I had a manuscript rejected, and I’d finished my fifth novel only to discover, after one of those hard …
ACFW’s 2023 Christian Fiction and Industry Awards
ACFW Announces 2023 Christian Fiction and Industry Awards Palm Bay, FL: The 2023 American Christian Fiction Writers conference at St. Louis, Missouri’s Hyatt Regency at the Arch included the much-anticipated Awards Gala spotlighting this year’s Christian fiction industry awards. Author, instructor, and writing craft resource expert James Scott Bell was honored with ACFW’s Lifetime Achievement Award. ACFW CEO Colleen …
The Most Difficult Writing Assignment of My Life
by Jenny Powell MD Back in the Dark Ages when I was in high school, Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, required an essay for high school applicants. I was an aspiring journalism major at the time, and poured my heart into what I thought would be the most difficult writing assignment of my life. It must have been okay because …
ACFW Conference Prayer: That God’s Will be Accomplished at Conference (Day 1)
Please join us in today’s prayer for ACFW’s conference. Topic: That God’s Will be Accomplished at Conference (Day 1) Scripture: Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory. ~Psalm 115:1 Dear Lord, We pray that Your will be done at conference. All of us are going for different reasons, to learn, to pitch our …
ACFW Conference Prayer: Good Travel Weather (Day 2)
Please join us in today’s prayer for ACFW’s conference. Topic: Good Weather for Travel (Day 2) Scripture: And He got up and rebuked the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and it became calm. ~Luke 8:24b You sustain the stars, the sun, the moon, and the entire universe by your almighty power. The seasons and all the climatic …
Use Those Negative Reviews
By B.D. Lawrence @BDLawrence3 We’ve all received less than positive reviews. For me, when I published my first book, An Angel and a One-Armed Man, I started seeing four and five-star reviews with the occasional three-star review. But then it happened. I received a two-star review. It wasn’t the star count that gave me the pit in my stomach, it …
ACFW Conference Prayer: For Early Bird and Post Conference Sessions (Day 3)
Please join us in today’s prayer for ACFW’s conference. Topic: Early Bird and Post Conference Sessions (Day 3) Scripture: Make your ear attentive to wisdom, incline your heart to understanding. ~Proverbs 2:2 Father God, we thank You for the time and experience Donald Maass and Angela Hunt are lending to the early bird and post conference sessions. You have gifted …
ACFW Conference prayer: Wisdom for Executive Board (Day 4)
Please join us in today’s prayer for ACFW’s Conference. Topic: Wisdom in decision making for the Executive Board (Day 4) Scripture: Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus. ~Romans 15:5 Please bless the Executive Board with wisdom as they meet and make decisions …
ACFW Conference Prayer: Safe Travel (Day 5)
Please join us in today’s prayer for ACFW’s conference. Topic: For Travel Safeties (Day 5) Scripture: Psalm 121:3b-4–He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. Father God, we ask for Your hand upon all who are traveling to conference. Thank You that we can trust Your guiding hand in all ways. …