by Donald L. Reavis In mid-April, knowing I had an upcoming blog date, I sat down and hammered out what I thought was an acceptable blurb. Proud of myself for getting it out of my backpack early, I opened the email to submit my humor-filled micro-story, only to discover the publish date was Memorial Day. My shoulders dropped as the …
Christmas Stories
By Lisa Loraine Baker It’s December, which reminds me how much I love Christmas stories, both reading and writing them. All our favorite seasonal books have been brought up from storage and I placed them on a shelf above the one holding our manger scene. One by one I hope to pour through them and re-live the wonder of each …
Capturing Gems
I’m in my 75th year of life, so believe me when I say there’s been a lot. A lot of joy. Sorrow. Pain. Fear. Success and failure. Faith and doubt. You name it; I’ve probably experienced it. It hasn’t been hard to remember the gems—those events so laced with emotion that I can feel them now. But all these years …
Reflections of Tone
by Jennifer Sienes I’ve written enough now to realize that there’s been a pattern in not only what I write, but in how I write – no, I didn’t get the Tread Desk I’ve had my eye on for some time-I’m referring to that somewhat elusive tone. At the end of my first year as a middle school teacher, I …
ACFW REWIND: ACFW — Wonderfully Strange
(Editor’s Note: This post first appeared on ACFW’s blog in June 2011. With the upcoming conference in Indianapolis, this is a fun time to relive those memories). by Regina Merrick The 2010 American Christian Fiction Writers Conference in Indianapolis was my first experience in attending a writing conference of any type. It was big. It was a little scary. It …
These Are a Few of My Favorite Conference Things
by Ane Mulligan Conference time approaches! There not many weeks left, and I can’t wait! Here are some of my favorite things from conference (sung to the tune of These Are a Few of My Favorite Things): Teardrops of joy when I see old friends’ faces Bright laughter ringing and warm hugs and kisses Each morning worship as the choir …
In the Beginning
by Tina Radcliffe In the beginning, there was the Smith and Corona. That was my beginning. I started out on a portable that I toted to a shady spot under a tree in my backyard. At fourteen, I was thrilled to be able to chronicle my love of romance on the typewritten page. My real love of romance began when …
Developing the Real-Life Substance
by Michael Lee Joshua I “live” in Colorado. But I work in Wyoming. I do get home every other weekend (as long as weather permits). Being up here in Wyoming has left me with time on my hands. I’ve gotten a lot of writing done. Some of the best lessons I have picked up over the past few months have …
Life With Lily Recipes
On yesterday’s blog, Suzanne Woods Fisher talked about how the Life with Lily series came about. She mentioned some mouth-watering recipes that we thought would be fun to share. Mama’s Pumpkin Pie 1 1/2 cup pumpkin 1 1/2 cup white sugar 1 1/2 cup brown sugar 4 1/2 Tbsp. flour 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp nutmeg 1/4 tsp cloves 1 …
Memories of the ACFW Conference
by Sherri Stone Last year I watched the awards gala on the live feed from St. Louis and wondered if it would be just as cool to be there in person. Nope. It was so much better! I arrived Thursday feeling like a kindergardner dropped off for the first day of school who didn’t even know how to stand in …