Colorado Christian Writers Conference

When you sign up for a writers conference, the question always seems to be, "what am I going to get for my money?"

Marlene Bagnull has discovered the answer to that question, at least for some 250 writers last week in Estes Park. At 7500 feet people received a full schedule of clinics, continuing classes, seminars and critiques, that started early and ended late. Most folks didn't last through twelve straight hours of brain drain but got so much out of each day, they had to make copious notes to keep it all straight.

The faculty was pretty extensive, also. Here is a short list of just authors in attendance.

Liz Babbs

James Scott Bell

Dianne Butts

Sue Cameron

Sandy Cathcart

Wanda Dyson

Suzie Eller

Dianna Gay

Kristen Heitzmann

Virelle Kidder

David LeCompte

Robert Liparulo

Rick Marschall

Susan Meissner

Diane Obbema

Emily Osburne

Katherine Porter

Tim Shoemaker

Susan May Warren

Get the idea?

These people know their work and they dug in to the work of those who attended and helped sharpen, cut, add and edit the work in ways that make it better, clearer, harder and more exciting, to catch the attention of the list of editors that were in the same room.

Marlene Bagnull - Publisher and Editor, Ampelos Press; author; writing mentor

Jessica Barnes - Associate Editor, WaterBrook Press, a division of Random House, Inc.

Jean Blackmer - MOPS International Publishing Manager

Craig Bubeck - Wesleyan Publishing House, Eleison Publishing

Jeff Gerke - Publisher, Marcher Lord Press

Nick Harrison - Senior Editor, Harvest House Publishers

Cindy Kenney - Representative, WinePress Publishing

Catherine Lawton - Cladach Publishing

Shannon Marchese - Senior Editor, Fiction, The WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.

Amy Nappa - Executive Editor and Champion for Women's Ministry - Group Publishing

Linda Evans Shepherd - Publisher, Jubilant Press; founder Right to the Heart of Women e-zine and AWSA; author; speaker

Natasha Sperling - Managing Editor for young adult books, Bethany House Publishers

W. Terry Whalin - Vice-President and Publisher, Intermedia Publishing Group

Joe Wheeler - Joe Wheeler Books

Jeanette Windle - Author Representative, Kregel Publications

When their work completed, the conferees were still in the room with some of the toughest, most powerful agents in the business.

Terry Burns - Agent, Hartline Literary Agency

Jeff Dunn - Agent, Winters & King

Teresa Evenson - TEAM Services

Diana Flegal - Agent, Hartline Literary Agency

C. Hope Flinchbaugh - Agent, HigherLife Publishing

Rachelle Gardner - Agent, WordServe Literary

Bill Jensen - Agent, William K. Jensen Literary Agency

Chip MacGregor - Agent, MacGregor Literary Agency

Don S. Otis - Veritas Communications

If that didn't complete the work, then...

Teresa Evenson - TEAM Services

Was there to help them through the questions about how one promotes their work once it is published. Teresa made quite an impression on the writers present. Her continuing clinic on publicity and being your own publicist was just one of the many venues directed at the business of writing, along with lots of attention to the ministry.

All in all you need to see it to understand it and I have an amazing amount of respect for Marlene and her fantastic staff.