LaWanda Bailey, author of Miss Myrtle Frag, the Grammar Nag, has worn several professional hats: teacher, Northwest ISD language arts coordinator, copy editor, humor writer, writing institute director, ghostwriter, pianist, and school bus driver. As a longtime writing mentor, she is honored to have been cited in seven books. LaWanda completed the Keystone Writing Project and the New Jersey Writing Project in Texas. She earned trainer certifications in writing and grammar from NJWPT, presented sessions at their state conferences, and was awarded their Sue German Award for Excellence. She also co-authored the Texas: Writing with Power curriculum with Michael Eaton, Associates. Some of LaWanda’s articles are published in Studio G magazine, the R&E Journal, local newspapers, and on The Christian Pulse.com. She is active in North Texas Christian Writers where she is team leader for Super Scribes and is a member of the Society of Solitary Scribes.
Frank Ball founded North Texas Christian Writer’s groups, a consortium of some 250 members in the North Texas area, who encourage one another to write and write well. He has worked as a ghostwriter, writer’s coach, e-zine columnist, and copy editor for a trade magazine. As Pastor of Biblical Research and Writing for three years, he wrote sermons, teaching materials, and hundreds of devotionals. His life-changing book is Eyewitness: The Life of Christ Told in One Story, a compilation of all biblical information into one chronological story that reads like a novel. He travels to churches and writer’s conferences across the country to help churches develop writing ministries and show writers how to reach the people who need to read their stories. For more information, visit Frank’s websites at NTChristianWriters.com and EyewitnessTools.com.
Ryan Barnhart teaches English and Creative Writing and is a speaker and a freelance journalist. His non-fiction book, McKinney, was published by Arcadia Publishing in January 2011. He has written a weekly column for the Denton Record-Chronicle and paying articles for the Dallas Morning News, COLLIDE, Sports Spectrum, MarriagePartnership.com, Cross & Quill and Campsite. His short stories have won awards and cash prizes and have been published in magazines like Storyteller and The Perennial. He has been a featured guest on Radio Pulpit in Pretoria, South Africa, and on Power FM in Dallas. A fiction writer by choice, he has written two unpublished young adult fiction books and two novels. He lives in Savannah, Texas, with his wife Mary Kay and their daughter.
Lisa Bell is a published author of books, articles and devotionals both online and in print. She has a passion for fiction, but also writes nonfiction of all types, including (but not limited to) technical and ghostwriting projects. She loves helping other writers grow and learn new skills, and after years of participating with NTCW now leads one group and serves as a writing coach for three groups.
Lisa spent many years in the corporate world honing technical writing and training skills. In February 2011, she stepped out of that world to write full-time. She now works part-time on special projects for a large corporation as she continues writing, while teaching and encouraging others to pursue writing goals and dreams.
Lisa has a BS in Business Management and is a CLASS graduate and member of NTCW Association. She lives in Granbury, Texas and has four adult daughters, four son-in-laws (or soon to be), and five grandchildren, with the sixth one scheduled to meet everyone sometime in May 2012.
Renae Brumbaugh is a bestselling author and freelance writer. She has sold hundreds of articles to national publications such as In Touch, Vista, Live, Focus on the Family, and others. Her inspirational humor column, Coffee Talk, began in her local newspaper and later became a syndicated feature through Churchmouse Publications. In her free time, Renae leaps tall buildings in a single bound and rescues kittens out of trees. Or at least, she might try to do those things if she had free time. Renae lives in Copperas Cove, Texas with her handsome husband, two nearly-perfect children, and two dogs. Learn more about her at RenaeBrumbaugh.com, or read some of her humor articles at FunnyCoffeeGirl.com.
Carolyn Curtis is an award-winning journalist; author, editor and collaborator of books; editor of magazines; writer of more than 1800 articles; and conference speaker on writing. She launched On Mission magazine as its founding editor and served as manager of publications at SBC’s North American Mission Board.
Her degrees are the Bachelor of Journalism from The University of Texas at Austin and Master of Arts in Communication from Stephen F. Austin State University.
She cut her journalistic teeth at the Associated Press, moved on to daily newspapers and college journalism teaching, then to communications management careers at two Fortune 50 companies, Alcoa and Hewlett Packard, plus Lufkin Industries, Inc.
Carolyn became known for her reporting from Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. on issues of interest to the growing and influential pro-family movement. She has reported from the presidential campaign trail and written on assignment for publications such as Christianity Today, Charisma, By Faith, Focus on the Family’s Citizen and many others.
She has been a columnist for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and was published in The Saturday Evening Post and Sports Illustrated. She has won awards from The Wall Street Journal, Evangelical Press Association, Society of Professional Journalists and others. She serves as a judge for writers’ competitions, and she works with newer authors who want to become published. She has spoken at numerous writers’ conferences, most recently the C.S. Lewis Southwest Conference.
Lori Freeland, a freelance writer from the Dallas area, holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In her other life, the one BK–before kids–she has worked as a social worker and a certified dyslexic reading tutor. Currently, she embraces her status as full-time homeschool mom to three awesome children. Her big dream? Becoming a Young Adult novelist, a goal she diligently pursues during the wee hours of the morning with help from a very large mug of coffee and occasionally some chocolate-covered peanuts. In addition to blogging and contributing regular inspirational articles to Crosswalk.com, The Christian Pulse, and Believe.com, she loves to mentor new writers and encourage people to share their life stories. As a member of the Cancer Mom club, she desires to connect with others in hopes of giving support to those struggling down the messy paths of life. You can find her hanging with the North Texas Christian Writers as a Critique Group Leader and Writing Coach or cheering on her writers on the Faith Team at The Christian Pulse where she recently took on the role of editor. She also loves to attend Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators meetings where she has begun a critique workshop for new writers. You can visit her website at LAFreeland.com.
Dennis Hensley, Ph.D., is the author of 52 published books, including How to Write What You Love and Make a Living at It (Random House) and The Freelance Writer’s Handbook (Harper-Collins). He is director of the Department of Professional Writing at Taylor University, where he holds the rank of full professor. His more than 3,000 published short stories and articles have appeared in Reader’s Digest, The Writer, People, The Detroit Free Press, The War Cry, Downbeat, The Pacific Historian, Writer’s Digest, The Secret Place, The Upper Room, and Essence, among many others. He is a columnist for Advanced Christian Writer and for MNB: Metro North Business Magazine. Dr. Hensley is a recipient of the “Elizabeth Sherrill Lifetime Achievement Award for Writing and Speaking” and the “Indiana University Award for Teaching Excellence.”
Kathy Ide is a published author of books, articles, play and movie scripts, short stories, devotionals, and curriculum. She has ghostwritten several books and speaks at writers’ conferences across the country. She is a full-time freelance editor/proofreader/mentor for new writers, established authors, and book publishers. She also acts as an editor services coordinator through the two groups she founded—The Christian PEN: Proofreaders and Editors Network (TheChristianPEN.com) and the Christian Editor Network (ChristianEditor.com). For more information, visit Kathy’s website at KathyIde.com.
Curt Iles is the author of ten books celebrating the people and culture of Louisiana’s piney woods. He makes over one hundred book appearances yearly and loves using social media to connect from his hometown of Dry Creek, Louisiana. You can read Curt’s blog and learn more at Creekbank.net.
Lissa Halls Johnson is a freelance writer and fiction editor, author of novels for teens, tweens and young adults. Among her 19 published books is the most recent: Still Growing, authored with Kirk Cameron; as well as A Full House of Growing Pains with Barbara Cameron. She has edited over fifty novels including such notable authors as Susan Meissner, Mary DeMuth, Harry Kraus, Claudia Mair Burney, Sharon Carter Rogers, and more. She is formerly a book producer at Focus on the Family where she was the creator, editor, and writer for the Brio girls series and for the KidWitness book series. She has contributed to Reader’s Digest, Brio, Breakaway, Focus on the Family Magazine, and other periodicals. She has written radio drama scripts and was previously a member of the ADVENTURES IN ODYSSEY creative team. She has contributed to a number of fiction and nonfiction books. Lissa loves to teach at writers conferences throughout the country. She especially enjoys putting beginning writers at ease, sharing with them the basics to give them a foundation upon which to grow.
Henry McLaughlin has a Master’s degree in social work and spent many years working in public child welfare in Rhode Island. It was in this role that he first honed his writing skills in preparing concise and accurate court reports and petitions. He retired from that career in 1999 to work with Kenneth Copeland Ministries. Henry won the prestigious 2009 Operation First Novel Award sponsored by Tyndale House and the Christian Writers Guild. His award-winning first novel, Journey to Riverbend, was released in January, 2011.
To improve his craft, Henry belongs to several Christian writer organizations; attends writers’ conferences, workshops and retreats; and participates in online and local critique groups.
In September, 2010, the Lord opened the door for Henry to enter writing full time. He also speaks and teaches writing workshops. He serves as a judge in the ACFW Genesis contest and the Silicon Valley Romance Writers Gotcha! contest. He serves as a Writing Coach for North Texas Christian Writers where he is privileged to work with several small groups.
Henry and his wife, Linda, have been married for 43 years and live in Saginaw, Texas. They are the parents of five children, the oldest of whom is in heaven. They also have one grandchild.
Steve Miller has reviewed more than five hundred stories as an editor with MindFlights magazine, recognized by Writer’s Digest as one of the “Top 100 Markets for Magazine and Book Writers” (Writer’s Yearbook 2009). He was also a content editor for Lilley Press. An author in his own right, Steve’s fiction includes speculative fiction in The Sword Review, humor in The Wittenburg Door, and science fiction in Ray Gun Revival. His nonfiction includes a devotional that appeared in The One Year Life Verse, a personal experience in Michigan Out-of-Doors, and articles about how to write software in the old journals such as SQL Server Professional, Oracle Developer, and FoxTalk. He also contributed two chapters to the software book Special Edition: Using Visual FoxPro3.
Steve has been part of the faculty every year at the conference since 2006 and is the leader of the 67 Writers Group. He has been a guest on the critique panel for the Dallas Area Writers Group (DAWG) several times. He has taught there and at other writers groups, and has even taught creative writing to junior high students. He holds a bachelor of arts degree in linguistics.
He is a world traveler. His interests include swimming, playing bass guitar, and cooking ethnic food. Visit Steve’s blog at SteveMillerInk.com.
Award-winning author DiAnn Mills is a fiction writer who combines an adventuresome spirit with unforgettable characters to create action-packed, suspense-filled novels. DiAnn’s first book was published in 1998. She currently has more than fifty books published.
Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists and have won placements through the American Christian Fiction Writer’s Carol Awards and Inspirational Reader’s Choice awards. DiAnn won the Christy Award in 2010 and 2011.
DiAnn is a founding board member for American Christian Fiction Writers and a member of Inspirational Writers Alive, Romance Writers of America, and Advanced Writers and Speakers Association. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops around the country. DiAnn is also the Craftsman mentor for the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild.
She and her husband live in sunny Houston, Texas. For more information, visit DiAnn’s website at DiAnnMills.com.
Marty Norman, M.Ed. is a licensed therapist, workshop trainer, published author, inspirational speaker, freelance writer, mother of two, and grandmother of five. She is a founding member of the “First Grandmother’s Club” an organization dedicated to serving underprivileged children through volunteerism, donations and projects. She also co-founded Grandmother Connections, an educational partnership that offers grand parenting seminars to small groups.
Marty is the author of “Generation G – Advice For Savvy Grandmothers Who Will Never Go Gray” published in 2008 and “The Savvy Grandmother – Building A Legacy Of Faith” which was released in June 2012. As a freelance writer, she has published over 30 articles in local magazines.
Marty worked for ten years as a therapist in private practice, as well as a counselor and volunteer for family service non-profit organizations such as Parenting Center and Women’s Center. Her specialties include women’s issues, drug and alcohol addiction, sexual abuse, grief issues, and play therapy for children. She has an undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin and a M.Ed. from Texas Women’s University.
In addition Marty has worked as a lecturer, trainer and publicity director for the Tarrant Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse where she taught seminars on family dynamics, communication, career development, and conflict management to local women’s groups. While there she co-introduced Project Charlie, a drug prevention curriculum for 5th graders to the FWISD. Her speaking engagements run the gamut from PTA’s to church and women’s groups to banks, real estate companies, and the Rotary Club.
John Savell, Ph.D. is a licensed Clinical Psychologist and serves full-time in a faculty position as an Associate Professor of Psychology at Southwestern Assemblies of God University in Waxahachie, Texas. With over 34 years experience in the mental health field, he’s worked in a wide variety of settings including in-patient hospitals, outpatient clinics, prisons, residential centers, and rehabilitation hospitals. In addition, he has taught psychology on the graduate and undergraduate level at institutions such as Southwestern Assemblies of God University, University of Houston at Clear Lake City, and North Harris County Jr. College. As an ordained minister, he’s part of a team of facilitators who conduct a spiritual growth seminar called The Highway. After writing a couple of unpublished fictional novels, he’s currently working on a non-fiction book based on a series of lectures titled Matters of the Heart: How Wounds Become Sin. He’s part of North Texas Christian Writer’s and attends the Alpha/Omega critique group. From time to time, he consults with other writers providing psychological profiles of their characters to enhance the authenticity of the story. John lives in the TCU area of Forth Worth with his wife, Rebecca, and three cats. You can visit his website at CultureAndCommunity.com. where he writes a blog that speaks to current cultural issues and their impact on the Church.
Vonda Skelton is the author of four books: a women’s non-fiction, Seeing Through the Lies: Unmasking the Myths Women Believe, and the 3-book Bitsy Burroughs Mysteries for kids 8-13yo. She is also a national speaker and founder of the Christian Communicators Conference (ChristianCommunicators.com), which teaches women how to develop a speaking ministry. She loves teaching writing through her popular blog, The Christian Writer’s Den, which you can find at her website, VondaSkelton.com.
Vonda and her husband Gary live in SC, have two daughters and four grandchildren, and have been married all their lives…and they’re still happy about it!
Thomas Umstattd Jr loves technology. He built his first website at the age of 13 and taught his first web design class at only 16 years old. He has been helping authors and small businesses use the web ever since. Thomas currently serves as the CEO of Castle Media Group LLC, a company that builds websites for world changers.
He runs AuthorMedia.com a resource for authors timid about technology. As an award winning speaker, Thomas teaches all over the world. His friendly speaking style blends multimedia and audience participation. His blend of experience and youth give him a unique perspective that can help you use the web in a whole new way.
Rusty Wright is an award-winning author, syndicated columnist and lecturer who has spoken on six continents. His columns have appeared in mainstream newspapers across the US and internationally. Over 800 websites – Christian and secular – have used his articles in any of 14 languages.
A frequent presenter at Evangelical Press Association conventions, Rusty has written for many EPA magazines such as Christianity Today, Decision, Worldwide Challenge, In Touch, Plain Truth, Physician and Pentecostal Evangel. He trains Christian leaders, broadcasters, print-media specialists, and Internet professionals in effective communication with secular audiences. He holds Bachelor of Science (psychology) and Master of Theology degrees from Duke and Oxford universities, respectively. For more information about Rusty, visit his website, RustyWright.com
Moving Pictures
2009 Keynote:
