Write His Answer

From the mountains of Colorado, Allen oversees Content & Resources for Ransomed Heart Ministries (led by John Eldredge, NY Times bestselling author of Wild at Heart). Prior to that, he spent 20 years in Christian publishing-overseeing the development of more than 500 novels as Founder and Publisher of Thomas Nelson Fiction. He was awarded the ACFW Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012. Allen savors time with his family, craves the beach, drinks salsa by the glass, and is passionate about helping writers tell better stories from an awakened heart.

The heart of a story always begins with the heart of the storyteller. . . yet the heart of the writer is often neglected. It’s easy to see why. The life of a novelist is filled with isolation, pressure to find an agent or publisher, writing and rewriting, hyper-focus on performance, worry, fear, and trying to navigate the ever-changing world of social media – all while holding down a day job. But it doesn’t have to be this way. We will pursue the heart of the writer through conversations about identity and calling, story as offering, presence versus productivity, savoring the “land in-between,” and the importance of living your story before telling your stories. It’s time to breathe deeply, recover your heart, and savor story as you discover how to live free, write free.

Christian Speculative Fiction
 Jeff Gerke
 Author, Editor, Mentor 

When you’re truly ready to make your fiction publishable, it’s time to call Jeff Gerke. Jeff trains novelists how to better do what it is they’re trying to do. He trains through his books for Writers Digest: The Irresistible Novel, Plot Versus Character, The First 50 Pages, Write Your Novel in a Month, and The Art & Craft of Writing Christian Fiction. He trains through the many writers’ conferences he teaches at all over the country every year. He trained his authors when he ran Marcher Lord Press, the premier publisher of Christian speculative fiction, which he sold after an award-winning 5-year run. And he trains through the freelance editing he does for his clients at www.jeffgerke.com. Jeff is known for his canny book doctoring skills and his encouraging manner, which leaves writers feeling empowered and like they really can do this thing after all. He lives in Colorado Springs with his wife and three children.

Some of us are just weird. We don’t like Amish fiction-unless it’s Amish vampires in space. Then, maybe. We would rather write about a sword in a stone than a mail-order bride. Warp drives and nanotech beat out Jane Austen any day, in our book. Come hear the man who has been called the de facto gatekeeper of Christian speculative fiction talk about the joys of writing Christian science fiction and fantasy, the distinctives of our beloved genre, and the prospects for publishing it today.

First-Chapter Bootcamp
Andy Scheer
Writer & Editor

Andy has worked in publishing since 1984. Now a writer and editor, he’s served as editor-in-chief for the Christian Writers Guild and Editorial Director for Believers Press. He’s also been an agent with Hartline and an editor with Moody magazine. As a freelance book editor since 2010, he’s edited fiction and nonfiction projects for Moody Publishers, WinePress, and Kregal, as well as individual clients including Dirk Cussler, McNair Wilson, DiAnn Mills, and Sammy Tippit. A journalism graduate of Colorado State University, he also studied at Denver Seminary. Visit him at AndyScheer.com.

In this hands-on class, learn what your first chapter and especially your opening page must accomplish so potential readers will want to buy your book. You’ll learn to align your content and approach for maximum effect with your target audience. (Intermediate to advanced)

 Five more to come!
NOTE: The website still has 2015 info.