Great news – we have some giveaways just for attendees at the OCW Spring 2012 One-Day Conference in Eugene!

Tomorrow, we are introducing our brand-new evaluation sheet, designed to help streamline the process of collecting conferee feedback so that we can continue to provide you with terrific conferences. After the conference, keynote speaker Karen Ball will choose one of the collected evaluation at random to receive FREE TUITION to any one-day conference held in the next year! Even better – the prize can be used either for yourself or it can be gifted to bring someone else to a conference! So don’t forget to turn in your evaluations - you’ll find them at the conference registration table, or you can get a sneak preview of the new evaluation attached below.

We’ll be hosting the drawing later in the evening, and announcing the winner on our FaceBook page immediately afterward – visit us at https://www.facebook.com/OregonChristianWriters to find out if you win!

It gets even better – our Summer Conference Coordinator, Lindy Johnson, will be handing out index cards to conferees, where you can ask a question about the Summer Conference. During our pre-lunch meeting, Lindy will select one card, answer the question – and award the conferee with a $25 discount on Summer Conference Tuition! Have your questions ready!

Check out our new evaluation sheet by clicking HERE

Fall One  Day Conference

October 13, 2012

Colleen Coble keynoting
CEO of American Christian Fiction Writers
Author of more than 30 novels, including the Rock Harbor Series

Multnomah University/Portland

Plan Now to Attend the OCW Summer Coaching Conference

August 13–16, 2012

Speak of His Wonders, Psalm 105:2 niv

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“OCW Summer Conference is one of the best in the country,” say editors, agents, and conferees.

We offer top-notch writing instruction, manuscript reviews, one-on-one meetings with editors and agents, career mentoring, and networking in a professional yet casual setting. Evening sessions feature outstanding speakers and worship. Aldersgate Conference Center is set in the heart of Oregon’s beautiful Willamette Valley, the perfect spot to refresh and renew writing goals!

Conference tuition is $365 for members and $425 for nonmembers. A special youth rate of $325 is available for those 23 and younger. Onsite housing rates vary from $160 to $275, meals included. Onsite housing rates vary from $155 to $300 per person, meals included. There is also an onsite RV park with full hook-ups and tent sites available for $120 per person (meals included).

For a sneak preview of some of the amazing faculty attending this year’s conference, click here!

Registration opens April 1 for current, dues-paid members – watch your email for Members Only early-bird registration!

General Registration opens April 8.

Keep watching this website where we’ll be posting the latest about coaching classes, faculty, manuscript submissions, mentor appointments, registration and housing. For a complete faculty list and other conference highlights, visit www.ocwsummerconference.com

See you this summer!

Lindy Jacobs, OCW Summer Conference Director

We Are Streams in the Desert

Karen Ball has always loved the power of story. She considers it a gift that she’s been able to use this passion during nearly 30 years in publishing as an executive and acquisitions editor. Karen built and led fiction lines for Tyndale, Multnomah, Zondervan, and B&H Publishing Group.

The owner/operator of Karen Ball Publishing Services, LLC, and a literary agent with the Steve Laube Agency, Karen loves to partner with authors and help them refine their craft to bring forth the power in their work. She’s had the honor of acquiring and working with some of the best novelists in the market, including Francine Rivers, Karen Kingsbury, Brandilyn Collins, Ginny Yttrup, and Robin Jones Gunn.

Inspired by an amazing “synergy” as she edits and represents authors in her new role as an agent, Karen helps writers craft to a higher level and discover appropriate venues for their work. Her desire is to serve authors.

Karen, a published author of fiction, nonfiction, and youth books says she “loves writing stories that resonate with authenticity,” whether it be a family saga, adventure, romance, or suspense. She highlights insights about friendships, family, the Christian walk, and ways to uplift the truth and bring glory to God, the Great I Am. Readers tell her over and over they have discovered her novels to be “powerful, uplifting, and fun.” Karen strives to encourage and delight readers and authors alike.

Several of Karen’s novels have received awards, among them the Readers’ Choice award and the ACFW award for the Best Inspirational Novel of the Year.

Karen lives in Oregon with her husband, father, and a collection of four-legged furry kids, including an incorrigible Corgi named Kirby and Dakota, an Aussie-Terrier mix rescue dog she affectionately refers to as “The Black Hole of Emotional Need.”

Join Karen as she presents two keynote addresses, “Did God Just Blink?” and “Shelters, Streams, and Shadows.” Allow God to create powerful, vibrant changes in your life and writing career and make you become, as Isaiah stated, a “shelter from the wind and a refuge in the storm” for a hurting world.

Books by Karen Ball 

Reunion

Wilderness

Three Weddings and a Giggle

Fools for Love

Heart’s Delight

Mistletoe

Kaleidoscope Eyes

What Lies Within

Love’s Surprise

Shattered Justice

A Test of Faith

The Breaking Point

Writers on Writing

What the Wind Picked Up

Family Traditions that Last a Lifetime

The Hazardous Homestead

The Overnight Ordeal

Registration is now open for the OCW Spring 2012 One Day Conference. There are two registration options available – online and mail-in registration (links below). Please note: lunch must be reserved by May 12, and a $5 late charge will be assessed after that date as well.

Register online 

OR

Register by mail

Join us for the OCW Spring 2012 One Day Conference on Saturday, May 19 at Northwest Christian University in Eugene, OR!

Our Keynote Speaker is the multi-talented author, publisher and agent Karen Ball. Workshop offerings include fiction, marketing, poetry, social media, editing, publishing and more! Check out the links below for details.

Keynoter Karen Ball

Spring Workshops

New OCW Volunteers 

Winter Conference Recap

Word Work, Word Play

by Mary A. Hake, OCW President

I enjoy words. This isn’t news to anyone who knows me. I like to ponder the meaning of words, including their nuances and semantics. I can delight in the dictionary. I also love working with words—the creative energy of writing, using words to best advantage, arranging them for maximum effect, and especially finding just the right word or phrase to express what’s in my heart and head.

When connecting my words with the page, I consider not only what I’m attempting to communicate, but how the chosen words sound together and how they look when written. I try to avoid unnecessary repetition, and I detest grammar and punctuation errors. Don’t get me started on this pet peeve. (Sorry for the clichéd term—I usually shun those too.)

In addition to working with words professionally, I find fun in playing with words. I make up word games in my mind while waiting or doing mindless activities or hoping to fall asleep at night. This keeps the brain tuned and can even lead to new ideas for writing.

Speaking of writing, beyond the mere words chosen, I prayerfully seek God’s guidance for what to write and how to use what I write in His service and for His glory. That’s something I encourage us all to do. Remember to pray before composing, whether for personal use or publication.

We can say with the Psalmist: “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my Strength and my Redeemer” (Psalm 19:14, 21^st Century KJV). When our hearts are pure, what flows from them will be also. We can pour forth life-giving streams from the overflow we receive from Christ, our Living Water.

Oregon Christian Writers is pleased to offer a full-color version of our Spring 2012 newsletter for downloading. You’ll need to have the free Adobe Reader program to download the newsletter. In this issue, you’ll find:

• Spring 2012 Workshops
• New Volunteers
• Prayer of Gratitude
• Summer Conference Information
• Money Matters from our Treasurer
• OCW Business
• Winter Conference Recap
• Spring 2012 Schedule
• Spring 2012 Registration information

(in PDF form, requires the free Adobe reader)

OCW Spring 2012 Newsletter

Bloom with Writing Workshops

Karen Ball will present “Taming the Fiction Dragons,” a hands-on class. You will tackle the most common problems in writing fiction. Bring your work-in-progress and be ready to put what you learn to the test! (Fiction)

“Niche Marketing” will be taught by Geni White. Would you like free books to read? Book reviews as a niche market benefit the writer and other readers[SM1] . Geni will present ways to write a professional review and help you discover appropriate resources. Build your own platform as you share your opinions about others’ books. (Marketing)

Geni, who lives in Eugene, reviews more than100 books per year and posts on two blogs, Facebook, Amazon.com, barnesand[SM2] noble.com, Christianbooks.com, Netgalley, Goodreads, and other sites. She reviews for five publishers and two book promoters as well as individual authors. She’s conducted blog tours for Davis Bunn and reviewed books for Cecil Murphey. God opened the door for Geni to review books when she was too fatigued to write. She began with a single publisher until other publishers discovered her and requested their own book reviews. She has published in LIVE, Storyteller Magazine, Cecil Murphey’s Christmas Miracles Anthology, and Comfort Café (online). In addition, she has had more than 500 book reviews published. She’s an award-winning Toastmasters’ speaker and loves to teach.

“Whisper, Sing, Yell” will be taught by Jane West. Why wait for a poem to strike? Poetry is a good idea at any time. Discover ways to get your inspirational muscles into shape. Dig deep inside, listen to your heart, and find your unique song within. Then … write! (Poetry)

Jane is an author, teacher, and mentor, and has written books, short stories for adults and children, how-tos, newspaper articles, a manual specific to her position as administrative assistant to a Marion County psychologist, and a church-performed play. Her poem, “Tumbleweeds,” won first prize in the Southern Oregon Poets’ contest. She lives in Lake Oswego, writing and enjoying her children and grandchildren.

Christianne Debysingh, Shane White, and Nick Harrison of Harvest House Publishers in [MH3] Eugene, will present a panel discussion, “From the Inside Out.” See an insider’s perspective of the Christian publishing world from a publicist, sales manager, and editor as they discuss what’s involved in taking a manuscript from acceptance to market. A question-and-answer period will follow. Demystify the publishing process. (All genres)

Christianne, of Eugene, who serves as the senior publicist for Harvest House, provides direction for the publicity team and works with authors and the media to obtain print, Internet, radio, and television interviews. Prior to this position, Christianne worked as a program manager with Operation Blessing International, the humanitarian arm of the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), serving closely with writers and producers at The 700 Club. She has been with Harvest House for seven years.

Shane White, of Eugene, is a sales professional with 10 years of experience in Christian book marketing. He has served as the national Christian booksellers’ sales manager at Harvest House for the past six years. His role has led the sales and marketing efforts through national Christian retailers such as Family Christian Stores, LifeWay Christian Stores, Mardel, and Christianbook.com. Prior to Shane’s position at Harvest House, he worked as the national sales manager for Sampson Resources in Dallas, Texas, one of the country’s leading publishers of video curriculum for churches and schools.

Nick Harrison spent many years in Christian retail and as a freelance writer before accepting a position as senior editor at Harvest House. He is the author of the recently released As Grandpa Says and has published several books, including Magnificent Prayer, Promises to Keep, His Victorious Indwelling, and 365 WWJD. Nick and his wife, Beverly, are the parents of three adult daughters and resides in Eugene.

“Write Your Passion” by Karen Ball will explore why we’re too often so focused on “making it” that we lose sight of why we’re writing. In this interactive workshop, we’ll explore what our passion really is, what nurtures passion, what steals passion, and what is the true source of the passion that drives us. (All genres)

Linda Clare will teach “Zoom-Zoom, Zine-Zine: Power Up Your Writing Career.” Hungry to publish? Whether online or in print, magazine editors still need well-written articles that speak to their readers. Learn the basics of good article writing, from idea to query to assignment to byline. Linda will show you how to identify your audience, develop ideas, get an editor to say “yes,”—and much more. (Magazine articles)

The Fence My Father Built (Abingdon, 2009) is Linda’s latest release. The author or coauthor of four books, she is working on a novel to be published in 2014 and writes articles and essays for publications such as Chicken Soup for the Soul. She teaches writing at Lane Community College and George Fox University and lives in Eugene with her family.

Nicole Miller will teach “Ten Steps to Social Media Bliss (and Success).” The world of social media is ever-changing and ever-expanding. Come discuss ways you can enjoy and utilize social media without it causing more stress and misery. Explore the most common platforms, decide which best fits your needs, and share productivity tools to help maximize your reach with the least amount of time. (Social media)

A writer, history buff, equestrienne, and former rodeo queen, Nicole brings all these components together in her writing. She has received awards for her nonfiction, but historical fiction is her true love. A social-media coordinator at the University of Western States (and self-proclaimed Facebook and Twitter addict) and resident of Milwaukie, she coaches writers and small business owners in utilizing social media as a marketing tool.

“A Day in an Editor’s Life” will be taught by Nick Harrison. A senior editor at Harvest House will walk you through the day-to-day routine in an editor’s office, including how he acquires and shepherds a manuscript from initial presentation to actual production. Have a question about your proposal? Nick, a published author and sought-after conference speaker, is familiar with every aspect of the publishing industry, from writing to retail.