Newsletters

OH MY...On campus housing is FULL!

It's always a blessing when our conference begins to sell out. It just proves God is with us. Even though I added additional rooms for this year, we have sold them out. I am trying to fit the last few who registered for on-campus into the Cove as we speak. What a thrill. Of course being sold out for on-campus housing is not that big of an issue. There are three hotels right at the foot of the Cove who are available. Truthfully the housing costs aren't $35 in difference. It's only two nights. And if you are one who does register for off-campus housing, when you make your reservation and when you check out, be sure to tell the hotel you are overflow from the Cove. The hotels offer a slight discount. 

This is not a bad problem to have - at least not for you...for me...I get a little shakey. But even at that, it's still a good thing.

Just because we are sold out ON CAMPUS, does not mean we are sold out completely. We have space for about 35-40 more conferees. So pass the word along. We've completely sold out our conference the last three years. I'd love to see that happen again. 

I ask that you begin to pray for this conference. If you know us, you are familiar with our dedication and trust in Christ. We completely depend on Him for His hand. It's important to us, that you actively begin to pray these specific things:
1) That God will send those He wishes to attend.
2) That our faculty will be the servants He calls us to be. Not that we are above our conferees, but that we sit at their feet as servants.
3) Begin to pray for good weather.
4) Being to pray for safe travel.
5) Pray for Cindy and her staff who put this conference together.
6) Finally, pray that God will show up.
 

BUSINESS FIRST - 

On Campus housing is sold out. There's plenty of housing off campus. Again, there is plenty of OFF CAMPUS housing available at the three hotels just outside the gates of the Cove.

If you have paid a deposit of $95 - Here is your link for final payments.  Choose your room and click and make your payment by November 1. All links have a $6.50 PayPal surcharge added. Sorry but processing costs continue to rise and we cannot absorb it - it will show as SHIPPING. 

Triple Room - (Please do not choose a triple unless you have roommates in line and have contacted me) - I know we have some writers groups and families who attend so I have you already. But it's those new ones that throw me for a loop).
Click here for a triple room less $95 deposit

Double Room - If you have paid $95 against your reservation for a double room 
Click here for double room less $95 deposit

Single Room - If you have paid $95 against your reservation for a single room
Click here for single room less $95 deposit

IF YOU PAID $25 deposit at Boot Camp 2016  these are your payment links.

Triple less $25 deposit
Click here for triple room less $25 deposit

Double less $25 deposit
Click here for double room less $25 deposit

Single less $25 deposit
Click here for single room less $25 deposit


Remember FINAL PAYMENTS ARE DUE NOVEMBER 1, 2016.

Now that the business is over . . .
Here's what we need for you.  NOW READ CLOSELY...I need a SHORT bio (75 words or less - faculty excluded). We need this information ASAP. If you go to this link http://ashevillechristianwritersconference.com/newsletters/ you will find BIO FORM.  Click that and download the form. Fill it out and return it ASAP along with a jpg. photo of yourself to [email protected] . Cindy Saab works so hard to help me get this VERY IMPORTANT piece of the conference put together. For those first timers - your bio and photo go into our roster which we send out the week prior to the conference. This allows all of the conferees to SEE who will be in attendance and to become familiar with the names and faces. It then becomes your AFTER the conference networking tool. You'll have everyone's contact information and a photo to help you remember them. This roster sets us apart for every other conference in the country. So please, take time. Send your bio to Cindy Saab asap.  If you have already sent your bio, then NO WORRIES...you're ahead of the game.

Website reminders. . .

When you visit www.ashevillechristianwritersconference, you'll see we have a new look. Take a few minutes and look over the site.  Check out the contests, the faculty and the classes. Please note, our faculty are still preparing classes and all of them are NOT listed. But they will be soon, so check back from time to time.  You will see our 2017 schedule is up and you can get a feel for tight timing we have. 

We are changing our format this year. The Asheville Christian Writers Conference will always be boot camp. But we're changing it up to an Army. Websters Dictionary says an ARMY is a a large organized body of armed personnel trained for war especially on land . That's what you are when you come to our conference. You're an organized body, being armed with the tools you need, for the spiritual battles we face. Your tools, are your pens. Your army are those standing along side of you to write the words that will change the world one word at a time. We will always be God's army, training to write His stories. You'll notice we've changed our tracks this year: 

Step IN replaces our Infantry Level. This is geared to the newer writer.
Step UP replaces our Officer Level. This is geared toward the more seasoned writer.

Our mentoring services are available again by popular demand. So check out those as well. If you qualify for one the 1 to 11/2 hours session is only $45 and it's just you and your professional mentor working specifically on your project. This is valuable. We have Yvonne Lehman, Vonda Skelton, and Edie Melson heading up our mentoring this year. Wow - try to get your head around 1-11/2 hours of personal, one-on-one, mentoring. Yvonne will be leading those with novels, Vonda will help with novels and speaking, and Edie will work with social media and website overviews. Your mentor will decide, according to your work, whether one hour or 11/2 hours will benefit you.

You're gonna hear me harp on this from now until February, so be ready. Our critique services will be available again as well. As usual, we will record all the sessions and the keynotes so you have those available to purchase for $35. When I drove 9.5 hours to Philadelphia, I put all of my Blue Ridge MP3s on a thumb drive and listened to classes all the way there and back. Conference MP3s are a tool you can refer back to over and over and it's the ENTIRE CONFERENCE. $35 is a small price and the money goes to provide scholarships for the next year. So plan ahead, prepare to purchase your MP3s at the conference.

ACWC Bookstore will again be open. It will have faculty books for your purchase. I'm sorry that we cannot include conferee books here.  You'll be able to purchase MP3's, books, and pre-register for 2018. The greatest compliment you can give our faculty it to purchase their books and once you purchase and read...WRITE A REVIEW. 

BOB BOWL - We will again accept donations to support  Bob Hostetler's two grand children who deal with Cystic Fibrosis. Bob does a yearly fundraiser for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in honor of his two grandchildren who fight the CF battle daily.  This year we sent him $1000. We'd love to surprise him again with this type of support. From January of last year until January of this year, a new injectable  medication was developed that is changing lives of CF patients. In our own family a niece is now able to function due to this medication.  For Bob's grandchildren, the injection will be available any day for his granddaughter and hopefully available for his younger grandson by spring of next year. Your gifts helped bring that about. So I hope you'll come prepared to offer a little contribution to the BOB BOWL and help us help the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Bob's grandchildren.  We'll place a Bob Bowl on our Bookstore table again, and forward the monies collected to Bob for his campaign drive in the spring. (By the way, Bob will be back with us in 2018).

Class Schedule - I don't have the classes nailed down at this time. I'm still working on that. Our faculty has sent me some amazing classes. I can't choose! But I will have that ready in the near future. So just check the website from time to time. www.ashevillechristianwritersconference.com.

Contests
Check the site for our contests. We have the Badge of Honor Contest: Last year's winner, Laura Poole, did receive a contract from Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas. Contest entries will be judged and a winner chosen. That winner is then presented to the proper acquisitions editor at LPC and if the manuscript is ready for publication, it will be sent to the publication board for a shot at a contract. (Keep in mind, manuscripts must meet board criteria). So get to work on that manuscript. Enter the contest. You never know!

Devotions contest:  Each year we choose a winner from our devotions entries as well. Step out. Make the effort and enter.

Work is progressing along on the conference. We want it filled to the brim. So encourage your peers to attend.

OH - one other thing.  So many worry about bad weather in February. Though we've never had a huge snow storm to hinder our conference, it is always a worry with February weather.  This year we have added a link for travel insurance with AIG Insurance. This is found on the registration page of our website
http://ashevillechristianwritersconference.com/registration/ . Just scroll down to TRAVEL INSURANCE. The rates depend on where you live. It's important you know that once January 5 passes, we no longer have the ability to refund conference funds and housing. If you are one who fears the weather, then take a minute, check out AIG Insurance for the travel insurance. This way, if you feel you cannot make the conference with the weather, you can contact them for a claim and get a good portion of your money refunded. Christian Devotions or the Asheville Christian Writers Conference cannot refund monies due to weather. The conference goes on.

Much love,

Cindy Sproles
Director