KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Author of The Man Behind the Words

WORKSHOP INSTRUCTORS

Linda Andersen has authored eight books including Interludes, The Too Busy Book, Come Away and Table for Two, all of which support the idea of creative retreating.

A 17-year writing professor, Cynthia Beach freelances and serves as a creativity coach through her organization Soul Seasons (SoulSeasons.org).

Christy Award-winner and ECPA Christian Book Award nominee Shelly Beach offers diverse books from Hallie’s Heart and its sequel Morningsong to The Silent Seduction of Self-Talk.

Agent Tim Beals founded Credo Communication, a company that works with authors and publishers to develop life-changing books and other Christian resources.

Blogger and author Jeremy Bouma writes about spirituality and culture in The Unoffensive Gospel of Jesus (NovusLumen Publications, 2008). He served as a congressional staffer.

Lyricist, poet and children’s book author Crystal Bowman has 60 books published like Cracks in the Sidewalk, Dinosaur Stomp and Two Busy Ants.

Robyn Brodie is a published columnist and literary critic and is currently a Professor of English at Muskegon Community College.

Ann Byle authored The Making of a Christian Bestseller and Plainfield Township. She judges the Christy Awards and the Writer’s Digest Annual Writing Contest and freelances and edits.

Sharon Carrns has authored many corporate and church studies and has created the curriculum Working It Workbook and discussion guides for Hallie's Heart and Morningsong.

Lorilee Craker writes entertainment articles for magazines and The Grand Rapids Press. Her ten books include New York Times bestseller Through the Storm, written with Lynne Spears.

John Frye, a long-time pastor and mentor, has two books: Jesus the Pastor (Zondervan, 2000) and Out of Print (Credo Communications, 2008).

Tracy Groot is the author of Madman, which received a starred review from Publishers Weekly and a Christy Award for historical fiction. She lives with her family in Hudsonville, Michigan.

Breathe funny girl—humorist Alison Hodgson—writes and speaks on all the gory details of writing, motherhood and spirituality.

Judith Markham has four decades of book publishing experience in which she served 17 Gold Medallion winners and authors like Chuck Colson and Philip Yancey.

Baker Book House’s marketing manager Josh Mosey also founded Thoughtcrime Marketing, a book promotion firm that serves major Christian publishers.

A combined background in law enforcement and law gives this writing duo plenty for their suspense novels: Confirming Justice, Facing Justice and The Camelot Conspiracy.

A Calvin professor and freelancer, Debra Rienstra has authored Great with Child (2002), So Much More (2005) and Worship Words (2009).

As promotion manager for Zondervan Publishers, Andrew Rogers helps authors develop platforms and venues for promoting books. The Grand Rapids resident also freelances.

Public relations Professor Kathy Sindorf teaches at Cornerstone University after serving at Precept Ministries International and at the Christian Broadcasting Network.

Former editor and Zondervan associate publisher, Jean Syswerda has developed best-selling Bibles such as The Women’s Devotional Bible and The NIV Teen Study Bible.