Speakers
 | Terry Whalin - 2012 Keynote SpeakerTerry has written more than 60 nonfiction books plus been published in more than 50 magazines. For five years, he was an acquisitions editor at a book publisher and he's a former literary agent. Now Terry is a publisher at Intermedia Publishing Group. Terry encourages writers of any level (from beginners to professionals) at Right-Writing.com. To help people pursue their own dreams of a published book, Terry has written Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams, Insider Secrets to Skyrocket Your Success.www.terrywhalin.blogspot.com |
 | Cynthia BeachLong-time English professor Cynthia Beach freelances and serves as a writing and creativity coach through her organization Soul Seasons (SoulSeasons.org). Currently she is working on a MFA in fiction and is marketing a novel manuscript. Over one hundred of her articles, chapters and short stories have been published. She speaks locally to various groups on topics like creativity, writer's block and other topics related to creative and spiritual formation. |
 | Shelly BeachChristy Award-winner and ECPA Christian Book Award nominee Shelly Beach has authored more than a half-dozen books from Hallie’s Heart to Ambushed by Grace and A Visual History of the King James Bible. She contributes to Caring.com, the Internet's most popular caregiving site. Shelly is a speaker for Daughters of Destiny women's prison ministry and speaks at churches, retreats, writing conferences, and caregiving conferences. She also provides writing consultation and co-writing services. Shelly can be found at shellybeachonline.com. |
 | Tim BealsTim Beals founded Credo Communications, a company that works with authors and publishers to develop life-changing books and other Christian resources. |
 | Ann ByleAnn Byle is author of The Making of a Christian Bestseller and Plainfield Township, and coauthor with Bethany Hamilton of Devotions for the Soul Surfer. She helps judge the Christy Awards and the Writer's Digest Annual Writing Contest, and is a freelance writer and editor. |
 | Sharon CarrnsSharron Carrns has authored many corporate and church studies, including the study guide for Running Into Water, the curriculum Working It Workbook and discussion guides for Hallie's Heart and Morningsong. |
 | Lorilee CrakerLorilee 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. Her latest book is Money Secrets of the Amish (Thomas Nelson, 2011). |
 | Tracy GrootTracy Groot is the author of Madman, which received a starred review from Publishers Weekly and a Christy Award for historical fiction. She has worked in screenplay adaptation, ghost writing, and is currently at work on her fourth adult book, a spy novel set in Normandy on the brink of D-Day. She speaks with writers on topics like research and characterization. See www.tracygroot.com. |
 | Alison HodgsonAlison Hodgson is a gifted communicator who writes and speaks about the gory details of writing, mothering and following Jesus. Her writing has been published with Baker Publishing Group and Houzz.com, and she placed sixth in the Writer's Digest Annual Writing Contest in 2009. She lives in Michigan with her husband Paul, their three children, and their good dog Jack. You can keep up with her at olderthanjesus.blogspot.com. |
 | Tracey Bianchiis a speaker, writer, pastor, parent, and raving fan of coffee. She's the author of Green Mama: The Guilt-Free Guide to Saving the Planet (Zondervan 2010) and the upcoming 2012 MOPS International annual theme book. She writes for a variety of publications and serves on the pastoral staff at Christ Church of Oak Brook outside of Chicago where she preaches and teaches in a variety of communities. She has three children and makes her home in the burbs. traceybianchi.com |
 | Holistic VisibilityHolistic Visibility is an internet marketing company that focuses on helping small businesses and entrepreneurs succeed on the internet. Partners Josh Decker and Brian Duncan specilize in website development, seatch engine optimization, and social media marketing. In addition, the dynamic duo hosts the Social Networking Coffee Hour, a monthly workshop that focuses on helping business owners and entrepreneurs understand how to effectively engage and leverage social media marketing. For more information visit www.holisticvisibility.com or follow them Facebook and Twitter. |
 | Timothy BurnsTimothy Burns has written professionally for 9 years. His work explores cultural forces, Christ-centered values, and emotional influences that affect life's direction. His writing spans topics of Christian living, apologetics, and the hidden benefits that surface through personal suffering. Tim is founder of Word Weavers of West Michigan, a thriving Christian Writer's Guild writing community that meets bimonthly across West Michigan. |
David FreesDavid Frees has been employed in the areas of acquisitions, editing, writing, graphic design, and technology for the past ten years. Most recently he has been involved in incorporating new technological trends into current publishing paradigms involving the conversion of editorial content into e-book formats and has begun to work with smartphone applications and other digital mediums. |
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Kelly HughesKelly Hughes heads DeChant-Hughes & Associates, Inc., a Chicago-based public relations firm dedicated to national media coverage for books and authors, specializing in books on religious thought, spirituality, and cultural issues. Kelly has more than 25 years’ experience in book publicity, and has executed successful campaigns for hundreds of books, including bestsellers Tuesdays with Morrie, Blue Like Jazz, and Wild at Heart. |
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Dave LambertDave Lambert is editorial director for publishing strategy and services agency Somersault Group, and owner of Lambert Editorial. He is also author of 10 books, former senior fiction editor at Howard Publishing, and former executive editor for fiction at Zondervan. |
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 | Karen NeumairKaren Neumair works closely with Credo Communications authors—especially women's issues authors and emerging writers to teens and twenty-somethings— championing them and their projects with editors at leading publishing houses. She walks authors through every step of the book publishing process, from idea development and proposal creation to marketing strategies. |
 | Don PeriniDon Perini, MFA, lives and works in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he is the professor of ministry and creativity at Cornerstone University. He travels the nation speaking to educators, writers, entrepreneurs, pastors, and film producers on the subject of creativity and design thinking. In addition to screenwriting and consulting, he designs party card games that are distributed worldwide. |
 | Martie Sharp BradleyMartie Sharp Bradley has broad experience in teaching, publishing, ministry, communications, and marketing. She earned a B.A. in Language Arts at Hope College, M.A. in Christian Education at Princeton Seminary, and studied Developmental Psychology at Eastern University. She enjoys writing, photography, and nature walks with her husband and three sons. |
Andrew RogersAndrew Rogers is a Marketing Manager at Zondervan. He helps authors develop their platforms and discover innovative ways to promote their books. He is also a freelance writer. |
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 | Latayne ScottLatayne Scott is the award-winning author of over a dozen books published by Zondervan, Moody, Baker Publishing and others. She has also published poems and radio plays, and hundreds of articles in magazines such as Today’s Christian Woman, Guideposts, Writer’s Digest, and Christian Research Journal. She speaks often, and makes her home in her native New Mexico. |
 | Noel SeifNoel Seif is a former teacher of college composition classes and author of the Young Adult novel “The Second Navigon.” Visit her at noelseif.com. |
Dr. Michael StevensDr. Michael Stevens, professor of English at Cornerstone University, has been published in literary journals such as Books and Culture, and is coauthor of “Wendell Berry and the Cultivation of Life.” |
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 | Hugh CookHugh Cook's work has been published in multiple literary journals, including Canada's leading literary journals, and his short stories in Home in Alfalfa were adapted to stage. Other books include Cracked Wheat and Other Stories and The Homecoming Man. He taught for over 30 years at American and Canadian colleges. His fourth book, a novel titled Heron River, will be released this fall. He is emeritus Professor of English at Redeemer University College in Ancaster. |