Bayou City Christian Writers Conference 2018

Save the Date

Bayou City Christian Writers Conference 2018, 

hosted by ACFW, The Woodlands chapter, 

is scheduled for Saturday, October 20th in Houston, Texas. 

For only $80, you will receive a full day of instruction from experienced authors who want to help you succeed.

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Our Speakers

This year, there will be two tracks taught by experienced authors who love to teach.

Kathleen Y’Barbo Turner | Keynote Speaker

Bestselling author Kathleen Y’Barbo is a multiple Carol Award and RITA nominee and author of more than ninety books with almost two million copies of her books in print in the US and abroad. A tenth-generation Texan and certified paralegal, she has been nominated for a Career Achievement Award as well a Reader’s Choice Award and several Top Picks by Romantic Times magazine. She is a member of ACFW, Novelists Inc., and the Texas Bar Association Paralegal Division.

Kathleen celebrated her fifteenth year as a published author by receiving the Romantic Times Inspirational Romance Book of the Year Award for her historical romantic suspense Sadie’s Secret, a Secret Lives of Will Tucker novel. Her novels celebrate life, love and the Lord—and whenever she can manage it, her home state of Texas. 

Recent releases include the bestselling historical romantic mystery novels The Pirate Bride and  My Heart Belongs in Galveston, Texas.  Kathleen will celebrate twenty years as a published author in 2019 with another book of her heart (and of her home state), The Alamo Bride.

To find out more about Kathleen and her books or connect with her through social media, check out her website at www.kathleenybarbo.com.

Kristen Ethridge

Kristen Ethridge writes Sweet Escape Romance—stories with hope, heart and happily-ever-after—for Harlequin’s Love Inspired line, Hallmark Publishing, and Laurel Lock Publishing. She’s a Romance Writers of America Golden Heart Award nominee and both an Amazon Christian Fiction and Inspirational Romance #1 Best-Selling Author.

You can find Kristen in her native habitat—a Texas patio—where she’s likely to be savoring the joy of a crispy taco, along with a glass of iced tea and scents from her essential oil diffuser. She’s almost convinced her family that it’s normal to talk to imaginary people, as long it goes in a book.

Find her online at www.kristenethridge.com where you can get a free story for signing up for her newsletter. You can also follow her adventures in writing at www.facebook.com/kristenethridgebooks.

Linda Kozar

Linda Kozar is an author of over 28 traditional and indie-published books, podcast host of Chat Noir Mystery & Suspense and Network Coordinator for the Along Came A Writer Network on BlogTalk Radio and iTunes. Recipient of ACFW’s Mentor of the Year award 2007, she founded The Woodlands Texas chapter of ACFW, is currently on the board of the Christian Authors Network and is a member of Chi Libris, ACFW, RWA, AWSA.

Linda and her husband of 29 years, Michael live in The Woodlands, Texas and enjoy spending time with their two grown daughters, wonderful son-in-law and their rascally Jack Russell Terrier, Gypsy. Visit her at lindakozar.com.

Linda Yezak

Linda W. Yezak lives with her husband and their funky feline, PB, in a forest in the Pineywoods region of Texas, where tall tales abound and exaggeration is an art form. She has a deep and abiding love for her Lord, her family, and salted caramel. And coffee—with a caramel creamer.

Author of award-winning books and short stories, Linda is also a freelance editor, including among her clients two small and one mid-sized publishing houses, an ezine, and a beloved literary agent as well as many individual authors. She specializes in content edits for both fiction and select nonfiction genres. Visit her at lindayezak.com.

Lisa Godfrees

Lisa Godfrees is the Production Manager for Splickety Publishing Group—the premiere destination for flash fiction. Splickety showcases high-quality short fiction from new writers, best-selling authors, and everyone in between. Their three imprints, Splickety (YA), Havok (speculative), and Spark (romance), provide concise, poignant stories that readers can enjoy despite the busyness of everyday life.

Lisa has served as President of both ACFW-The Woodlands (WOTS) and ACFW-Houston. She’s been the driving force behind the Storming the Short Story Contest and resulting anthologies. Lisa currently lives in Clear Lake with one dog, two cats, a school of fish, two girls, and a husband. Fall is her favorite time of year because of football (Gig ‘em, Aggies!), Halloween, cooler weather, and her birthday.

Author of several short works of fiction and co-author of Mind Writer: A Novel, she posts short stories on her blog at lisagodfrees.com.

Kathrese McKee

Speculative fiction author, Kathrese McKee, writes epic adventures for young adults and anyone else who enjoys pirates and princesses combined with life’s difficult questions. She is committed to exciting stories, appropriate content, and quality craftsmanship. Once upon a time, Kathrese taught Reading and ESL at the middle school level. These days, she edits fiction, maintains websites, and turns a blind eye to the feral dust bunnies lurking beneath her desk.

Kathrese is President of ACFW, The Woodlands. She is a member of the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi). She is also a Silver Member for The Christian PEN. Visit her at kathresemckee.com and wordmarkeredits.com.

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Presentations

Legal Briefs: A Paralegal Answers Your Questions - Kathleen Y'Barbo Turner

Ever wondered what happens when a character breaks the law? What about a story line where a person dies and a will must be found? Or perhaps you’re just wondering what the life of a lawyer or paralegal is like so you can write these characters in a more realistic way. If you’re writing about anything related to the law—be it a character or a plot twist—you don’t want to miss this informative class. In addition to being a bestselling author with several million books in print, Kathleen is a degreed paralegal with more than ten years of experience in criminal law, family law, and Native American law specific to the Cherokee, Creek, and Osage tribes. Bring your questions but please note that she cannot give you legal advice, only plot advice!

Podcasting Basics - Linda Kozar

Get with the program! Learn the basics of podcasting with the host of "Along Came a Writer" and "Chat Noir Mystery and Suspense." Then join the show to appear with Linda Kozar for an impromptu interview "on air."

The Authorpreneur Mindset - Kristen Ethridge

Many authors dream of making a living as a full-time writer—and there’s never been a better time to make that dream come true. But with that goal comes a necessary mind shift from that of author to authorpreneur. Join Kristen, a #1 Amazon best-selling Christian Romance author for a look at what else career authors need to be looking at beyond just getting words on a page. Kristen is now a full-time author who uses her background as a marketing and communications consultant for one of the world’s largest high-tech companies to create a comprehensive branding, marketing, and publishing strategy. Learn how to think like an authorpreneur!

Aromatherapy for Authors - Kristen Ethridge

Do you go through phases where your creative well runs dry? Have you stumbled upon writer’s block? Would you market your books more, but it seems like bragging? Our mind can be our most powerful asset as a writer, but it can also be our biggest enemy. In Aromatherapy for Authors, you’ll learn simple, all-natural strategies to break through the barriers that are holding you back. Using techniques inspired by the Aroma Freedom Technique, Kristen—an aromatherapist as well as an author—will help you discover how to tap into the powerful connection between scents and the brain and learn strategies that you can use anytime and anywhere to channel focus, creativity and belief.

Pacing Emotions: Helping Your Readers to Feel - Linda Yezak

A simple twist of a sentence structure can either make your reader’s heart pound or her eyes well up. An alteration in paragraph structure can send her on a tense race or slow her to a more contemplative pace. Combined with content and word choice, these simple tips can help you elicit the emotions from your readers.

Let's Talk Editing - Linda Yezak

Indies often think that having their grammar, punctuation, and spelling checked is all they need. Not necessarily. Understand the different types of edits and discover ways to cut down editing time and expense with these effective tips.

YOU Should Be Writing Short Stories: The 5Ws and 1H of Short Fiction - Lisa Godfrees

Part 1: The Who, What, and Why of Short Story WritingPart 2: The Where, How, and When of Short Story Writing

Penning short fiction is a great way for newbies, best-selling authors and everyone in between to hone their writing skills. Come and learn about the different types of short fiction and why it's imperative you add this literary type to your repertoire. The class will discuss how to craft compelling short fiction and use it to build your author platform, as well as when and where to submit the short stories you've written. At the end of this class/workshop, you'll come away with a story you can use to bolster whatever you're working on now (and you'll have fun doing it!).

DIY: Using Draft2Digital, BookFunnel, and Kindle Direct Publishing - Kathrese McKee

Want to publish your own book but don't know how? Here's your 101 class about using Draft2Digital, BookFunnel, and KDP to get your work into the hands of your readers.

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Here's the Schedule

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2018

8:30 Doors Open
9:00 Prayer and Welcom
9:10 Keynote Speaker - Kathleen Y'Barbo Turner
10:00 First class session (your choice)
Linda Kozar - Podcasting
Lisa Godfrees - Part 1, Short Story Ninjas
10:45 Break
11:00 Second class session (your choice)
Kristen Ethridge - Hobby to Business
Linda Yezak - Emotional Pacing
12:00 LUNCH
1:00 Third Class session (your choice)
Kathrese McKee - Draft2Digital, BookFunnel, KDP
Linda Yezak - On Editing
2:00 Fourth Class session (your choice)
Kristen Ethridge - Aromatherapy for the Author Brain
Lisa Godfrees - Part 2, Short Story Ninjas
3:45 BREAK and BOOK STORE
4:15 Kathleen Y'Barbo Turner - Legal Briefs
4:45 PANEL DISCUSSION and Dismissal
5:15 BOOK STORE
6:00 Doors Close

As you can see, the schedule is packed! Our speakers are experienced authors and teachers who stand ready to help you grow.

Don't miss this great opportunity to network with other Christian authors who are serious about their professional development. Be encouraged and uplifted, find mentors, and make friends.

We are looking forward to seeing you at Bayou City Christian Writers Conference 2018. 

Directions to the Conference

The conference will be hosted on the grounds of Bammel Church of Christ, located at  2700 Cypress Creek Parkway (FM 1960 West) between Kuykendahl and TC Jester. Turn on Fritz Oaks Place and follow the road to the back parking lot. We will meet in the Ministry Building.

The Venue

The conference will be held on the beautiful campus of Bammel Church of Christ at 2700 Cypress Creek Parkway (FM 1960 at Fritz Oaks) in the multipurpose Ministry Building. Follow Fritz Oaks to the rear of the property to park.

2017 Conference | DiAnn Mills

Lodging

If you are from out of town (or just the far side of Houston), there are several hotels within easy reach of the conference:
Hilton Garden Inn, Houston Cypress Station
160 Wagon Point, Houston, TX 77090
(281) 929-0111
Hampton Inn & Suites, Houston-Cypress Station
150 Wagon Point, Houston, TX 77090
(281) 866-0404
Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott, Houston I-45 North
17617 North Fwy, Houston, TX 77090
(281) 895-8989
La Quinta Inn & Suites, Houston I-45 North @ 1960
415 FM 1960, Houston, TX 77073
(281) 784-1112

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Hope to meet you there!

Questions?

For questions, please use our Contact Form in the right-hand sidebar.