EVERY WRITER WHO ENTERS A CONTEST SHOULD WIN.  Unrealistic? Maybe a little…but a girl can believe! In fact TWO fabulous girls who entered a contest did believe and THEY WON!

CONGRATULATIONS to Lisa Bogart and Marci Seither. They entered the Guideposts Writers Workshop Contest and were just notified that they won! They’ll be whisked off to Rye, New York to stay at the Wainwright House for five days. The editors at Guideposts magazine will teach them everything they know about writing first-person inspirational stories.

Guideposts chooses only 15 people out of the thousands who enter, and they hold this contest just once every two years. This is a remarkable achievement for both Lisa and Marci, who I know worked very hard at crafting a story for the contest. They have been regular attendees at the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conferences and have taken numerous classes to hone their craft. I applaud their efforts, their determination, their willingness to learn. I know they will have a fabulous time in New York.

Way to go, Girls!

B.J. Taylor, Guidepost Representative & Faculty member for Mount Hermon Writers Conference

If you were at the Writers Conference this year and want to order CD’s or MP3′s of the workshops and General Sessions, the form is now posted under www.mounthermon.org/writers/forms.  Just got it up this afternoon.  Have at it.

We’re working already on 2011 Writers Conference and want to encourage you to start saving right now, and working on your writer friends to come with you this coming year.  They won’t be sorry they did.  And we’ll love having them for the first time.  Always fun to introduce them to this wonderful place.  Doesn’t get better than this, does it?

In the meantime, have a great summer.  We’ll look forward to hearing from you in the fall.

Good morning to you!

The 2010 Writers Conference Photo Album is on-line at MyPublisher.com.  This is just for your viewing pleasure. If you want a copy, you can order one as well.  There appears to be a great option right now for a FREE photobook if you download a coupon by May 1, so give it a go.  Here’s the process for getting into the book.

• Go into the internet and access MyPublisher.com
• On the left hand side is a listing of items.  Click on “MyBookshelf” which takes you to a page asking for information you can ignor.
• On the right hand side is a small box asking “Looking For A Friends’ Book?”  Click here.
• Order Number:  M1515120;  Password:   1875965

You can use the arrow to go through the book, and you can magnify pages as you like.  And if you want to purchase a copy, I think the finished price was something around $79.00.  This is a hardback book with a shiney paper cover.  The quality of MyPublisher books is like fancy coffee table books.  They’re worth every bit of the cost.  And remember,  if you are a Costco member, input your Costco number and you’ll get up to 35% discount at the end of your order (though this may be only if you download the free program first.) 

I’ve had a great time creating this for all who came to this years conference.  It has so many memories in it!   Besides, it’s a great marketing tool for you, too, as you look to get friends to come along with you  in 2011!  Enjoy!

Writers Conference 2010 was an awesome display of God showing up for our guests.  So many talked of what God did in their lives, not just that their projects had been gobbled up by every publisher here (and there were a lot of publishers, editors & agents in attendance).

General sessions were full of great worship times of robust singing, and Charlie Peacock motivated the writers to see beyond the “bubble” of their idea of what is Christian versus Secular.  He urged them to love what God loves, to enjoy it, and write about it.  He encouraged them to give up our writing dreams on the altar of God’s will and see what HE wanted to do with the gifting He’d given each one.

Evaluations from the conference were gratifying to staff, since  putting on a professional conference is a massive amount of work.  Here are a few answers to the question, “Any closing message to Mount Hermon staff?”

• Thanks to all the people who worked behind the scenes to make the conference so successful.  They are so very important and deserve many kudos.
• Fabulous!
• Every general session drew me closer to the Lord.  Dave’s playing on the piano and organ were tremendously uplifting.
• Full of rich teaching, access to publishers/agents, wonderful networking opportunities.
• Charlie Peacock was excellent.  His talks could not have been better.  LOVED his insights and piano pieces.  He was wonderful with a deep spiritual center.
• I’ve been attending Mount Hermon Writers Conference on and off since 1995, and I’ve not only learned the craft of writing and developed my career here, I’ve also experienced meaningful and sweet times with God.  I’ve always sensed the power of prayer ushering us in each year.
• The staff was the best.  Everyone seemed to be genuinely friendly and helpful.
• It’s a great experience.  The mentoring program is very valuable.
• Awesome!  I think my favorite part is the awards evening where peers are noted for their perseverance.  It is encouraging and inspiring.  For those who think they may be interested in the craft of writing, or feel a small stirring of inspiration in encouraging others with the written word, there is no other place I know that can equip them to serve and fulfill their God-given dreams.  Mount Hermon has a long and rich history of bringing the best people in the industry together to come along side of writers who want to learn and perfect their craft.

Among the 331 writers, faculty, and staff who attended this year was journalist Laura Wrede from the San Francisco Examiner.  Her expressed purpose was to attend as much of the conference as she could in order to write several articles about it, encouraging more people from the Bay Area to attend in the future.  The first article came out this Monday and is linked below.  It’s a great piece from the point of view of one of our teens who attended the Teen Writers Track.  Enjoy it.

Examiner.com Article: Mount Hermon Writer’s Conference

Note from one of this years faculty members, Marlo Schalesky, who represented Power for Living magazine this past week at Writers Conference:

. . .thanks so much for allowing me to come and represent Power for Living….I was able to talk to many conferees who pitched story ideas and seemed eager to go home, write their stories,  and send them in to me.  It was so nice to be able to give encouragement and be an outlet where people could consider publication in a smaller format than books.  Thanks so much for that.

And thanks for the opportunity to teach my two workshops.  What a neat thing to have numerous people come up to me afterward and talk about how what I shared helped them and was just what God needed them to hear.  That was very special to me.  That’s one thing I’ve always noticed about the Mount Hermon Writers Conference–it’s just amazing how God consistently guides each person to the people they need to meet, the workshops they need to attend, the things they particularly need to hear.  I’m always in awe of how strong and pervasive the presence of God is at the MH Writers Conference.  It’s just a beautiful thing to be a part of!

I’m the first one to admit it–I attribute most of my success as a writer to Mt. Hermon.

In 1994 I brought my first-ever book proposal to my first-ever major conference. Two publishers took it to committee and it was published a year later by Thomas Nelson. Other publishing opportunities followed, as well as the privilege of being on the faculty.

It’s easy to get wrapped up in the sales and success side of things and be tempted not to attend if we don’t have a project to pitch or an agent to attain. But I’ve found the most valuable aspect of attending Mt. Hermon has nothing directly to do with contracts or career.

I return each year to connect with writers I’d never otherwise meet and editors and agents I may never do business with. There are a number of professionals I’ve never pitched to (and some I’ve been rejected by) who’ve become dear friends and treasured advisors. Sharing our hearts, our passion to communicate God’s message to a hungry world, and late nights filled with laughter and friendship is well worth the price of admission.

You can buy the CD’s for the information you’d miss, but there’s no substitute for the relationships established and grown at the conference.

Mary Pielenz Hampton (RefreshMoments–Turning the Daily into Devotion) is a regular contributor to Exemplify Online and 5 Minutes for Faith. In addition to her own books, she has had pieces included in several compilations including Stories for the Heart and A Cup of Comfort. She received Mt. Hermon’s “Most Promising New Writer” award at her second Writers Conference.

Writing and the road to publication can seem very lonely at times. Mount Herman is a peaceful place–with awesome food!–to connect with others at various stages of that journey. There, I have grown closer to existing friends, met new ones, prayed for others, and been prayed for. I finished revisions to my second book sitting in the coffee lounge. I met my new agent there. I cried and voiced my fears about my next project. Go and enjoy–even if you don’t know anyone else going. You’ll know plenty of others by the time you leave.

Tosca Lee is the award-winning author of Demon: A Memoir and Havah: The Story of Eve. Her third novel, Iscariot, is due Fall of 2011 from B&H Publishing. Visit her at www.toscalee.com.

The website has written directions here, but as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Santa Cruz Facilities From Northern California

From Highway 17 take the “Mount Hermon Road” exit at Scotts Valley. If coming from the north, turn right at the light onto Mount Hermon Road. Once on Mount Hermon Road, proceed 3.5 miles through Scotts Valley to the “T” and signal light at Graham Hill Road. Turn left onto Graham Hill Road.

Turn left onto Conference Road.

Do you see this bridge? You’re almost here!

You’re getting closer BUT you’re not here yet.

See that ramp to your right? After you park, that’s where you’re headed.

Park your car and walk up this path…

When the path ends make a U-turn, head up the ramp, climb the stairs…

And YOU’VE MADE IT!

I didn’t know what to expect when I came to Mount Hermon for the first time last year. I was an inexperienced writer—I had just finished my first novel at seventeen. But my writing mentor, Tricia Goyer, believed that I was ready to attend my first writing conference, praising Mount Hermon as the best available to me.

My mom and I packed our bags and journeyed to California, where we met some amazing, inspiring people who wanted others to succeed as they had. I laughed in the Headstart Clinic with James Scott Bell, played a spy in the Teen Track with John Olson, and met a bunch of incredible people with beautiful life stories. I also met my agent and my current editor, who were both so warm and caring as I learned how to pitch my writing.

I believe everyone who goes there receives something in return. It is truly an experience that I believe anyone, at any age, can benefit from.

Alexa Schnee has always wanted to be a writer. She loves the smell of the bookstore, because nothing in the world smells exactly like it. She enjoys spending time with her family, including her  parents and her sister and brother. She also likes shopping, playing the piano and guitar, and traveling. Her debut novel, Shakespeare’s Lady will be released by Guideposts Fall 2011.

Photo: Tricia Goyer, Alexa, and Alexa’s mom, Lisa.