Presenters
Becca Anderson
holds a journalism degree from Northern Illinois University. She has worked for advertising and public relations firms, and spent 14 years in corporate PR. In 2000, she quit her day job to go freelance, writing for local clients, special interest magazines, international trade journals, association publications, and online clients. She also is a published novelist. She is passionate about coaching other writers to find venues for their writing and improve their craft.
Terry Burns
writes inspirational fiction and is an agent with Hartline Literary Agency http://www.hartlineliterary.com. As a writer he has over 30 books in print including 10 novels. A Young Adult entitled Beyond the Smoke came out from BJU Press January 2009 and is a finalist for the Will Rogers Medallion, a historical fiction entitled Saints Roost just came out from Mountainview Press, just finished ghostwriting a novel for a publisher, adapting two screenplays into book form, and a series that began with Mysterious Ways from River Oak Publishing (the series bears that name). The second, Brothers Keeper came out Feb 1, 2006 and Shepherd's Son came out January 1, 2007. Other fiction includes Trails of the Dime Novel, a trade paperback from Echelon Press, Don’t I Know You? and To Keep a Promise from Fictionworks. He has published over 200 articles and short stories. A popular speaker at workshops across the country, a bookstore of his available works as well as a regular blog can be found at www.terryburns.net. As an agent Terry says "I'm looking for a good book, well-written in a unique voice, aimed at a market that looks promising, and where I feel I have the contacts appropriate to be able to sell the book in that market."
Don Burton
When you first meet (or even observe) Donald W. Burton, you are instantly aware that he is distinctly different and not your average person. Don's sincerity and passion for life and living, combined with his energy and ability to encourage people around him, has made him a sought-after motivational speaker. He is a recording artist, songwriter and CEO of ViewCity Records. He owns and operates a recording studio and is the founder and CEO of GMMG International, a multimedia company headquartered in Longview, Texas. He has been writing songs since he was in grade school. Don has always had a passion for music, singing and putting poems to music in his head from an early age. He wrote his first song in the tenth grade which he titled "Get Right With God" while being the choral director for the youth choir of Macedonia Baptist Church in Abilene, Texas. Don has had one book published, Lifestyles of Highly Infectious and Contagious People.
Kenneth Camp
is managing editor of the Baptist Standard, the Texas Baptist news journal (http://www.baptiststandard.com). Prior to assuming the editorial post in January 2004, he worked more than 19 years with the news and information service of the Baptist General Convention of Texas communications office, including several years as news director. He holds a bachelor's degree in English and journalism from East Texas State University (now Texas A&M Commerce) and a master's degree in communciations from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Diane, have three sons: Daniel, Matthew and Nathan. They are members of South Garland Baptist Church, near Dallas.
Hannah DeClerk
holds a journalism degree from the University of Kansas. She is currently a reporter for the Marshall News Messenger where she has worked for a year and a half. She has also worked as a news writer for the American Academy of Family in Kansas City, Kansas, as well as her college newspaper, The University Daily Kansan. In 2010, she received a first place features award for her article "Caught in a Catch-22" by the Texas Associated Press Managing Editors. She is a member of the Texas Association of School Boards 2011 Media Honor Roll. As part of the younger generation of journalists, she has been taught to incorporate technology, 21st century advancements into her daily work. She believes it is important to encourage readers to not give up on the power of print, because it is not dying, just evolving.
Mike Farris
is a literary agent with Farris Literary Agency(http://www.farrisliterary.com) and an entertainment attorney with the Dallas, Texas, law firm of Vincent Lopez Serafino Jennevein, P.C. (http:www.vilolaw.com). As an agent, he has placed several award-winning novels for publication, including Balaam Gimble's Gumption by Mike Nichols, winner of the 2004 Texas Institute of Letters John Bloom Humor Award, and Dreams to Dust: A Tale of the Oklahoma Land Rush by Sheldon Russell, winner of the 2006 Langum Prize for Excellence in American Historical Fiction. Mr. Russell's mystery novel The Insane Train (St. Martin's Minotaur) was selected by Publisher's Weekly as one of the top six mysteries of 2010. Mike represents various university presses and has successfully placed subsidiary rights to their published books, including negotiating the sale of movie rights to producers and Hollywood studios. Most recently, he closed a three-book deal with Berkley Publishing for his client Sharon Pape's upcoming A Portrait of Crime mystery series and sold the rights for a potential television series to a major Hollywood studio.
As a book writer, Mike collaborated with television journalist Murphy Martin in 2003 to write Martin's memoir, Front Row Seat: A Veteran Reporter Relives the Four Decades that Reshaped America, for Eakin Press. In 2009, he collaborated with rodeo cowboy turned actor/director/producer Robert Hinkle to write Hinkle's memoir, Call Me Lucky: a Texan in Hollywood, for the University of Oklahoma Press. Mike's novel Kanaka Blues, a Hawaiian thriller and Manifest Intent, a legal thriller, were published by Savant Books and Publications of Honolulu.
Mike is also an award-winning screenwriter. His screeplays Live From the Boneyard and The Incident on Ni'ihau are in development with Sweet Revenge Entertainment of Beverly Hills, and his adaptation of the award-winning novel Balaam Gimble's Gumption was produced as a short film by Blue Logic Productions. Along with his law colleague Sally Helppie, who is also a movie producer, Mike is preparing to launch a new venture this fall, Tall Castle, Inc., as a non-profit production company to produce inspirational and family-friendly films (http://www.tallcastle.org).
Brenda Fickey
earned a teaching degree from East Texas Baptist College in May 1980. She began teaching that fall at Jefferson Junior High School in Jefferson, Texas. Brenda taught 8th grade English and developed her own writing workshop to teach writing skills for all grade levels. It was an opportunity to connect the language arts (spelling, grammar, reading/literature) into a single art form with practical meaning and validity. She continued to use this approach while teaching in Texas, Alaska and Colorado. Ms. Fickey earned a M.Ed. from the University of Alaska Anchorage. She used her teaching and writing skills workshop teaching freshman basic writing courses, sophomore writing and senior writing courses at both the University of Alaska Anchorage and Wayland Baptist University Alaska Center. Brenda completed a course of study with the Institute for Children's Literature. Upon completion of her training with ICL she proposed her first novel which was published with the title Whispering Darkness in March of 2007. This was the first of a series of novels on the Arkansas Oil Days that ultimately will include twelve to fifteen novels. Although the setting forthese novels is 1925, there is a connection with today's children because of the similar problems the characters face and what the readers know firsthand. The second novel, Echoing Silence, appeared iin May 2008. The third novel Beckoning Shadows will soon be finished and the fourth book Kidnapped Justice is already underway.
Pamela Dowd
enjoys creating strong stories with characters who display candid, growing relationships with God. Her first novella, All Done with the Dashing (Sept. 2004), can be found in Barbour’s All Jingled Out 2-in-1 anthology and in Barbour’s 4-in-1 Simply Christmas, published in a hardback Special Collector’s Edition (Sept. 2005) and in paperback (Sept. 2004).
She was profiled in the cover story of the February 2002 The Christian Communicator magazine and featured in a July 2001 Writer’s Digest Special Issue article entitled, "In Their Words – Seven Successful Writers Share the Joys and Challenges of Working in Today’s Inspirational Writing World."
Pamela has written book reviews for publication and numerous articles for popular magazines. Her works have been included in anthologies.
She has published numerous greeting cards, including her own line, Cookie Jar Greetings, published by Warner Press, as well as copy on assignment and freelance for DaySpring, Leanin’ Tree, and Celebration Greetings. She has written exclusive catalog product descriptions and web copy for Home and Garden Party.
Besides writing, Pamela has been a private school principal, a pre-school director, a kindergarten teacher, a legal secretary, and a children’s clothing designer. On street or treadmill, she enjoys reading and walking simultaneously!
Pamela and her husband, Rodney, make their home in East Texas. They have three daughters, three sons-in-law, and three grandchildren.
Bill Keith
is an experienced and widely-traveled journalist. A graduate of Wheaton College with a Master of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas and a degree from the Tokyo School of the Japanese Language, Keith has authored a number of biographies, medical and inspirational books and numerous magazine articles. Before retiring he was the editor in chief of the Lone Star Eagle. He has served as a journalist for thirty years, traveling in twenty-five foreign countries, having worked as a war correspondent in Vietnam and on freelance assignments in West Berlin, Tokyo and the Philippines. He has been an investigative reporter for The Shreveport Times, city editor for the Shreveport Journal, Director of Public Relations for the Baptist General Convention of Texas and Bureau Chief of Baptist Press. For ten years he was Senior Editor for Huntington House Publishing in Lafayette, Louisiana, editing more than fifty books.
David King
graduated from Howard Payne College (now University) in 1953. He continued his education at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas where he earned a B.D. in 1956 and the Th.D. in 1962. He served under the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention as a missionary based in Beirut, Lebanon working with the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary from 1960 through 1989. He taught Bible courses at East Texas Baptist University 1991 through 1996. Through his career he has authored ten series of Sunday School lessons for senior adults (Pathways and Ventures) for LifeWay Christian Resources in Nashville, Tennessee. He has written two series of devotionals for Open Windows which is the devotional publications for Southern Baptists LifeWay Christian Resources. He will be substituting for Editor Jim Stafford who is recovering from major surgery and unable to come to the conference this year to represent The Upper Room.
Cecil Murphey
New York Times' bestselling author and international speaker Cecil (Cec) Murphey has written or co-written more than one hundred books, including the runaway bestseller 90 Minutes in Heaven (with Don Piper) and Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story (with Dr. Ben Carson). His books have sold millions of copies, have been translated into more than 40 languages, and have brought hope and encouragement to countless people around the world.
Some of his more recent releases include Knowing God, Knowing Myself (January 2011, his 120th book), Hope and Comfort for Every Season (June 2010), When a Man You Love Was Abused: A woman's Guide to Helping Him Overcome Childhood Sexual Molestation (May 2010), and Words of Comfort for Times of Loss (January 2010). He has several books scheduled for release in 2011.
Cecil has co-authored a number of autobiographies and books for well-known personalities. The all-star lilneup includes Dr. Ben Carson, renowned pediatric neurosurgeon (Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story--which has been made into a movie starring Oscar winner Cuba Gooding, Jr.--and the book Think Big); singer B. J. Thomas (In Tune); Franklin Graham (Rebel with a Cause, for which he won the 1995 Gold Medallion Award); and Norman Vaughn, the last survivor of Adrmiral Byrd's Antarctia Expedition (With Byrd at the Bottom of the World).
90 Minutes in Heaven (with Don Piper) has sold more than five million copies, was the catalyst for several follow-up books, and plans are in the works for full-length feature film. The book has been on the New York Times' bestseller list since October 2006 and was included on USA Today's list of top 150 bestselling books in the last 15 years.
In April 2009, the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) honored Cecil with the Extraordinary Service Award,one of their most prestigious awards. This award reflects the great respect the ASJA membership holds for Murphey and his extraordinary service to other authors. In 2007, Cecil received the first Lifetime Achievement Award form The Advanced Writers and Speakers Association. He was recognized not only for his excellent writing but also for his selfless mentoring of other writers.
Prior to launching his career as a full-time writer and speaker, Cecil served as pastor of Riverdale Presbyterian Church in Metro Atlanta, as a volunteer hospital chaplain for ten years, and was a missionary to Kenya for six. He holds bachelor's degrees in education and religious education, as well as master's degrees in education and theology. Cecil was awarded an honorary Doctor of Literature from The Richmond Virginia Seminary for his contributions to the writing field.
For more information about Cecil Murphey, please visit his Website at www.cecilmurphey.com . His blog for writers offers great writing tips: www.cecmurpheyswritertowriter.blogspot.com . Help for men who have been sexually abused can be found at www.menshatteringthesilence.blogspot.com . Listen to Cec and Me show at http://toginet.com/shows/cecandme .
James Pence
is a man of many talents. He's a performance chalf artist, singer, speaker, published author, editor, collaborator, and, in his spare time, he teaches karate, writing and art. He has been called a "Renaissance man," but he prefers to be known simply as a follower of Jesus Christ and a storyteller. Jiim has worked with "chalk art" for over thirty years. He started drawing in 1978 when he was a youth ministers in Lake Charles, Louisiana. In 1986, he began studying under the dean of chalk artists, Rev. Ding Teuling. He has drawn for churches, conferences, camps and prisons across the United States. Jim's strong vocals and storytelling ability round out his programs. Jim is a versatile writers, having been published both in fiction and nonfiction. In 1987, Jim turned to writing as a way of working through his grief after the death of his one-week-old daughter Michelle. Several years later, Dallas Seminary's "Kindred Spirit Magazine" published A Road Not Chosen, Jim's account of his daughter's brief life and her impact on Jim and his wife, Laurel. As a writer Jim broke into book publishing in 2001 when Osborne/McGraw-Hill published How to Do Everything with HTML a book on Web-authoring written "by a non-techie, for non-techies". In 2003, Tyndale House published Jim's first novel, Blind Sight. His most recent book is Terror by Night, a stunning true story of Terry Caffey, a modern-day Job who lost everyting in one night, then saw God restore it. Jim's range of experience includes ministry to adults, youth and children. He has worked in prison ministry (served for three years on the prison ministry staff of First Baptist Church of Dallas), spoken in homeless shelters, churches of all sizes, and groups such as the Ziglar Corporation.
Lexi Smith
is an established blogger with an enthusiasm for helping others use technology to enhance their writing lives. She shares her experience and resources at BloggingForWriters.com. In addition to writing at Lexical Light, her personal blog, she earned a spot as contributor to Intellectuelle, a group blog on the Evangelical Outpost website. She also writes the content for 64mascots.com. She has taught in children’s ministry, public school and home school. She enjoys living and learning with her husband Jack and their five children in Round Rock, Texas.
Fredna Stuckey
is an Assistant Professor in English at LeTourneau University in Longview, Texas. She is particularly passionate about composition, rhetoric, creative writing, and creative nonfiction. Fredna is equally passionate about sharing her enthusiasm with students. She earned her B.A. in English and Business from the University of North Texas and her M.A. in English from Texas A&M--Commerce. In addition to teaching for more than thirty years, she has worked in the private sector and has written a wide variety of materials, including OSHA training and testing materials for industry. Currently, she is working on a biography, among her other projects. She is a member of the Council on College Composition and Communication, National Council Teaches of English, and several writing groups.
Donn Taylor
is a poet and novelist who holds a PhD in Renaissance literature and has more than 20 years’ experience teaching poetry in liberal arts colleges. His poetry has appeared in Christianity and Literature, The Lamp-Post (Journal of the California C. S. Lewis Society), and other journals, as well as general audience publications such as the Presbyterian Record (Canada). His poetry collection Dust and Diamond: Poems of Earth and Beyond was published in 2008. His fiction includes a suspense novel, The Lazarus File, and a light-hearted mystery, Rhapsody in Red. He has also published essays on writing, literary criticism, ethical issues, and U. S. foreign policy. In a prior incarnation, he served in two wars with the U. S. Army.
Janice Thompson
Award-winning author Janice Thompson also writes under the pseudonym Janice Hanna. She got her start in the industry writing screenplays and musical comedies for the stage. Janice has published over fifty books for the Christian market, crossing genre lines to write cozy mysteries, historicals, romances, nonfiction books, devotionals, children's books and more. In addition, she enjoys editing, ghost-writing, public speaking, and mentoring young writers. She currently serves as Vice-President of CAN (Christian Authors Network) and was named the 2008 Mentor of the Year for ACFM (American Christian Fiction Writers). She is active in her local writing group, where she regularly teaches on the craft of writing. Janice is passionate about her faith and does all she can to share the joy of the Lord with others, which is why she particular enjoys writing. She lives in Spring, Texas, where she leads a rich life with her family, hosting of writing friends,a nd two mischievous dachshunds. She does her best to keep the Lord at the center of it all. You can find out more about Janice at www.janiceathompson.com .