ACFW 2015 Genre Dinner

Howdy y'all! Crystal here. I thought y'all might get a kick out of seeing some of the zaniness at the 2015 ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) Conference. For the past couple of years, they've hosted a genre dinner, where the writers dress up like one of their characters. Here's some of the fun. You might see some familiar faces. (I ran into some of our former Stitches members.)

Crystal and Carrie Turansky

Crystal and Janice Thompson

Present and former Stitches bloggers
From left to right: Michele Morris, Peggy Wirgau, Mary Hamilon, Crystal Barnes, Terri Wangard

Becky Dean and Crystal Barnes

Wide view :)

So how are y'all having fun this weekend? Do you enjoy dressing up?

A Gentleman of America's Game

A little on the history of one of the greatest - maybe THE greatest pitcher of all time. Well, I do love Nolan Ryan, and he did break one of Mister Johnson’s records. 

     The elder struck out 3,508 batters, and that record held until 1983 when our Texas Ranger beat it. I still remember cheering for Mister Nolan that season.

     Some researching is so much fun! See, I’m so blessed to be the wife of not only the kindest and most honorable man I know, but the wisest, too. My husband’s brain just amazes me, and he turned me on to Walter Johnson when we started discussing plans for a baseball story. He coached all our 3 sons and all but two of our eight grandsons, too, so we've lived many a summer at the ballpark.


     On the right is from 1983, when my sons played: Baby Russell, Cathryn, Matt and Greg, plus Ron and I, of course.
     And on the left, 2009 with the four grandsons God saw fit to give us to rear :) A second set of Matt & Greg (Matthew and Gregory to help keep things straight) with Christian and Benjamen--plus my beloved and me. The man in the black shirt on left is my firstborn, Matthew, the one in glasses on the right. Family so easily distracts, don't they? Who doesn't love sharing their families?

     Back to Walter Johnson!I found this quote the renowned pitcher said of himself: "I was the greenest rookie that ever was. One evening I was standing out on the sidewalk when a stranger approached and said, 'You're famous already, kid. See, they've named a hotel for you.' I looked across the street and, sure enough, there was a big illuminated sign that read, 'Johnson Hotel.'   Well, do you know that I was so green that I actually believed the man?"
   
     I love humble and chose him to be my hero’s great-great uncle in my new contemporary baseball-backdrop romance, One and Done. Matter of fact, his Pappaw named him after the family ancestor and the Babe, too, because he didn’t know if his grandson would be a hurler or a hitter. George Herman Walter Johnson proved a big name to grow into for Jidge.
   

Wary over leaving his farm home for the big city, the nineteen-year-old Johnson, joined the American League playing for the Washington Senators in 1907 and began gaining fame right away for his pitching. "There’s only one way to time Johnson’s fastball. When you see the arm start forward-swing," Birdie McCree, an executive of the New York Highlanders, claimed in 1908.
     And it didn’t take Ty Cobb, a Detroit Tiger, long at all to recognize the remarkable talent of the pitcher nicknamed 'Sir Walter' and the 'White Knight' for his legendary good sportsmanship and gentlemanly ways. Mister Cobb said, “The first time I faced him, I watched him take that easy windup – and then something went past me that made me flinch. I hardly saw the pitch, but I heard it. Every one of us knew we’d met the most powerful arm ever turned loose in a ballpark.”
     Regularly honored with the All-Star and Most Valuable Player Awards during the first seventeen years of his career, Mister Walter finally took the Senators to the Word Series in 1924, and with President and First Lady Coolidge in the stands, beat the Giants 4-3. Johnson’s mother, Minnie, attended, too, her very first major league ballgame. All accounts say he doted on her.
   

     The Senators went back once to the series, but lost, and The Big Train, another moniker given him because of his size, six-foot-four, and velocity of his throws (no radar back then). Johnson retired in 1927 after a twenty-one-year career with 416 wins in the record books, 110 of them shut outs, the strikeouts mentioned, and a 2.17 ERA.
     He came back two years later as manager of the Senators, but that didn't last long. In honor of his contributions to the game of baseball, Johnson was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936 with Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth, three years after the All-Star break was instituted.

   
     And speaking of the All-Star break (sneaky segue, right?), traditionally falling mid-season to pump up renewed fan support, that’s when One and Done debuts! It’s book three of my Red River Romance series and should be ready for pre-order at Amazon soon.

     A Dallas weather girl, Samantha Danielle, is thrilled and flabbergasted when her station sends her to Mexico wanting her to scoop the rumor that the Texas Rangers are interested in a hard throwing rookie. What comes down after that, proves way more astonishing! Sammi Dan can hardly believe the whirlwind she gets caught up in!
   
     This is a story you can enjoy then pass on to your husband then to your teens! My motto is: Praying my story gives God glory!

BE SURE TO COMMENT to enter TWO giveaways: a FREE copy of One and Done AND a chance to win A Hemorrhaging of Souls by Nicola Furlong

And copy and tweet this:

#Giveaway Enter to win 1 of 2 #freebooks Comment or tweet! #NewRelease #TexasRangerBaseball backdrop by @CarylMcAdoo  http://stitchesthrutime.blogspot.com/

Bio: Christian, hybrid (Simon & Schuster & Indie) author Caryl McAdoo is currently writing three series from a perspective of faith: her historical Texas Romances; the contemporary Red River Romances; and The Generations, her Biblical fiction. The novelist loves singing new songs the Lord gives her and painting. In 2008, she and her high-school-sweetheart husband Ron moved from the DFW area—home for fifty-eight years—to the woods of Red River County. Caryl counts four children and fifteen grandsugars life’s biggest blessings believing all good things come from above. Praying each story gives God glory, she hopes it also ministers His love, mercy, and grace to its readers. Caryl and Ron live in Clarksville, the county seat, in the far northeast corner of the Lone Star State.

Links: AllBooks  /  Website  /  Newsletter  /  Facebook  /  Blog  /  GoodReads  /  Google+  /  Twitter   /  Pinterest        

Do You Still Play Dress-Up?

Hey y'all! Crystal here and I'm having a blast at the 2014 ACFW Conference. Nothing's funner--or should I say wackier :) --than sharing a hotel with hundreds of other writers. Last night we had our genre dinner. Yes, I am not ashamed to admit we're not too old to play dress-up. :) I'm sure those visiting the hotel won't forget us anytime soon. :) Here's a few pics I thought you might enjoy.

So, when was the last time you played dress up?

Want to see more pictures of our fun here at the American Christian Writer's Conference? Check out my blog at booksbybarnes.blogspot.com

Author Interview with Anne Baxter Campbell

Today, my friend and author Anne Baxter Campbell joins us for an interview!

Welcome to Stitches Thru Time Anne, what made you decide to become a writer? I'm not sure if I decided or if it just happened. I've always loved telling stories, and one thing led to another. It started when I was still in elementary school, and the urge hasn't gone away yet. I spent many years as an engineering technician, and the writing I did then was all technical stuff. Once I retired the field was wide open, and I went back to telling stories.

Where did the inspiration for your latest book come from? The latest release is actually a short e-story called Once Upon A Christmas Eve. I was watching a Christmas special a year ago (I don't remember which one), and I opened a new Word window and started typing.

How does your faith and spirituality work in with your writing? How could it not? I pray about everything I write, from this interview to full-length novels. I love God, and I want everything I say, do, and write to reflect Him. I'm sure I don't do that perfectly, but I sincerely want it to. It's the same with all the Christians I know. They want to give what they have and what they are to the Lord. Writing is not any more important than any other job He gives to each of us. If we each do what He has for us to do, His will can be accomplished. There, now, I'll get off the soapbox. ;)

What are you working on next? Several things. I have two more full-length novels, part of a 3-book series called The Truth Trilogy, that will be released this year. One has already been submitted, and the other one will be within a week. There is also one more short story scheduled to be released in about two weeks, part of Kathi Macias' 12 Days of Christmas series. 
 
Thanks so much for joining us today Anne!

Author Bio:
Anne Baxter Campbell is a wife, a mom, and a grandma who loves her Lord and loves to write.

Check out Anne's books!
The Roman's Quest - Centurion Julius admires a young Jewish woman, Miriam, who is promised to a Jewish fisherman named James ben Zebedee. The Jewish fisherman decides to follow Jesus. Julius witnesses Jesus's baptism and decides to become a proselyte. Will that be sufficient reason for breaking the near-betrothal and allowing Julius to take James' place as Miriam's betrothed? 

 Buy on Amazon

Once Upon a Christmas Eve - Jillian is peeved. She wants to go to her class Christmas party, but her mom grounds her just because her room isn't clean. It's totally unfair, and she screams obscenities at her parents. The next morning, Christmas Eve, she wakes up to find her parents missing and a tall gloomy angel to keep her company.

Buy on Amazon for $.99  

ACFW Conference First Time Attendee's Story

The View from an ACFW Conference First Time Attendee’s Seat

Today’s post should be about a craft subject, but I returned from the ACFW Conference Monday September 16^th, and I’m filled with excitement. Instead of sharing a craft I’d like to tell you how God “knit” this journey together.

I've never been to a conference and the idea of attending one of the largest . . . Well, needless to say was scary. 

With faith, I filled out the registration. I chose the continuing education class and workshops I’d like to attend. I checked my four choices for agent appointments and my four choices for editor appointments, praying before, during, and after

I began to prepare. Spending hours researching the editors and agents I selected. What did they expect to see during an appointment? Should I take a One Sheet, the first chapter of my work in progress, the first three chapters, a proposal letter, or synopsis? Remember, we don't know whom we’ll see until we get to the conference. Oh, Lord what did I get myself into?

The enemy pecked away at my thoughts, “You’re wasting your time, you’re taking precious resources from your family” and on and on. You name it, I let it rear its ugly head in my thoughts. A pastor we had used to call it “stinkin’ thinkin’” (said with an exceptionally strong Mississippi accent).

Then, I took comfort in the fact He has overcome and will overcome. I started to pray for leading and peace. I wanted to know my writing was His will not mine. Seek Him first.

The day to leave home for the ACFW Conference arrived. I had done everything I knew to prepare for this trip. My husband reluctantly dropped me at the airport. I sat in a row of fellow flyers and prayed, and in God’s phenomenal fashion – He arranged I bump into my middle son’s mother in law . . . at Orlando International Airport, what are the chances. Only God, and only because this woman is a prayer warrior. Ok, God. I see You.

After safely arriving and a good night sleep, Thursday morning I decide to go get a coffee at the coffee IV shop in the lobby, and wouldn’t you know “Pumpkin Spice Latte” is available! Give God the glory for everything, right?! Anyway, back to the conference. As soon I stepped in line two ladies introduced themselves as ACFW attenders.

My first contacts. We sat in the lobby and talked. “What do you write? What’s your pitch? How long have you been writing? Are you published?” The conversation flowed. Then, another author joined us and two more. Suddenly I was going to lunch with ladies who were strangers twenty minutes before, but now shared a kindred spirit.

After lunch, registration opened, and the wonderful volunteers for ACFW did an excellent job and kept the lines moving. When I opened my registration packet I put my name tag together stuck my “First Time Attendee” ribbon on, took a deep breath, smiled at a nice lady next to me and – oh, she had her appointment schedule out. I’d forgotten about my appointments. You know that feeling when your stomach lurches into your chest? Well, that’s what I felt. I was sure not only would the editors and agents mock me out of the room, but they would spread the word I couldn't even write my name and address . . . But more on appointments later.

Early Bird was awesome. I highly recommend it and especially to first time attendees. I met a Genesis Finalist. Her humbleness was inspiring.

Friday was the official start of the conference. It began with a Pumpkin Spice Latte and First-Time Attendees Orientation. This is a Q. & A. time for those of us who have no idea what we’re doing. Again, all questions were answered with grace and wisdom. I thought, this wasn't so bad, maybe even fun! Until I remembered the appointments.

We moved to the “big” room, and Brandilyn Collins eloquently welcomed us, Rachel Hauck led us in a Holy Spirit filled worship, and Robin Jones Gunn delivered the Keynote Address. Robin is beautiful inside and out. The Lord oozes from her and gets all over everyone! She was inspiring, and because of her teaching, I began to pray for God’s reassurance that I’m following His will and writing to His glory. I recognize His dreams are better than mine, and I may not be here to meet the agent or editor of my dreams.

Saturday morning we gather for breakfast and worship,

then attendees dispersed to conference events. My first appointment was at 9:30 am. I gripped my little packet of information, as I waited in a horde of attenders who had appointments with other agents, mentors, editors, or publicists. The dedicated volunteer stood – and announced, “9:30 appointments . . . go on back”.

Um, okay, I’ll just be super gracious and let everyone else go first. I find the right room. There were six small round tables against the walls, each with two chairs. I locate one with the name I’m looking for, and it’s empty. What do I do? Should I ask? Should I leave? Then a lovely lady turns and holds out her hand. Wait, where’s her growl? Horns? Long talons? I shake her hand and introduce myself. We sit and talk, and she’s fantastic. Our fifteen minutes pass by in a flash. I almost skip out the door and down the hall flinging One Sheets and business cards as I go.

Oh, God. I see you!

The remaining time flew by, the classes and workshops were outstanding, the appointments were fulfilling, and the Gala was beautiful.

God came through loud and clear.

Do I think you have to attend a conference to get your answers? No.

But I know you’ll be blessed if you do.