Sunday, December 16, 2012

Great Gift for Writers-Florida Christian Writers Conference


Angie here: Welcome my guest, Eva Marie Everson, conference director, author, and speaker. We're going to chat about the upcoming Florida Christian Writers Conference. Feel free to pop in with a question and we'll do our best to get the answer.

Angie: Tell me about the Florida Christian Writers Conference-
Eva: Florida Christian Writers Conference has been around for--in 2013--26 years! This is my first year as Director, and praise God, I'm not doing it alone! Mark Hancock, who was a past president of Word Weavers International, Inc. (Volusia County) and is the VP of WWI, Inc., agreed to be a director with me. We're not Director and Co-Director, however. We're in this together!
FCWC is often referred to as the "conference that feels like home." We think so. It's held at the relaxing and lovely Lake Yale Baptist Conference Center in Lake Yale, Florida. The conference starts on Wednesday this year (in years past, it has begun on Thursday) with a few "early bird" specials, workshops, and classes. It concludes on Sunday. And, this year (unlike the past few years), we have brought back the awards banquet.
Angie: What makes it a "don't miss" event?
Eva: Girl, please! Go to www.FloridaCWC.net and look at the lineup of agents, editors, writers, and others we have managed to talk into coming to be a part of our illustrious faculty! We've also added a few things we always said we'd like to see if we were directors:
1) a massage therapist to not only take 15-minute appointments but to give a workshop on proper posture and stretching for writers, 
2) a tax expert to talk to us about what kind of tax issues writers need to know about, 
3) we have someone who will talk about book graphics, 
4) we have someone who will help our conferees set up the BEST website for themselves (they created our awesome website). In addition to this, we have Kim de Blecourt and Kathy Bruins coming in to give a 3-hour workshop on building proposals. Not only will they show conferees how, but when the conferee leaves the class, they'll have a proposal in hand, and another workshop on pitch that will give conferees what they need to pitch to the agents and editors. Finally, we will have a photographer on hand to take head shots for book proposals and promo materials. She will also take photos at the banquet when we're all cleaned and pressed. :)

Angie: How many people attend? 
Eva: Minus the faculty, I'm praying for no less than 150 conferees and I'll be over the moon with 200, seeing as we got such a late start. More than 200 and I'll just go ahead and fly to Mars! Without a rocket!

Angie: What budget should be planned?
Eva: For the conferees, we not only reduced the conference by $150 from years past, but we have a lot of Early Bird specials and options for everyone. Word Weavers (www.Word-Weavers.com) get a $50 discount.
For more information on those options, go to: http://www.floridacwc.net/registrationcosts

Angie: Do you have materials writers can buy from previous years?
Eva: Not this year, no. We're basically starting fresh. And, while we loved what our former director did with FCWC, we're hoping to breathe fresh life into the conference so we can honor her by making it our best, rather than her best.

 Angie: Share how to find your conference online and where it's held: www.FloridaCWC.net !! 
To know more about Lake Yale Baptist Conference Center: http://www.floridacwc.net/accommodationstravel

Thanks so much for being with us, Eva. Friends, if you'd like to know more about Eva, please see the information below:
Eva Marie Everson
President, Pen In Hand, Inc.
President, Word Weavers International, Inc.
Director, Florida Christian Writers Conference
Tova ha'aretz me'od me'od! 

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