Somewhat bright, but definitely early Friday morning I joined the group of over five-hundred ACFW members for breakfast. Obviously this was a very peaceful and intimate event. We continued with worship then off to classes.

All morning I was scheduled to be in the continuing education class taught by Susan May Warren and Rachel Hauck. Both of these women are not only generous with their time and gifts, but also multi-award winning authors. This class turned out to be just the thing for me this year.

I’ve been working on the craft of writing and come a long way, baby, but what I needed this year was a bigger picture. Susan and Rachel taught on diagnosing the problemed areas in our manuscripts and gave us techniques to fix all of our problems. Well, maybe not all of my problems. They didn’t even touch on how I’m suppose to get all this laundry done.

I had to miss a fair amount of this session due to appointments. My first was with Deb Raney. If you haven’t read any of her books, stop reading now and go to amazon.com to order one. My meeting with Deb was to go over the first three chapters of my manuscript. This was the second year I’ve done this with her. The input of someone with her kind of experience is priceless. I’ve grown more as a writer from these evaluations than any other thing I’ve done.

My second appointment was with Beth Adams of Guideposts. Beth and I met in Minneapolis last year. She’s one of the people I look forward to seeing at the conference. We are blessed to have so many editors and agents take the time to listen to our pitches and answer questions one on one.

Lunches are hosted by editors and agents. I plopped my tired self down at Chip MacGregor’s table. He has a great reputation as an agent but is somewhat flawed in his devotion to the Oregon Ducks. No one’s perfect.

The afternoon found me taking in another appointment and workshops. By dinnertime I felt exhausted. Friday night we don’t join together as a group for dinner. I met up with three new friends and took a short walk to the nearest Mexican restaurant. Yummy food, fun company.

After dinner it was time for the late night agent chats. I attend the talk with Rachel Zurakowski, Karen Solem, and Steve Laube. All three agents did a fabulous job expressing what they are looking for and giving their impressions for the future of publishing. Twice during this session, the lights turned off on their own, reminding me that I needed sleep.

Keep watching for the continuing saga that is ACFW in Denver.

Christina

Thursday morning I pulled my tired body out of bed at what seemed like a crazy time. I threw myself together and went directly to the Starbucks in the lobby. By the time the conference was over the man behind the counter knew me well.

My fat-free Carmel Machiato in hand, I trudged to the registration desk for my shift. Luckily I wasn’t doing a job that took much skill because I was still very sleepy. Greeting the attendees and giving them their special ribbons was a nice way to start my day. So many wonderful people to meet and not nearly the time to talk to each one.

It was at the registration desk that I met one of my critique partners face-to-face for the first time. What a blessing. Our group has been working together for six months now, but we’re from all over the country so we’ve not technically met each other. I’m looking forward meeting more of the group next year in Indianapolis. Isn’t that right, Janay, Jodie, Ginny and Donna?

Next it was off to the D0nald Maas early bird session. If you’re a writer, you’ve probably heard of Donald Maas. His book, Writing the Breakout Novel, is a must have for writers hoping to improve their craft. The workshop ran from 8:00 am through 4:00 pm. The information he shared with us changed more than a few writer. I can’t tell you how many times I heard writers say, “I thought I had a manuscript ready, then I listened to Donald Maas and I have to go home and rewrite.” Yes, I was one of those writers. By the end of the day, my head was bursting with information and I had to go up to my room and just sit in the silence.

After a good half hour of staring blankly at a wall I was able to rejoin the throng of ACFWers for the opening ceremony and dinner. This year’s keynote speaker was Debbie Macomber. I can’t say enough wonderful things about this woman. Her story encouraged me and left me with a feeling of confidence in my decision to pursue writing. She is not only a gifted writer, but an amazing speaker and woman of faith.

Here’s a picture of Debbie Macomber and me. My camera was acting up this morning so it may be a little hard to see.

Check back for part two.

Christina

I made it to Denver and I’m having a great time. This will be a short update because I am falling over exhausted.

The trip was thankfully uneventful. I didn’t even forget my toothbrush. Gretchen gave me a ride to the shuttle and I finished up a few things on the two and a half hour drive thanks to Hut’s wireless internet. I had the privilege of sharing my plane with Christina Berry and Sherrie Ashcraft as well as two hundred others. In Denver we squeezed, and I really mean squeezed, into another shuttle.

The hotel is beautiful and huge. All of Philomath could fit in here with plenty of extra space for the Blodgett and Kings Valley people.

Today I spent listening to Donald Maas talk about Writing the Breakout Novel. Wow. I’ve learned so much that my brain feels nearly full. That man is bursting with great information.

Well I’m off to bed or I’ll miss my appointments in the morning.

Goodnight,

Christina

I finally did something I’ve been putting off for a long time. It’s not the kind of thing you will usually find me discussing, but it is very important. This morning I had a colonoscopy. And you know what? The worst part was the ninety minutes in the waiting room before they called me back.

When I was just a baby, my grandmother died of colon cancer. The only stories I know about her are snippets given to me by my other grandparents. She was young. Probably not much older than fifty years old.

My doctor has suggested being tested for a few years now. I put it off. You can imagine why. But the reality of colon cancer knocked me to my knees this last year. You see, my step-mother died last January of this disease. My children have been left without their grandmother and my dad without his wife and myself without the mother figure I’d had for most of my life.

One of the sad facts is that colon cancer is one of the cancers that can be prevented, but due to embarrassment many people put off their screenings. If you have a family history of colon cancer or you are fifty-years old or older, please, talk to your doctor about a colonoscopy. Polyps can be discovered and removed before they turn into cancer.

I’m including a copy of my step-mom’s obituary. I hope it will encourage you to take your health seriously.

Christina

A woman of strength with a heart full of love, Joanne Marie Van Geest passed away after fighting a battle with cancer. Her last days where spent in the loving care of her husband, Terry and with her daughter by her side.

Joanne grew up in Blodgett surrounded by her two sisters and three brothers. She developed a love for the outdoors that she never outgrew. As an adult, she spent many hours tending her garden and walking in the woods with a beagle companion.

In 1970, she became the mother of a treasured little girl, Jennifer. A few years later Matthew, another great joy, was born. Joanne dedicated her life to caring for her family and for Matt’s special medical needs. In 1985, Mathew passed away as a result of Gaucher’s disease.

Joanne rejoined the workforce and found satisfaction and new friends in the Geosciences department of OSU. She and Terry enjoyed meeting friends for happy hour and football games. In recent years, Joanne and Terry began yearly trips to Hawaii and traveled as far as Costa Rica.

Joanne took great joy in her grandchildren and was thrilled to hear that a new baby was on its way. She fought hard to live until her new granddaughter arrived. Two weeks ago, little Parker was born and Joanne received her final wish.

Joanne is preceded in death by her son Matthew. She is survived by her husband; Terry Van Geest, her daughter; Jennifer Hayes, stepdaughter; Christina Nelson and grandchildren; Parker Ayers and Ryan, Joshua, Aleasha, and Emma Nelson, her parents; Cyrus and Ruby Davis, her siblings; Rich Davis, John Davis, Bill Davis, Sandy Davis and Linda Brown.