Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

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The 2017 Christian Fiction Readers Retreat

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I had the pleasure of attending the second annual Christian Fiction Readers Retreat on August 12th!  The retreat is the brainchild of bloggers Carrie (Reading is my Superpower), Annie (Just Commonly), and Bonnie (Overcoming with God) and it’s a day of fun, fellowship, and worship for Christian fiction writers, readers, bloggers, and publishing types.

After journeying to Cincinnati for the retreat, one of the first people I saw at the hotel was Carrie.  Check out her shirt!  It lists her book boyfriends and I was delighted when I saw that my Ty Porter was among them.  I knew then and there that I’d found “my people”.

 

My good friend Dani Pettrey and I were invited to give a presentation at this year’s retreat.  An honor!  Dani was unable to make it, unfortunately.  But as you can see from the below photo courtesy of Emilie Hendryx, Dani visited us via FaceTime.  The fact that all the technology cooperated with me — a minor miracle.

Our workshop was called The Creation of a Novel.  As part of our presentation we shared “video diaries” that detailed the high and lows Dani and I faced with our recent releases during each of the four phases: planning, writing the rough draft, revising, and publication.  Here they are, in case you’d like a to take a peek!

 




 

I loved our lunch table.  I had a great time meeting new people and talking books.  Here’s me, Courtney Walsh, and Katie Ganshert with two of the women at our table.

 

After lunch, Courtney participated in the Book Boyfriends panel.  Seated to the left of her?  Susan May Warren.

 

Some of our intrepid authors dressed up in the clothing of the time period they write.  Check out the gorgeous Civil War era gown!

 

 

This year and last, the highlight of the retreat was the time I spent talking with readers and fellow writers.  In my regular life, I don’t come into contact with many people who’ve read my books.  But the CFRR attendees are tremendously well read in our genre.  Their encouragement meant so much to me.

Nicole Coley and her grandmother! Nicole’s a singer-songwriter. She led our wonderful worship time at the CFRR.

The reader in the below photo had no idea we’d been photo-bombed until she got home and took a closer look at the picture.  That Kristi Ann Hunter!

I was sad to see the day come to a close.  However, the parting-is-such-sweet-sorrow part was softened by the amazing goodie bags we all received.  Our To Be Read piles are now tall!

I believe the CFRR will be held in Nashville next year.  Will you be there?

 

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Becky Wade

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Becky makes her home in Dallas, Texas with her husband and three children. She absolutely loves writing funny, heartwarming, and inspirational contemporary Christian romance.
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Comments

  1. This sound like so much fun I am an Aussie so can’t go to these events but when I went to America 4 years ago I met a few authors and to a reader retreat with a couple of Love Inspired authors which was really cool.

    • Should you visit the US again in the future, perhaps you can schedule your trip to coincide with a future CFRR! I’d love to meet you.

    • We’d love for you to attend one of our CFRR’s, Jenny – and bring some friends with you!! We were blessed to have some Aussie author/bloggers attend our event last year.

    • Would love to come back. I know some of the ones who meet at our little get together are looking at doing it again (It came about through the LIH goodreads group). I need to have save some money and also need to get my pain undercontrol. (I suffer chronic headpain and noise is a major issue).

  2. This event was so much fun! I had a great time meeting many of my favorite authors, and visiting with you was a special treat. Every author I met was so gracious, and I came home with many books (besides what was in the bag) from new-to-me authors. Thank you for traveling to be with us fans and for your wonderful presentation. I plan to be there next year!

    • Linda, so glad you were able to be with us at this year’s CFRR, and plan to be with us at our 2018 event. I so agree with your comments about the authors – we have some of the most gracious authors ever in the Christian Fiction field. We’ve been overwhelmed, blessed, and grateful for their response and participation in CFRR each year!! They come through in a huge way in showing their appreciation for their readers.

  3. I had such a good time and it was pleasure to speak to you again . . . . . and I am still thinking about how to write that “Jedi meets FBI agent story of mine”:)

  4. This event sounds like so much fun, Becky! I’m definitely adding it to my calendar for next year at Nashville. Hopefully, I’ll capture one of those coveted author slots. I know they fill up fast.

  5. I wouldn’t miss it! My mom and I had the best time together this year. I can just see the look on her face when you introduced yourself to her and she realized who you were.
    And yes, Karen Witemeyer needs to come. I haven’t met her and I was turned in to her books by your recommendation!!

  6. Sounds like so much fun. Nashville is not too far away. I’ll have to consider it.

  7. It was so great seeing you again and you are always so kind (and patient) with this fangirl :-). Your presentation was my favorite and the “faces” of each phase were hilarious! The M & M brainstorming was so much fun and revealed what I already knew…leave the writing to you experts.

    Hoping you’ll be back coming back to Nashville next year and bring Karen with you. Would love to meet her as well.

  8. It was a great retreat! I thoroughly enjoyed your presentation (and Dani’s involvement, too). I definitely hope to be at next years!

  11. Becky! The YouTube videos were so awesome. I can’t tell you how much your transparency means for a fairly new fiction writer. And I can’t believe that Dani writes her story by hand … oh,my goodness. That’s unreal. But wow, you know she knows that story so well. Oh, I loved these … thanks for sharing your journeys. Y’all are the cutest.

    • I’m glad the videos encouraged you, Shelli! Writing is HARD. It’s never gotten easier for me. It’s wonderful, challenging, at times thrilling, at times depressing, satisfying, creative work. The videos capture all of that, don’t they? In the end, the joy is getting to partner with the Lord on a joint project. That’s the reward. That’s the pay off.

      • Yes, the videos were wonderful, Becky – I’m blessed by your comment that the reward of your writing is getting to partner with the Lord on a joint project!!

  13. I’m so glad that you all had a wonderful time! I’ve been looking for an excuse to see Nashville. This just might be it! Time to start penny-pinching now! 😂

  14. I only live 45 min. away from Orlando. I would have been at the conference but my cousin got married that weekend. As they say, family comes first, even though I was so close to the conference and yet so far away.
    What are the dates for Nashville?

    • Janet, the date for the 2018 CFRR hasn’t been determined yet. Please leave your email on our website where it asks for updates and you will receive info as soon as it is available. Hope to see you there!! christianfictionreadersretreat.blogspot.com

  15. Thanks for the fun CFRR post! I can’t believe it’s already come and gone (even though I have the bag and pictures and memories to prove I was there). 😀 I’m in denial that it’s almost September. I loved meeting you, Becky, and loved your presentation. I haven’t started my Biblical fiction novel set in the Arctic with a FBI investigator heroine and firefighter hero yet! I don’t think my creative juices are as good as yours.
    It sounds like there’s going to be a rush on CFRR registrations next year–both authors and readers.

    • Wasn’t Becky’s presentation wonderful, Winnie?? We are blessed that she and Dani have both been participants at CFRR 2 years in a row – I so hope to see them at the 2018 CFRR also. We waited so long for the 2017 CFRR and now it is past, however, we have such wonderful memories of it and the promise of more at the 2018 CFRR. It was such a blessing meeting you – thanks so much for your help – hope to see you at the 2018 CFRR!!

    • “I haven’t started my Biblical fiction novel set in the Arctic with a FBI investigator heroine and firefighter hero yet!” LOL! Now that would be an interesting story. I loved meeting you, too!

  17. Becky, thank you so much for your wonderful post, and even more for your beautiful participation in both the 2017 and the 2016 CFRR!! We were truly blessed by your graciousness and giving – hope to see you in 2018 also. Love you and your writing!!

  18. I hope to make it next year. I just missed the deadline this year and I was so bummed. But I’ll be fast in signing up next time!

  19. Thanks for posting your videos about your writing process. I enjoyed your honesty about the highs and lows of it all. I didn’t get to go the CFRR this year, but I definitely want to go next year! It sounds like a wonderful event. I can’t wait to go.

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