Faculty 2021
KCWC workshop leaders are successful agents, editors, and authors. They have been carefully chosen as instructors based on their commitment to Christ and their desire to share valuable wisdom and insight with other Christian writers.
This page lists only faculty who will teach workshops. For a list of more faculty members who will NOT teach, but who will participate on the Agents & Editors Panel and receive one-sheets after the conference and/or offer critiques, visit the Submissions page.
This page will continue to be updated as new faculty is added. Visit again soon!
Agents
A literary agent represents writers and their written works to publishers and assists in sales, promotion, and deal negotiation.
Editors
An editor works for a media outlet and facilitates the publishing process, sometimes including proofreading, copy-editing, and critiques.
Authors
A Christian author is a person who writes to glorify God. KCWC faculty members are recognized industry professionals.
Misty M. Beller
MISTY M. BELLER is a USA Today bestselling author of romantic mountain stories, set on the 1800s frontier and woven with the truth of God’s love. With over 25 novels published, she writes as both an indie author and for Bethany House Publishers, and is Managing Editor of Wild Heart Books, a traditional publisher specializing in Christian Historical Romance novels.
After thirteen years working in professional project management and marketing, Misty uses her experience in the corporate world to develop best practices in her writing and book marketing efforts. It is her passion to help other authors on this journey.
Cherrilynn Bisbano
Cherrilynn is an award-winning writer and speaker. Her desire to encourage others is evident when she speaks, leads Bible studies, and coaches writers. If you need prayer, just stop her and ask.
Cherrilynn is a speaker with Women Speakers. She contributes to the Blue Ridge Writers blog is published in four compilations books, and her book Shine Don’t Whine released in 2020. Cherrilynn served in the military for twenty years, earning the John Levitow Military leadership award. She lives with her Michael, Jr., and husband of 22 years, Michael. You will often find her on the beach sea glass hunting or with her son at Guitar Center.
Gregg Bridgeman
Gregg Bridgeman is the Editor-in-Chief at Olivia Kimbrell Press. He is husband to best-selling Christian author Hallee Bridgeman and parent to three.
Gregg continues to proudly serve in the US Armed Forces and has done so in either an active or reserve capacity for more than twenty years as an Airborne and Air Assault qualified paratrooper, earning a Bronze Star for his service. Most importantly, he was ordained in October of 2001 after surrendering his life to Christ decades earlier.
The website button links to Olivia Kimbrell Press.
Crystall Caudill
Crystal Caudill is an award-winning author of dangerously good historical romance. She is a member of RWA and ACFW, a contributor to iBelieve.com, and is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency.
As a former educator, Crystal has a heart for teaching and encouraging others to grow in their God-given callings. Her debut novel from Kregel Publishing will release early 2022. When not writing, Crystal can be found playing board games, enjoying cross-country road trips, hiding in a book, or drinking copious amounts of hot tea.
Hannah Conway
Hannah R. Conway is a military wife, mother, former teacher, best-selling author, podcast host on “What’s Your Story? with Hannah and Stephani,” and popular speaker.
Hannah also works as the Women’s Ministry Director and Social Media Marketing & Communications Coordinator at her local church and can usually be caught with a coffee cup in her hand. She and her family live in Clarksville, TN.
Tracy Crump
Tracy Crump dispenses hope in her new book, which will be released June 1, 2020. Health, Healing, and Wholeness: Devotions of Hope in the Midst of Illness will be released by CrossLink Publishing.
Tracy’s writing has appeared in diverse publications, including Woman’s World, Focus on the Family, Upper Room, and Guideposts books. Best known for publishing 22 stories in Chicken Soup for the Soul books, her course on writing for the series is one of Serious Writer’s best sellers, and her popular newsletter includes story callouts.
Tracy co-directs Write Life Workshops, speaks at conferences, proofreads for Farmers’ Almanac, and edits for private clients. But her most important job is Grandma to four completely unspoiled grandchildren.
Diana Derringer
Diana C. Derringer is an award-winning writer and author of Beyond Bethlehem and Calvary: 12 Dramas for Christmas, Easter, and More! Her articles, devotions, dramas, planning guides, Bible studies, and poems have been accepted more than 1,000 times by 70-plus publications, including The Upper Room, The Secret Place, Clubhouse, Kentucky Monthly, Country, and Missions Mosaic, plus several anthologies.
Diana also writes radio drama for Christ to the World Ministries and shares weekly blog posts on Words, Wit, and Wisdom: Life Lessons from English Expressions. Her adventures as a social worker, adjunct professor, youth Bible study teacher, and friendship family for international university students supply a constant flow of writing ideas.
Rhonda Dragomir
Rhonda is an author, pastor’s wife, and speaker with experience in website design and typesetting. A graduate of Asbury University with a degree in Social Work, she is a committed pastor’s wife and Bible teacher.
Rhonda is also an award-winning writer, with published works in Chicken Soup for the Soul anthologies, and Spark magazine. She was named 2019 Writer of the Year by Serious Writer, Inc., and was a finalist in ACFW’s 2020 Genesis Contest. She has completed her first historical romance novel, and she is represented by Linda Glaz of the Hartline Literary Agency.
Rhonda has taught classes on MS Word for Writers, Websites for Writers, and workshops on creating images for social media. Her business, The Dragomir Group, offers services to other writers. Rhonda is the webmaster for the KCWC and Mid-South Christian Writers Conferences.
Tama Fortner
Tama Fortner is a bestselling writer and ghostwriter with more than thirty titles to her credit, including Easter Is Coming! and God Is Always Good! She is the ghostwriter behind a number of bestselling titles, including Indescribable: 100 Devotions for Kids About God and Science and the wildly successful Jesus Calling: 365 Devotions for Kids. She enjoys a crazy-busy, wonder-filled life in the hilly suburbs of Nashville, Tennessee, with her husband, two kids, and an incredibly lazy dog who doubles as a foot warmer.
Noah Halloran
Noah Halloran is a sixteen-year-old emerging influence with a message that unveils masks and refines authenticity in today’s teens. Calling young people forth into who they’re created to be, he’s Trailblazing a path towards clarity in a confusing world, and, as a torchbearer, he offers guidance to those who have lost their direction.
Noah is a dedicated student striving for excellence in the classroom, in character, and in serving his community. He has a passion for distance running and resides in Kentucky with his mom, dad, and younger brother, Elijah.
Carlton Hughes
Carlton’s work has been featured in Let All Nature Sing, a 365-day devotional from Worthy Publishing; Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Dating Game; Simple Little Words; the Instructor’s manual and test bank for Inter-Act, an interpersonal communication textbook; and a Christmas play collection from Carpenter’s Son publishing. His most recent book is Adventures in Fatherhood: A Devotional, released in April 2020.
Carlton has won awards for play writing from Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference and for his work in children’s ministry from the Church of God denomination. In his day job, Carlton is a professor of communication at Southeast Kentucky Community College and a site coordinator for the dual credit program at Harlan County High School. He is the children’s pastor at Lynch Church of God and a year-round volunteer and Relay Center Coordinator for Operation Christmas Child. He and his wife Kathy have two sons, Noah and Ethan. Carlton is a fan of chocolate, good books, basketball, and classic television shows like “I Love Lucy.”
Harriet Michael
Harriet E. Michael is a multi-published author, freelance writer, and speaker. She has authored or co-authored nine books with more coming soon. Her books include a memoir, novel, Bible study, an anthology that she compiled, and several devotionals.
Harriet also has hundreds of published articles, devotions, and short stories in numerous publications including magazines and devotionals by Lifeway, David C. Cook, Focus on the Family, Judson Press, Standard Publishing, Menomedia (Purpose Magazine), American Life League (Celebrate Life Magazine), Chicken Soup for the Soul, Bible Advocate, The Upper Room, the Salvation Army (War Cry), and more. Her work has appeared in both Christian and secular markets.
Kim Peterson
Kim Peterson mentors aspiring writers. She has taught writing for 27 years, working extensively with published authors and those seeking careers in writing, editing and publishing. This fall, she began her 14th year teaching in the online professional writing program of Taylor University (Upland, Indiana). Kim, a freelance editor, also leads two online writers groups — one for mixed genres and one for writers of children’s books and articles.
Working as a freelance writer for 40+ years (She started young!), Kim has written for Indiana newspapers and various periodicals and websites, including AppleSeeds, Encounter, Evangel, Vista and devotional markets. Her work has been published in Chicken Soup for the Soul, Rocking Chair Reader and, most recently, the Moments series. A 2018 recipient of a Highlights Foundation Scholarship, Kim spent a week studying with multi-published children’s authors at the Highlights campus.
Kim says of her childhood, “My mom made reading a priority. She surrounded me with books. When my morning chores were finished, she let me disappear up our cherry trees with a good book and a thermos of juice. I don’t climb trees to read any more, but I can still disappear into a great story.”
Karynthia Phillips
Karynthia is a speaker and author whose workshops, coaching, and blogs integrate the importance of effectiveness in life by beginning with self-care of spirit, mind, and body. She is a minister, internal medicine practitioner, and adjunct professor at American Baptist College. Karynthia is an advocate for decreasing disparity of cancer among women as demonstrated in her work with Echoes of Hope.
Karynthia’s coaching style is visible in her passion to see clients connect the dots and step beyond their personal boundaries into fulfillment of goals and dreams as speakers, business owners, leaders, and authors. Her unique ability to combine well-being with dreams strengthens clients’ weak areas, which make their stronger characteristics shine brighter as they journey forward achieving their vision as God designed.
She is a contributing author in Bishop Vashti M. McKenzie’s book, Not Without a Struggle: Leadership for African American Women in Ministry. Karynthia is also a contributing writer for Our Daily Bread.
A wife and mother, in her spare time she enjoys crocheting, horseback riding, color painting, and playing the flute. Her desire to see a revival of Scripture reading is her prayer. She and her husband live in Nashville, Tennessee.
Allie Pleiter
An avid knitter, coffee junkie and firm believer that “pie makes everything better,” Allie Pleiter writes both fiction and non-fiction working on as many as four novels at a time. The bestselling author of over fifty books, Allie has enjoyed a twenty-year career with over 1.5 million books sold.
In addition to writing, Allie maintains an active writing productivity coaching practice and speaks regularly on the creative process, publishing, and her very favorite topic—The Chunky Method of Time Management for Writers.
J.P. Robinson
JP Robinson is a full-time author of historical and political fiction. His published titles include In the Shadow of Your Wings, the first of his Northshire Heritage novels. He also writes YA science fiction novels, including Genesis Conspiracy.
JP is also a PA-certified teacher with fifteen years of experience in marketing and education. Publishers Weekly and other industry leaders have praised his high-adrenaline novels. Bilingual in French and pursuing his master’s degree in Education, JP frequently speaks at writers conferences and to church groups across the nation. He has been happily married for over fifteen years to his high school sweetheart.
Monica Schmelter
Monica Schmelter is best known as the well-loved host of the Christian Television Network’s daily program, “Bridges,” which is currently celebrating 25 years on the air. Broadcast weekly in over 50 million homes across the U.S., this inspiring talk show highlights Christians’ struggles and triumphs in living everyday life.
Monica also loves to help authors develop their media presence so they can share their books with more people. Monica and her husband live in the Nashville area and they have one adult son.
Diane Stark
In 2018, Diane Stark won the Guideposts Writers Workshop Contest and became a regular contributor to the four magazines published by Guideposts. She has written hundreds of personal experience pieces and ghost-written the experiences of others.
Diane’s stories have been published in more than 50 Chicken Soup for the Soul books. Diane writes about the important things in life: her family and her faith.
Greg Turnquist
Software developer by day, author/conference speaker/aspiring YouTuber by night, Greg has published both speculative fiction (Darklight) as well as technical best sellers in the land of software development.
Sara Turnquist
Sara is a coffee lovin’, word slinging, clean Historical Romance author whose super power is converting caffeine into novels. She loves those odd little tidbits of history that are stranger than fiction. That’s what inspires her. Well, that and a good love story. But of all the love stories she knows, hers is her favorite. She lives happily with her own Prince Charming and their gaggle of minions. Three to be exact. They sure know how to distract a writer! But, alas, the stories must be written, even if it must happen in the wee hours of the morning.
Sara is an avid reader and also enjoys reading clean Historical Romance when she’s not traveling. Her books range from the Czech lands to the American Wild West and from ancient Egypt to the early 1900s. Some of her titles include The Lady Bornekova, Hope in Cripple Creek, The General’s Wife, Trail of Fears, and the Convenient Risk Series.