Friday 28 May 2010

OVERSEAS TO AMERICA AND BEYOND Part One

Thank you to those of you who are having a read of my blog for the very first time. A very special thank you to those of you who have returned!

So, have you had a peep at my Past News on my website? If not, you will find a link to that in the right column here. My last news update there was way back in September last year – and that just before our trip overseas to America, England and Singapore. Now I have this blog I will be able to keep you up to date regularly on what my husband and I are up to – especially in regard to our writing efforts.












We were so privileged to attend the amazing 2009 American Christian Fiction Writers conference in Denver, Colorado. We arrived the Friday before the conference to give us time to not only recover from close to thirty hours travelling time from Melbourne but also become a little acclimatised to the mile high altitude there and have at least a few days to look around Denver. Yes, we did visit this Colorado State Capitol and this shopping centre too with beautiful murals! And one friendly shopper offered to take our photo here.

The conference hotel had another convention that weekend and the large entrance area was jam-packed with mainly young people attending the Anima convention. Most were in manga type costumes and all very excited but courteous to us as one of their staff members pushed a way through the crowd for us and our luggage. Later we heard from the hotel staff there were over 5,000 at that gathering! It made us oldies realise how out of touch we are with cartoon characters these days. Never fear - our grandchildren are already teaching us about Sonic the Hedgehog! Now, are the Transformer characters manga? Hmm. . .will have to check that out.
Through ACFW we’d had contact via email with one of the local members, Erin Rainwater.  She and her husband, Keith, took us under their wings in a wonderful way. They picked us up from our hotel and took us to worship at their church, the Foothills Bible Church, where we felt very much at home enjoying the worship and message. Afterwards they drove us around, including to Red Rock amphitheatre. On the Monday Erin also took us to the North Denver ACFW chapter where I had been asked to give a devotional talk. Although I have to confess to feeling rather nervous, it was simply wonderful to share fellowship there with other Christian Fiction writers.
We enjoyed Erin and Keith’s company so much and despite our different backgrounds still had a lot in common. Erin was also a registered nurse who after graduation joined the Army Nurse Corps and I would love to have talked longer with her about her experiences. After the ACFW conference finished the next weekend we shared lunch again with them. Naturally, Erin and I exchanged books and I have really enjoyed reading, The Arrow That Flieth by Day. Do check out Erin’s website.

Oh dear, just realised how long this is so now have decided to tell you more of our overseas ‘story’ in two parts. Want to hear - and see - more about these Aussies at the awe-inspiring, wonderful 2009 ACFW conference, then on to Texas, England, Singapore? There was the Association Christian Writers conference in London, the ACW in Cambridge, friends, friends, friends in England and Singapore, including that lovely time in Bedford with Marion Stroud who I notice is one of the workshop presenters this year at the ACFW conference.

Registration forms will very soon be available for the 2010 ACFW conference. My sincere advice? If you are a writer targeting Christian Fiction, do everything you can to go this year to Indianapolis. How I would love to be there again. If only that Pacific Ocean was a much smaller pond. . sigh!

4 comments:

  1. Love the fact that I got to see you and your dear husband on this trip!!! I'm spreading the word about your new blog! Well done!

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  2. Mary, I'm enjoying learning about your trip and I look forward to reading more. I'd love to go to ACFW one day :-)

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  3. Thank you for commenting, Lisa and Narelle. I am certainly looking forward to seeing you again in Sydney in August at the Romance of Australia conference, Narelle. Wouldn't it be even more wonderful to be together at ACFW conference one year! Lisa, I was away all day yesterday and Ray wrote a post for me about being at the conference in Dever. I hope you have a smile too. Perhaps your Scott might be able to go one year also - especially if Ray goes again? At least those two have met before - LOL.

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  4. Great to hear the news, Mary! You've further fanned my desire to get there for the ACFW conference. If not this year, maybe next.

    God bless

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