Back from Ridgecrest

If you've never heard of it, Ridgecrest is located near Montreat, NC, and the city of Black Mountain. Nestled beneath peaks just off I-40 at Exit 66, Ridgecrest is also one of Lifeway's conference centers, and home to the annual Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference.

View from Mountain Laurel Inn

For over twenty-five years, authors both published and hopeful have gathered at Ridgecrest to learn, to fellowship, and to meet with editors and agents. Courses cover subjects such as noveling from start to marketing (there is no such thing as finish), Bible studies, poetry, greeting card writing, and more. After a three-year hiatus, I returned to Ridgecrest and found the conference even better than I remembered. We stayed in the Mountain Laurel Inn, and throughout the week, I attended classes and workshops taught by members of the industry. Lunches were spent at tables hosted by the faculty. I caught up with people I'd met in the past, and had the privilege of meeting others I connected with on Facebook and other online groups. To round out the experience, my novella took first place in that category in the annual contest, and one of my short stories, second.

After the ceremony with author Deborah Raney. So the wrong night to dress comfy!

But that was last week. This week, it's time to get caught up on writing. In my next post, I'll cover the trail to Rainbow Falls and the Place of a Thousand Drips (I just love that name), located along the Roaring Fork Auto Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains.

The mountains and writing. Great alone, but even better when combined.