Writing for the Soul

So I’ve just returned from the Writing for the Soul conference in Colorado Springs. The fact that the conference is held at the Broadmoor hotel means that there’s not much to complain about. It’s the kind of place that helps with inspiration. I was there to represent our publishing house, have appointments with attendees, host tables at meal times, and sit on a panel with other editors. It’s a great conference. One of the speakers was Robin Jones Gunn (seen in the picture to the right). She’s one of my favorite writers and just a fabulous person. We also heard a great message from Dallas Jenkins (son of Jerry Jenkins) about writing in such a way that we’re reaching the unchurched audience. It’s so great to be challenged to be relevant in our culture–writing is just one way of doing that.

Robin was the keynote speaker Saturday night. After hearing her–which was wonderful–another editor and I were sitting in the lobby, talking about books and publishing and the business in general. I was sharing with him that Robin’s books had meant so much to me as a young girl, and that part of the reason I work in publishing today is the very true fact that books can make a difference in a person’s life–at any age. And isn’t that just amazing? Robin told different stories of girls who have been touched by her series for teen girls. Her speech was a refreshing reminder of why we do what we do, why we work to create books.

After two long days, my friend Luke and I were still able to talk with excitement about books. What an incredible blessing.