The 2023 Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference 12th annual Selah Awards ceremony took place at Ridgecrest Conference Center in Ridgecrest, North Carolina on May 31, 2023. Contest director Eva Marie Everson greeted over 600 people who gathered in Spilman Auditorium before awarding over 90 awards to nearly 100 recipients.…

by Rhonda Rhea @RhondaRhea Have you ever been tagged—maybe trapped—in a group text? You’re begging your phone. Please, not one more notification. And your phone answers with: zzzzzt. Even worse, you go to bed early while the other 30 in your group have a night owl session. Get up the next…

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills Writers are often stalked by a predator called stress. It’s a nasty physical, mental, and spiritual disorder that can cause headaches, back and body pain, nausea, depression, problems in relationships, doubt in God’s calling, and a host of other ailments. Not a pleasant malady. The causes…

by Mary Holloman @mtholloman I got a 3 on my elementary school writing test. Do you remember those? It was in fourth grade. Each student was given a prompt, and you had a set amount of time to write a story using the prompt. The highest score you could receive…

by Sally Cressman @scressman The first session of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference would begin that evening. With sweaty palms, I sat at our kitchen table while my husband prayed. An inner voice taunted me. What’s the point? This was my fourth or fifth time going to the…

By Debb Hackett @debb_hackett We’re in contest season and it’s always proposal and submission season. But not everyone wins or gets offered a contract. Disappointment is as much a part of writing, as breathing. Therefore, managing your actions and feelings when you’re not successful is crucial. Over the years I’ve…