Annual Conference
2025—Thrive
Stretch… Yield… Grow…
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Saturday, April 26, 2025
Location — Main Street Church, 2675 W Main St, Boise, ID 83702
Time Details — 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
$75 ICW members | $95 non-members
Includes box lunch
(We apologize, but special dietary requests are not available)
Keynote: Nicole Deese
Keynote Speaker
Nicole Deese
Nicole Deese is a Christy and Carol Award-winning, bestselling author of hope-filled, humorous, and heartfelt contemporary romance novels. When she’s not sorting out character arcs and story plots of her own, she can usually be found listening to an audiobook and multitasking at least four different chores at once. She’s a hoarder of sparkling water, a lover of long walks and even longer talks with friends, and a seeker of fun and adventure at all times. She lives in small-town, Idaho with her happily-ever-after hubby, two freakishly tall teenage sons, and one princess daughter with the heart of a warrior.
Christy Award-Winning Author
Nicole Deese
Worship by: Lisa Phillips
Worship Leader
Lisa Phillips
Lisa Phillips is a USA Today and top ten Publishers Weekly bestselling author of over 80 books that span Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense line, independently published series romantic suspense, and thriller novels. She’s discovered a penchant for high-stakes stories of mayhem and disaster where you can find made-for-each-other love that always ends in happily ever after.
Lisa is a British ex-pat who grew up an hour outside of London and attended Calvary Chapel Bible College, where she met her husband. He’s from California, but nobody’s perfect. It wasn’t until her Bible College graduation that she figured out she was a writer (someone told her). Lisa is a worship leader, tea aficionado, and dog lover of two crazy Airedales.
Lisa Phillips
Morning Breakout Sessions
Kathy Collard Miller
(AM-Nonfiction) Basics for Writing Non-fiction Articles
Session Details:
Everyone thinks of writing a book first, and there might be reasons for that, but there are many more options for writing an article—whether a self-help article, a devotional article or a personal experience article.
Bio:
Kathy Collard Miller, the author of over 60 books and over 1,000 articles, tells you how to write all those kinds of articles. Her latest book is “Managing Anger—Jesus Style” which she was just finishing the final edits for when she experienced a stroke. She has been writing since 1978 when she wrote her personal experience article about being delivered by God from being a child abuser.
Wendy Ann Mattox
(AM-YA) Write That Book: 10 Tips to Help You Create Captivating Adventures that Grip & Inspire Young Readers
Session Details:
Wendy Ann Mattox will share her 10 Top Tips for writing books for children. Tips will include how to engage young readers and keep them reading. How to teach lessons through stories without being preachy. And many more! Now is the time to write that children’s book!
Bio:
Wendy Ann Mattox thinks being a spy or detective would be great fun! And she is grateful she gets to write action-packed, biblically based, animal adventures for a living!
Wendy is an Idaho author who has written 15 Christian chapter books (3 series) for children ages 8 – 12 yrs. She loves Jesus with all her heart and prays her books will bless anyone who reads them.
Erica Dansereau
(AM-Fiction) Evoking Emotions & Creating Connections
Session Details:
In this seminar, writers will learn why crafting emotionally compelling characters and narratives is crucial to capturing readers’ hearts. Discover practical strategies to build deep emotional connections through character development, storytelling techniques, and authentic emotional arcs. This session will guide you in creating stories that resonate long after the last page.
Bio:
Erica Dansereau is a Christian author known for her compelling storytelling and exploration of faith. She currently resides in Idaho with her husband and children. Aside from reading and writing books, Erica loves spending quality time with her family and friends, embarking on new adventures, and savoring a nice cup of coffee or tea.
Afternoon Breakout Sessions
Tammy Murray
(PM-Nonfiction) Worship * Wonder * Write
Session Details:
Tammy will be teaching narrative nonfiction writing and the importance of story.
Bio:
Tammy Murray is an award-winning author who’s passionate about encouraging others on their writing journey. She’s living her dream when sharing messages of hope through story and speaking. Her nonfiction stories have appeared in War Cry, Gem, Toastmaster, Idaho Press Tribune, Urban Liaison, Goldmine, and Now What?. She is a member of Cascade Christian Writers and Idahope Christian Writers.
Besides writing and speaking, Tammy enjoys trekking trails, e-biking, trout fishing, and baking pies with her husband, Mark. She lives in the beautiful state of Idaho, among the company of trees.
Rachelle Nelson
(PM-YA) Spark imagination in the next generation
Session Details:
Rachelle Nelson fell in love with reading as a teen and went on to be a youth leader and mentor all her adult life. So, when it came time to write, teens were the ideal audience. Two books into her career, she has now won both the Carol and Christy Awards for young adult fiction.
Teens are in a critical stage of mental development, taking in the broader world and forming important relational skills. Stories shape the mind more than we sometimes realize, and the next generation desperately needs stories about hope, courage, and truth.
In this session, we will discuss the current state of teen fiction as a genre, writing to the hearts of teens, and how important ‘coming of age’ stories are to all of us.
Bio:
Rachelle Nelson grew up reading fantasy novels and getting her clothes muddy in the pine forests of Idaho. These days, she still loves hiking through forests and libraries, though she’s a bit less fond of mud. Her debut novel, Sky of Seven Colors, released in 2023 through Enclave Publishing, and was a recent Carol Award winner and Christy Award winner. Embergold, her newest standalone, releases in March 2025. Rachelle doesn’t write true stories, but she does write about truth. When she’s not doing that, she sings in a band with her husband who makes her happier than should be legal. If you like good food and honest conversations, you’re her favorite kind of person.
Paul Regnier
(PM-Fiction) Find where your book fits, and how to make it shine on Amazon
Session Details:
Learn how to use Amazon’s website to find the best subcategories for your book.
-Learn what readers of your subcategory are looking for.
-Learn how to market effectively to readers looking for books like yours.
-Discover software tools that can give you detailed information on books similar to yours to see what’s working and what isn’t.
Bio:
Paul Regnier is a speculative fiction author. He believes one of the closest things to magic on this earth is imagination. His favorite type of story is filled with adventure, humor, and heartfelt moments between characters. He likes to dream up worlds of fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, and the supernatural. Sometimes they end up in a book.
Paul is the writer of Bard Tidings, the Luke and Bandit cozy mystery series, the Paranormia series, and the Space Drifters series.
Paul lives in Treasure Valley, Idaho, with his wife and two children.
Lunch
Your ticket includes lunch so attendees can stay on campus and fellowship.
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Event Parking at Main Street Church
