Faith and Fiction Retreat Recap

(From l to r: Authors Tiffany Warren, Sherri Lewis, Kendra Norman-Bellamy, Bonnie Hopkins, Victoria Christopher Murray, Dwan Abrams, ReShonda Tate Billingsley, and Mikasenoja)

I drove to last weekend's Faith and Fiction Retreat. I'm still relatively new to Florida so I'm not the best judge of distances in this state. On the map, it looked like Destin was about four hours away from Tampa, kind of like driving to Jacksonville but going west instead of east.

Wrong!

It was a solid seven hour drive. Closer to eight, given the rain in Tampa on Thursday, the accident just outside of the Tampa area, and the 10 miles of construction near Tallahassee. I finally made it about 1:30 AM, after getting a late start due to working until 3:30 instead of noon, as planned. I was so proud of myself because I do not drive at night. Pretty much never. I don't see well due to the oncoming glare and after a day at work, I expected to be sleepy.

But adrenalin kept me going. That and the fact that I stopped to use the restroom three times when I'd purposely drunk almost no water that day. I started thinking I'd need to see the doctor when I returned but it was just God giving me breaks that I might not have taken myself. (On the way back, I only stopped once.)

One of the best things about the retreat was the people. It was great to meet some of my favorite authors, new authors, other aspiring authors, and other avid readers.

This was definitely a retreat. I didn't know what to expect because I'd never been to an out-of-town reader or writer event before. The retreat was held at a beautiful resort getaway with sandy FL beaches. There were about forty or fifty people in attendance, just enough to keep it very interesting but yet keep it small and cozy. I found lots of camraderie, an openness and sharing, even with the multi-published authors that I never imagined.

I had a great suite mate in Tyora Moody, although I'm sure she didn't appreciate me waking her up following my late arrival, which I only did because Ty had deadbolted the door from the inside! The hotel staff had no way of getting me in without waking her! (Note to self: Only take pictures standing up, at least until some of those extra lbs start dropping off!)

I was shocked to get up Friday morning but I did. And I stayed awake all day because the program was chock-full of good stuff.

This turned into a tremendous opportunity to learn more about writing and the publishing journey. Publisher Urban Christian was well-represented and authors on other imprints talked about their experiences as well. I came away inspired although having it confirmed that Urban Christian is no longer accepting unagented manuscripts was a bit of a bummer.

The Friday sessions included topics like "The Ministry of Writing", "Birthing the Vision" and "Is it or isn't it? The Difference Between Inspirational and Christian Fiction".

Friday night's dinner was at Trader Vic's. Sort of a polynesian-Hawaiian-Asian sort of menu. I like to try new foods when given the opportunity so I had macadamia nut-topped opah, a meaty fish kind of like swordfish but much more bland, with wasabi mashed potatoes and a fruity-garlic sauce. I think pineapple but I can't remember. Truthfully, I wasn't excited and the only way I was able to really eat it, because the wasabi mashed potatoes were much spicier than the waitress led me to believe, was to get a bit of fish, potatoes, and nuts in each mouthful. Don't know why but the combination was pretty good. But absolutely had to have all in each bite. If any one was missing...yuck!

I started Saturday morning by going down to the fitness center at 7 and cycling for about 45 min. I am proud of myself for doing that, as much as for driving in the dark, because working to improve my health is a major priority of mine right now.

Saturday's program included an author panel presentation and book signing, a showcase of the Urban Christian authors, and an impromptu panel featuring ReShonda Tate Billingsley and Victoria Christopher Murray on the publishing journey when the keynote speaker was unable to make it.

I left home with four books to read. I read those and returned with eight more. You know I had to purchase books. They were calling to me, even though I'd read half of the books available already. I bought most of the other half.

I also bought all new pajamas for the evening book discussions. I missed the first pajama session on Thursday because I was on the road. But I made the second one, featuring ReShonda, the author who called me out right here in the comments on my own blog last week. Check us out in our pink pj's. At the final PJ discussion, almost no one wore pajamas because it flowed right out of our Saturday evening Hawaiian Luau dinner, during which we watched the Obama-McCain discussion with Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church. So I saved that black number for when I got home (although Hubby was asleep before me and me up before him the next day, so he never saw it!)

I've got more to say about Miss ReShonda so see my next post.

I skipped out on the Sunday morning closing session so that I could get an early start back and be home before dark. I also had to complete my preparations for Middle Son's first day of kindergarten that Monday.

Overall, it was a tremendous event. Tiffany Warren and her staff did an outstanding job. Although I haven't been to anything like this before, I could tell it was unique and special. I hope to go again next year.

UPDATE: Rhonda McKnight blogged about her experience at the retreat here.

UPDATE #2: My roommate for the retreat, Tyora Moody, posted her recap. Hers includes a video slideshow, which you can see here.

Peace & Blessings,
Patricia
Stay focused. Move Forward. Believe.