Nancy I. Sanders is the best-selling and award-winning author of over 75 books. She has been published with such houses as Tyndale, Standard, Augsburg, Concordia, and Barbour as well as Scholastic Teaching Resources and Reader’s Digest Children’s Books. Her newest picture book, D is for Drinking Gourd: An African American Alphabet, is illustrated by Caldecott-honor award winner, E. B. Lewis. She is also the author of Depression: What’s A Christian To Do? This encouraging and sensitive book features questions at the end of each chapter for personal or group study. Active in the church, over the years Nancy has worn the hat of co-administrator of Women’s Ministry as well as co-leader of the Women’s Bible Study. Today she helps oversee and edit the Women’s Newsletter at Calvary Chapel Chino Hills where she and her husband attend. She also leads several writing groups including CHAIRS: Christian Authors, Illustrators, and Readers Society. For more information about starting a group of CHAIRS in your area, please visit the website at www.chairs7.wordpress. Nancy and her husband, Jeff, have two adult sons, Dan and Ben. They live in southern California. Her website is www.nancyisanders.com.
Mary Harwell Sayler has read and studied the Bible, loved all faces of the church, and written poems since early childhood. She also likes to research, especially biblical topics such as love, prayer, poetry, ministry gifts, Christian healing, and Bible foods, plants, and herbs. She’s a poet, devotional writer, children’s writer, freelancer, and highly ecumenical columnist, who has worked with other Christian poets and writers from many backgrounds and countries since 1983 -- first through correspondence studies and workshops and now through her professional critique service and website www.poetryofcourse.com.
Judy Schuler’s children’s book, Foxes for Kids, is available on Amazon.com. She has published short stories and articles in magazines such as Scholastic Scope, Boys’ Quest, Grit, and Writers’ Journal. She is the mother of four and grandmother of seven, and lives in Easton, Kansas with her husband and two dogs. She currently does freelance editing from her website, www.editsonline.com.
Shirley Shibley has loved to write since she was in elementary school. The author of 26 books, she writes both fiction and nonfiction, for adults and children. Her favorite is writing historical fiction for the middle-grade (ages 8-12) reader. She has had scores of stories and articles published in various magazines and Sunday School papers, and in book collections. She believes that writing is a gift from God, not to be misused or uncultivated. Agreeing it is a lot of hard work, she is convinced it is well worth the effort and time if God can be glorified and His children edified. Shirley lives in Glendora, California, near her three children and their families.
PENNY SHREVE is an award-winning writer and photographer with over 30 years experience in community journalism. Since 1987 she has worked for The Wayne County Press, in Fairfield, Illinois as the news/features editor. She has garnered over a dozen state championships in the Illinois Press Association's and Southern Illinois Editorial Association's Better Newspaper Contests, in a variety of writing categories.Her work has been published in a variety of community newspapers and newsletters, as well as in Guideposts. A longtime Bible teacher who writes her own lessons, Shreve enjoys Bible study and songwriting, and is an independent recording artist whose album "Heartsong" was released in Europe in 2005 under both her actual name and artist name, "Amber Allman". She is currently recording an original Christian rock album, expected to be available later this year. Penny was born in Indianapolis and now lives in Fairfield, Illinois with her husband of 20 years, Kevin, and their daughter, Jevin.
Cynthia L. Simmons is a native of Chattanooga, Tennessee. She has five children and resides in Atlanta with her husband, Ray. For twenty years she has been a homeschooling mother and Bible teacher. Cynthia attends Christian Authors Guild (CAG) where she has been a workshop leader, chaplain, and conference director. She currently serves as president. In 2008 Pleasant Word published her first book, Struggles and Triumphs: Women in History Who Overcame. Herwork has appeared in CAG anthologies, Desk in the Attic, No Small Miracles, and Heartfelt Inspirations, as well as Chattanooga Times Free Press, NATHHAN NEWS, Chattanooga Regional Historical Journal, and Georgia Right to Life News, andCatholic Exchange. Visit her website at www.clsimmons.com.
Amy Simon has been a Christian since 1988. She is married to a wonderful husband and has two energetic and creative young children. She home-schools her children and is very involved in her church. Amy also volunteers with Campus Crusade for Christ in Metro Milwaukee. She also spent a year overseas as a missionary in the Middle East with Campus Crusade before getting married. Amy has enjoyed being a freelance writer for the past several years. Her experiences as a missionary, wife, parent, home-schooler, and youth mentor have enabled her to write on a wide range of topics for varied audiences. She has written articles for teens and adults and been published in Encounter, Brio, Parent Life and others.
Daphne Simpkins teaches writing at Auburn University at Montgomery. She has published over two hundred essays and short stories in a variety of periodicals (most often The Chicago Tribune) and two books: The Long Good Night (Eerdmans), a memoir about caregiving and Nat King Cole: An Unforgettable Life of Music, a biography of the Alabama-born singer for school children. Her short stories featuring salt-and-light church lady Mildred Budge have appeared throughout the United States and in Canada’s The Christian Courier. Daphne is an active member of The Roads Scholars, a speakers’ bureau sponsored by The Alabama Humanities Foundation. She attends Trinity Presbyterian Church and may be contacted at:
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
.
The Reverend James L. Snyder is an award winning author whose writings have appeared in more than 80 periodicals including GUIDEPOSTS. In Pursuit of God: The Life of A. W. Tozer, Snyder’s first book, won the Reader’s Choice Award in 1992 by Christianity Today. Snyder has authored 15 books altogether. Rev. James L. Snyder has a knack for making fun of daily frustrations and will increase the humor aptitude of your readers so they too can discover that life is less stressful when you’re laughing. Through these essays, your readers will realize that humor and religion belong together and can keep them from taking themselves and others too seriously. Through more than thirty-five years of ministry, he and his wife Martha have been involved in three church-planting projects prior to their current ministry at the Family of God Fellowship in Ocala, Florida. The Snyders have three children and seven grandchildren.
EDIE SODOWSKY knows first-hand the needs Christian congregations and organizations have for quality publishing resources. For most of her adult life, she has worked for various churches and church-related organizations. Edie often created new inspirational pieces, Bible studies, curricula, and plays because what she needed was either not available or not affordable for the congregations or organizations. She has also been a freelance writer for many years. For Edie, her role as a writer and speaker in both Christian and secular media is to “comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable” – which American humorist and newspaperman Finley Peter Dunne (1867-1937) said should be the role of a newspaper. Edie has been carrying out this role through a broad variety of genre, including feature articles, Bible studies, profiles on leaders, publicity pieces, and over 70 book reviews. These have appeared in several Christian magazines, nonprofit organization publications, Christian and secular newspapers, a biophysics society newsletter, radio programming and more. One of her specialties is disability ministry outreach, for which she helped create a how-to manual for churches. Visit her website at www.ediesodowsky.com.
DOUG SPURLING lives with his wife in southern Minnesota and believes 1) a love filled prayer in the hands of faith is the greatest force on earth; 2) if you take your time you get there faster; 3) if you don’t quit you win; and 4) everybody matters. He enjoys fishing (catching, not so much), playing with grandkids and loving Jesus. He carries a passion for prayer and writing. Doug claims he’s made every mistake imaginable, yet somehow by God’s grace he’s managed to pull off a few things worth mentioning: he’s worked as a youth pastor; traveled with an evangelism team performing mimes; founded a church; and written a weekly newspaper column. (All that may sound good in writing, but Doug is quick to point out “You just don’t know the rest of the story. I had no idea what I was doing.”) He claims he’d rather write than talk because his tongue doesn’t have a delete button. He yearns to ask everyone he meets: “Our last breath on earth is our first in eternity. Where will you take yours?”
Gloria McQueenStockstill is a minister’s wife. She and her husband serve in southern California. She is the author of four published children’s books: The Basket in the River, To the Town of Bethlehem, The Blind Man by the Road, Jesus Rose on Easter Morn. Gloria has also helped develop curriculum for a private Christian school. She co- authored, along with her husband, a manual, Family on the Rock, Or How to Keep Your Family off the Rocks, which they have taught in various parts of the United States. Her plays and skits have been performed in several churches. Gloria is also a speaker. She has spoken at churches, Bible studies and women’s retreats as well as led denominational conferences on the state and national level. She has a devotional blog titled: Stretch Marks, Devotions For the Not So Perfect Woman. The blog address is: gloriastockstill.blogspot.com. To contact Gloria simply leave a comment on her blog or email her at
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
.
SUSAN SUNDWALL is a freelance writer and children’s Christian playwright. She decided to become a writer at the ripe old age of 17 and then waited 35 years to do it! In the intervening years she gathered much material for her plays and skits. She married, bore three sons, raised them and married them off. This was accomplished with the help of God (especially in the teen years) and their father, her wonderful husband. Her first play, Bartholomew the Clueless Shepherd, was published by CSS Publishing in 2005. Many other plays, skits and puppet scripts followed and were published by Standard Publishing, Contemporary Drama and One Way Street. Her other stories, poems and essays have appeared in Guideposts Miracles in Tough Times, HCI Ultimate Gardner, Cup of Comfort, and Adams Media My Dad is My Hero. Susan is also the grandmother of five of the cutest kids on the planet and draws daily inspiration from them. She attributes all her writing success to the God who loved her enough to send His only begotten Son to die for her. The Holy Spirit gently reminds her of her daily blessings.
Shirley Shibley
PENNY SHREVE is an award-winning writer and photographer with over 30 years experience in community journalism. Since 1987 she has worked for The Wayne County Press, in Fairfield, Illinois as the news/features editor. She has garnered over a dozen state championships in the Illinois Press Association's and Southern Illinois Editorial Association's Better Newspaper Contests, in a variety of writing categories.Her work has been published in a variety of community newspapers and newsletters, as well as in Guideposts. A longtime Bible teacher who writes her own lessons, Shreve enjoys Bible study and songwriting, and is an independent recording artist whose album "Heartsong" was released in Europe in 2005 under both her actual name and artist name, "Amber Allman". She is currently recording an original Christian rock album, expected to be available later this year. Penny was born in Indianapolis and now lives in Fairfield, Illinois with her husband of 20 years, Kevin, and their daughter, Jevin. 
Cynthia L. Simmons
Amy Simon
EDIE SODOWSKY
Gloria McQueen
SUSAN SUNDWALL is a freelance writer and children’s Christian playwright. She decided to become a writer at the ripe old age of 17 and then waited 35 years to do it! In the intervening years she gathered much material for her plays and skits. She married, bore three sons, raised them and married them off. This was accomplished with the help of God (especially in the teen years) and their father, her wonderful husband.