Planning Committee
Johnnie Alexander — Faculty Director
Johnnie Alexander is an award-winning, best-selling author of more than twenty works of fiction in a variety of genres.
Johnnie is on the executive board of Serious Writer, Inc. and co-hosts an online show called Writers Chat. She also teaches at writers conferences and for Serious Writer Academy.
A fan of classic movies, stacks of books, and road trips, she shares a life of quiet adventure with Griff, her happy-go-lucky collie, and Rugby, her raccoon-treeing papillon.
Patricia Bradley — Secretary and Bookstore Director
Author Patricia Bradley has penned 15 romantic suspense novels since her first release in 2014. In addition to being a USA Today Best-Selling author, she has won a Selah award, a Reader’s Choice Award, and has garnered many other nominations, including the Carol and Daphne du Maurier awards.
Patricia has conducted writing workshops at the American Christian Fiction Writers Conference, the Mid-South Christian Writer’s Conference, the KenTen Retreat (where she was also the keynote), and several other conferences. When she has time, she likes to throw mud on a wheel and see what happens.
April Smith Carpenter — Assistant Treasurer
April Smith Carpenter is an avid daily journal writer, exercise enthusiast, a writer on the fly and small business owner. In June of 2020, she opened Faith Inspired Training, a group fitness studio in Southaven, MS. She has published articles in Memphis Parent Magazine, DeSoto Appeal and DeSoto Times-Tribune newspapers, New York Parent Guide News and Chicken Soup for the Soul® books.
She covers a wide variety of topics focusing on parenting, sports, women’s health issues, and all things Godly. With a Master of Arts in Religion, April has felt God’s call on her life to write. April served as director of Mid-South Christian Writers Conference from its inception in 2014 through 2020. Her current duties are as assistant treasurer.
Sharon Carpenter — Hospitality Director
Sharon Carpenter is a retired teacher who fills her time with family, words and fabric. She reads voraciously, journals extensively, has been published by Chicken Soup for the Soul® as well as regionally, and has “novel aspirations.” Quilting seems to prime the creative pump for Sharon, and helps the words flow.
Sharon blogs about daily life, being married to Jesse for 40 years, kids, kids-in-love, grandkids, elderly parents, and Jesus.
Kathy Cretsinger — Scholarships Director
Kathy Cretsinger is an Amazon Best Selling Author. She has owned a publishing company until Adult Macular Degeneration began taking more of her eyesight. She now writes the stories that have lived in her heart for years.
She and her husband live in Western Kentucky closer to family than their native East Tennessee. She still loves writing about the mountains and East Tennessee. Her books are filled with mystery and Southern humor.
Margaret Delashmit — Assistant Registrar
Margaret Delashmit, Ph.D., is Dean of Humanities at Rust College in Holly Springs, MS. A writer, editor, and teacher of writing for many years, she has published two children’s books and written many nonfiction articles.
Loretta Eidson — One-on-One Director
Award-winning author Loretta Eidson loves writing romantic suspense. She believes in the power of prayer and enjoys putting her characters in realistic situations where they must trust God to pull them through. Loretta is an AWSA certified coach and is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray. She has three novels published by Love Inspired Suspense, Pursued in the Wilderness (September 2022), Blue Ridge Mountain Escape (June 2023), and The Marine’s Deadly Reunion,(December 2023.)
Loretta loves chocolate, caramel, iced tea, and coffee. She lives in North Mississippi, close to her family.
Beth Gooch — Director
Beth Gooch studied journalism at the University of Memphis and has worked as a copy editor for most of her career. She’s won numerous awards for headline writing from the Scripps-Howard Foundation and Tennessee Press Association.
Beth and her husband Lester Goldsmith near Memphis, TN, and she currently serves as a digital producer at The Daily Memphian online newspaper. Her devotionals have been published in A Cup of Comfort, Chicken Soup for the Soul® and Guideposts® anthologies. She is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency. Her fiction writing has received awards from Scrivenings Press and the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference.
William Hill — Chaplain and Treasurer
William Hill is a minister and evangelist with Healing Hearts Ministries in North Mississippi. He’s also an artist and serves on the boards of the Southaven (MS) Arts Council, the Byhalia (MS) Area Arts Council, and DeSoto Arts Council.
Additionally, he is a poet and serves as president of the Poetry Society of Tennessee. William is also a member of the Mississippi Poetry Society, and he represented Mississippi at the BlackBerry Peach National Poetry Slam hosted by the National Federation of State Poetry Societies. He’s a member of the Falkner (MS) Heritage Society, and is president of Mid-South Christian Writers Roundtable in DeSoto County, MS.
Karla Lewis — Emcee
Karla Lewis is a Life Coach and Licensed Professional Counselor who resides in Cordova, TN. In 2020, she self-published a prompt journal entitled, Learning to Love Me. She serves as Secretary of the Memphis chapter of American Christian Fiction Writers and is a host on WAVNTheTrend for The Convo With Coach Karla Radio Show.
Harriet Michael — Faculty Committee
Harriet E. Michael is a widely published, award-winning author and freelance writer. She has authored or co-authored ten books and hundreds of articles, devotions, short stories, and blog posts. She is a double 2021 Selah Award winner, taking first place in Nonfiction Books and second place in Articles in Print as well as a first place 2021 Cascade Award winner in Published Nonfiction Short Stories. Her freelance pieces have appeared in numerous publications, including Focus on the Family, Lifeway, Chicken Soup for the Soul® anthologies, and The Upper Room.
She and her husband, John have been married for going on forty-three years. They have four grown children, two daughters-in-law, a son-in-law, three grandchildren, and two step-grandchildren. They live in Louisville, Kentucky.
Dell Self — Communications Director
Dell Self is a Christian communications specialist in the areas of public speaking, authorship, and personal branding. As a certified public speaker coach, Dell equips nervous, rambling talkers with the tools to become confident, purposeful communicators through her Speak Through Me Public Speaker Master Class. She is the author of 20+ publications and the creator of the Head to Hand Writers Workshops as well as Speak Through Me Publishing – a growing one-stop shop for adults who desire to self-publish an uplifting, faith-based, nonfiction book.
Dell is married to the Rev. Juan R. Self (1984). They have 3 adult sons. She treasures quiet moments when she can plan for greater ministry. She also continues to indulge in her nearly 200-pair earring addiction.
Deborah Sprinkle — One-on-One Assistant
Originally from St. Louis, Debbie received her bachelor degree in chemistry from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. She worked as a research chemist for many years at both St. Louis University Medical School and Washington University Medical School and is the co-author of two professional articles arising from her work with those institutions.
In 1991, she and her family moved to Memphis, where Debbie completed her teaching certification at what was then called Memphis State. She taught chemistry for ten years at a private girls’ school in Memphis. After retiring, she set out to write a mystery novel, and has since completed several including Deadly Guardian (2019), The Case of the Innocent Husband (2022), and The Case of Mistaken Identity (2023.)
Pam Stein — Hospitality Assistant
Pam Stein of Bartlett, TN is an elementary school librarian, writer, photographer, scrapbooker, and paper artist. She writes children’s books, middle grade books, devotions, and memoirs. She helps lead the Bartlett Christian Writers group.
Delores Topliff — Bookstore Assistant
Delores is glad to work with the great people on the Mid-South Christian Writers Conference board. She’s now a snow bird, dividing her year between Minnesota and Mississippi, but to her, Mississippi sure feels like home.
She blogs every other Tuesday on her website (click the button at left). Under the Books tab on that site, you’ll see she has four published children’s books along with many true stories in Christian compilation books, two Christian historical novels published this year, and a third coming out next February. She invites Facebook friends to join her at Delores Topliff Books and she hopes to meet you one day in person.
Diane Turpin — Registrar
Diane Turpin is a graphic artist, in addition to being a published author. Diane is the wife of a professional Boy Scout, mother of an aspiring music teacher and lover of all things crafty.
With a heavy interest in and talent for graphic arts, Diane designed most of the covers for the Scrivenings Press titles that were acquired from Mantle Rock Publishing. She also uses her expertise to design covers and format manuscripts for indie and self-published authors.