On Being Mentored: Thanks Brandilyn Collins, Cara Putman, Robin Caroll

Attending a conference with more than seven hundred conferees in a congested city (especially for country girls) can be intimidating.

Behind the scenes of any stellar organization stand gifted workers willing to help. Three fabulous authors set aside time to guide and instruct over 150 first timers through storms of doubt, earthquake nerves, and mountains of questions. 


A loop was created for this specific purpose. Emails from these ladies first popped into our inboxes in June, opening doors for questions and offering tidbits and trade secrets. Newbies felt the freedom to ask any question.

I present you these godly ladies

 who served as first timer mentors:

Robin Caroll was the ACFW conference director. I found her checking details and assisting anywhere needed. Robin never took the stage-you had to look to see her (you know the type-the one cooking in the kitchen or standing behind the camera--ever present, never seen).

All seven hundred some odd conferees had appointments with either agents, editors, or mentors. Robin kept the pace moving, which enable all of us to enter our appointments at our given time. Because of her efforts, we each had our "Moment" of opportunity.

Robin and her husband, Casey Miller (the poor soul who arranged our appointments) sat with Pepper, Casey and I at the Pizza party. We laughed, sang, and danced to 80's music.  What a fun couple!

Robin, you became a friend in a heartbeat, a tower of strength, and a source of help. Thank you.

Serving as conference MC, Brandilyn Collin's humor and her Zondervan stories from the past made us feel like we were at home with a group of friends who had always known each other.

We laughed with tears dripping down our cheeks to her dramatized stories as if we were all gathered in her living room following a tasty dinner for an hour of stories. 

Many of us noticed a special side of Brandilyn: her loving, caring, giving side. 


One time I walked into the lobby area of the ladies room. Off to the side of this large room sat Brandilyn and a conferee--alone, praying. 


Another time I saw her in the comfy sofa section of the open hall area sharing what she had learned in the writer's craft with a small group of conferees. 

One morning I had slipped out of my hotel room early to go to the prayer room and had forgotten my Bible. I found Brandilyn's laying open on the table in this special room, inviting anyone to use it. As I leafed through the pages for my quiet time, I saw her notes and comments next to passages on almost every page.

Brandilyn, you SHOWED your love for Christ to us.  Thank you. 

Cara Putman devoted hours upon hours to newbie questions in the months leading up to the conference--she even answered questions repeated several times! 

Cara translated rules, guidelines, and directions (a type of non fiction language not spoken by fiction writers) using her own experiences. She posted links to fun examples of how not to speak to an agent, samples of beautiful one sheets, even photos sites of St. Louis with lists of local restaurants and attractions. WE WERE PREPARED!

During the orientation, Cara's cell phone rang. We laughed. She laughed too. Did she set up the situation? Does it matter? In her uplifting way, she proved people make mistakes, handle the situation in an appropriate way, and then move on. A great lesson to remember prior to those special appointments.

Cara, you radiated a sparky, godly, helping spirit which enabled everyone to sense God's presence.  

Any first time experience needs a mentor/guide to bring about a smooth experience. Have you had someone help you through a first time experience?

Do you have any shout outs, kudos, memories or others comments for Robin, Brandilyn, or Cara?