BIO: Carol Van Atta is a highly imperfect, slightly zany, passionate woman of God.  Her transparency, combined with her great sense of humor, and desire to see women discover hope and healing, make her presentation and writing style not only warm and heartfelt, but radically life changing.

She has been described by her audience members as:

"The real deal"

"Totally open"

"One of us"

"Kind, compassionate, and real"

"Not just a speaker, but a participant"

"More than inspirational…transformational"

She is the founder of Princess Warriors for Christ…Reigning Real--One Step (and a prayer) at a time, and believes every woman is a priceless princess and a worthy warrior.  Her many speaking engagements allow her to speak for a variety of audiences and events including-fundraisers, women’s retreats, MOPS Groups, luncheons, banquets, conferences, and workshops.

Recently, a number of her short devotional stories have been featured in a Regal book, Living Well.  This book is easily accessed at Amazon, or other major bookseller sites and Christian bookstores everywhere.  Her Reigning Now project is currently in front of the publication committee at a major Christian publishing house.  Until she is 100% certain of its release and publication details, she's holding off on sharing everything.  She should know something very, very soon.  She promises She will post the information as soon as it is official.

Carol has been writing stories since she could hold a pencil…really. She still has her "first book."  Yes, she wrote it on college ruled paper, and included her own somewhat disturbing illustrations.  [Note: Carol says No, I cannot draw, at all.]     She's one of those strange writers who enjoys writing both fiction and nonfiction works.  She loves articles and pieces that encourage others to change.  Telling stories is something she's loved since she was a child.  She must admit that she was either reading or writing.  It’s still a battle sometimes to balance these two activities.  She always wanted for writing to be a big part of her life.  She is living her dream that includes writing, counseling, and speaking.  For her, these three areas are intertwined together.

Um...inspiration for her latest fiction. Slaying the Shadows, a spiritual warfare thriller, was inspired by her desire to share, in a fiction format, the power of good over evil.  She hoped to write an exciting page turner that not only left readers on the edge of their seats, but also gave them some deep issues to think about.   She also wanted every reader to understand that ultimately God wins in the end.  She believes we can instruct and encourage in fiction.  That is what she always aspires to do.

Her characters are a combination of real-life people and her imagination.  She often takes names of people she knows and uses them for specific characters.  In fact, she's done that frequently. She says she thinks many, if not most, writers draw from real people on some level.  We are influenced by what we read and what we see on television and movies to some extent, too.  Creating a character is kind of like cooking.  You may have a specific recipe in mind, but then you start throwing in additional ingredients.  Ah…here’s a little spice.  Let’s add a bit of sour apple flavoring.  Her characters always develop and grow through the story. That’s what makes the creative process so fun, and even surprising.

She thinks the most interesting research she's conducted was studying the Haitian culture and voodoo for an upcoming book. Another book has required that she look into the underground tunnels that zigzag under the Portland, Oregon streets.  In fact, she loves research, and because of that she has to be very wary and not allow herself to stay stuck in a researching mode.  As writers, we can become paralyzed by our research. At some point, we have to write.  Right?

Advice…DON’T GIVE UP!  Don’t give up.  Don’t give up.  Keep writing.  Keep submitting.

For Carol, this past year, she made a point to secure a literary agent.  She did quite a bit of writing and publishing without one; however, in today’s market it has become extremely difficult to get projects in front of the larger publishing houses.  Her agent has opened doors that she could have never walked through on her own. Other important things that have helped:

• Be open to feedback and constructive comments.  Be willing to edit your work.
• Join an experienced writers’ critique group.
• Attend a good writer’s conference.  She highly recommends the Christian Writer’s Guild’s Writing for the Soul Conference in February.  Writers’ conferences help with networking and additional skill development.
• Write articles if you can.  This helps with name recognition.  She wrote for a variety of publications, and in the beginning she did a great deal of writing for non-paying publications and ezines.  Again, these are great experiences and great tools for marketing.  Having a number of published stories and articles only adds credibility to your writing career.
• Pray.  As Christian authors, if God’s not in the picture, we better get out.
• Did she say "Don’t give up?"  That’s right.  Keep writing.