“Write Here, Write Now” is the theme of the Tennessee Mountain Writers’ 29th Annual Conference, scheduled Thursday through Saturday, April 6-8, at the DoubleTree Hotel in Oak Ridge.

The conference will include writing contests, workshops, networking, manuscript evaluations, publishers, editors, book signings, a bookstore, vendors, and more, a press release said.

Native Oak Ridger Carol Aebersold will be the keynote speaker at the awards banquet, the concluding event of the conference. Aebersold is the award-winning co-author of the acclaimed book “The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition,” as well as several board books.

Aebersold serves as a spokeswoman for the North Pole, traveling nationally—and sometimes internationally—in support of her books, providing kids with a direct line to Santa, the press release said. She is also a co-founder of The Elf on the Shelf’s publishing company, Creatively Classic Activities and Books (CCA and B, LLC), where she serves as owner and partner. Her book “The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition” has been on the best-seller lists of USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, and Publishers Weekly almost yearly since its 2005 launch. [Read more…]