My heart was broken when I heard of Yvonne Lehman’s passing on May 7, 2021.

Yvonne was a longtime friend, mentor, and peer in the writing community with 60+ years in the industry. Yvonne had 30+ years directing writing conferences and had published a staggering 50+ novels and 20+ compilations with both award-winning and beginning writers. Yvonne was also co-founder of WRAMS and my business partner of five years. It took some time to get my feet under me after the news of her passing, and I was not alone in my grief. Yvonne was loved and respected in so many ways, especially with fledgling writers she had encouraged over the decades. Because of her legacy, it just didn’t seem right to end what Yvonne Lehman had created with WRAMS. After talking extensively with Lori Marett, Yvonne’s daughter, we agreed WRAMS should continue. Following in her mother’s shoes, Lori is a novelist and screenwriter, and is an extremely amazing content editor and mentor, and I am honored to work alongside her, just as I did with Yvonne. We know we would have made Yvonne proud by continuing her work by encouraging and helping guide new writers, and ultimately, deepening their love for the craft of writing.

– Cindy Sproles

Meet Your Mentors

Cindy Sproles

Cindy is a best-selling, award-winning author. Her novels Mercy’s Rain and Liar’s Winter have both won Book of the Year while Liar’s Winter and What Momma Left Behind has won multiple awards. As a past the managing editor of Straight Street Books and SonRise Devotionals, and as an editor with Iron Stream Media, LLC, Cindy brings twenty years of hard-earned knowledge to the editing table. Her successes in writing and her willingness to help others led her to receive the inaugural Yvonne Lehman Award given at the Selah Awards during the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference in 2021.Cindy and her ministry partner, Eddie Jones founded ChristianDevotions.us and have worked providing countless opportunities for writers. Cindy directs the Asheville Christian Writers Conference in Asheville each February, held at the Billy Graham Training Center. She is a speaker, novelist, and conference director, teaching and speaking nationwide. Cindy is a trained life coach and mentor.

 

Born and raised in the Appalachian Mountains, Cindy loves to write about the “old ways” and longs to help others remember the rich and amazing culture of the mountain people. Represented by the Steve Laube Agency, Cindy continues to pump out Appalachian novels that introduce readers to the joy and the hardship of a time gone by.

Lori Marett

Unknowingly, Lori had been groomed early in her life to become a writing mentor and editor. Her mother, Yvonne Lehman, a prolific author, would casually hand Lori bits of her latest WIP and ask what Lori thought. Dinner conversations swirled around fictional characters and names, and casual conversations, such as in the hospital after her mother’s stroke, revolved around potential plotlines. Overheard conversations of others made its way into Yvonne’s novels and within those conversations were found book titles or first lines for works to come. And the most mundane of interactions between mother and daughter eventually evolved into creative brainstorming sessions.

This upbringing then became a skill that was honed for over 20 years as Lori helped critique manuscripts at her mother’s in-home writer’s group meetings. Over time, Lori’s feedback also became valued outside these writer’s group for well-known authors such as Steven James, Ann Tatlock, Cindy Sproles, and Hollywood script consultant, Linda Seger.

Lori’s reputation as a story consultant grew, opening doors for her to adapt novels for the movie screen for award-winning authors such as Deborah Raney, Steven James, Yvonne Lehman, Jenny L. Cote, Doug Peterson, and Hollywood producer, Ken Wales.

Outside of these successes, Lori’s most rewarding work is advising new writers at the Asheville Christian Writers Conference and the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference as well as mentoring with Cindy Sproles and Ann Tatlock for WRAMS.

Ann Tatlock

Ann Tatlock has been involved in the publishing industry since 1987 in a number of roles: magazine editor, novelist, children’s book author, on-line writing mentor, conference speaker/teacher, managing editor of LPC’s Heritage Beacon historical fiction, and now as a freelance editor. Her novels have received numerous awards, including the Christy Award, the Selah Award, and the Midwest Book Award. Twice she has taught the J-term at Taylor University’s School of Professional Writing. She is herself a “Wheatie,” having graduated from Wheaton College Graduate School with a master’s degree in journalism.

Ann enjoys working with authors of all levels of experience to help make their books the best they can be. Having been on both sides of the editing equation, she knows the editing process well and understands the need for firm but gentle guidance and healthy doses of encouragement. She loves it when a client comes back and asks her to edit a second or third or fourth project because she not only made their work better, but she helped them feel better about themselves as they navigate this sometimes crazy and difficult industry known as publishing.

Writers receive suggestions specific to the project they are currently working on, regardless of genre, and no matter if the story is in the germination phase, completed, or if the writer is stumped and slumped in the middle of the work. But we differ from other critiquing/editing services in that you have the luxury of choosing the mentor that best suits your needs. You may receive help from two, if not all three mentors, giving you the greatest amount of feedback for your money. Your choice!

When a novice writer receives guidance from a mentor, the feedback can often be overwhelming. We adjust our approach where the writer is comfortable, choosing to work on a few elements at a time. By working in small bites, writers are able to ask questions as they rewrite and receive suggestions from Lori, Cindy, and Ann while moving step-by-step through the process.

Just as doing a full critique on one’s entire project can be overwhelming, so can the financial part of it. At WRAMS, the client may pay for one consultation to consider all options and aspects of their project to work in a solitary fashion or pay in installments for mentorship and guidance while on their writing journey. The client may stop at any point in the process when feeling confident to move forward alone, or have Lori, Cindy, and/or Ann be there every step of the way until completion. Payments vary according to the need, but we will never move ahead without your approval. The ultimate goal, no matter the journey, is for the writer to have a completed project at the end. And then, if needed, your mentor can start the process to include final edits and prepare you to find an agent, and ultimately, a publisher.

To get started with your mentoring/coaching email us at [email protected] and include in the email what kind of help you are looking for. You will then receive an email response to schedule either a phone call or an online chat to discuss expectations. It is during this FREE initial consultation that you get to know Cindy, Lori, and Ann and come up with plan of how to best assist you on your writing journey!

Pricing

Note – pricing may vary according to the project and level intensity of the writer. This would be discussed in a free consultation. Our goal is to work at an affordable and efficient pace.

 

For more detailed pricing, go to http://wramsforwriters.blogspot.com/