Meet the Team

As a Certified AWSA Writer Coach, Susan Neal RN, MBA, MHS, desires to help others publish and sell their God-given message. She is the author of nine healthy living books. Her self-published, award-winning, best-seller, 7 Steps to Get Off Sugar and Carbohydrates, won the Selah award and sold over 25,000 copies in five years.
Susan won the 2020 Christian Author Network Excellence in Marketing Award for Outstanding Broadcast Media for her book marketing campaign. She is a trusted advisor for authors and helps many sell more books. Susan is the CEO of Christian Indie Publishing Association (CIPA), Christian Authors Network (CAN), Christian Indie Awards, and CAN Marketing Awards. You can find Susan at SusanUNeal.com.

Ginny Cruz, MPA, PT, is a pediatric physical therapist, an award-winning author, and a Speak Up Certified speaker. She is a member of Word Weavers International and was the founding president of the Pensacola chapter. Ginny is an encourager and teacher at heart. All of her work aims to help others, especially mothers. She is a regular contributor to The Write Conversation, Focus on the Family, and her personal blog. Be on the lookout for her first book, The New Mom’s Guide: Help and Hope for Baby’s First Year, coming in 2025, published by End Game Press. She is the mother of two grown sons, married to her college sweetheart, and enjoys hiking, camping, and reading. She’d love to connect with you at ginnycruz.com.

Mike enjoys retirement from corporate America and keeps busy as a Tour Guide at the Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky. Mike has been the computer and technology person at Blue Lake Christian Writers Conference since 2017 and the Florida Christian Writer’s Conference since 2021. Mike won a Living Waters Honorable Mention Award in 2022 for a non-fiction work he is still working on, “Poppy’s Proverbs.” Now living in Lexington, Kentucky, Mike and his wife Brooks live their best life between Church, writing, and six grandchildren.

Marcela Ruch, holding a master’s degree in Counseling and a Ph.D. in Educational Administration, is the author of three published books. With a rich background in education as both a teacher and principal, Marcela’s journey of service extends into praying for the sick for healing. She founded the Mission Medical Clinic in Colorado Springs and The Waterfield Clinic for Women in Kataka, Liberia. Since 2017, she has enriched the Blue Lake Christian Writers Conference as the dedicated prayer minister, offering spiritual support and guidance to attendees.

Lynn DeShazo is the author of some of the Church’s most loved worship songs, many of which have been featured on the live praise and worship recordings produced by Integrity Music. She is best known for such songs as “Ancient Words,” “More Precious Than Silver,” “Lead Me to the Rock,” “Turn My Heart,” “Be Magnified,” and “Be Unto Your Name.” Lynn has been involved in ministry on the local church level for over thirty years as a worship leader, a songwriter, and a teacher. She was an exclusive songwriter for Integrity Media for twenty-two years. She’s also produced ten of her own music recordings to date and a book, More Precious Than Silver: The God Stories Behind the Songs of Lynn DeShazo.