IT'S OFFICIAL! Our First Annual Acorn Author Writing Retreat!

Acorn Author Writing Retreat at Asilomar

(For Acorn Authors Only - Plus Ones Okay)

Join us for a two-night/three-day retreat for Acorn Publishing authors wanting to get motivated, create, and connect.

Stop thinking about writing that next chapter and set aside time to get inspired and write!

You are invited to a weekend of writing with fellow Acorns. There is nothing like being with a group of people who share your passion. 

We’ll spend our time at the cozy conference grounds of Asilomar attending writing workshops, read & critiques, gathering at meals together to discuss ideas, and spending quiet time making progress on our manuscripts.

This is your opportunity to invest in yourself.

Date: Friday through Sunday, September 11 – 13, 2026

Location: Asilomar Conference Grounds

Full Conference Cost:

$1500 – Single Room

$1125 – Shared Double Room 

First 10 authors to send 50% deposit to lock in their seat get $100 off. 

Includes: 

• 2 Nights Lodging

• ALL meals (delicious, healthy fare) for the duration of the retreat

• Guided meditation each morning

• Optional 30 min sessions with a certified Reiki practitioner

• All retreat workshops/sessions

• A circle of new friends

Feel free to bring your books. We encourage you all to swap books with one another or put them up for sale. 

This retreat is for you if:

• You crave a few days of peace away from your routine.

• You miss connecting with other writers.

• You want dedicated time to work on your manuscript.

• You are eager for feedback and discussion regarding your writing.

This Retreat Includes:

FRIDAY EVENING

• 4pm – 6pm Arrival/Meet & Greet 

• 6pm – 7pm Welcome & Dinner: We’ll begin with a warm meet and greet, meeting for dinner (included in cost).

• Coordinated Chapter Swap: Please bring a printed copy of a chapter you’re interested in getting feedback on for a coordinated chapter swap. You will not be expected to edit and return the chapter at the retreat. This effort is meant to initiate some new relationships and give you a good excuse to reconnect after the retreat is over. 

SATURDAY

• 7:30am – 9am Breakfast (included in cost)

• 9:30am Guided Meditation to Start the Day: Holly will lead a 40-minute guided meditation to clear our minds for the day ahead.

• 10:30am – 11:30am Morning Workshop: Developing Your First Chapter by Jessica Therrien: In this casual, interactive workshop, we’ll discuss the importance of the first chapter, and what a first chapter needs to be effective at hooking a reader. We’ll also explore and refine the three other hooks needed to entice a reader: the back cover blurb, the first sentence, and the elevator pitch. The workshop will be part discussion, and part read & critique.

• 11:30am Solo Writing Time: We don’t want to fill all your time with workshops and activities. This is a writing retreat after all. This time will allow you to make some progress on your manuscript.

• Optional Reiki Sessions: As an alternative to solo writing time, 30-minute sessions will be available as scheduled with a certified Reiki practitioner.

• 12pm – 1pm Lunch (included in cost)

• 1:30pm – 3pm Afternoon Workshop: The Hero’s Journey: Building Winning Characters and Strengthening the Beats of Your Plot by Holly Kammier: in this workshop Holly will review the six essential characteristics every hero needs to forge a powerful emotional connection with readers, and the interlocking plot beats every protagonist must take to keep your story driving forward and your audience glued to the page.

• 3pm – 5pm Group Read & Critique with Laura Taylor: After a day of writing and workshops this group session is an opportunity to read your work aloud for feedback. Veteran editor, Laura Taylor, is the queen of these sessions and has been leading them for years. Don’t miss this golden opportunity to share your work. 

•  5pm – 6pm: Optional Reiki Sessions/Solo Writing Time

• 6pm – 7pm Dinner (included in cost)

• 7pm Sunset Walk on the Beach: Holly will lead a group walk on the beach to enjoy the sunset.

• Optional Night Read & Critique continued…

SUNDAY

• 7:30am – 9am Breakfast (included in cost)

• 9:30am Guided Meditation to Start the Day: Holly will lead a 40-minute guided meditation to clear our minds for the day ahead.

·      10:30 – 12pm Morning Workshop: Join Marni Freedman, therapist, creativity coach, and author of the upcoming Hay House book Artistic Badassery: How to Unblock and Become a Creative Force of Nature, for an immersive, interactive workshop designed to help writers reconnect with their creative power. Blending neuroscience, mindfulness, and playful imagination, this workshop reframes the creative process as a journey. Through lively discussion, science-backed tools, guided writing, and experiential exercises, Marni will help you quiet your inner critic, loosen perfectionism, and access a deeper, more natural creative flow. Whether you’re stuck, stalled, overthinking, or simply craving a more joyful relationship with your writing, this workshop offers practical tools, fresh perspective, and a powerful reset—so you can return to the page feeling grounded, courageous, and fully alive.

• 12pm – 1pm Lunch (included in cost)

• 1:30 – 3pm Afternoon Workshop: The Engine Under the Scene: Writing Interiority and Subtext that Create Narrative Heat with Award-Winning Author Leslie Ferguson: You’ve drafted a scene for your story, novel, or memoir. Now what? It’s time to craft it. This class will show you how to build scenes from the inside out—using interiority, subtext, and tension—to create narrative heat, sharpen pacing, and keep readers turning pages. If you have a work in progress, bring a scene of your own. Don’t worry if you aren’t there yet. You can still participate, and you might even draft and craft a new scene during the class. You won’t want to miss this workshop that’s bound to help you take your writing from blah to brilliant. 

• Departure: By this point you will have made some great connections and friends, and you’ll be taking home the chapter of another fellow author to reconnect with later. We’re hoping this will become an annual event, so see you next year!

Note: Please bring several pre-printed and stapled chapters you are eager for feedback on for our chapter swaps. These chapters should include your name and email in the top corner.