Igniting Your Writing
A Weekend for Writers Who Want To Become First-Time Authors and World-Changers
Upcoming Dates
- November 6-8, 2025 (Thursday-Saturday)
- March 26-28, 2026 (Thursday-Saturday) Registration not available yet, coming soon!
About the Retreat
Igniting Your Writing is about you, your relationship with God, your writing, your story, and your book. During the retreat, your coaches—meet the retreat leaders below—will guide you in crafting your writing and launching your book. Filled with individual exercises, small group engagement, workshops, and ample time for you to write, we designed this retreat to help you accomplish your goals.
Topics will include:
- Conversations with God
- Writing for your target audience
- Writing, re-writing, and editing
- What you need to know about publishing
- You matter; your story matters
- How writers become authors
- The importance of influence
Whether you are just getting started with your idea, have your manuscript nearly complete, or are working on book number two, Marcus and Dave will help you tell your story, publish your book, and influence the lives of the people you care about. More importantly, we welcome you to the peaceful, soul-stirring Glen Eyrie estate, where you can spend the weekend enjoying the fellowship of God: he is the Author of our lives and the Source of all creativity.
If you’d like to come earlier or stay after your retreat dates, lodging is available at a programs discounted rate. Please call our reservation line at 719-265-7050.
Igniting Your Influence
All attendees will receive a copy of the book Igniting Your Influence: 21 Speakers, Coaches, Leaders, and Experts help you write your first Book, expand your Influence, enhance your Credibility, and grow your Business written by retreat leaders Marcus Costantino and Dave Sheets.
Event Dates
November 6-8, 2025
Deluxe Rooms: Castle West Wing, Eagles’ Nest, Pink House
- Price is before tax
- Price assumes one person in the hotel room
- These are Queen bed rooms in the Castle west wing or King bed rooms in Eagle’s Nest or Pink House. All meetings and meals are in the Castle.
- This price includes 2 nights’ lodging, 6 meals and all conference materials
$558
Castle King Rooms
- Price is before tax
- Price assumes one person in the hotel room
- These are King bed rooms in the Castle. All meetings and meals are in the Castle.
- This price includes 2 nights’ lodging, 6 meals and all conference materials
$616
Standard Lodge Rooms
- Price is before tax
- Price assumes one person in the hotel room
- These are standard lodge rooms with 2 queen beds in our Cedar Ridge Lodge, a 5-7 minute walk from the Castle. All meetings and meals are in the Castle.
- This price includes 2 nights’ lodging, 6 meals and all conference materials
$456
Standard Lodge Room – Double Occupancy
- Price is before tax
- Price assumes two people in the hotel room (Divided by 2 = $327 for each person)
- These are standard lodge rooms with 2 queen beds in our Cedar Ridge Lodge, a 5-7 minute walk from the Castle. All meetings and meals are in the Castle.
- This price includes 2 nights’ lodging, 6 meals and all conference materials
- Pricing is available for triple and quadruple occupancy, please call our reservations line at 719-265-7050
$653
Commuter Registration
- Price is before tax
- This price is for a person who will attend the retreat but not stay overnight at Glen Eyrie. All meetings and meals are in the Castle.
- This price includes 6 meals (Dinner on Thursday night, 3 meals on Friday, Breakfast and lunch on Saturday), and all conference materials
$325
Curious what this retreat looks like? Here is a sample from retreat leader Dave Sheets on the credibility a book brings you—and how it can open doors to new opportunities, establish you as an authority in your field, and create a lasting impact.
Retreat Leaders
Marcus Costantino
Marcus Costantino is a business and non-profit leader, consultant, writer, and literary agent. As a business consultant and writer, he helps influencers strategically position themselves in the marketplace—and it usually starts with a book. His literary, writing, and coaching portfolio includes a US congressman, a celebrity chef, pastors, and non-profit executives. He has edited dozens of books and written others. He has also published articles at GotQuestions.org and CompellingTruth.org. He is also a member of the Academy of Christian Editors.
His books include:
- Igniting Your Influence: 21 Speakers, Coaches, Leaders, and Experts help you write your first Book
- What’s Next? Talking with God about the Rest of Your Life
- Family Dynasty: The Restoration of the World Begins at Home (co-author with Pastor Sean Morris)
- No Lucks Given: Life is hard, but there is hope (co-author with Chef Brother Luck)
Marcus lives in Colorado with his Colorado-native wife, though he hails from Massachusetts, and yes, he is still a Tom Brady fan.
Dave Sheets
Dave Sheets has spent more than 27 years in the publishing industry, working with many top book publishers, distributors, and printers, including Tyndale House Publishers, Multnomah Publishers, and Snowfall Press. Dave has served clients in various sales and marketing roles throughout his career, each time focusing on providing creative solutions to their needs.
He is now the owner/operator of BelieversBookServices—a publishing services company working with independent authors. Every year, he works with hundreds of authors, helping to create books that entertain and inform readers across the globe.
Dave grew up in the Midwest and graduated from St. Cloud State University in MN with a BS in Mass Communications while playing on a football scholarship. Dave has four adult kids, two grandsons, and enjoys spending his free time enjoying the Colorado outdoors.
Arin Van Dyke
Aryn is a book marketing consultant and author coach. She spent 5 years at HarperCollins helping authors promote their books and build their brand. She worked on hundreds of book launches, including multiple New York Times bestsellers, spanning across multiple nonfiction and fiction genres.
She understand the complexities of the publishing industry and thrives in creating unique strategies for authors to promote their books
Matt Alvarado
Matt is currently telling stories in the editing room. A producer of short films, music videos, and commercials, Matt is a prolific creator of content. He is presently working as an editor for a YouTube channel with more than 7.5 million subscribers and nearly 200 million views. He has lectured at the University of Colorado Springs, teaching Directing for Film and Television and Intro to Video and Filmmaking. And he is one of our own having spent time crafting lattes and selling Bibles at the Glen Eyrie Bookstore.
Jessica Lalley
As the founder of Voices to Connect, a boutique speaker agency and strategic PR and marketing firm, Jessica specializes in empowering leaders at every stage of their careers. The firm offers tailored coaching, consulting, brand strategy, speaking engagements, and book launch services, alongside strategic connections and partnership development. This comprehensive approach helps clients clarify their message, elevate their platform, and significantly boost their influence.
In addition to her agency work, Jessica educates business owners on innovative marketing strategies that drive growth and foster loyalty among both employees and customers. Her diverse experience spans roles with Fortune 500 companies, startups, and leadership in fundraising and relationship management for local and international nonprofits and ministries.
Jason Rutel
Jason is the founder of Creative Nomads, a remote team of creatives, developers and strategists helping purpose-driven organizations and influential voices grow through strategic web design, branding and digital marketing that actually works. He helps leaders clarify their message, build systems that scale, and turn their websites into a 24/7 engine for engagement and growth. He also guides creators in the world of utilizing AI to engage and grow in meaningful ways.
His clients include comedian Michael Jr., Bridge the Gap authors Jennifer Edwards and Katie McCleary, and the Gardiner Brothers.
Tim Peterson
Tim is the Publisher at Believers Book Services and former publisher at Salem Books where he published numerous notable authors including Voddie Baucham, Greg Laurie, Owen Strachan, and Eric Metaxas. He previously led teams at David C. Cook and Bethany House Publishers.
As a publisher, Tim’s marketing instincts and book business savvy make him an asset for any author. He understands that while writing is “the hard part” of the process, it only gets more difficult from there. Success requires great editing, cover design, interior layout, and marketing and distribution.
Vickie Deppe
Vickie is a technical writer and editor who thrives in helping craft messages that will be received well by an intended audience. She serves as the director of education for Path To Reform, an educational non-profit helping to shape our national government, as the writer for a non-profit newsletter connected to State Legislators, and as part of the editing team at Believers Book Services.
Cristina Wright
Cristina is a former homeschool mom turned book writer and editor. She serves as part of the editing team at Believers Book Services. Cristina is the author of Launch Them Well: A Mom’s Journey of Surrender and Purpose. She has extensive experience editing books, magazines, and short-form content and excels at repurposing an author’s content for different applications.
FAQ
Glen Eyrie Programs require payment in full at the time of reservation. Reservations cancelled or rescheduled at least 14 days prior to the start date will be charged a 10% fee. Reservations cancelled or rescheduled within 14 days of the start date will be charged a 50% fee. Reservations cancelled within 3 days of the event date will be charged the full amount.
We designed this retreat for Christian writers engaged in any non-fiction genre. Additionally, fiction writers who need time away to write and who seek to understand the publishing world will benefit greatly.
There are scheduled breaks each morning for personal writing and optional writing exercises. And Saturday afternoon is free for writing between lunch and dinner. Need more time? Come a day early or stay a day after!
Yes! You can teach us what you learned through the process, and we can help your second book be even better!
Definitely! Marcus loves to work with Christians who seek to influence the world around them. Whether it is politics or education or families or history or…, we Christians have something meaningful to say, and we should.