Ellen Cardwell was raised in San Francisco, and lived most of her adult life in the East Bay. The majority of those years were spent raising two children and helping her husband with his business. On becoming empty-nesters, Don and Ellen moved to El Dorado Hills, a pretty little town on the western slope of the Sierra Nevadas.

After becoming a widow and seeking God’s direction for the future, Ellen sensed a desire to attend a Christian Writer’s Conference at Mount Hermon. While there, she heard Ethel Herr state the goal of Christian writers is to glorify God, not to be published. That remains her motivation to continue learning the craft.

Unlike many writers, Ellen didn’t have a burning desire  to put her thoughts down in print. But as  she began putting into words what God had put in her heart, she exposed a way, previously hidden, of reaching others beyond her immediate circle of influence. For instance, the devotionals written for The Upper Room are translated into thirty-nine languages and read by two million people worldwide.

Now Ellen is expanding her range into writing longer pieces that allow for further development of ideas. Inspire critiques have helped move toward that goal.

Several of Ellen’s devotionals have been published in The Upper Room Magazine. Her short story, “Angel on the Shoulder”, was included in Cecil Murphy’s Heavenly Company, a Guideposts collection. Another biographical account was included in Journeys to Mother Love, a compilation of Cladach Publishing.

Visit Ellen’s blog, her website, and friend her on Facebook!