Realm Makers, the conference for writers of faith-based speculative fiction, expanded its universe this year through a partnership with the Christian Game Developers Convention (CGDC) and adding the first-time Realm Makers Expo, held July 18–20 in at the DeVos Place convention center in downtown Grand Rapids, Mich.

“We noticed that the game developers’ conference was often the same weekend as Realm Makers,” said Realm Makers COO Scott Minor, who noted that the two events were “drawing the same kind of people, just in different artistic mediums.” So, over the last several years, Realm Makers made overtures to CGDC suggesting that the two organizations run parallel events—although previous commitments to conference venues precluded the events’ convergence until this year.

Realm Makers drew 600 conference attendees and 500 Expo attendees, according to Minor, while CGDC brought in about 120 in-person attendees, who were also able to attend the expo. The expo itself featured 140 exhibitors, including Realm Makers authors and game animators, audio drama producers, comic creators, and film makers, according to Realm Makers CEO Becky Minor.

Among the weekend’s offerings were movie and game screenings, meetings with editors, and the Realm Makers Awards, which saw Enclave Publishing, an imprint of Oasis Family Media, take home the Realm Makers Book of the Year for Guardian. It is the third book in the Children of the Consortium series by Cathy McCrumb, which also won in the science fiction category. Keynote speakers included S.D. Smith, author of the Green Ember series; Sarah Arthur, author of a three-book YA fantasy trilogy; and screenwriter and producer N.D. Wilson, who has authored twelve fantasy novels.

“It’s an honor to have a book that people read, first off. And to have people say that the book matters, matters to me,” said McCrumb. “I hear from readers that they see it’s OK to be who they are. To have something in fiction to make you feel seen is huge to me. And to know my books matter to people makes me cry every time.”

For Elizabeth Lux from Tampa, Fla., Realm Makers offered “a place full of people who love the stories I love and create stories that I create.” Lux is working on her first novel, which she plans to self-publish: “I’m watching God build a new dream for me in self-publishing. I’ve seen so many successful authors who have self-published, which has given me the confidence to trust God with my dreams. It’s so encouraging.”

“Community” is a word heard often at Realm Makers, where attendees sporting elf ears and cloaks roamed the expo and writing workshops were also offered on such topics as “Fight Scenes: From Practical to Tactical” and “Comics: From Concept to Creation.”

For J.J. Johnson, director of marketing for Realm Makers, “community” is one of the best grassroots marketing tools for the conference and its fans. “We market to our community and get them to share relentlessly,” he said, “and engage with people who influence our community and buy into the vision.”

Johnson predicts that both the annual conference and the expo will get bigger and bigger. “Niche authors see Realm Makers as their home and family,” he said. “A lot of people have met their best friends here, which speaks volumes about the type of community we’re trying to build.”

The location and date for next year’s events have yet to be determined, but Realm Makers and CGDC plan to continue meeting at the same time and place—and to join together on another expo. But Becky Minor is confident in the event’s potential for growth in the coming years.

“We haven’t plateaued,” Minor said. “We always hear people say they didn’t know that Realm Makers is a thing. We want our boots on the ground spreading the word.”