The Sisters in Crime Desert Sleuths Chapter WriteNow! 2015 Writers Conference

 

 

 

 

“LOCKED AND LOADED: Set Your Sights on Writing Success”

August 14
5:00-10:00 pm
Gala Cocktail Reception
(*must be 21 to attend)
~~
August 15
8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Conference
(registration opens at 7:30 am)

KEYNOTE SPEAKER
INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING AUTHOR: 

SARA PARETSKY

 

REGISTER FOR WRITENOW! 2015

AWARD-WINNING AUTHORS:

HILARY DAVIDSON

SIMON WOOD 

MICHAEL KORYTA

JENNY MILCHMAN

 

ACQUIRING EDITOR FOR MIDNIGHT INK

TERRI BISCHOFF

SCREENWRITING TRACK

CHRISTINA COX 

DEBORAH J LEDFORD

PROFESSIONAL CONTENT EDITOR

CAROL TEST

 SPEAKER BIOS:

SPECIAL APPEARANCE BY: award winning author JENNY MILCHMAN  and NY Times bestselling author MICHAEL KORYTA. 

Jenny is the author of Cover of Snow, which won the Mary Higgins Clark Award. Her novel, As Night Falls, was released in June. Michael  is the New York Times bestselling author of 11 suspense novels. His recent thriller Those Who Wish Me Dead was named the summer’s best thriller by Amazon.

SARA PARETSKY is the author of twenty books, including the renowned V. I. Warshawski novels. She was named 2011 Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America, and is also the recipient of the Cartier Diamond Dagger Award for lifetime achievement given by the British Crime Writers’ Association. Not only has Paretsky’s own work broken barriers, she has also helped open doors for other women. In 1986 she created Sisters in Crime, a worldwide organization to support women crime writers, which earned her Ms. Magazine’s 1987 Woman of the Year award. More accolades followed: Blacklist won the Gold Dagger from the British Crime Writers for best novel of 2004; her 2007 memoir, Writing in an Age of Silence, was a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist, and she has received the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters from several different universities. The actress Kathleen Turner played V. I. Warshawski in the movie of that name and Paretsky’s work is celebrated in Pamela Beere Briggs’s documentary, Women of Mystery. Today, Sara Paretsky’s books are published in 30 countries. SaraParetsky.com

SIMON WOOD is a California transplant from England. He’s a former racecar driver, a pilot, an endurance cyclist and an occasional PI. He shares his world with his American wife, Julie, and way too many pets and livestock. He’s the Anthony Award winning author of over a dozen books. His titles include Accidents Waiting to Happen, Paying the Piper, Terminated, the Aidy Westlake series. His latest thriller is THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY. He also writes horror under the pseudonym of Simon Janus. SimonWood.net

HILARY DAVIDSON has won the Anthony Award, the Derringer Award, the Crimespree Award, and two Ellery Queen Reader’s Choice Awards. Her life of crime started in 2007, when she published her first short story in Thuglit. Toronto-born and NYC-based, Hilary uses her background as a travel journalist in her Lily Moore mystery series, setting stories in places such as Peru and Mexico. Her latest book is the hardboiled BLOOD ALWAYS TELLS, her first non-series novel. She is also the author of 18 nonfiction books. HilaryDavidson.com

TERRI BISCHOFF joined Midnight Ink as Acquiring Editor in October 2009. She leads all editorial directions and creates the seasonal lists. She has dramatically increased the number of titles per season, publishing 36 titles per year, as well as expanded the type of multiple Award-Winning and Award-Nominated crime fiction Midnight Ink has published. MidnightInkBooks.com

Screenwriter and Producer, CHRISTINA COX, is best known as the star of Blood Ties for Lifetime, and Defying Gravity for ABC. Internationally recognized for her guest-starring roles on Arrow, Dexter, NCIS, 24, NCIS: LA, 24, and numerous other appearances, Christina also appears in The Chronicles of Riddick and Better Than Chocolate. As Lead Producer for Roving Spoke Productions and Fancypants Pictures, she is currently involved in developing feature films for her original screenplays.

Screenwriter and Producer, DEBORAH J LEDFORD, is the award-winning author of the Inola Walela/Steven Hawk suspense series, including: CAUSING CHAOS, STACCATO, and the Hillerman Sky Award Finalist and NM-AZ Book Awards Finalist, SNARE. Book three of her series, CRESCENDO, is the Anthony Award Nominee for Best Audiobook. Narrated by Christina Cox, the recording is presented by Deborah’s production company, IOF Productions Ltd. She is also a Lead Producer for Fancypants Pictures. DeborahJLedford.com

*Professional Content Editor, CAROL TEST, is an award-winning short story writer and former editor-in-chief of Sonora Review. She earned her MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Arizona and taught fiction workshops at the college level for a decade. She currently empowers authors to get works-in-progress publication-ready. WritingCycle.com

YOUTH PROGRAM – SinC Desert Sleuths is implementing a Youth Program designed to encourage and develop tomorrow’s top writers and devoted readers. Those participating in the Youth Program will attend the conference, Saturday, August 15th at a discounted price. Youth program attendees must be 14 to 20 years of age and provide verification of student status. [Youth Program does not include attendance at August 14th cocktail reception.]

The event will be held at the iconic Hotel Valley Ho ~ 6850 E Main St, Scottsdale, AZ

                          

                                                                               

REGISTER FOR WRITENOW! 2015

YOUTH PROGRAM REGISTRATION

REGISTER FOR CONTENT EDITING SESSION WITH CAROL TEST [*full registration payment required be to receive this opportunity. One session per attendee]

REQUIRED Form for Individual DS Member Book Sales

The 'Don't Miss It" Desert Sleuths WriteNow Conference Aug. 16-17

MEDIA CONTACT:

Roni Olson, Desert Sleuths Conference Chair:

602-740-9936, ronisays@gmail.com

Deb Ledford, Desert Sleuths president:

480-951-8702, djledford@cox.net

Polish, Publish, Promote

Writing conference open for all genres

Hear from the national president of Sisters in Crime (SinC) as well as a New York Times bestselling author and more at “Polish, Publish, Promote,” the annual WriteNow 2013 Writers Conference Aug. 16-17, 2013 at Millennium Resort, 7401 N. Scottsdale Rd., Scottsdale, AZ.

It’s a day-long writing workshop for those writing in any genre, preceded by an evening reception, and sponsored by the Desert Sleuths Chapter of SinC, an international organization supporting the professional development and advancement of women writing crime fiction.

SinC president and award-winning author Hank Phillippi Ryan is among the conference speakers. Her latest mystery, “The Other Woman,” is the Agatha Award nominee, winner of the Mary Higgins Clark Award and was selected as a Best Book of 2012 by Suspense Magazine. An investigative and consumer reporter for Boston’s WHDH-TV, Phillippi Ryan has also won 28 Emmy Awards and 12 Edward R. Murrow Awards for her television work. www.hankphillippiryan.com/

In addition, Los Angeles resident Gregg Hurwitz will lead a writing session. The New York Times bestselling author of 12 thrillers, including his most recent “The Survivor,” Hurwitz’s novels have been shortlisted for numerous literary awards, graced top ten lists, and have been translated into 22 languages. He has also written comics for Marvel, (Wolverine, Punisher) and DC (Batman, Penguin) and produced and written screenplays for film and television. www.gregghurwitz.net 

Another conference presenter is Liz Fichera, who writes stories inspired by teenagers “who do extraordinary things.” Most of her stories are set in the American Southwest, and as one who relocated to Phoenix from Chicago, she finds the desert to be “an intriguing and mythic place.” Fichera has published two previous novels, and “Hooked” is her debut Young Adult novel from HarlequinTEEN. www.lizfichera.com/

Rounding out the panel of speakers are Kris Tualla, an award-winning and internationally published author of historical romance and suspense, with “The Hansen Series” and its spin-off, “The Discreet Gentleman Series,” at www.kristualla.com  Also, Connie Flynn, bestselling award-winning author of 10 published novels who teaches fiction writing at Mesa Community College. Writing paranormal romance, romantic comedy, action-adventure, contemporary fantasy and mystery/suspense she has been reissuing her legacy books in the Amazon Kindle store and is releasing a new romantic suspense, "Know When to Run," concurrent with the Write Now! Conference. www.connieflynn.com

Conference organizer Roni Olson announces that Jessica Trimble, publisher at Poisoned Pen Press, will be accepting a limited number of 15-minute pitches from writers for $15 on Aug. 17.

To cap things off, the Sisters in Crime Desert Sleuths Chapter anthology, “SoWest: Crime Time,” will be unveiled and on sale at the conference. This latest anthology contains 20 original short stories by author members of the Desert Sleuths.

Conference fees, which includes continental breakfast, box lunch and afternoon snack, are $95 for members; and for nonmembers, $115.

To reserve an appointment to pitch to Trimble, contact Desert Sleuths by email at desertsleuths@gmail.com.

Conference checks, payable to SinC Desert Sleuths Chapter, may be sent to P.O. Box 9352, Phoenix, AZ 85068.

To register online, visit www.DesertSleuths.com and click on WriteNow conference.