Whether you were a writer or a reader, the Killer Nashville suspense writing conference was the place to be. From forensics experts to advice from debut authors, there was much to be learned and a lot of networking going on. Founded by film producer, Clay Stafford, the event is growing in popularity and attendance.
Arriving at the awesome Hutton Hotel in Nashville, there was a wine tasting and a great way to start networking. inkBLOT co-writer Nancy Naigle and I quickly got to make some new friends and set the tone for the rest of the weekend. Friday was much awaited, as we had in our hands a long schedule of events and classes.
Friday morning, Dr. Bill Bass, forensics pathologist and founder of The Body Farm, gave a far from toxic talk on skulls and bones. At one point, holding a skull laced with a knitting needle, he described the source of bullet holes in the self made skull-kabob. “Was this a homicide or a suicide?” was a question he posed the attendees.
Stretching the mind further was a crime scene and a clue finding contest, explained by Mike Breedlove, from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. Crime solvers and sleuths jotted down notes and did their best to solve the crime.
Among the most notable authors present were Don and Renee Bain, collaborators on the Murder She Wrote books. Don later wowed the crowd playing drums with the Killer Nashville Coffin Bangers band on Saturday night. You rock Don!
Marco Conelli was a pleasure to meet and talk beside on the Writing for Young Adults panel. His Matthew Livingston book won the Silver Falchion award. Way to go Marco! I missed his session on being an undercover officer and look forward to hearing the recording.
Workshop panels covered such topics as POV, public speaking, marketing, promo, writing sex scenes (woo hoo) and cozy mysteries. It was hard to choose workshops because there were so many good ones. The How to Plan an Author Event with Media Appeal was informative and fun. Other workshops included creating mood and atmosphere, pitching, writing young adult and info about contracts. I had the pleasure of learning more about making podcasts from the Library Police. The Mood and Atmosphere panel was enlightening and debut author Tracy March and other panelists gave good ideas on making a setting set the tone in a scene. One idea I took away was “The writer writes fifty percent and the reader writes the other fifty percent.”
I attended the panel on how crime literature can be a force for good. After all, justice does prevail, right? And speaking of crime, there was a lot of instruction on how law enforcement handles criminals. Interrogation techniques was one of the areas covered. A “No Body” Cases class showed how much of a challenge it can be when there is a missing person case. These cases can be opened years later when they are considered a cold case. Sgt. Pat Postiglione, Metro Nashville Homicide Detective shed light on this subject.
If you wanted to learn how to promote your book without spending a ton of money, the Publicity and Promotion for Writers with Little or no Budget class was the go to place. According to one of the organizers, Beth Terrell, most authors wanted to be on this panel.
All this learning and networking was coupled with festivity. There was a Mystery Writers of America party as well as a Sisters in Crime party. My favorite gathering was the Saturday night party featuring those Killer Nashville Coffin Bangers and one of the original members of the Grassroots. Awesome! The Electric Slide brought folks to the dance floor and I was soon dancing, along with Clay Stafford, Robert Dugoni and others. What a fun time!
Agent Jeff Kleinman and more panel notables lent their insight on the future of publishing. This was followed by a two hour class on writing, given by Robert Dugoni, one of the most memorable learning sessions of the event. He packed more great instruction on novel writing in those two hours than you can imagine.
This was a fantastic conference and I hope to attend again next year.
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