10:00 –11:20 am

Changing the World One Murder at a Time: Social Commentary in Mysteries

Moderator: Lynette Ingram

Panel: Steven Womack, Margaret Fenton, Margot Justes, Elizabeth Zelvin

Written in Blood: DNA, Blood Analysis, and Reading Blood Spatter 

Presentation: TBI Special Agent Chuck Hardy

(Highland Room)

11:30–1:00 pm

BREAK FOR LUNCH      -      CRIME SCENE OPENS (Boiler Room)

AGENT/EDITOR PITCH SESSION 1 (Morgan)

HIGHLAND

SALON 7

SALON 8

SALON 9

SALON 10

1:00-2:20 pm

Reading and Relaxation Room

AND

Hooked on Books

Creating Depth Through Character Relationships

Mod/Panelist: Chester Campbell
Panel: Jennie Bentley, Allan Ansorge, Stacy Allen

The Perfect Pitch and the Quintessential Query: Landing the Agent or Editor of Your Dreams

Lucienne Diver, Jill Marr, Maryglenn McCombs

The Dark Muse: Inspiration and the Mystery Crime Writer

Panel:

Mod/Panelist: Philip Cioffari
Panel:  Radine Trees Nehring, A. Scott Pearson

 (Saddlebred Room)

How To Think Like A Detective
Learn the characteristics of a good detective. What makes them tick? How do they differ from their uniformed counterparts? How can they tell when a suspect is lying? How do they obtain confessions? Do they really have a sixth sense? Do undercover detectives carry weapons? What's it like to work undercover? This worship delves into the sometimes secretive world of police detectives and how they really solve cases.

Presentation: Lee Lofland

2:30-3:30 pm

Reading and Relaxation Room

AND

Hooked on Books

Backstory: When and How to Use It

Panel: Philip Cioffari, PJ Parrish, Steven Womack

 

 Taming the Dreaded Synopsis

Lucienne Diver, Jill Marr

Animals in Mysteries

Panel:

Mod/Panelist: Mary Saums

Panel: Jennie Bentley, Marilyn Fisher

The Mind of the Psychopath

Presentation:

Dr. Stephen Benning

4:00-5:20 pm

 Reading and Relaxation Room

AND

Hooked on Books

Technology for Writers: Free and Almost Free Software to Make Your Writer’s Life Easier and More Productive

Presentation: Hugh Wilson

Spit and Polish: The Craft  of Self-Editing

Mod/Panelist: Nancy Sartor
Panel:  Matthew Funk,  PJ Parrish, David Schlosser

Literary Mysteries: What Are They and Who’s Writing Them?

Mod/Panelist: Phillip Cioffari

Panel: Lucienne Diver, Lynette Ingram, Jill Marr

Kinesics: Human Lie Detecting

Learn how investigators use body language, movements, and vocal response to tell when a suspect is lying. Are left brain thinkers really different than right brain thinkers when it comes to deception? What do Leonardo da Vinci and liars have in common?

Presentation: Lee  Lofland

5:20-6:30 pm

Book Signing Session One (Main Hallway)
 

Breakout Session: Lucienne Diver (Saddlebred)
Getting Published, Staying Published
Join Lucienne Diver of The Knight Agency for a discussion on building and maintaining a career as a professional fiction writer. Topics will include: catching an agent’s attention, sure-fire ways to turn OFF an agent, how to choose an agent with integrity, how to be your agent’s dream client, how to know if an agent is a good match for you, how to build a good relationship with an agent, and what an agent can and can’t do for a writer.

AGENT/EDITOR PITCH SESSION 2 (Morgan)

Crime Scene Open (Boiler Room)

6:30-7:30 pm

SEMWA Gathering

(Saddlebred)

SATURDAY AUGUST 15 2009

REGISTRATION OPENS 8:00 AM (Lobby)

CRIME SCENE OPEN (Boiler Room)

BARNES & NOBLE BOOKSTORE OPENS 8:00 AM (Appaloosa Room)
 

HIGHLAND

SALON 7

SALON 8

SALON 9

SALON 10

8:30-9:50 am

Reading and Relaxation Room

AND

Hooked on Books

Creating Realistic Villains

Presentation: Lee Lofland
 

Wit and Wisdom: Humor in Mysteries

Mod/Panelist:  Mary Saums

Panel: Allan Ansorge, Phyllis Appleby, Alan Goldsmith, Deborah Sharp

Covert Surveillance

Presentation: TBI Special Agent Mike Breedlove

10:00-11:20 am

Reading and Relaxation Room

AND

Hooked on Books

Screenwriting Secrets to Strengthen Your Fiction

Mod/Panelist: Steven Womack
Panel:  Phyllis Appleby, Carolyn McSparren, Philip Cioffari

Short Stories: How to Write Them, Where to Sell Them

Mod/Panelist: Tony Burton
Panel: Beverle Graves Myers, Margot Justes, David Schlosser

Lawyers and the Law

Moderator: Heather Leonard

Panel: Addie King

Dan Royse Seminar - Introduction to Shooting Reconstruction

Presentation: TBI Special Agent Dan Royce

11:30 – 1:00 pm

NETWORK LUNCH (on your own)    -    CRIME SCENE AVAILABLE FOR VIEWING (Boiler Room)

AGENT/EDITOR PITCH SESSION 3 (Morgan)

1:00-2:20 pm

Interview With Guest of Honor J.A. Jance
Mod: Clay Stafford

Salons 7-10

2:30-3:50 pm

J.A. Jance: My Take on the Writer’s Life

(Salons 7-10)

4:00-5:20 pm

Inside Publishing: Surviving the Death Spiral
(Traditional, Indie, or Electronic, Be One of the Ones Left Standing)

Lucienne Diver, Maryglenn McCombs, Robbie Bryan, Steve Womack

(Salons 7-10)

5:20-6:30 pm

Book Signing Session Two (Main Hallway)
 

AGENT/EDITOR PITCH SESSION 4 (Morgan)

Breakout Session: Lee Lofland (Salon 10)
Writing a Realistic Crime Scene
This workshop is a journey inside the crime scene. Find out how detectives uncover and utilize evidence and clues to solve cases. Discover the sights, sounds, and smells experienced by real-life investigators. Learn how to activate your reader's senses. An interesting and fun workshop.

Breakout Session 2:  Jill Marr / Agent (Saddlebred)
How to Open Doors and Influence Agents
Jill Marr of the Sandra Dijkstra Agency shares insights into navigating the challenges of the publishing industry, from crafting a query that shines to landing that elusive contract. Learn an insider’s secrets on how to present yourself and your book in the most flattering light possible.

7:00 pm

Guest of Honor Dinner with J.A. Jance

(Off Site)

SUNDAY AUGUST 16, 2009

Barnes & Noble Bookstore Opens 8:00 A.M. (Appaloosa Room)

HIGHLAND

SALON 7

SALON 8

SALON 9

SALON 10

8:00-9:20 am

 Reading and Relaxation Room

AND

Hooked on Books

Keep ‘Em Turning Pages: Structuring the Scene, Chapter, Novel

Moderator/Panelist: Deborah Sharp
Panel: Tom Jones, John Thompson, John Taylor

Write What You Know,
 Learn What You Don’t: Research for Writers

Presentation: Jamie Mason
 

Medical Professionals on Medical Mysteries and Thrillers

Moderator/Panelist: A. Scott Pearson

Panel:  Linda Petrilli Duncan,   Colleen Brogan-Raasch, Mary Welk

DNA – It's Not a Slam Dunk

See the step-by-step process of DNA collection and testing, and the equipment that's used to locate criminals and free the innocent.  Learn about mixed samples, pull-ups, blobs, contaminated evidence, PCR, gel-testing, and electropherograms

Presentation: Lee Lofland
 

9:30-10:50 am

Reading and Relaxation Room

AND

Hooked on Books

 Making the Most of Settings and Locations

Mod/Panelist: Stacy Allen
Panel: PJ Parrish, Deborah Sharp, Radine Trees Nehring

E-Publishing: How to Do It, How to Sell It

 Moderator/Panelist: Nancy Sartor

Panel: J.L. Wilson, Karen McCullough, Mary Welk

Mad or Bad? Mental Illness in the Courtroom

Presentation: Beverle Graves Myers

 

Have another Cookie, Dear: Poisons and Poisoners

Presentation: Linda Petrilli Duncan

 

11:00-12:20 pm

Reading and Relaxation Room

AND

Hooked on Books

Writing Compelling Action Scenes: Not Just a Play-byPlay

Mod/Panelist: PJ Parrish
Panel: John Thompson, Jim Daher, Lewis Martin

A Writer’s Guide to Building Buzz

Mod/Panelist: Chester Campbell

Panel: Publicist Tom Robinson, Elizabeth Zelvin

Paranormal Mysteries

Mod/Panelist: Mary Saums
Panel: Phyllis Appleby, Karen McCullough, Carolyn McSparren

The Amazing Technology of Crime

Presentation: Sheila L. Stephens, Former ATF Special Agent

When your character needs a weapon how do you choose the correct one? How do you know that your choice is one this character would use in this situation? This presentation reveals real-world information about weapons used by law enforcement and by criminals. Learn how and when these weapons are used. Learn about the trend toward less-than- lethal weapons, not only in law enforcement, but in the military. Covert weapons will wow you, as will a not-to-be-missed look into the future – the amazing weapons that are in development at this moment, some of which are still classified, and aimed at defending against terrorism. There is also a section concerning he structure of terrorist cells, how they operate and how they are investigated.

12:20-1:00

BREAK
Book Signing Session Three (12:20-2:00 - Main Hallway))

1:00-2:00 pm

 BREAKOUT SESSION:  A Writer’s Life on the Web: Making the Most of the Worldwide Web—Even If You Don’t Know What an LOL, IMO, WYSIWYG, MOUSE  is!

Presentation: Hugh Wilson

(Saddlebred Room)

2:30

Conference Ends

Barnes & Noble On-Site Bookstore Closes (Appaloosa Room)