Schedule – Saturday, August 23rd, 2025
7:00 – 10:30 AM • Networking Breakfast
Killer Nashville Network Breakfast
– Free to Those Staying at Embassy Suites (Atrium)
– $19.99 For Those Not Staying at Embassy Suites (Atrium)
7:00 AM – 6:00 PM • Registration
Registration Desk (Atrium) and Bookstore (Magnolia/Iris/Azalea) open
8:00 – 8:40 AM • Guest of Honor Interview
– Clay Stafford interviews Guest of Honor
9:00 – 9:45 AM • Panels & Agent Roundtables
Panels
– Selling the Short Story (Chestnut)
– Co-Authoring Done Right (Birch)
– Legal Issues for Writers (Oak)
– Interrogation Techniques for Writers (Maple)
– Delightfully Devious: How to Create Compelling Villains for Children (Hickory)
– Writing the Cozy (Sycamore)
– Writing Suspense (Redbud)
– Writing Gothic (Poplar)
– The Editor/Author Relationship (Williamson)
Agent / Editor Roundtable 6 - Advance Registration Required
9:00 – 9:20 AM • Agent / Editor Critiques
10:00 – 10:50 AM • Panels & Agent Roundtables
Panels
– Manuscript Revision Strategies (Chestnut)
– What Journalists Do (and DON'T Do) (Birch)
– From Spies to Hollywood Stars: How to Write Larger than Life Characters (Oak)
– Succeeding as a Debut Author (Maple)
– Firearms for Writers (Hickory)
– Creating Conflict (Sycamore)
– Writing Romance (Redbud)
– Writing Action (Poplar)
– Website WOW: Insider Secrets for Building a Powerful Author Website (Williamson)
Agent / Editor Roundtable 7 - Advance Registration Required
10:00 – 10:20 AM • Agent / Editor Critiques
11:00 – 11:20 AM • Book Signings & Agent / Editor Manuscript Critiques
Authors Book Signing
– Killer Nashville Bookstore – Free and open to the public (Magnolia/Iris/Azalea)
Agent / Editor Manuscript Critiques – Advance Registration Required
11:30 AM – 1:10 PM • Lunch
Killer Nashville Networking Lunch
– Free to all paid attendees with ticket (Birch/Chestnut)
11:35 – 11:45 PM • Presentation of Debut Authors
12:00 – 12:20 PM • Keynote
Saturday Lunch Keynote Speech
Free to all paid attendees with lunch ticket (Birch/Chestnut)
12:30 – 1:10 PM • Guest of Honor Interview
Clay Stafford Interviews Guest of Honor (Birch/Chestnut)
1:20 – 1:40 PM • Book Signings & Agent / Editor Manuscript Critiques
Authors Book Signing
– Killer Nashville Bookstore – Free and open to the public (Magnolia/Iris/Azalea)
Agent / Editor Manuscript Critiques – Advance Registration Required
1:50 – 2:35 PM • Panels & Agent Roundtables
Panels
– A Voice in the Dark: Writing in Unique Perspectives (Chestnut)
– Steal Like an Artist: Learning from Other Author's Novels (Birch
– Using AI Ethically to Your Benefit (Oak)
– Inside Death Row (Maple)
– Death, Drugs, and Toxins: A Primer for Writers (Hickory)
– Fixing Wandering Middles (Sycamore)
– Treating Theme as a Character (Redbud)
– Tips for Creating an eBook (Poplar)
– How to Start and Build Your Career as a Writer (Williamson)
Agent / Editor Roundtable 8 - Advance Registration Required
1:50 – 2:10 PM • Agent / Editor Critiques
2:50 – 3:35 PM • Panels & Agent Roundtables
Panels
– Building Tension: The Art of Suspense in Writing (Chestnut)
– Writing Intimacy: From Fade to Black to Open Door (Birch)
– Harnessing the Power of Partnerships as a Professional Author (Oak)
– Infiltrating the Shadows: The Logistics of Undercover Operations (Maple)
– Sexual Assault (Hickory)
– Writing Your Memoir (Sycamore)
– Writing Suburban Mystery (Redbud)
– Writing Great Beginnings (Poplar)
– The Six-Step Revision Process (Williamson)
Agent / Editor Roundtable 9 - Advance Registration Required
2:50 – 3:10 PM • Agent / Editor Critiques
3:50 – 4:35 PM • Panels & Agent Roundtables
Panels
– Killer Nashville Author Speed Date (Chestnut)
– Writers and Taxes (Birch)
– Investigating Murder in the Time of Jane Austen (Oak)
– The Top Things to Know About Writing Legal Matters and the Law (Maple)
– How to Write Like a Plotter (Hickory)
– Writing the International Mystery (Sycamore)
– Writing Great Endings (Redbud)
– The Importance of Contrast (Poplar)
– How to Face Rejection Head On (Williamson)
Agent / Editor Roundtable 10 - Advance Registration Required
3:50 – 4:10 PM • Agent / Editor Critiques
5:00 – 5:20 PM • Book Signings & Agent / Editor Manuscript Critiques
Authors Book Signing
– Killer Nashville Bookstore – Free and open to the public (Magnolia/Iris/Azalea)
Agent / Editor Manuscript Critiques – Advance Registration Required
5:20 – 5:40 PM • Agent / Editor Manuscript Critiques
Agent / Editor Manuscript Critiques – Advance Registration Required
5:30 – 7:00 PM • Open Bar
Killer Nashville Open Bar
– Free to Those Staying at Embassy Suites (Atrium)
– Bar Tab for Those Not Staying at Embassy Suites (Atrium)
5:40 – 6:00 PM • Agent / Editor Manuscript Critiques
Agent / Editor Manuscript Critiques – Advance Registration Required
6:00 PM • Registration Closes
Registration Desk (Atrium) and Bookstore (Maple / Oak) close
7:00 – 10:30 PM • Killer Nashville Awards Dinner
Killer Nashville Awards Dinner
Nashville music, buffet, awards – Advance Registration Required – Ticket Required / Open to the public (Birch/Chestnut)