Schedule – Sunday, August 23rd, 2026

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)

8:00 AM – 3:00 PM • Registration

Registration Desk (Atrium) and Bookstore (Magnolia/Iris/Azalea) open

8:20 – 8:40 AM • Keynote

– Sunday Keynote Speech: Redefining Success: Beyond the Myth of Arrival – Mary Lynn Cloghesy

9:00 – 9:40 AM • Panels & Presentations

Panels & Breakouts
— Books Under Fire: Censorship and Book Banning and How It Affects Writers (Chestnut)
Presenter: Reed Farrel Coleman

— Defining Characteristics of YA Novels (Birch)
Panelists: Maxine Schur, Judy Lynn Gregg, Lynn Slaughter

— What Neuroscience Really Says About Creativity, Focus, and Productivity for Writers (Franklin)
Presenter: Brent Maguire

— The Evolution of Gothic: Southern & Traditional (Oak)
Moderator: Elise Burke Brown
Panelists: J.E. Weiner, Thomas Burns, Michael Cody, Aimee Hardy

— Writing Forensics: Getting the Science Right (Maple)
Moderator: T.O. Paine
Panelists: Stephen Wallace, Susan Hatters Friedman, MD, Rosy Fenwicke

— How Secondary Characters Drive the Story (Hickory)
Moderator: Carolyn Rowland
Panelists: Stacey Horan, Mitchell S. Karnes, Sean Hagerty, R.C. Reid, Sandra J. Cady

— Redefining the Purpose, Process, and Role of Literary Awards in Creative Growth (Sycamore)
Presenter: Jennifer Sadera

— How to Work With an Editor (Redbud) - Breakout, Ticketed
Presenters: Dawn Barclay, Miranda Darrow, John DeDakis, Helen Thornton-Gussy, Amber Meyer, Jaden (Beth) Terrell

— What Agents Expect from Their Clients (Poplar) - Breakout, Ticketed
Presenters: Tommy Dean, Nicola Pittam, Kristen Terrette

— How to Get the Attention of an Agent (Williamson) - Breakout, Ticketed
Presenters: Nikki Carerro, Ronald Gerber, Dean Krystek

10:00 – 10:45 AM • Panels & Presentations

Panels & Breakouts 
— Critique Groups Dos and Don'ts (Chestnut)
Moderator: Leigh Hull
Panelists: Henry Kaye, Miranda Darrow, Debra Gaskill, Mark Greene, Kim Megahee

— The Art of Misdirection: Using Red-Herrings to Drive Your Mystery (Birch)
Moderator: Gledé Browne Kabongo
Panelists: Lynda Rees, Ashley Hagan, Michael Rigg, Kirsten Shuford

— Ending Every Chapter With a Bang (Maple)
Moderator: Susan Tanner
Panelists: Judy Lyn Gregg, Michael Balter, Cat Wyatt, Brad Harper, BJ Sloan

— Conducting Research for True Crime and Fiction (Hickory)
Moderator: Kimberly Wall
Panelists: Dawn Barclay, James Owen, Nancy Locklin, Robert T. Kelley

— Law Enforcement Procedures (Sycamore)
Moderator: Alan Schmadtke
Panelists: Darin Werkmeister, BJ Bourg, Jack Sharman, David Williams

— Show, Don't Tell. What Editors Actually Mean (Sycamore)
Presenter: Helen Thornton-Gussy

— Native/Indigenous American Crime Fiction (Redbud)
Presenter: Michael Cody

— Serial Killers I Have Known and Hated (Williamson)
Presenter: Patrick Kendrick

— Illuminating the Shadows: First Pages that Intrigue and Haunt (Poplar) - Breakout, Ticketed
Presenter: Tommy Dean

11:00 – 11:20 AM • Book Signings

Authors Book Signing
– Killer Nashville Bookstore – Free and open to the public (Magnolia/Iris/Azalea)

11:30 AM – 12:15 PM • Panels & Presentations

Panels & Breakouts
— Dismal Dialogue and How to Fix It (Chestnut)
Moderator: I.M. Jones
Panelists: BJ Sloan, Mike McKinley, C.S. Devereaux, Alan Schmadtke, Carmen Amato

— Debut Year from the Other Side: The Reality of Your First Year Published (Birch)
Moderator: K.M. Freeman
Panelists: Jennifer Sadera, Shelley Marsh, Kirsten Shuford , Aimee Hardy

— Setting as a Character (Oak)
Moderator: Sarah P. Blanchard
Panelists: Jim Nesbitt, Steven Womack, John Morrison, Rebecca Barrett, Henry Kaye

— Morality in Thrillers & Mysteries (Maple)
Moderator: Dan Parrish
Panelsits: Rich Hosek, Sean Hagerty, Warren Moore, Walter Sticht, Jack Sharman

— Weaving Conflict Through Every Storyline (Hickory)
Moderator: Sherry Shealy Martschink
Panelists: J.J. Cagney, Heather Graham 

— Beyond the Uniform: Portraying Authentic Military Complexity in Fiction (Sycamore)
Moderator: Luna Nuntia
Panelists: David Bruns, Dean Krystek, Chris Kudlacz

— Writing In the World of AI (Redbud)
Moderator: John DeDakis
Panelists: Leigh Hull, Nate Hoffelder, Sandy Clements, Walter Sticht 

— Mirrors, and Murder: Magician Techniques for Mystery Writers (Poplar)
Presenter: Sabrina Thatcher

— Being Your Own Storyteller / Author Interviews (Williamson) - Breakout, Ticketed
Presenter: Stacey Horan

12:30 – 1:15 PM • Panels & Presentations

Panels & Breakouts
— The Craft and Art of Literary Storytelling (Chestnut)
Panelists: Sarah P. Blanchard, Michael Cody, Peregrine Finn

— Digging Deeper: Research Techniques Every Writer Needs (Oak)
Presenters:Patrick Kendrick, Nancy Locklin

— Psychological Stakes & Tension in Mystery & Thriller Fiction (Maple)
Moderator: Luna Nuntia
Panelists: Denise Jendusa, Charles D'Amico, Dawn Barclay, Jennifer Sadera, Gledé Browne Kabongo

— Writing Romantic Suspense (Hickory)
Moderator: Joy Allyson
Panelists: Debra Gaskill, Ronda Wells, MD, James Owen, R.C. Reid, Vanessa M. Knight

— Courtroom Procedures (Sycamore)
Moderator: Jack Sharman
Panelists: Meredith Henley, Tina Austin, Lori B. Duff, BJ Bourg, Paula Gail Benson

— Writing and Selling a Series (Redbud)
Moderator: Cathey Rhamy
Panelists: Judy Lyn Gregg, Mitchell S. Karnes, Mary Stone, Chris Underwood, Bill Rapp

— Writing as A Healing Practice (Poplar)
Moderator: John DeDakis
Panelists: Emmett Tatter, John Bradshaw, Harper Barrow, Suzanne Junered, Tim Cajun Hardy Bischoff

— Plotting a Mystery (Birch)
Presenters: D.L. Wood, Elise Burke Brown

— 5 Key Relationships Your Main Character Must Have (Williamson) - Breakout, Ticketed
Presenter: Christine Fairchild 

1:30 – 1:50 PM • Book Signings

Authors Book Signing
– Killer Nashville Bookstore – Free and open to the public (Magnolia/Iris/Azalea)

3:00 PM • Registration Closes / Conference Ends

Registration Desk (Atrium) and Bookstore (Magnolia/Iris/Azalea) close