Lynn Slaughter – Writing the Romantic Mystery

Learn about adding romance to your mystery from DRS member Lynn Slaughter.

In this workshop, we’ll talk about the differences between romantic mysteries and romantic suspense, and the ways in which injecting romance into our mysteries can up the emotional stakes and enhance reader engagement. We’ll look at examples of romantic mysteries with various scenarios and some things to keep in mind when integrating romance into our mysteries. Time-permitting, we’ll also do some brainstorming to generate ideas for a romantic mystery.

Lynn Slaughter is addicted to the arts, chocolate, and her husband’s cooking. After a long career as a professional dancer and dance educator, she felt so sad about not being able to dance anymore that she wrote her first novel, WHILE I DANCED, as a therapy project. That got her hooked on writing fiction. So, despite being older than dirt, she returned to school and earned her MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University. Her first mystery for adults, MISSED CUE, came out from Melange Books in August.

In addition to WHILE I DANCED, she is also the author of three other award-winning young adult romantic mysteries: DEADLY SETUP, LEISHA’S SONG, and IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN YOU. The ridiculously proud mother of two grown sons and besotted grandmother of five, Lynn lives in Louisville, Kentucky, where she’s at work on her next novel, sings original music with her guitar-playing husband, and plays with her newly adopted cat, Lacy Lou Lommasson.

John Dedakis – Award-Winning Novelist

Award-winning novelist, writing coach, and manuscript editor John DeDakis is a former editor on CNN’s “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.” DeDakis is the author of five mystery-suspense novels. In his most recent novel, Fake, protagonist Lark Chadwick is a White House correspondent dealing with “fake news” in the era of #MeToo. DeDakis, a former White House correspondent, regularly leads writing workshops at retreats, literary centers, writers’ conferences, and bookstores. He is also the host of the video podcast “One-to-One with John DeDakis” on YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn. In his spare time, what little he has of it, he’s a jazz drummer. Originally from La Crosse, Wisconsin, DeDakis now lives in Baltimore, Maryland with Cindy, his wife of 44 years. Website: www.johndedakis.com

Catherine Luttinger – The Fine Art of Editing and Finding a Literary Agent

As the child of a family of writers, it’s no wonder Catherine Luttinger has worked in and around publishing for over twenty-five years. Editing wasn’t something she learned; it was a skill delivered by osmosis throughout her childhood.

Catherine spent the last twenty years at The Darhansoff & Verrill Literary Agency, as both a literary agent and an in-house editor. During that time, she had the opportunity to work with a spectrum of talented writers. She’s also worked as an editor at Scribner.

Today, Catherine works as a freelance editor, working with an authors in an intuitive, personal and deeply empathetic process. Her sharp ear for dialogue and character development, combined with her publishing savvy and ability to provide clear, actionable feedback make for a potent partnership. Thrillers, Mysteries, Fantasy and Memoir are her areas of expertise. Though she finds that her favorite books are the ones she’s currently working on.

Lisa Haneberg – Are You a Methodical Writer, Mystery Maverick, or Both?

Agatha Christie often broke the “rules” of mystery writing. And yet, one could argue her reliable storytelling kept readers coming back book after book. With juicy twists and surprises, of course. What can we learn from Christie’s measured, deliberate, but irreverent approach to bring new dimension to our stories? 

Lisa Haneberg loves to explore Galveston Island’s gritty back streets, stellar seafood joints, magnificent natural areas, and all points in between. In addition to the Spy Shop Mysteries she’s authored over a dozen nonfiction books. Lisa is a founding board member of the Lexington Writer’s Room, a nonprofit coworking space for active writers. She earned an MFA degree from Goddard College. She lives with her husband and dog in Lexington, Kentucky.

Kathy Stearman – It’s Not About the Gun

Former FBI Special Agent Kathy Stearman recounts the global experiences that shaped her life—and the mixed feelings she now holds about the sacrifices she had to make to survive in a man’s world.

Andrew Welsh-Huggins – AP Reporter / Mystery Author

Andrew is an Associated Press reporter and author of seven mystery novels featuring a former Ohio State and Cleveland Browns quarterback turned private investigator, including his new book, An Empty Grave.

His short mystery fiction has appeared in “Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine,” “Mystery Weekly” and “Mystery Tribune,” and he edited the 2020 anthology Columbus Noir. He’s also the author of two nonfiction books, No Winners Here Tonight, the definitive history of the death penalty in Ohio, and Hatred At Home, about one of the country’s first post-9/11 domestic terrorism investigations. When he’s not writing or reporting, Andrew enjoys running, reading, cooking, spending time with family, and trying to remember why having both cats and parakeets seemed like a good idea at the time.

Shay McAlister – Investigative Reporter for WHAS: Working with LMPD Cold Case Squad

Shay McAlister, investigative reporter with WHAS news, talks about her career and the ongoing interest in cold cases.

Shay McAlister is an anchor and investigative journalist at WHAS11 in Louisville, KY. She joined the team in July of 2015, fresh out of the University of Missouri and eager to learn. Through years reporting in Kentuckiana, she found a passion for shining a light on areas that would probably prefer to be dark.

You can contact Shay McAlister at smcalister@whas11.com and follow her on Facebook.

Mystery and Horror, LLC – Gwen Mayo and Sarah E. Glenn Discuss Small Press Publishing

Gwen Mayo and Sarah E. Glenn Discuss Small Press Publishing

Read more about Gwen and Sarah here: Speaker Series

Speed City Indiana Chapter of Sisters in Crime – A Conversation

Lynda Rees – Why I Chose Mystery over Romance

Lynda is an award-winning novelist and a free-spirited dreamer with workaholic tendencies and a passion for writing. In this talk, Lynda answers the question: Why I Chose Mystery over Romance

A diverse background, travel to exotic locations, and curiosity about how history effects today’s world fuel Lynda’s writing. Born in the Appalachian Mountains of Kentucky, the coal miner’s daughter is part-Cherokee Indian and grew up in Northern Kentucky while Newport prospered as a mecca for gambling, and sin. She resides on a horse farm in north/central Kentucky with her husband and a host of wacky critters. Published in historical romance, romantic mystery, children’s middle-grade mystery, children’s picture books, self-help, advertising copy and freelance, Lynda is an active member of several professional writing organizations.

My award-winning debut historical romance, Gold Lust Conspiracy is about a young woman’s struggle to survive and thrive in rugged frontier Alaska, when men ruled the world.

The Bloodline Series of romantic suspense stories about strong women facing disaster and adversity in a small Kentucky horse country town. Book 1 of the series, Parsley, Sage, Rose, Mary & Wine, is another award-winner. There are now ten books in this series. I’ve published several stand-alone mysteries, a contemporary romance, two middle-grade children’s books, Freckle Face & Blondie and The Thinking Tree, and a child’s picture book, NO FEAR, as well as a series of non-fiction books.

Read more about Lynda at www.lyndareesauthor.com

Love is a dangerous mystery! Enjoy the ride. Lynda Rees

Lynn Slaughter – Writing Realistic Young Adult Fiction: Some Dos and Don’ts

April 10, 2021

Have a hankering to pen a young adult novel? The teenage years are rife with drama, conflict, angst, and plenty of humor—all great ingredients for fiction. But keep in mind the world in which young people are coming of age is dramatically different from the one we grew up in. And the fiction today’s teens are reading is a far cry from the novels of our youth where characters were almost always white, middle class, and heterosexual, and the biggest problem of the day was finding a date for prom.

We’ll talk about dos and don’ts for writing realistic fiction for teens, as well as ways to get started on your own young adult novel.

Lynn Slaughter joined Sisters in Crime and our local chapter, Derby Rotten Scoundrels, shortly after completing her MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University in 2016. She turned to writing coming of age romantic mysteries following a long career as a professional dancer and dance educator. She’s the author of It Should Have Been You, a Silver Falchion finalist; While I Danced, an EPIC finalist; and Leisha’s Song (forthcoming from Fire and Ice, 2021). Her short story, “Missed Cue,” appears in Malice Domestic’s 2020 anthology, Murder Most Theatrical. The mother of two grown sons and besotted grandmother of five, she lives in Louisville, Kentucky where she is at work on her next young adult novel, Deadly Setup.

Elaine Munsch – The History of Women Crime Writers

March 13, 2021

To celebrate Women’s History Month, author Elaine Munsch walks us through the historical pages of crime fiction finding the women who came before the modern writers.  From Metta Victor and Anna Katherine Greene to Sue Grafton, meet the women who have changed crime/mystery fiction from its beginning to today.

Elaine Munsch grew up on the shores of Lake Erie, but has made Louisville, KY her home for several decades. An avid reader, bookselling seemed to be the ideal profession, which she has practiced for over forty years.

She is the author of the Dash Hammond series:

The Price of Being Neighborly, The Cost of Kindness and The Expense of Family.  All her books are available on Amazon.

Libby Fischer Hellman – Building Suspense

January 9, 2021

Award-winning thriller writer Libby Fischer Hellmann speaks to us about “Building Suspense.” Regardless of what genre we write in, we all want to keep readers turning the pages, and suspense is an essential element. In her interactive workshop below, Hellmann illustrates techniques we writers can apply to our own work immediately.

M.J. Downing, Author of Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Undead Client

February 13, 2021

M.J. Downing is the author of two books: Sherlock Holmes The Case of the UnDead Client and Sherlock Holmes The Werewolves of Edinburgh. In this presentation, Downing explains how he immersed himself in the Victorian era and how he explored the interior conflicts of the good Doctor John Watson: warrior, healer, scribe, and friend to the genius Holmes. Adding another challenge to the duo, Downing puts them in harm’s way with new enemies: zombies and other denizens of the occult.