A great beginning invites the reader into the story and makes a promise it must keep. Dianne McCartney, Elise Burke Brown, J.L. Yarrow, Lori Robbins, Renda Knapp, and Sara Johnson share how to craft openings that immediately engage through tension, curiosity, and voice. This session focuses on practical techniques for creating first lines and opening pages that pull readers in and set the tone for everything that follows.
How to Sustain Suspense in a Psychological Thriller
Psychological thrillers live or die by their tension. Alicia Anthony, Diane Sismour, Georgina Cross, J.T. Ellison, and Rick Treon break down how to sustain suspense from the first page to the last by controlling twists, setting, pacing, and reader expectations. This...




