Writing the Criminal Element: Villains, Crime, and Bad Company

Crime fiction thrives on compelling criminals and the worlds they inhabit. In this session, authors discuss how they create believable criminal characters, explore the influence of crime on their stories, and examine what draws readers into the darker side of human behavior.

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How to Make Your Submission Impossible to Ignore

How to Make Your Submission Impossible to Ignore

Chris Reardon shares practical strategies that help submissions rise above the noise. He walks writers through presentation, professionalism, and the small but meaningful craft choices that capture an editor’s attention before a rejection ever enters the picture.

What Courtrooms Can Teach Crime Novelists

What Courtrooms Can Teach Crime Novelists

Lawyers turned crime writers discuss how real courtroom experience shapes their fiction. This session explores what drew them from practicing law to storytelling, how legal procedure and criminal psychology inform their plots, and what writers get right and wrong...