The Sixteenth Annual PSWA Conference
“Welcome back, to that grand old conference that you thought about … Your dreams were your ticket back …”
Thursday, July 22
9:00 am – 3:00 pm
The Pre-Conference Writer’s Workshop
The Writer’s Workshop offers an intensive session on improving your writing skills. Taught by three professionally published writers (Marilyn Meredith, Kelli Peacock, and Michael A. Black) of both fiction and nonfiction, this session also offers personal critiques of the participant’s previously submitted manuscripts.
Registration (3 p.m. until reception starts)
Check in, get your conference packet and your wrist band for the reception. Wait till you see our new PSWA Conference tote bags. There will be a brief meeting of all moderators at the check-in.
Thursday 6 p.m. No-host Opening Reception (Everyone must wear a wrist band to gain entry.) Costumes will be optional.
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Friday, July 23rd
8:30 am:
Registration and check in. If you have books for sale, please arrange your display artfully, but do remember that other many other people have books to display as well, so please do not take up all the room. Also, it is your responsibility to ensure each book has a 3 x 5 card with your name, address, book title and price inside of it in order to be sold by the bookstore.
The bookstore personnel reserve the right to rearrange any book displays to conform to fairness and equal room for all participants.
Also, if you shipped your books to the hotel in advance, it is your responsibility to see to their delivery to the conference room.
This year I am pleased to inform you that we have an assortment of people who have experience in the field of publication: Mr. & Mrs, Larry Collins and Ms. Jo Wilkins (Mystic Publishers). All of them have walked the walk and been there. They’ll be glad to share what they’ve learned, to hear your elevator pitches, and offer their cogent advice about the in’s and out’s of traditional and self-publishing. We’ll also be talking about other markets like e-books and audio books. Those of you looking for the next step in manuscript submission can get invaluable advice. Michael A. Black will also have information on a new novella length market: where submit your manuscripts, and hopes to have a representative from a dynamic new up and coming new publisher on hand as well. There will also be writers who have self-published their work, so they can give you the ins and outs of doing that. You can schedule a time to speak with one or all of them during the conference, but have your “elevator pitch” ready. In other words, be organized, be professional, and be brief. Also, it’s expected that if you’re making a pitch, you have a manuscript completed, polished, and ready to go. No paper or electronic manuscripts will be accepted or reviewed during the conference.
Make sure to check out the fabulous handouts that have been included in your conference booklet.
As a matter of courtesy, please make sure your cell phones are on silent mode and if you must take a call, please step into the hallway before speaking.
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Friday
9 a.m.-9:30 am
Welcome:
Opening reflections on the PSWA by our President, John Schembra, who will be assisted by our Master of Ceremonies, Vice President Scott Decker (with an occasional assist from Michael A. Black)
A minute of silence will be held in honor of the PSWA members who have passed this year, as well as the law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty. Award winning poet and ordained minister, Joe Haggerty, will conduct this tribute and then read his poem, “Why Wasn’t I There
A special presentation of an appreciation and acknowledgment plaque will be presented to Marilyn Meredith for her long time support and dedication to the Public Safety Writers Association.
A word about the conference, the handouts, how to handle the microphones, safety tips, and the housekeeping conference rules.
Official Conference Photographer: Kelli Peacock
Time keeper: Michael Black
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9:30- 10:15 a.m.
Featured Speaker # 1: Mike Brandt
The Art of Interviewing.
Former LAPD homicide investigator, Mike Brandt, will talk about the lost art of interviewing. Mike’s interviewed more homicide suspects than Vegas has got slot machines, and he’s going to tell you how to make your writing of such scenes more realistic. Any writer will tell you that the most crucial factor in writing a successful story is the interview. This session is a “ten-thousand-foot level” about effective interviewing, not interrogations. The focus of this session is to better understand how to approach the interview as a writer, suggestions on what to ask during the interview, and how to write your story.
Timekeeper: Michael Black
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Break: 10:15- 10:30 am
10: 30- 11:15 a.m.
Panel # 1 Keeping Things Real–From arrest procedures to the use of various weapons to getting into a plan old fist fight, how do you keep it real but still maintain a level of excitement in your writing?
Moderator: Michael A. Black
Panelists: Dave Freedland, John Schembra, Darlene Record, Al van de Steege
Time Keeper: RJ Beam
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Break 11:15- 11:30
11:30 – 12:15
Panel # 2: Research-The Art of Mining Yourself and Your Experiences for Writing Fiction—How do you take your real life experiences and bring those into the writing of fiction? How important is conducting research and how much do you need?
Moderator: John Schembra
Panelists:Jim Guiligi, Thonie Hevron, Frank Hickey, Bill Rapp
Time Keeper: Michael A. Black
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12:15-1:15 pm: Lunch
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1:15 – 2:00 p.m.
Featured Speaker #2: Rannah Grey
From True Crime to TV
Ever wonder how the story behind the headlines of a crime story makes it to TV? Rannah Grey will be on hand to tell us how her award-winning true crime book, Familiar Evil, was made into a prime-time TV documentary. The program was so successful here in the States that it’s gone international.
Time Keeper: Michael A. Black
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Break: 2:00 -2:15 pm
2:15-3:00 pm
Panel # 3: Steps in Conducting an Investigation—We see police investigations conducted on TV all the time, but what are the real steps involved in conducting and investigation? What are some of the techniques used in building a proper case?
Moderator: John Schembra
Panelists: Mike Brandt, Dave Cropp, Scott Decker, Bob Doerr
Timekeeper:
Break: 3:00-3:15 pm
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3:15-4:00 pm
Panel # 4: Fiction Typecasting- Writing Novels, Short Stories, Flash Fiction, Flash Fiction, Poetry. Writers of various styles and mediums gather to discuss the various types of writing and how they do it.
Moderator: Marilyn Meredith
Panelists: Joe Haggerty, Dave Cropp, Barbara Lloyd, Darlene Record
Timekeeper: Michael A. Black
Break: 4:00 – 4:15 p.m.
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4:15 – 5:00 pm
Panel #5: Dealing With Censorship—With political correctness seemingly intruding into virtually all aspects of our lives, how does this current cancel culture censorship affect your writing? How much attention should be paid to “sensitivity” in your writing and what topics are safe or best avoided?
Moderator: Michael A. Black
Panelists: Barbara Hodges, Thonie Hevron, John Schembra, George Cramer
Timekeeper: Michael A. Black
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5:00 – 5:30 p.m.
Booksignings and One-on-Ones: Presenters and authors will be available for individual questions along with their books for purchase and signing.
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6:00 p.m.
Have dinner with friends, see a movie, take the shuttle to the Strip, or check out the new exhibits at the Mob Museum.
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Saturday, July 24th
9:00-9:15 am Welcome and Housekeeping Items
Master of Ceremony Scott Decker will give an update on things thus far, and Keith Bettinger will be reading his poem, “Judiciary Square.”
Time Keeper: Michael A. Black
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9:15 – 10:00 a.m.
Featured Speakers #3: Larry and Lorna Collins
The Perfect Pitch
The successful husband and wife writing and publishing team of Larry and Lorna Collins will do their popular presentation about writing the perfect pitch letter to agents and/or editors. It’s something that every writer should know how to do, and this present will not only show you the basics, but it’ll also give you a chance to practice and perfect your own pitch writing skills. The presentation is interactive and also a lot of fun. They’ll also be doing a Q&A while people are writing and composing. Then, they invite volunteers to read their pitches aloud for on the spot feedback. Larry and Lorna have done this for quite a few chapters of the California Writers Club and it has always been well-received.
Time Keeper: Michael A. Black
Break: 10:00 – 10:15 am
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10:15- 11:00 am
Panel #6: Non-Fiction Do’s and Don’t’s—Several distinguished authors discuss the art of writing non-fiction. They’ll give you the lowdown on keeping your writing fresh and vibrant, as well as what to watch out for in terms of writing about actual incidents and about getting the facts right.
Moderator: Scott Decker
Panelists: Rannah Gray, Sue Hannibal, Geno Munari, Mike Brandt
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11:00-11:15 am
Break
11:15-12:00 pm
Panel # 7: Stepping Into Publication― Our panel of publishers and industry professionals give you the inside scoop on how to write an effective synopsis, the best way to make an effective pitch to an editor or agent, and the aspects of going with self-publishing: They’ll give you the inside scoop on what they notice, and what they expect, when an author makes a pitch of a novel or project.
Moderator: Thonie Hevron
Panelists: Larry and Lorna Collins, Jo Wilkins, Barbara Hodges, Marilyn Meredith
Timekeeper: Michael A. Black
12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
Lunch
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1:00 – 1:45 p.m.
Featured Speaker # 4: Terry L. Kerns
Examining the Opioid Crisis
Former FBI Agent, Terry L. Kerns, was an FBI Field Division Evidence Team Leader during her time with the agency. At present, she’s the Opiate Coordinator with the Nevada Attorney General’s Office, a contributor to the Microbial Forensics textbook, and has just been awarded a federal grant which will fund opioid risk training in the state of Nevada
Timekeeper: Michael A. Black
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Break: 1:45-2:00 pm
2:00- 2:45 pm
Panel # 8: We’ve Got You Covered—What things should you know about the final steps in preparing your manuscript for publication? Whether it’s traditional or self-publishing, there are many aspects, such as cover design, that must be considered.
Moderator: Marilyn Meredith
Panelists: Barbara Hodges, Lorna Collins, Thonie Hevron, Dave Knop
Timekeeper: Michael A. Black
Break: 2:45 – 3:00 p.m.
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3:00-3:45 pm
Panel # 9: Fuzz—What’s Your Jurisdiction? Explore the various aspects of different law enforcement agencies and the roles they take in investigating crimes, their usage of vernacular, and how procedures are different or similar.
Moderator: Michael A. Black
Panelists: Bob Doerr, Scott Decker, Joe Haggerty, Darlene Record
Time Keeper: Michael A Black
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Break: 3:45 – 4:00 p.m.
4:00 – 4:45 pm
Panel # 10: Writing Action Scenes—. Our panelists discuss writing an action scene with the emphasis on keeping it realistic and exciting without making it too unbelievable. The real, not reel, aspects of terrifying situations such as, gunfights, physical confrontations, being hurt or wounded, etc will be discussed by those who have firsthand knowledge of such things.
Moderator: John Schembra
Panelists: Bill Rapp, Dave Freedland, Jim Gugili, Rich Wickliffe
Timekeeper: Michael A Black
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Break: 4:45- 5:00 pm
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5:00 – 5:45 p.m.
The Writer’s Corner—A open conversation amongst some of our most published writers and members regarding their writing process, what they’ve learned through the school of hard knocks, and how this past year of COVID has affected their writing. Marilyn Meredith, Barbara Lloyd, Rich Wickliffe, Albert van de Steeg, George Cramer, Frank Hickey, Darlene Record, John Schembra, Bill Rapp, Jim Gugili, Dave Freedland, Bob Haig, Sr. to name a few.
Peripatetic Moderator: Michael A. Black
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5:45 – 6: 00 p.m.
Book Signing: Once again, our authors will be available to chat and sign the copies of their books.
(Relax, go to dinner, catch a movie, go bowling, or hit the Strip.)
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Sunday, July 25th
9:00-9:15 am Greetings: Scott Decker
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9:15 – 10:00
Panel # 11: Animals, Aliens, and other Things that Go Bump in the Night—It’s said one of the best hooks to use in your book is to put an animal into your story, but what exactly does this entail, and are there are pitfalls and limitations for doing so? And what about the spirit world or supernatural aspects?
Moderator: Dave Cropp
Panelists: Bob Haig, Sr., Barbara Hodges, Dave Knop, Marilyn Meredith
Timekeeper: Michael A. Black
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Break: 10:00 – 10:15 a.m.
10:15- 11:00
Panel # 12: Building and Maintaining Suspense in Your Fiction—While it’s a given that conflict propels the plot of your story, what techniques can be used for generating and maintaining suspense in your writing?
Moderator: Marilyn Meredith
Panelists: Thonie Hevron, Bill Rapp, Bob Doerr, Kelli Peacock
Timekeeper: Michael A. Black
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Break: 11:00 – 11:15 pm
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11:15 – 12:00
Panel # 13: Polishing Your Manuscript—It’s said that good writing is rewriting. How much rewriting should you do, and what are some techniques and things to look for when reviewing that first draft?
Moderator: Thonie Hevron
Panelists: Jo Wilkins, Frank Hickey, Lorna Collins, George Cramer
Timekeeper Michael A. Black
12:00 – 12:15 pm
Final Book Sale (Books must be picked up immediately following the awards ceremony.)
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12:15 p.m.
Awards Luncheon
Awards ceremony for the winners of the Writing Contest
Host: Barbara Hodges
Please complete your conference evaluations and turn in your name tag holders. If you brought books to be sold at the conference, please make sure you remove them.
Thank you for attending and we look forward to seeing you again next year.