The Seventeenth Annual PSWA Conference
Thursday, July 14th
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 and get your conference packet as well as your name tag for the reception. Wait till you see our PSWA Conference tote bags. There will be a brief meeting of all moderators at the check-in. (See Michael A. Black for details.)
Thursday 6 p.m. No-host Opening Reception (Everyone must show a conference name badge or explain identity to gain entry.)
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Friday, July 15th
8:30 am:
Registration and check-in.
If you have books for sale please arrive a bit early and arrange your display artfully. Remember many other people have books to display as well, so please do not take up all the room. Also, it’s 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 will accept cash or credit card. Those authors wishing prompt reimbursement of sales should include their PayPal address on the cards. Otherwise, a check will be forthcoming.
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. The hotel does charge a handling fee. If using the PSWA membership mailing address, the books will be transported to the hotel free of charge. Regardless, it is still every author’s responsibility to remove and shop back any books that are left over on Sunday after the awards ceremony.
This year I am pleased to inform you that we have some heavy-duty publishers attending the conference. Mr. Jake Bray (Rough Edges Press), Mr. Austin Camacho (Intrigue Press), Ms. Jennifer Hendricks (CKN Christian Publishing Press), and Ms. Jo Wilkens (Mystic Publishers). All of them are interested in hearing your elevator pitches, and are looking for manuscripts. The panel will be moderated by Barbara Hodges, who is also an expert on indie publishing. Michael A. Black will have information on a new novella length market: where submit your manuscripts. 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 above all, 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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9 a.m.-9:30 am
Welcome:
Opening address about the PSWA and this year’s conference will be given by our President, John Schembra, who will be assisted by our Master of Ceremonies, Vice President RJ Beam (with an occasional assist from co-master of ceremonies, Michael A. Black).
In honor of the law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty, a poem by award winning poet, Joe Haggerty, will be read. A minute of silence will follow.
At this time we will also be giving out the PSWA Appreciation Awards
A word about the conference, the handouts, safety tips, and the housekeeping conference rules will be given.
Time keeper: Michael Black
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9:30- 10:15 a.m.
Featured Speaker # 1: Rich Wickliffe
The World of Insurance Crimes: Invisible and Dangerous
International insurance crimes exceed $200 billion per year, and the worst part is we’re paying for it all. Going far beyond the cliché ridden world of “slip-and-falls” and “whiplash” claims, these schemes have the far-reaching implications of human smuggling, jewelry and art heists, falsified injury and death schemes, and crime rings orchestrated by the Russian mob. Experienced insurance investigator and author, Rich Wickcliffe, gives you the inside scoop on these crimes which exceed $200 billion per year, and that’s not taking into account the human cost. You’ll learn about these little-publicized schemes, how they might inspire your writing, and also how to avoid them in your real lives.
Timekeeper: Michael Black
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Break: 10:15- 10:30 am
10: 30- 11:15 a.m.
Panel # 1 The Art of Writing the Short Story—Writing short stories has long been a major way to break into publishing. So what’s the key differences between writing a short story as opposed to a novel? This panel will cover that, among other things.
Moderator: Michael A. Black
Panelists: Frank Zafiro, Mark Bergin, Rich Wickliffe, Jim Guigli, Mysti Berry
Time Keeper: John Schembra
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Break 11:15- 11:30
11:30 – 12:15
Panel # 2: Crimes, from the Call to the Investigation to Court—We’ve all watched the TV heroes and heroines solve the crime from inception to the courtroom in less than sixty minute, but what are the real steps that investigators take to clear the crime and make things right? And what does TV get wrong?
Moderator: Dave Cropp
Panelists: Mike Brandt, Bob Doerr, Scott Decker, John Schembra, Darlene Record
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: Jo A. Wilkins
Writing in Viewpoint: How POV Defines Your Work
Few things are more challenging to new writers than mastering the complexities of Point of View. Choosing the wrong POV, or not effectively using the one you have chosen, can often mean the difference between a manuscript being accepted or rejected. We are fortunate to have Ms. Jo A. Wilkins, acquisitions editor for Mystic Publishers, here to give you the low down on this how to choose the right POV, and the things you should be aware of when using it. Choosing and mastering this difficult subject is an essential writing skill for every author.
Time Keeper: Michael A. Black
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Break: 2:00 -2:15 pm
2:15-3:00 pm
Panel # 3: Using Software to Help You Write—We’ve heard a lot about the various software enhancement programs that assist writers nowadays. How useful are these programs and what’s the latest information regarding them?
Moderator: RJ Beam (From his position as Technical Supervisor)
Panelists: Mar Preston, Jim Guigli, Albert Vande Steeg, George Cramer, LaDonna Humphreys, Barbara Hodges
Timekeeper: Michael A. Black
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Break: 3:00-3:15 pm
3:15-4:00 pm
Panel # 4: Writing Fiction From Another Time—Shakespeare said, “What’s past is prologue,” so how do you go about writing something that has occurred in the past or near present or even the possible future? And how real do you want to make it? Is the recent pandemic, for example, off limits or a fertile topic to be explored?
Moderator: Dave Cropp
Panelists: Ann Parker, Barbara Hodges, John Bluck, Dave Knop, Marilyn Meredith
Timekeeper: Michael A. Black
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Break: 4:00 – 4:15 p.m.
4:15 – 5:00 pm
Panel #5: Technologically Speaking—Our group of seasoned professionals tells how the advances of technology have affected real life crime investigations, the techniques used in the pursuit of justice, and how the ever-evolving society and world has affected their writing.
Moderator: Pete Klismet
Panelists: Mike Brandt, Darlene Record, Frank Zafro, Mark Bergin, Dave Freedland
Timekeeper: Michael A. Black
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5:00 p.m. to 5:30 ish
As we close down this first official day, please take the time to browse and comingle with the other attendees for book signings and stimulating conversation. Presenters and authors will be available for individual questions along with their books for purchase and signings. Find someone to have dinner with, see a movie (there are numerous theaters in the hotel), go swimming, workout, or take the shuttle to the Strip. It’s Vegas!
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Saturday, July 16th
9:00-9:15 am Welcome and Housekeeping Items
Master of Ceremonies commentary
Time Keeper: Michael A. Black
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9:15 – 10:00 a.m.
Featured Speaker #3: Robert Calkins
Contraband and Crooks: Working Dogs in the World of Police, Fire, and SAR.
Working dogs enhance public safety every day. Police K9s find drugs, bombs, guns, evidence, and the crooks who possess them. Arson dogs find accelerants used to start fires. Search and Rescue dogs locate missing people and assist police in finding both bodies and trace evidence. PSWA member Bob Calkins will draw on his nearly 20-years as a dog handler to show how to accurately incorporate working dogs into your next procedural novel. His presentation will focus on using the dogs to create drama, conflict, revelation and emotion in your stories. Plus he’ll have some cool war stories about his own dogs and the weird endings to many SAR missions.
Time Keeper: Michael A. Black
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Break: 10:00 – 10:15 am
10:15- 11:00 am
Panel # 6: The State of Publication Today―Our distinguished 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 what they’re looking for as far as new projects. The state of the publishing industry, how it’s changed, and other aspects of hybrid and indie-publishing will also be discussed. They’ll give you the inside scoop on what they notice, what they look for, and what they expect when an author makes a pitch of a novel or project.
Panelists: Mr. Jake Bray (Rough Edges Press), Mr. Austin Camacho (Intrigue Press), Ms. Jennifer Hendricks (CKN Christian Publishing Press), and Ms. Jo Wilkins (Mystic Publishers).
Moderator: Barbara Hodges
Timekeeper: John Schembra
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11:00-11:45 am
Meet and Greet the Publishers (and the Authors)―
This is your chance to meet the publishers, find out what they’re looking for, and present your project ideas. They will be available to listen to your elevator pitches (remember, keep them short) and they’ll give you their impressions and feedback. Or perhaps there is an author or an expert in another field that you’re dying to speak with… Here’s your chance to ask the questions of the ones who’ve walked the walk and talked the talk. There’s also plenty of time to peruse the array of fine books on sale at the bookstore. Take a break, relax, converse, and then meander over to enjoy our exceptional luncheon.
11:45 – 1:00 p.m.
Lunch
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1:00 – 1:45 p.m.
Featured Speaker # 4: Austin Camacho
Write Better: Draft, Rewrite, and Edit
Writing that first draft and then satisfactorily revising and finally editing your manuscript are essential steps in the successful completion of any creative writing project. Often these arduous tasks are misunderstood or mishandled by writers. Award-winning author and editor, Austin Camacho of Intrigue Press, shows you a number of fundamentals that every author should focus on as they write. He will also illustrate the often overlooked aspect of where a writer’s focus should be, depending on what stage of the process he or she is in. Your process for writing that first draft is different from that of rewriting or editing a work. Mr. Camacho will show you what you should focus on at each stage.
Timekeeper: Michael A. Black
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Break: 1:45-2:00 pm
2:00- 2:45 pm
Panel # 7: Sex and Violence—How much is too much? For those of us who write crime fiction, sex and violence are an inescapable part of our writing world. So how much is too much and must you tailor your writing to suit your genre and audience?
Moderator: Dave Cropp
Panelists: Dave Knop, Dave Freedland, Thonie Hevron, Janet Greger, Albert Vande Steeg
Timekeeper: Michael A. Black
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Break: 2:45 – 3:00 p.m.
3:00-3:45 pm
Panel # 8: Writing Nonfiction—Writing nonfiction requires an ability to present facts in such a way to keep the reader engaged or to recount actual events that have already occurred. What are the rewards and pitfalls of writing nonfiction in today’s marketplace?
Moderator: Scott Decker
Panelists: Marilyn Wooley, Buz Williams, Bob Haig, LaDonna Humphreys, Gloria Casale
Time Keeper: Michael A Black
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Break: 3:45 – 4:00 p.m.
4:00 – 4:45 pm
Panel # 9: Polishing Your Manuscript—Whether you’re a pantser or a plotter, it’s virtually impossible to get it right on that first draft. The pros and cons of outlining, plotting, editing, and beta readers in perfecting your manuscript will be discussed by our panelists.
Moderator: Kelli Peacock
Panelists: Austin Camacho, Jo Wilkins, Jim Gugili, Mar Preston, Camille Minichino
Timekeeper: John Schembra
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Break: 4:45- 5:00 pm
5:00 – 5:30 p.m.
As we close down our second day of the conference, once again take the time to browse and buy some books. The authors and experts will be on hand to engage in book signings and pleasant conversations. We will also be having our annual “First Timers Dinner,” hosted by Pete Klismet, at a restaurant to be announced. (The dinner is not included in your registration fee and attendance is entirely optional.) Otherwise, the movies, the bowling alley, the pool, the gym, the gambling all await, as does the shuttle to the Strip. Again, it’s Vegas!
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Sunday, July 17th
9:00-9:15 am Greetings: John Schembra
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9:15 – 10:00
Panel # 10: Gathering the Evidence—Our panelist discuss the aspects of gathering and preserving evidence, be it from crime scenes, crime victims, or criminal suspects. You’ll find out from the experts what the real techniques are and what’s the phony fictionalized version.
Moderator: Pete Klismet
Panelists: Gloria Casale, J. L. Greger, Bob Calkins, Scott Decker, Bob Doerr
Timekeeper: Michael A. Black
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Break: 10:00 – 10:15 a.m.
10:15- 11:00 am
Panel # 11: Writing in Different Genres—Fiction opportunities lie in various genres and with the blurring of themes many genres can’t be classified as one or another. Examples abound, such as romantic suspense, sci-fi mysteries, historical suspense, etc. And what about flash fiction and poetry? What should a writer do when he or she needs to straddle two or more genres in order to write the story?
Moderator: Michael A. Black
Panelists: Marilyn Wooley, Dave Cropp, Kelli Peacock, Marilyn Meredith, John Bluck
Timekeeper: Jim Guigli
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Break: 11:00 – 11:15 pm
11:15 – 12:00
Panel # 12: Blogging Your Way to Success—As the panel can attest, blogging has become an essential part of promoting not only yourself, but also spotlighting other writings. What does it take to run a successful blog and keep it fresh and viable.
Moderator: Mysti Berry
Panelists: Marilyn Meredith, Camille Minichino, Ann Parker, George Cramer. Thonie Hevron
Timekeeper Michael A. Black
12:00 – 12:15 pm
Final Book Sale (Books must be picked up immediately following the Awards luncheon.)
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12:15 p.m.
Awards Luncheon
Awards ceremony for the winners of the PSWA Writing Contest.
Host: Barbara Hodges
Please complete your conference evaluations and turn them in, say your goodbyes, and 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.