Tentative Schedule

  7:00 am  -  5:00 pm    Registration - Preservation Hall Foyer 

  7:00 am  -  5:00 pm     Book Bag Pick up, Book Bazaar - Preservation Hall - 2nd Floor 

  7:00 am  -  5:00 pm     Anthony Award Voting (located in Registration Area) - 2nd Floor 

  7:00 am  - 10:00 am     Hospitality Suite - Preservation Hall (Behind Book Bazaar)  - 2nd Floor 

  7:30 am  -   9:30 am     Speed Dating - Mardi Gras Ballroom D and E - 3rd Floor

  9:00 am  -   6:00 pm     Green Room for Authors -Mardi Gras Ballroom F and G - 3rd Floor

  9:00 am  -   6:30  pm   Book Room/Book Signing  - Acadia Room - 3rd Floor   

  9:00 am -     6:30 pm    Silent Auction - Acadia Room - 3rd Floor

9:30 am -    10:20 am     MWA Special Event 
                                          How to Write a Mystery: A Handbook from Mystery Writers of America
                                          Host:    Greg Herren, Executive Vice President of Mystery Writers of America
                                          Special Guests:  Rachel Howzell Hall, Craig Johnson, Charles and Caroline Todd 
                                          Riverview Room - 41st Floor
         
  9:30 am -  10:20 am     Rising Star Guest of Honor Steph Cha Interviewed by Angie Kim - Carondelet Ballroom -
                                          3rd Floor

  9:30 am -  10:20 am    Favorite Reads of the Pandemic Era - Galerie 1 - 2nd Floor
                                         Moderator: Kim Batchelor
                                         Panelists: Oline Cogdill, George Easter, Larry Gandle, Dru Ann Love, Donus Roberts

  9:30 am -  10:20 am    Historical: Making History Thrilling - Galerie 2 - 2nd Floor
                                         Moderator: Jonathan Santlofer
                                         Panelists:  John Copenhaver, Sean Lynch, Stephen Maitland-Lewis, Cynthia Raleigh,
                                                            Sheila York

  9:30 am - 10:20 am      Pitfalls to Avoid When Writing a Series - Galerie 3 - 2nd Floor
                                          Moderator: J. M. Redmann
                                          Panelists:    Bill Fitzhugh, Matt Goldman, Michael Sears, Sarah Stewart Taylor

  9:30 am - 10:20 am     Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? The Big 6 Questions: The Police Investigate; The
                                          Reporters Report - Galerie 4 and 5 - 2nd Floor
                                          Moderator: Martha Reed
                                          Panelists:  Claire Booth, Lori Duffy Foster, K. P. Gresham, James Queally, Rich Zahradnik

  9:30 am - 10:20 am     Setting: Location, Location, Location: Places Are Characters Also - Galerie 6 - 2nd Floor
                                         Moderator: D. R. Ransdell
                                         Panelists: Kathy Love, Nancy Parra/Coco, Glen Parris, Jonelle Patrick, Mark Pryor

  9:30 am - 10:20 am     Short Stories: The Thrill of the Moment - Mardi Gras Ballroom ABC - 3rd Floor
                                         Moderator: M. A. Monnin
                                         Panelists: Ted Hertel, Eleanor Cawood Jones, Kim Keeline, Claire A. Murray, Mark Thielman

11:00 am  - 11:50 am    Toastmistress Alafair Burke Interviewed by Rachel Howzell Hall - Carondelet Ballroom -
                                          2nd Floor

11:00 am - 11:50 am     Suspense, Action and Conflict: The Prime Elements of Mysteries, Crime and Thrillers -
                                         Galerie 1 - 2nd Floor
                                         Moderator: Lisa Harris
                                         Panelists:  J. D. Barker, Joshua Graves, Jonathan Maberry Liese Sherwood-Fabre,
                                                            Jane Stillwater

11:00 am 11:50 am        Location:  The Perfect Setting - Galerie 2 - 2nd Floor
                                          Moderator: Patti Ruocco
                                          Panelists: Annamaria Alfieri, Connie Berry, Alexia Gordon, August Norman,
                                                             Carlene O'Connor

11:00 am - 11:50 am    Thrillers in the World of Politics - Galerie 4 and 5 - 2nd Floor
                                         Moderator:  Noel Hynd
                                         Panelists: Matthew Fitzsimmons, Chris Hauty, Jeffrey Siger, Anthony Tata,
                                                            Daco Auffenorde

11:00 am - 11:50 am     Hooking Readers: Great First Lines: What Makes a Page Turner - Galerie 6 - 2nd Floor
                                         Moderator: Stacy Allen
                                         Panelists:  Benji Carr, Amy Gentry, Frances McNamara

11:00 am - 11:50 am     Thrillers: The Cutting Edge - Mardi Gras Ballroom ABC - 3rd Floor
                                          Moderator: F. Paul Wilson
                                          Panelists: Sean Doolittle, Tammy Euliano, Corey Lynn Fayman, Patricia Gussin, Amy S. Peele

12:30 pm  -   1:20 pm     James Lee Burke Virtually interviewed by Alafair Burke - Carondelet Ballroom - 3rd Floor

  1:30 pm  -   2:20 pm      Ali Karim, Fan Guest of Honor Interviewed by George Easter and Friends,
                                           Carondelet - 3rd Floor

  1:30 pm  -   2:20 pm    Creating Suspense: Anticipation, Twists, Cliffhangers - Galerie 1 - 2nd Floor
                                          Moderator: Terry Shepherd
                                          Panelists:  Maegan Beaumont, Marco Carocari, Adrienne Giordano, Davin Goodwin, 
                                                               Faye Snowden

  1:30 pm -    2:20 pm    Writing Teams: Duos and the Process and the Challenges Involved - Galerie 2 - 2nd Floor
                                          Moderators: Charles Todd (Caroline) and Charles Todd
                                          Panelists: Keir Graff, Traci Hall, Linda Hull, Patrice Wilton

  1:30 pm -    2:20 pm     Psychologial Thrillers: Getting the Suspense and Psychology Right - Galerie 3 - 2nd Floor
                                           Moderator: Brad Parks
                                           Panelists: Alex Finlay, Alison Gaylin, R. J. Jacobs, Joanna Schaffhausen, Heather Young

  1:30 pm  -   2:20 pm      Objection! Getting it Right: Law in Fiction and Film - Galerie 4 and 5 - 2nd Floor
                                           Moderator:  Stephen Terrell
                                           Panelists: Mally Becker, Liah Penn, Keenan Powell,  Joseph Reid, C. L. Tolbert

  1:30 pm  -   2:20 pm    Writing Compelling Short Fiction - Galerie 6 - 2nd Floor
                                          Moderator: Shawn Reilly Simmons
                                          Panelists:  José  H. Bográn, Jim Doherty, Laura Oles, Linda Sands

  1:30 pm -   2:20 pm     What Lines Won't You Cross in Crime Fiction? - Mardi Gras Ballroom ABC- 3rd Floor
                                          Moderator: Kwei J. Quartey
                                          Panelists: Tracy Clark, Harry Hunsicker, Mary Keliikoa, Andrew Welsh-Huggins,
                                          Michael Wiley

  2:00 pm  -   4:00 pm     Hospitality Suite - Preservation Hall (Behind Book Bazaar) 2nd Floor

  2:30 pm  -   3:30 pm    Craig Johnson Chats with Longmire Star A. Martinez - Carondelet Ballroom - 3rd Floor

  3:00 pm -   9:00 pm     Show Rehearsal and Dress Rehearsal - Carondelet Ballroom - 3rd Floor
                                         (Closed Rehearsal)

  3:30 pm - 4:30 pm      Michael Connelly signing in the Acadia BookRoom - 3rd Floor

  3:30 pm  -  4:20 pm     History and Headlines: How Real Crimes Can Sometimes Inspire Fiction. How do You
                                          Research?
                                          Galerie 1 - 2nd Floor
                                          Moderator: Mally Becker
                                          Panelists: Susanna Calkins, R. J. Koreto, Karen Odden, Jonathan Putnam

  3:30 pm  -  4:20 pm     Hard-Boiled: Not Eggs - Galerie 2 - 2nd Floor
                                          Moderator: J. D. Allen
                                          Panelists: James D. F. Hannah, Steven Jankowski, Josh Stallings, John Vercher,
                                          Scott Von Doviak

  3:30 pm  -  4:20 pm     Military: From the Frontline to the Printed Page - Galerie 3 - 2nd Floor
                                          Moderator: Anthony Tata
                                          Panelists: Don Bentley, Ward Larsen, Taylor Moore, Hunter Rawlings, Brad Taylor

  3:30 pm -  4:20 pm      How to Put the "It" in IT: Techno? Tech Yeah! - Galerie 4 and 5 - 2nd Floor
                                          Moderator:
                                          Panelists: Judith Copek

  3:30 pm -  4:20 pm      Dialogue Matters: Slang, Concise or Verbose? - Galerie 6 - 2nd Floor
                                          Moderator: Frank Zafiro
                                          Panelists: Maria Bivins, Kwei J. Quartey, Roberta Rogow

  3:30 pm  -  4:20 pm      In the Beginning: Research to Give Your Work Authenticity - Mardi Gras Ballroom ABC - 
                                           3rd Floor
                                           Moderator: Frances McNamara
                                           Panelists: Brian Cliff, James L'Etoile, Allie Marie, Thomas Perry, Travis Richardson

  4:30 pm  -   6:00 pm      Underrepresented Voices - Reception Presented by Crime Writers of Color-
                                            Mardi Gras D & E 3rd Floor
                                            Esme Additon, Yasmin Angoe, Frankie Y. Bailey, Jose Bogran, Della Brown,
                                            Alafair Burke, V. M. Burns, Steph Cha, Christopher Chambers, Tracy Clark,
                                            Michelle Corbier, S. A. Cosby, Tori Eldridge, Kellye Garrett, Alexia Gordon,
                                            Cheryl Head, Rachel Howzell Hall, Rae James, Forest I. Jones, Angie Kim,
                                            Jessica Laine, Elizabeth Mahon, Mia Manansala, Paula Mays, Wanda Morris,
                                            Richie Narvaez, Gigi Pandian, Marcie Rendon, Raquel Reyes, Robin St. Clare,
                                            Faye Snowden, Jacquetta Szathmari,

  5:00 pm  -   5:50 pm     Noir/Short Crime Fiction: Writing, Selling, Editing, Publishing - Galerie 1 - 2nd Floor
                                           Moderator: Allison Dickson
                                           Panelists: Valerie J. Brooks, Jen Conley, Charles Salzberg, John Shepphird, Halley Sutton

  5:00 pm  -  5:50 pm      Crime in a Small, Socially Intimate Community - Galerie  2 - 2nd Floor
                                           Moderator: Priscilla Paton
                                           Panelists: James T. Bartlett, Janet Finsilver, Leslie Lutz, Cathy Pickens, Kate White

  5:00 pm  -  5:50 pm      Give Your Readers Whiplash: Pacing in Thrillers - Galerie 3 - 2nd Floor
                                           Moderator: Hank Phillippi Ryan
                                           Panelists: Jen J. Danna, Kerry Lonsdale, Rick Treon, Carter Wilson

  5:00 pm  -  5:50 pm      Military: Tanks, Drones, Special Ops? Today's Military Thriller - Galerie 4 and 5 - 2nd Floor
                                           Moderator: Joseph Reid
                                           Panelists: Brendan DuBois, Al Pessin, Jeffrey Wilson, Tom Young

  5:00 pm  -  5:50 pm      Surprise the Reader: Do Not Betray the Reader - Galerie 6 - 2nd Floor
                                           Moderator: Thomas Roberts
                                           Panelists: J. D. Allen, Barbara Petty, Allen Eskens, Gale Massey, Brad Parks

  5:00 pm  -  5:50 pm      Finding Your Villian: The Dark Side of Humanity - Mardi Gras Ballroom ABC - 3rd Floor
                                           Moderator: Anne Cleeland
                                           Panelists: Leone Ciporin, Sharon Doering, John A. Hoda, Jamie Mason, Frank Zafiro

  9:00 pm  - 12:00 am      Mystery "Dessert" Theatre "Murder in Fantasyland" hosted by Heather Graham - 
                                            Carondelet - 2nd Floor