- This event has passed.
Murderous March 2024
March 8 @ 1:00 pm - March 9 @ 6:30 pm
MARCH 8-9, 2024
ALL VIRTUAL EVENT
GUEST OF HONOR:
EDGAR AWARD-WINNING AND BESTSELLING AUTHOR
NAOMI HIRAHARA
Naomi Hirahara is an Edgar Award-winning author of multiple traditional mystery series and noir short stories. Her Mas Arai mysteries, which have been published in Japanese, Korean and French, feature a Los Angeles gardener and Hiroshima survivor who solves crimes. Her first historical mystery, Clark and Division, which won a Mary Higgins Clark Award, follows a Japanese American family’s move to Chicago in 1944 after being released from a California wartime detention center. A former journalist with The Rafu Shimpo newspaper, Naomi has also written numerous non-fiction history books and curated exhibitions. She has also written a middle-grade novel, 1001 Cranes. Her follow-up to Clark and Division, Evergreen, was released August 2023.
Purchase Books by our Guest of Honor, Naomi Hirahara
Hosted by The Upper Hudson Chapter of Sisters in Crime,
The Mavens of Mayhem
Please support our partner bookstore,
MYSTERIES ON MAIN STREET
Registration Details can be found at the bottom of this page.
SCHEDULE
NOTE: All panels are live, not pre-recorded. All events are online only. Registration is necessary to receive the ZOOM link.
FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2024
1:00 p.m. Eastern Tina deBellegarde, Conference Chair
Opening Remarks Carol Pouliot, Conference Co-chair
Books by Our Friday Instructors
1:15 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. Eastern
Pitch Workshop with KAREN ODDEN
Bestselling author Karen Odden received her PhD in English from NYU and writes mysteries set in 1870s London. Her fifth, Under a Veiled Moon (2022), was nominated for the Agatha, Lefty, and Anthony Awards for Best Historical Mystery and features Michael Corravan, a former thief turned Scotland Yard Inspector.
HOOK THEM ON YOUR BOOK
A few years ago, Karen Odden interviewed four agents about what elements in pitches and query letters suggest that both a book and its author are ready for representation. In this hands-on session, we’ll look at examples of the query letter and the “pitch” (at the core of the query), paying particular attention to ways authors can signal an understanding of publishing industry standards, the presence of a coherent voice and character arc in their manuscript, and the marketing tools they bring to the table.
2:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. Eastern
MASTER CLASS #1 with M. E. BROWNING
M.E. Browning writes the Colorado Book Award-winning Jo Wyatt Mysteries and the Agatha-nominated and award-winning Mer Cavallo Mysteries (as Micki Browning). Her short stories and nonfiction have appeared in anthologies, textbooks, diving and mystery magazines.
BOOK AUTOPSIES: GETTING TO THE HEART OF YOUR NOVEL
We’ve all been there. Something in your story isn’t working. The prose is anemic, the pacing is sluggish. The structure broken. The prognosis? Grim. It’s time to do a book autopsy—on someone else’s book.
Award-winning author M.E. Browning shares how to dissect books by authors you admire in order to breathe life into your own stories. She’ll also discuss how to avoid the devastating mistake that will render your manuscript dead on arrival.
Some of the topics covered will include:
–Diagnosing your problem.
–How to perform an effective book autopsy.
–Determining the best books and stories to autopsy and where to find them.
–Putting your e-Reader to work (and ways to accomplish the same thing old school).
–Creating your own templates.
–How to amplify your voice by studying other authors—and what not to do…
4:00 p.m. – 5:15 p.m. Eastern
MASTER CLASS #2 with RICHIE NARVAEZ
Richie Narvaez is an award-winning author as well as an experienced online marketer and advertising copywriter. His books include Roachkiller & Other Stories, Hipster Death Rattle, Holly Hernandez and the Death of Disco, and, most recently, Noiryorican.
SOLVING THE MYSTERY OF SOCIAL MEDIA
Longing to unravel the secrets of social media? Embark on a thrilling journey into Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, maybe even Bluesky. Join Richie Narvaez, Agatha- and Anthony-winning author, as he discusses:
–Choosing the best platforms for you.
–Promoting your work.
–Meeting and interacting with readers.
–Networking online.
5:15 p.m. Eastern
Closing Remarks and Information about Saturday’s Programs
Tina deBellegarde, Conference Chair
SATURDAY, MARCH 9, 2024
10:00 a.m. Eastern Tina deBellegarde, Conference Chair
Welcoming Remarks Carol Pouliot, Conference Co-chair
10:05 a.m. Eastern
Keynote Address Guest of Honor: NAOMI HIRAHARA
Naomi Hirahara is an Edgar Award-winning author of multiple traditional mystery series and noir short stories. Her Mas Arai mysteries, which have been published in Japanese, Korean and French, feature a Los Angeles gardener and Hiroshima survivor who solves crimes. Her first historical mystery, Clark and Division, which won a Mary Higgins Clark Award, follows a Japanese American family’s move to Chicago in 1944 after being released from a California wartime detention center. A former journalist with The Rafu Shimpo newspaper, Naomi has also written numerous non-fiction history books and curated exhibitions. She has also written a middle-grade novel, 1001 Cranes. Her follow-up to Clark and Division, Evergreen, was released August 2023.
10:30 a.m. Eastern
Coffee Break
Conference Panels begin at 10:45 a.m. Eastern
10:45 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. Eastern
WHY GET INVOLVED WITH MURDER: CREATING THE RELUCTANT SLEUTH
MODERATOR: L.A. CHANDLAR
L.A. Chandlar is the author of the ART DECO MYSTERY SERIES. Laurie’s been nominated for the Agatha, Lefty, Macavity and Anthony Awards; and winner of Suspense Magazine’s Crimson Pen. She and her husband, two sons, and two cats have been living in New York City for over 20 years.
FRANKIE Y. BAILEY
Frankie Y. Bailey is a criminal justice professor. Her areas of research and nonfiction writing focus on crime history and crime in mass media/popular culture. She has received the George M. Dove award for crime fiction research. Her mystery novels and short stories feature three different sleuths and are set in different time periods in her own universe, combining fact and fiction. Frankie is a past executive vice president of MWA and a past president of SinC National.
SUSANNA CALKINS
Susanna Calkins writes the award-winning Lucy Campion historical mysteries, set in 17th century London, and the Speakeasy murders, set in 1920s Chicago. Her books have been nominated for the Agatha, Anthony, Mary Higgins Clark, Lefty and Macavity awards. She holds a PhD in history and teaches at the college level. She grew up in Philadelphia, and lives outside Chicago now, with her husband and two sons.
ELEANOR KUHNS
Eleanor Kuhns is the 2011 winner of the Mystery Writers of America/Minotaur First Crime Novel competition. Since then, she has published ten more Will Rees/Shaker mysteries, ending with Murder, Sweet Murder. The first of her new series, In the Shadow of the Bull, a mystery set in Bronze Age Crete, was released July 2023.
JEN COLLINS MOORE
Jen Collins Moore transports readers to Rome in the captivating Roman Holiday Mysteries, most recently Murder in Trastevere. Her short fiction has appeared in Mystery Weekly and Masthead: The Best New England Crime Stories. She is president of Sisters in Crime Chicagoland and a founding member of Sleuths and Sidekicks. A transplanted New Englander, she lives in Chicago with her husband and two boys.
LORI RADER-DAY
Lori Rader-Day is the Edgar Award-nominated and Agatha, Anthony, and Mary Higgins Clark award-winning author of Death at Greenway, The Lucky One, Under a Dark Sky, and others. Her latest book, forthcoming fall 2023, is The Death of Us (Harper Collins.) Lori lives in Chicago, where she co-chairs the Midwest Mystery Conference and teaches creative writing at Northwestern University.
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Eastern
CHERCHEZ LA FEMME: FEMALE PIs
MODERATOR: CAROL GOODMAN
Carol Goodman is the author of twenty-five novels, including The Lake of Dead Languages and The Seduction of Water, which won the 2003 Hammett Prize, The Widow’s House, which won the 2018 Mary Higgins Clark Award, and The Night Visitors, which won the 2020 Mary Higgins Clark Award.
TRACY CLARK
Tracy Clark is the author of the Cass Raines Chicago Mystery series and the Detective Harriet Foster series. A multi-nominated Anthony, Lefty, Edgar, Macavity, and Shamus Award finalist, Tracy is also the 2020 and 2022 winner of the G.P. Putnam’s Sons Sue Grafton Memorial Award and the 2022 Sara Paretsky Award. She is a member of Crime Writers of Color, Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime.
LIBBY CUDMORE
Libby Cudmore is the author of THE BIG REWIND and the Martin Wade P.I. series at Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. Her short fiction has been published in Reckon Review, HAD, the Coachella Review, Tough, and others, as well as the anthologies HANZAI JAPAN, WELCOME HOME, A BEAST WITHOUT A NAME, LAWYERS, and GUNS & MONEY (co-edited with Art Taylor). She is the co-host of the OST PARTY, MISBEHAVIN’ and SHATTERED SHIELD podcasts.
MARY KELIIKOA
Eighteen years in the legal field, and an overactive imagination, led Pacific NW native Mary Keliikoa to start writing mystery and suspense. She is the author of the award-winning Misty Pines mystery series, the award-nominated PI Kelly Pruett mystery series, and the upcoming stand-alone Don’t Ask, Don’t Follow out May 2024.
JODE MILLMAN
Jodé Millman is the multi-award-winning author of THE EMPTY KAYAK, HOOKER AVENUE and THE MIDNIGHT CALL, which are the first three installments in her true-crime inspired “Queen City Crimes” Series. She’s an attorney, a reviewer for Booktrib.com, the host/producer of The Backstage with the Bardavon podcast, and creator of The Writer’s Law School.
LIDA SIDERIS
Lida Sideris’ first stint after law school was a newbie lawyer’s dream: working as an entertainment attorney for a movie studio…kind of like her heroine, Corrie Locke, except without the homicides. Lida is a recipient of the Helen McCloy/MWA Scholarship and a 2x Silver Falchion Award finalist. She lives in the northern tip of Southern California with her family and rescue dogs.
1:15 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. Eastern
Conversation with NAOMI HIRAHARA, Guest of Honor
2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Eastern
IT WAS A DARK AND STORMY NIGHT: THE IMPACT OF SETTING ON A STORY
MODERATOR: RICHIE NARVAEZ
Richie Narvaez is an award-winning author as well as an experienced online marketer and advertising copywriter. His books include Roachkiller & Other Stories, Hipster Death Rattle, Holly Hernandez and the Death of Disco, and, most recently, Noiryorican.
M.E. BROWNING
M.E. Browning writes the Colorado Book Award-winning Jo Wyatt Mysteries and the Agatha-nominated and award-winning Mer Cavallo Mysteries (as Micki Browning). Her short stories and nonfiction have appeared in anthologies, textbooks, diving and mystery magazines.
TINA DEBELLEGARDE
Tina deBellegarde has received two Agatha Award nominations for her Batavia-on-Hudson Mystery series. Known as “the Louise Penny of the Catskills,” Tina co-chairs the Murderous March Conference and is a founding member of Sleuths and Sidekicks, where she blogs, tours virtually, and teaches writing workshops. She is a member of Writers in Kyoto and reviews books for BooksOnAsia.net.
GREG HERREN
GREG HERREN is the award-winning author of over forty novels and over fifty short stories. He is also the award-winning editor of over twenty anthologies. He lives in New Orleans with his partner of 28 years.
EDWIN HILL
Edwin Hill’s critically-acclaimed crime novels include the standalone thriller The Secrets We Share. His latest, Who to Believe, a twisty Rashomon-style novel about a birthday party with at least one serial killer in attendance, will be available in January. He has been nominated for Edgar and Agatha Awards, featured in Us Magazine, received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and Library Journal, and was recognized as one of “Six Crime Writers to Watch” in Mystery Scene magazine. He lives in Roslindale, Massachusetts with his partner Michael and his favorite reviewer, their lab Edith Ann, who likes his first drafts enough to eat them.
CAROL POULIOT
Carol Pouliot writes the acclaimed Blackwell and WatsonTime-Travel Mysteries, traditional police procedurals with a seemingly impossible relationship between a Depression-era cop and a 21st-century journalist. With their fast pace and unexpected twists and turns, the books have earned praise from readers and mystery authors alike. Carol is a founding member of Sleuths and Sidekicks and Co-chair of Murderous March.
3:45 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. Eastern
THE DARKER SIDE OF CRIME: BOOKS TO KEEP YOU UP AT NIGHT
MODERATOR: LEANNA RENEE HIEBER
Leanna Renee Hieber is an award-winning author of paranormal suspense novels such as The Spectral City. A Haunted History of Invisible Women: True Stories of America’s Ghosts, co-authored with Andrea Janes, was a Stoker Award non-fiction finalist. Featured in film and television on shows like Mysteries at the Museum, she is a guide for Boroughs of the Dead and lectures nationwide on Victorian paranormal themes.
JACQUELINE BOULDEN
JACQUELINE BOULDEN is the 2023 IPPY (Independent Press) Gold Medal Winner, Best Regional Fiction, Mid-Atlantic, for her debut novel, Her Past Can’t Wait. She’s won Emmy awards for news reporting and Telly awards for producing documentary videos. Jacqueline lives in upstate New York with her spouse and their rescue dog, who’s teaching them how to speak Beaglish.
ALISON GAYLIN
USA Today and international bestselling author Alison Gaylin has won the Edgar and Shamus awards. Her short stories have been chosen for Best American Mysteries and Suspense and Best Mystery Stories of the Year, and her books have been optioned for film and TV. Her 14th suspense novel will be out from William Morrow in the summer of 2024, and she’s currently writing Robert B. Parker’s Sunny Randall mystery series (Putnam).
CHRIS KEEFER
Chris Keefer writes newspaper columns, magazine articles, creative non-fiction essays (affectionately known as rants), and the Carrie Lisbon historical mystery series, featuring: No Comfort for the Undertaker, and Tragedy’s Twin, published by Level Best Books. In addition to writing, she enjoys birding, gardening, metal detecting, Historian duties and two granddaughters.
SJ ROZAN
SJ Rozan’s twenty novels and eighty-plus short stories, and the three anthologies she’s edited, have won multiple awards, including the Edgar, Shamus, Anthony, Nero, Macavity, and the Japanese Maltese Falcon. She’s been honored with Life Achievement Awards from Private Eye Writers of America and the Short Mystery Fiction Society.
5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Eastern
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF CRIME: BOOKS TO COZY UP WITH
Moderator LIZ MUGAVERO
Liz Mugavero/Cate Conte is the bestselling author of three mystery series, two with Kensington Books and one with St. Martin’s Press. As Liz Mugavero, she writes the Pawsitively Organic Mysteries, the first of which was an Agatha Award nominee for Best First Novel. As Cate Conte, she writes the Cat Cafe Mysteries and the new Full Moon Mysteries.
JENNIFER J. CHOW
Agatha, Anthony, and Lefty Award-nominated author Jennifer Chow writes the Magical Fortune Cookie series. For her previous L.A. Night Market Mysteries, Death By Bubble Tea was in The New York Times and on the SoCal Indie Bestseller List. She serves as Immediate Past President for Sisters in Crime.
VICKI DELANY
Vicki Delany is one of Canada’s most prolific crime writers and a national bestseller in the U.S; author of more than fifty books. She is currently writing the Tea by the Sea mysteries, the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop series, the Year-Round Christmas mysteries, and the Lighthouse Library series (as Eva Gates).
SYRL KAZLO
Syrl, a retired teacher, lives in upstate New York with her husband and two lively dachshunds. She writes the Samantha Davies Mystery series, featuring Samantha Davies and her loveable dachshund, Porkchop. When not writing she is busy hooking, rug hooking that is, and enjoying her family. Her newest book, number four in the series, is Pups, Pumpkins and Murder.
AMY PATRICIA MEADE
Author of the acclaimed Marjorie McClelland Mysteries, Vermont Country Living Mysteries, and Tish Tarragon Mysteries, Amy Patricia Meade worked as a copywriter for the Vermont Country Store before relocating to the UK, where she was a featured author at the first Greenway Literary Festival. After five years in the UK, she and her husband now reside in upstate New York.
ROB OSLER
Rob Osler writes novels and short stories featuring a rainbow of diverse characters. His work has been a finalist for the Anthony, Agatha, and Lefty Awards and has won the MWA Robert L Fish Award at the Edgar Awards. Rob lives in California with his partner and a tall gray cat.
6:00 p.m. Eastern
Closing Remarks – Tina deBellegarde, Conference Chair
PITCHES
CINDY BULLARD
Birch Literary Agency
Cindy Bullard is a literary agent with Birch Literary. Prior to becoming an agent, Cindy had ten years of experience in working with editors, agents, and publishers on the “other side” of the desk as an author. (She writes under a pen name.) Cindy opened Birch Literary to help other writers on their own path to publication.
Wish List
Cindy will accept 5 pitches on March 10th only. She is especially interested in true crime.
GWYN JORDAN
Gold Dust Literary Agency
I fell in love with books at a young age, and my love affair with the written word continues today. I have worked diligently to transform what was a hobby into my career. I have a bachelor’s in criminology and a master of business administration, and the knowledge and skills gained from my studies and former occupations have proven to be beneficial to my literary career, especially my role as a private investigator. I’m a literary agent, developmental editor, and writing coach. I am the founder of Gold Dust Literary Agency and Gold Dust Editing & Book Reviews. I review books for Publishers Weekly and freelance for Entangled Publishing.
Wish List
- I’d love a murder mystery with multiple suspects with juicy motives, think Knives Out.
- A psychological thriller with a female antagonist.
- A serial killer where all the victims and suspects have forced close proximity (think Clue). Perhaps a weeklong house party gone wrong, or everyone trapped in a hotel due bad weather.
- Stories set in England.
- A story with a targeted group of victims. Perhaps the individuals’ occupations or associations makes them targets, ex., all the victims are judges or members of the same club or professional organization, or all are tellers, real estate agents, journalists, etc. The group should not be about race, gender, religion, ethnicity, or any other protected class.
SHAWN REILLY SIMMONS
Level Best Books
Shawn Reilly Simmons is President and Managing Editor at Level Best Books, a crime fiction press with a roster of roughly two hundred authors. A published author herself, Shawn is most passionate about bringing new voices to the forefront, collaborating with authors on their work, and promoting the books published by Level Best to the widest possible audience. Shawn has been an active member of the mystery community for over twenty years. She hosts a podcast where she interviews writers (Five Compelling Questions) and co-hosts We Are What We Read, a monthly YouTube series with Kristopher Zgorski that features authors talking about the books that have inspired them the most.
Level Best Books is an independent press based in Maryland that focuses on publishing quality crime-related fiction, non-fiction, and fiction for younger readers. Level Best imprints focus on historical mysteries (Level Historia); middle-grade and young adult readers (Level Elevate); true crime (Level Tru); anthologies and collections of short stories (Level Short); and cookbooks and culinary-related books (Level Zest). New Arc Books is in collaboration with our colleagues at the Writers’ Police Academy.
Wish List
Shawn is seeking works of Mystery (series or standalone), Thriller, Domestic Suspense, Traditional/Cozy series, young adult fiction (mystery, coming of age), middle-grade fiction (mystery, magical realism), True Crime, culinary-focused (cookbooks, cooking memoir, mystery related culinary books).
ALL VIRTUAL
CONFERENCE DETAILS & REGISTRATION
Registration is open until 2/29 @ 11:59 EST
Use the following Register link to choose either the Saturday panels OR one Master Class of your choosing. In order to register for the remaining Master Class, select the Additional Master Class button when you return to the page (Return to Merchant) from Paypal.
Friday Master Classes (1 and 2): $40 each, $70 for both. NOTE: Master Classes are limited to 50 attendees each. If the limit is reached, you will have the opportunity to add your name to a wait list.
If you register for either of the Master Classes, Saturday panels are free along with Karen Odden’s Friday Pitch Workshop.
Saturday Program ONLY: $15 Includes BONUS: Karen Odden’s Friday Pitch Workshop.
PITCHES
Pitch Sessions will be arranged separately several weeks before the conference. You will receive an email asking you to select the person you would like to pitch. (Please be aware that you may not get your first choice.) A week or two before the conference, the agent/editor will contact you to arrange an appointment for your pitch session. ALL appointments will take place after the conference.
If you are interested in arranging a pitch session and did not do so at registration, please contact us at UpperHudsonSinC@gmail.com
We will continue to add editors and agents to our list over the next two months.
Murderous March supports the South End Children’s Café.
We look forward to welcoming you to another Murderous March!
Please support our authors by purchasing books through our shop set up by our partner, Mysteries on Main St.
See info on MM 2023
See info on earlier MM Events
Murderous March 2023 Now Available on YouTube
You can watch prior Murderous March Events
our YouTube Channel