(WATCH FOR 2008 Schedule -- posted in September)
2007 Program Schedule
FRIDAY – OCTOBER 26, 2007
11:00 am REGISTRATION BEGINS, Horizon Convention Center
2:00 - 2:55 PM (Prairie Creek 1 & 2)
DISCUSSION: Is a mystery's focus solely entertainment? Or should mysteries teach something or have a message? Judy Clemens, facilitator
2:00 - 2:55 PM (Prairie Creek 3)
DISCUSSION: What were the last two mysteries you read and how/why did you choose those specific books or authors? Patricia Stoltey, facilitator
3:00 - 3:55 PM (Prairie Creek 1 & 2)
HISTORICAL MYSTERIES: Albert Bell (M), Aileen Baron, Jeanne M. Dams, Keith Kahla, Sharan Newman
3:00 - 3:55 PM (Prairie Creek 3)
ACADEMIC ROOM: Barbara Bogue: James Lee Burke's Homage to New Orleans in the Aftermath of Katrina: The Tin Roof Blow Down
4:00 - 4:55 PM (Prairie Creek 1 & 2)
WRITING REGIONALLY: Are Midwest writers different from East Coast writers? Is geography destiny? Julia Pomeroy (M), Sandra Balzo, Deb Baker, Lonnie Cruse, Phil Dunlap
4:00 - 4:55 PM (Prairie Creek 3)
DISCUSSION: Author Blogs: How and Why - Jeff Markowitz, facilitator
5:00 - 5:55PM
CHICAGO BLUES RECEPTION (Dealers' Room) - Editor Libby Hellmann will introduce us to the contributors to CHICAGO BLUES, a new anthology published by Bleak House. Contributors in attendance include: Michael Black, D.C. Brod, Barbara D'Amato, Michael Allen Dymmoch, David Walker, Mary Welk. These seven writers will sign CHICAGO BLUES 5:40 - 5:55 in the signing area within the dealer's room.
DINNER
7:30 - 8:25 PM (Interurban Hall)
BY THE BOOK: A game show with host Charles Benoit and contestants Sandra Balzo, Don Bruns, Judy Clemens and Libby Hellmann
8:30 PM (Interurban Hall)
THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE - The 1946 film version featuring John Garfield and Lana Turner
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2007
8:00 - 8:55 AM
BREAKFAST RESOLUTIONS (Interurban Hall)
Chester Campbell: RESOLVED: The bad guys have to get it in the end to make a mystery successful
Honora Finkelstein & Susan Smily: RESOLVED: A murder must occur in the first 25 pages
Molly MacRae: RESOLVED: Mysteries are like chocolate: the darker the better
Bruce Martin: RESOLVED: THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE is not a mystery
Beverle Graves Myers: RESOLVED: Readers care more about plot than historical accuracy
Gary Niebuhr: RESOLVED: Fans want series characters and publishers want standalone break-out novels
Tony Perona: RESOLVED: J.K. Rowling ended Harry Potter the right way
Maris Soule: RESOLVED: Endorsements by authors have become so common they've lost their impact
Sarah Wisseman: RESOLVED: A mystery can teach without sacrificing plot or character
9:00 - 9:55 AM (Interurban Hall)
FIRST NOVELISTS: Sandra Balzo (M), Philip Cioffari, Denisa Nickell Hanania, Jeffrey Leever, Molly MacRae, Marta Stephens, Patricia Stoltey
9:00 - 9:55 AM (Prairie Creek 1 & 2)
THE HUMOR PANEL: Finding laughs in heists, homicides and whodunits - Troy Cook (M), Denise Dietz, Honora Finkelstein & Susan Smily, Parnell Hall
9:00 - 9:55 AM (Prairie Creek 3)
DISCUSSION: THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE AND OTHER GREAT TITLES: Libby Hellmann, facilitator, with Michael Black and Chester Campbell
10:00 - 10:25 AM
SIGNINGS: Philip Cioffari, Troy Cook, Denise Dietz, Honora Finkelstein & Susan Smily, Parnell Hall, Denisa Nickell Hanania, Jeffrey Leever, Molly MacRae, Marta Stephens, Patricia Stoltey
10:30 - 11:25 AM (Interurban Hall)
RULES OF THE GENRE: Do the rules of the genre keep it from growing and limit its relevance, or are they the foundation of its strength? Terence Faherty (M), Charles Benoit, D.B. Borton, Carl Brookins, Keith Kahla
10:30 - 11:25 AM (Prairie Creek 1 & 2)
THE STORY OF RACING CAN BE MURDER AND WHY ANTHOLOGIES MATTER: Tony Perona (M), Phil Dunlap, Brenda Stewart
10:30 - 11:25 AM (Prairie Creek 3)
THE LIFE OF JAMES M. CAIN: Gary Warren Niebuhr
11:30 - 11:55 AM
SIGNINGS: Charles Benoit, D.B. Borton, Carl Brookins, Phil Dunlap, Terence Faherty, Gary Warren Niebuhr, Tony Perona, Brenda Stewart
12:00 – 1:20
LUNCHEON – Guest of Honor Interview; Lindsey Davis, interviewed by Ruth Dudley Edwards
1:30 - 2:25 PM (Interurban Hall)
VOICES WE HEAR: How do you decide what voice to use? Are some types of books better told in first person, third person or multiple viewpoints? Using different voices for different books/series. Michael Allen Dymmoch (M), Chester Campbell, Jeanne M. Dams, Julie Hyzy, David Walker
1:30 - 2:25 PM (Prairie Creek 1 & 2)
OFFICER TO WRITER: Law enforcement officers who bring experience to their crime fiction - Jeremiah Healy (M), Michael Black, Thomas Keevers
1:30 - 2:25 PM (Prairie Creek 3)
ROADS NOT TAKEN: An interactive, audience participation session examining turning points in POSTMAN and what Cain didn't do. Michael Z. Lewin
1:30 - 5:45 PM (ROOM?? Interurban Hall bar??)
THE ROUNDTABLE: This is a continuous conversation involving 18 writers over a four-hour period. Every 15 minutes, one writer will join the conversation and one leaves - while a moderator helps keep time and keep the conversation going. This free-flowing format, suggested by Carl Brookins, will give us all a chance to listen in on what writers talk about when they get together.
1:30 Carl Brookins (moderator); William Kent Krueger; D.B. Borton
1:45 Carl Brookins will stay on as moderator; William Kent Krueger; D.B. Borton; Beverle Graves Myers joins the conversation
2:00 William Kent Krueger departs; D.B. Borton; Judy Clemens; Troy Cook joins
2:15 D.B. Borton departs; Judy Clemens; Troy Cook; Molly MacRae joins
2:30 Judy Clemens departs; Troy Cook; Molly MacRae; Tony Perona joins
2:45 Troy Cook departs; Molly MacRae; Tony Perona; Julia Pomeroy joins
3:00 Molly MacRae departs; Tony Perona; Julia Pomeroy; Don Bruns joins
3:15 Tony Perona departs; Julia Pomeroy; Don Bruns; Patricia Stoltey joins
3:30 A new moderator will take over at this time; Julia Pomeroy departs; Don Bruns; Patricia Stoltey; Mary Welk joins
3:45 Don Bruns departs; Patricia Stoltey; Mary Welk; Parnell Hall joins
4:00 Patricia Stoltey departs; Mary Welk; Parnell Hall; Scarlet Dean joins
4:15 Mary Welk departs; Parnell Hall; Scarlet Dean; David Walker joins
4:30 Parnell Hall departs; Scarlet Dean; David Walker; Sally Wright joins
4:45 Scarlet Dean departs; David Walker; Sally Wright; Terence Faherty joins
5:00 David Walker departs; Sally Wright; Terence Faherty; Sandra Balzo joins
5:15 Sally Wright departs; Terence Faherty; Sandra Balzo; Denisa Nickell Hanania joins
5:30 Terence Faherty departs; Sandra Balzo; Denisa Nickell Hanania; Moderator stays on
5:45 END
2:30 - 2:55 PM
SIGNINGS: Michael Black, Chester Campbell, Jeanne M. Dams, Michael Allen Dymmoch, Jeremiah Healy, Julie Hyzy, Thomas Keevers, Michael Z. Lewin, Sharan Newman, David Walker
3:00 - 3:55 PM (Interurban Hall)
GRIPE SESSION: Do you skip over prologues? Do your eyes refuse to read italics? Do flashbacks drive you nuts? Let's get together and talk about what peeves us in fiction, and maybe find out why certain things are irritating. Barbara D'Amato & Beverle Graves Myers
3:00 - 3:55 PM (Prairie Creek 1 & 2)
MYSTERY WRITERS OF AMERICA MIDWEST CHAPTER: Ted Hertel introduces the Mystery Writers of America and its Midwest chapter, followed by Bill Fitzhugh's talk "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way Up Highway 61"
3:00 - 3:55 PM (Prairie Creek 3)
DISCUSSION: Why are my books so violent? William Kent Krueger, facilitator
4:00 - 4:25 PM
SIGNINGS: Sandra Balzo, Deb Baker, Albert Bell, Barbara D'Amato, William Kent Krueger, Jeff Markowitz, Beverle Graves Myers, Julia Pomeroy, Maris Soule
4:30 - 5:25 PM (Interurban Hall)
POLITICAL CORRECTNESS AND CRIMINAL ACTS: Ruth Dudley Edwards (M), Bill Fitzhugh, Charlotte Hays, Heather Jeeves, John O'Sullivan
4:30 - 5:25 PM (Prairie Creek 1 & 2)
FROM CONCEPT TO READER: The making of a mystery, from author to agent to editor to sales rep to bookstores. Lindsey Davis, Heather Jeeves, Jane Chelius, Keith Kahla, Mary Ellen Channon
4:30 - 5:25 PM (Prairie Creek 3)
DISCUSSION: What makes a thriller thrill? Aileen Baron, facilitator
5:30 - 5:55 PM
SIGNINGS: Aileen Baron, Lonnie Cruse, Lindsey Davis, Scarlet Dean, Ruth Dudley Edwards, Bill Fitzhugh, Charlotte Hays
7:00 - 9:00 PM
BANQUET: Guest Speaker Charlotte Hays
9:00 - 9:30 PM (Interurban Hall Bar)
SIGNING: Charlotte Hays
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2007
9:00 - 9:55 AM (Interurban Hall)
PUTTING FAMILY IN THE MYSTERY: Families, extended families and surrogate families. Judy Clemens (M), Lindsey Davis, Kit Ehrman, William Kent Krueger, Beverle Graves Myers
9:00 - 9:55 AM (Prairie Creek 1 & 2)
WHERE DO WE GET OUR IDEAS? 2 x 20 with Philip Cioffari "The Dark Muse: Inspiration and the Mystery Writer" and Sally Wright "Behind the Bonehouse: Ideas That Become the Bones of the Books."
9:00 - 9:55 AM PM (Prairie Creek 3)
DISCUSSION: Banned Books: Who Decides What We Read? Mary Welk, facilitator
10:00 - 10:25 AM
SIGNINGS: Philip Cioffari, Judy Clemens, Lindsey Davis, Kit Ehrman, William Kent Krueger, Beverle Graves Myers, Mary Welk, Sally Wright
10:30 - 11:25 AM (Interurban Hall)
ARMCHAIR TRAVELERS: What mysteries tell us about places far-flung and close to home; how writers research settings. Aileen Baron (M), D.C. Brod, Don Bruns, Libby Hellmann, Sarah Wisseman
10:30 - 11:25 AM (Prairie Creek 1 & 2)
THE POISON LADY: Luci Zahray
10:30 - 11:25 AM (Prairie Creek 3)
THE SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF SPADE & ARCHER: A History of the Private Eye Since the 1970s. Gary Warren Niebuhr
11:30 - 11:55 AM
SIGNINGS: Aileen Baron, D.C. Brod, Don Bruns, Libby Hellmann, Gary Warren Niebuhr, Sarah Wisseman
NOON: LUNCH (Interurban Hall)
Reports on resolutions, with yeahs and nays
Have a safe trip home............see you next year!