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I am so looking forward to this conference!
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August 22, 2025 at 6:19 PM
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There's never enough time w/ our amazing WriteNOW! Conference faculty. Why not pre-game w/ a podcast deep dive feat. Raquel V Reyes?
www.sistersincrime.org/page/Raquel_...

Register for the WriteNOW! Conference at DesertSleuths.com
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Image of Raquel V. Reyes with name of podcast and website address: The Sisters in Crime Writers' Podcast: Guest Raquel V. Reyes https://www.sistersincrime.org/podcast
August 20, 2025 at 2:53 AM
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We have amazing guests for the 2025 WriteNOW! Conference. Authors Rhys Bowen, Edith Maxwell, Catriona McPherson and Lois Winston will be sharing their secrets to "Keeping the Creative Juices Flowing!" Say GOODBYE to getting stuck. #AmWriting #MysteryWriters #CrimeWriters #WritingCommunity #DSWN25
WriteNOW! Conference September 19-20, 2025 $25 for Desert Sleuths members, $35 for everyone else- for a full day of virtual events One of Saturday's panels features Rhys Bowen, Edith Maxwell, Catriona McPherson, and Lois Winston giving all their best tips on Keeping the Creative Juices Flowing! Additional a la carte pitching, craft, and edits are also available Register at https://DesertSleuths.com
August 16, 2025 at 5:23 PM
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Desert Sleuths member & WriteNOW! Conference host, Christina Estes has a brand new book out today, The Story That Wouldn't Die. Grab a copy from your favorite bookstore/library & then register for the WriteNOW! Conference at DesertSleuths.com.

@reporterestes.bsky.social #DSWN25 #AmWriting
The Story That Wouldn't Die by Christina Estes | The Poisoned Pen
A Mystery
store.poisonedpen.com
August 20, 2025 at 5:35 AM
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✨ We've got a killer listy list of all the Desert Sleuths 2025 WriteNOW! Conference faculty who are on Bluesky. Give them a follow or save the list in your feeds. ✨

#DSWN25 #DesertSleuths #SINC #AmWriting #CrimeWriters #MysteryWriters #ThrillerWriters #WritingCommunity

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August 5, 2025 at 4:33 AM
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Rhys Bowen has written bestselling series as well as standalone novels. And she's joining us for the panel "Keeping the Creative Juices Flowing". Come hear from the best!

Register for the WriteNOW! Conference at DesertSleuths.com
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WriteNOW! Conference Fri-Sat, Sept 19-20, Virtual Rhys Bowen - Panel Moderator: Keeping the Creative Juices Flowing Rhys Bowen's work has sold close to 10 million copies, in over 30 languages. She has been nominated for every major mystery award and has won multiple Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity Awards. Her books include the Royal Spyness and Molly Murphy historical mysteries, as well as several international bestselling stand-alone novels. Friday: Agent pitch sessions ($35), an editor's assessment of your first 3 chapters ($60), and a writing craft workshop ($35) Saturday: One fee for a full day of panels, a workshop, and presentations; $25 Desert Sleuth members; $35 all others For registration and conference details: http://desertsleuths.com/writenow-2025/
September 5, 2025 at 5:33 PM
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More amazing guests for the 2025 WriteNOW! Conference. Authors Deborah J Ledford, Robyn Gigl, D.M. Rowell, & Alex Segura discuss "Doing Justice to Characters Unlike Yourself". #AmWriting #MysteryWriters #CrimeWriters #ThrillerWriters #WritingCommunity #DSWN25
WriteNOW! Conference September 19-20, 2025 $25 for Desert Sleuths members, $35 for everyone else- for a full day of virtual events One of Saturday's panels features Deborah J Ledford, Robyn Gigl, D.M. Rowell, and Alex Segura on Doing Justice to Characters Unlike Yourself Additional a la carte pitching, craft, and editing opportunitie are also available Register at https://DesertSleuths.com
August 19, 2025 at 4:09 AM
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Alex Segura is an acclaimed, award-winning writer of novels, comic books, short stories, and podcasts. And he'll be at the WriteNOW! Conference to talk about characters.

Register for the WriteNOW! Conference at DesertSleuths.com
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WriteNOW! Conference Fri-Sat, Sept 19-20, Virtual Alex Segura- Panelist: Doing Justice to Characters Unlike Yourself Alex Segura is the bestselling author of Secret Identity, winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller, a New York Times Editor's Choice, and an NPR Best Mystery of the Year. He's also the author of the acclaimed Pete Fernandez series, the Star Wars novel, Poe Dameron: Free Fall, and the YA Spider-Verse adventure, Arana/Spider-Man 2099: Dark Tomorrow. Friday: Agent pitch sessions ($35), an editor's assessment of your first 3 chapters ($60), and a writing craft workshop ($35) Saturday: One fee for a full day of panels, a workshop, and presentations; $25 Desert Sleuth members; $35 all others For registration and conference details: http://desertsleuths.com/writenow-2025/
August 26, 2025 at 3:06 PM
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Local bookstore favorite, The Poisoned Pen, is hosting the launch party & book signing for our latest Desert Sleuths Anthology, SoWest: Danger Awaits! Free event. Come get to know us!

Register for the WriteNOW! Conference at DesertSleuths.com
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Desert Sleuths WriteNOW! Conference Anthology Launch Party with Author Signings September 19, 2025, 6p-7:30p https://desertsleuths.com/writenow-2025/ Come to The Poisoned Pen Bookstore in Scottsdale AZ, Friday night, Sept 19, from 6-7:30 p.m. MST, for the launch of SOWEST: DANGER AWAITS! an anthology of short stories by Desert Sleuths Chapter of Sisters in Crime authors. Meet the authors in person. The Poisoned Pen Bookstore 4014 N Goldwater Blvd Scottsdale, AZ 85251 USA https://poisonedpen.com/ https://calendar.time.ly/9plshfqx/posterboard;event=78117815;instance=20250919180000?lang=en-US
September 2, 2025 at 3:03 AM
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Get to know our WriteNOW! Conference faculty before the conference! Take a deeper dive in this interview with D.M. Rowell who will be featured on Saturday's panel "Doing Justice to Characters Unlike Yourself."
pod.co/lit-with-llo...
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D.M. Rowell - Lit with Lloyd
Like her protagonist Mud, D. M. Rowell comes from a long line of Kiowa Storytellers within a culture that treasures oral traditions. She’s an award-winning and nominated producer/writer on several doc...
pod.co
August 22, 2025 at 5:14 AM
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Catriona McPherson is the award-winning author of several mystery series as well as many standalone crime novels. She'll share her secrets about keeping things fresh & exciting!

Register for the WriteNOW! Conference at DesertSleuths.com
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WriteNOW! Conference Fri-Sat, Sept 19-20, Virtual Catriona McPherson - Panelist: Keeping the Creative Juices Flowing Catriona McPherson was born in Scotland and immigrated to California in 2010. A former academic linguist, her multi-award-winning and national best-selling work includes the Dandy Gilver historical detective stories, the Last Ditch mysteries, and standalone novels including Edgar-finalist The Day She Died and Mary Higgins Clark finalist Strangers at the Gate. Friday: Agent pitch sessions ($35), an editor's assessment of your first 3 chapters ($60), and a writing craft workshop ($35) Saturday: One fee for a full day of panels, a workshop, and presentations; $25 Desert Sleuth members; $35 all others For registration and conference details: http://desertsleuths.com/writenow-2025/
September 10, 2025 at 3:13 PM
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Weekend chores go faster w/ podcasts! Get to know Wendy H Jones, WriteNOW! Conference faculty, who will be presenting, "Self-edit Your Way to Being a Better Writer."
www.sistersincrime.org/page/Wendy_H...

Register for the conference at DesertSleuths.com
@wendyhjones.bsky.social #DSWN25 #AmWriting
Image of Wendy H Jones with name of podcast and website address: The Sisters in Crime Writers' Podcast: Guest Wendy H Jones https://www.sistersincrime.org/podcast
August 23, 2025 at 4:50 PM
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Allison Brennan's WriteNOW! Conference workshop will help us understand the mystery, thriller, & suspense genres so that we can rock the book world like she does!

Register for the WriteNOW! Conference at DesertSleuths.com
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WriteNOW! Conference Fri-Sat, Sept 19-20, Virtual Allison Brennan - Is it Thriller, Mystery, or Suspense? Where does your suspense fit into the market? Is it more a thriller... or mystery? What's the difference? This workshop covers: -Characters across the suspense genre -How conflict works- and how it doesn't -What stakes really mean -How to use pacing to create tension -The market for suspense New York Times bestselling author Allison Brennan believes life is too short to be bored, so she had five kids and writes three books a year. While she is best known for the Quinn & Costa FBI thrillers and the Lucy Kincaid series, she recently launched the Phoenix-set Angelhart Investigations mystery series and on occasion writes a stand-alone novel—including the romantic mystery, Beach Reads and Deadly Deeds, that came out this summer. Friday: Agent pitch sessions ($35), an editor's assessment of your first 3 chapters ($60), and a writing craft workshop ($35) Saturday: One fee for a full day of panels, a workshop, and presentations; $25 Desert Sleuth members; $35 all others For registration and conference details: http://desertsleuths.com/writenow-2025/
September 2, 2025 at 3:10 PM
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Award-winning documentarian & professional storyteller D.M. Rowell will be joining the conference to discuss Doing Justice to Characters Unlike Yourself. We're so happy to have her!

Register for the WriteNOW! Conference at DesertSleuths.com
#DSWN25 #AmWriting #MysteryWriters @dmrowell.bsky.social
WriteNOW! Conference Fri-Sat, Sept 19-20, Virtual D.M. Rowell - Panelist: Doing Justice to Characters Unlike Yourself D.M. Rowell (Koyh Mi O Boy Dah), an enrolled citizen of the Kiowa Tribe, comes from a long line of storytellers. After a 32-year career spinning stories for Silicon Valley companies and creating award-winning documentaries, Rowell began writing the Mud Sawpole mysteries featuring a professional Kiowa woman solving thefts and murders. The first, Never Name the Dead, was a Mary Higgins Clark Award Finalist. Friday: Agent pitch sessions ($35), an editor's assessment of your first 3 chapters ($60), and a writing craft workshop ($35) Saturday: One fee for a full day of panels, a workshop, and presentations; $25 Desert Sleuth members; $35 all others For registration and conference details: http://desertsleuths.com/writenow-2025/
September 7, 2025 at 4:41 PM
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Karen Odden will present a vital "hands-on" review of the elements needed to create a compelling first page & hook a reader. Very much, Yes, please!

Register for the WriteNOW! Conference at DesertSleuths.com
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WriteNOW! Conference Fri-Sat, Sept 19-20, Virtual Karen Odden - Grand Openings: The All-Important First Page In today’s competitive literary marketplace, a compelling first page is vital to attracting the attention of agents, editors, and readers. In this session, we examine 10 opening pages from notable books to identify 14 distinct elements of successful openings that suggest conflict, create engagement, generate surprise and suspense, and compel the reader to turn the page. This session is “hands-on” with a hand-out. USA Today bestselling author Karen Odden received her PhD from NYU in 2001, writing her dissertation on Victorian literature, and she has remained in that world for her fiction, setting all her books in 1870s London. Her fourth, Down a Dark River, was an Oprah Daily pick; the sequel, Under a Veiled Moon, was nominated for the Agatha, Lefty, and Anthony awards for best historical mystery in 2023. Her short stories appear in numerous anthologies including the forthcoming BEST MYSTERY STORIES OF THE YEAR 2025, ed. Otto Penzler & John Grisham. Her next book, AN ARTFUL DODGE, forthcoming from Soho Crime (August 2026), about an all-women thieving gang, was pitched as Oceans 8 meets Victorian London. The recipient of both an Arizona Commission on the Arts grant and the Spirit of Literacy Award, and a former writer-in-residence at the Glendale Library, Karen has offered writing workshops nationally since 2019. She serves as Publicity Liaison on the SinC National Board and divides her time between Arizona and Utah, where she loves to hike while plotting murder. Friday: Agent pitch sessions ($35), an editor's assessment of your first 3 chapters ($60), and a writing craft workshop ($35) Saturday: One fee for a full day of panels, a workshop, and presentations; $25 Desert Sleuth members; $35 all others For registration and conference details: http://desertsleuths.com/writenow-2025/
September 4, 2025 at 11:27 PM
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We've got an amazing virtual opportunity to pitch Melissa Rechter, Editor at Crooked Lane Books & Alcove Press. This kind of personal face time is so valuable! Check out her Manuscript Wishlist:
www.manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/me...

@melissarechter.bsky.social #AmWriting #AmQuerying #DSWN25
Melissa Rechter – The Official Manuscript Wish List Website
www.manuscriptwishlist.com
August 24, 2025 at 10:00 PM
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Bestselling author Lois Winston writes romantic suspense, humorous amateur sleuth mysteries, craft-themed mysteries, non-fiction, & more! Get her expert tips on keeping those creative juices flowing!

Register for the WriteNOW! Conference at DesertSleuths.com
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WriteNOW! Conference Fri-Sat, Sept 19-20, Virtual Lois Winston- Panelist: Keeping the Creative Juices Flowing USA Today and Amazon bestselling author Lois Winston's day job as an award-winning craft and needlework designer led Lois to write the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries, which Kirkus Reviews dubbed "North Jersey's more mature answer to Stephanie Plum." She has published twenty-four novels, a children's chapter book, and a nonfiction book on writing, inspired by her work as an associate at a literary agency. Friday: Agent pitch sessions ($35), an editor's assessment of your first 3 chapters ($60), and a writing craft workshop ($35) Saturday: One fee for a full day of panels, a workshop, and presentations; $25 Desert Sleuth members; $35 all others For registration and conference details: http://desertsleuths.com/writenow-2025/
August 31, 2025 at 7:18 PM
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Our WriteNOW! Conference has virtual, 1-on-1, 10-minute pitch opportunities w/ literary agent Ginger Hutchinson of Moveable Type Management. Don't miss out!

Register for the WriteNOW! Conference at DesertSleuths.com
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WriteNOW! Conference Fri-Sat, Sept 19-20, Virtual PitchNOW! with Ginger Hutchinson of Moveable Type Management As an agent, Ginger is collaborative and editorial. She loves working with writers who are committed to honing their craft one sentence at a time. She looks for high-concept stories, thrillers, mysteries, book-club, horror, historical, light fantasy/sci-fi, and high concept romance. Ginger only represents books for adults. Friday: Agent pitch sessions ($35), an editor's assessment of your first 3 chapters ($60), and a writing craft workshop ($35) Saturday: One fee for a full day of panels, a workshop, and presentations; $25 Desert Sleuth members; $35 all others
August 30, 2025 at 10:22 PM
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Edith Maxwell (Maddie Day) has written over 35 books plus short stories. She's gonna share how she "keeps those creative juices flowing!" Stuck? Could be just what you need!

Register for the WriteNOW! Conference at DesertSleuths.com
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WriteNOW! Conference Fri-Sat, Sept 19-20, Virtual Edith Maxwell- Panelist: Keeping the Creative Juices Flowing Edith Maxwell, writing as Maddie Day, writes the Country Store Mysteries, the Cozy Capers Book Group Mysteries, the Cece Barton Mysteries, and the historical Dot and Amelia Mysteries. As Edith Maxwell, she writes the Agatha-Award winning historical Quaker Midwife Mysteries and short crime fiction. She's a member of Mystery Writers of America and a proud lifetime member of Sisters in Crime. Friday: Agent pitch sessions ($35), an editor's assessment of your first 3 chapters ($60), and a writing craft workshop ($35) Saturday: One fee for a full day of panels, a workshop, and presentations; $25 Desert Sleuth members; $35 all others For registration and conference details: http://desertsleuths.com/writenow-2025/
August 28, 2025 at 3:05 PM
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Struggling w/ your manuscript? Need an experienced perspective? The WriteNOW! Conference offers editing feedback w/ Anne Rainbow (aka ScrivenerVirgin & RedPen Mentor) for a review of your first 3 chapters (25-30 pages). Register at DesertSleuths.com

#DSWN25 #AmEditing #AmWriting #WritingCommunity
WriteNOW! Conference EditNOW! with Anne Rainbow Is your manuscript in progress? Does it need an editor's eye to make sure it's headed in the right direction, you don't have a weak opening, or whether that extra scene adds value to the story? UK-based Anne Rainbow, aka ScrivenerVirgin and RedPen Mentor, will apply her RedPen Editing process to your submission of your first 3 chapters. Through WriteNOW! 2025, Anne's $119.58/hr fee is only $60. EditNOW! is an asynchronous (offline) assessment/developmental edit of the first three chapters, approximately 25-30 pages, of your manuscript by a professional editor. Your registration is a placeholder. After registration, you will receive instructions on where and how to submit your manuscript. The editor will return it, with comments and suggestions, by mid-October. Friday: Agent pitch sessions ($35), an editor's assessment of your first 3 chapters ($60), and a writing craft workshop ($35) Saturday: One fee for a full day of panels, a workshop, and presentations; $25 Desert Sleuth members; $35 all others For registration and conference details: http://desertsleuths.com/writenow-2025/
August 25, 2025 at 4:04 PM
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Get to know WriteNOW! Conference faculty & bestselling author Allison Brennan who will be presenting the workshop "Is It Thriller, Mystery, or Suspense?"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pm6t...

Register for the WriteNOW! Conference at DesertSleuths.com

#DSWN25 #AmWriting #WritingCommunity #MysteryWriters
Get To Know Best-selling Author Allison Brennan
YouTube video by Outliers Writing University
www.youtube.com
August 24, 2025 at 5:17 PM
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Robyn Gigl, author of legal thrillers, attorney, & advocate, will be an esteemed panelist for the WriteNOW! Conference discussing "Doing Justice to Characters Unlike Yourself."

Register for the WriteNOW! Conference at DesertSleuths.com
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WriteNOW! Conference Fri-Sat, Sept 19-20, Virtual Robyn Gigl - Panelist: Doing Justice to Characters Unlike Yourself Robyn Gigl is an author, attorney, and advocate. Her first novel, By Way of Sorrow, was named one of the best crime novels of 2021 by CrimeReads. Her second, Survivor's Guilt, was selected by Time Magazine as one of the 100 best mystery and thriller books of all time. Robyn has been honored by the NJ Women Lawyers Association, the ACLU-NJ, and the NJ Pride Network for her work on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community. Friday: Agent pitch sessions ($35), an editor's assessment of your first 3 chapters ($60), and a writing craft workshop ($35) Saturday: One fee for a full day of panels, a workshop, and presentations; $25 Desert Sleuth members; $35 all others For registration and conference details: http://desertsleuths.com/writenow-2025/
August 30, 2025 at 4:48 PM
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Award-winning author Deborah J Ledford will be facilitating the WriteNOW! Conference panel, Doing Justice to Characters Unlike Yourself. We can't wait!

Register for the WriteNOW! Conference at DesertSleuths.com
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WriteNOW! Conference Fri-Sat, Sept 19-20, Virtual Deborah J Ledford- Panel Moderator: Doing Justice to Characters Unlike Yourself Deborah J Ledford is the award-winning author of the Eva "Lightning Dance" Duran series, including Redemption and Havoc. She is president of the media company IOF Productions Ltd and producer of Causing Chaos and Crescendo, Anthony Award Nominees for Best Audiobook. Deborah is a member of International Thriller Writers, Mystery Writers of America, and Sisters of Crime, and is a past-president of SinC Desert Sleuths. Friday: Agent pitch sessions ($35), an editor's assessment of your first 3 chapters ($60), and a writing craft workshop ($35) Saturday: One fee for a full day of panels, a workshop, and presentations; $25 Desert Sleuth members; $35 all others For registration and conference details: http://desertsleuths.com/writenow-2025/
September 4, 2025 at 5:04 AM
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Incoming President of @sincworldwide.bsky.social, Raquel V Reyes will pep us up abt our writing careers, & boy, could we use that positive energy! Come get a dose & a plan!

Register for the WriteNOW! Conference at DesertSleuths.com
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WriteNOW! Conference Fri-Sat, Sept 19-20, Virtual Raquel V Reyes- Investing in Your Career: A Pep Talk about Planning, Professionalism, and Patience Sisters in Crime Vice President Raquel V Reyes' Caribbean Kitchen Mystery seris is being adapted as a television series, Miami Spice. In this presentation, Raquel promises: real talk about goals, expectations, and the reality of an author's career. She will help you envision your career path and offer advice that is practical, workable, and encouraging. Friday: Agent pitch sessions ($35), an editor's assessment of your first 3 chapters ($60), and a writing craft workshop ($35) Saturday: One fee for a full day of panels, a workshop, and presentations; $25 Desert Sleuth members; $35 all others For registration and conference details: http://desertsleuths.com/writenow-2025/
September 7, 2025 at 1:13 AM
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Award-winning reporter and mystery author, Christina Estes, is back to host the WriteNOW! Conference on Sat, Sept 20, and we could not be more excited!

Register for the WriteNOW! Conference at DesertSleuths.com
#DSWN25 #AmWriting #WritingCommunity #MysteryWriters #SinC @reporterestes.bsky.social
WriteNOW! Conference Fri-Sat, Sept 19-20, Virtual Christina Estes - Host, Facilitator Christina Estes is an award-winning reporter who spent more than twenty years covering crime, public policy, and business for TV and radio stations in Phoenix, Arizona. Her reporting has appeared on CBS and NPR. Christina’s career inspired her mystery series featuring a local reporter, which began with Off the Air, winner of the Tony Hillerman Prize and a Good Morning America Buzz Pick. The sequel, The Story That Wouldn't Die, was released in August 2025. Friday: Agent pitch sessions ($35), an editor's assessment of your first 3 chapters ($60), and a writing craft workshop ($35) Saturday: One fee for a full day of panels, a workshop, and presentations; $25 Desert Sleuth members; $35 all others For registration and conference details: http://desertsleuths.com/writenow-2025/
September 11, 2025 at 9:30 PM