Name: Suspense, Intrigue, & Danger: What Mystery Writers Can Teach Us All
Start: 2027-01-17T10:45:00-0500
End: 2027-01-17T11:45:00-0500

Suspense, Intrigue, & Danger: What Mystery Writers Can Teach Us All

Sunday January 17, 2027 10:45am - 11:45am EST

TBA

Mystery and thriller writers are masters of tension — the art of making readers desperate to turn the page, no matter what's actually happening in the story. This session pulls back the curtain on those techniques and shows how they apply far beyond the genre: pacing reveals, planting clues (and red herrings), building dread, and structuring a plot so momentum never lets up. Whether you're writing literary fiction, romance, memoir, or anything in between, you'll leave with concrete tools for creating suspense and keeping readers hooked, page after page.

Moderators

Jenna Blum

MURDER YOUR DARLINGS, Author

Jenna Blum is the New York Times and # 1 internationally bestselling author of four novels, including Those Who Save Us, The Stormchasers, and The Lost Family; memoir Woodrow on the Bench; audiocourse “The Author at Work: The Art of Writing Fiction” and WWII podcast Th... Read More →

Speakers

Hank Phillippi Ryan

MOTHER DAUGHTER SISTER STRANGER, Author

Hank Phillippi Ryan is the USA Today bestselling author of 17 thrillers, including The Murder List and One Wrong Word. Her newest is Mother Daughter Sister Stranger from Minotaur Books, which Lisa Scottoline calls "Riveting!" and Mary Kubica says, "readers will devour this in one... Read More →

Edwin Hill

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT, Author

Edwin Hill’s critically-acclaimed crime novels include Who To Believe and The Secrets We Share, and three novels in the Hester Thursby series. His latest thriller What Happened Next will publish in March. He has been nominated for Edgar and Agatha Awards and received starred re... Read More →

Joe Moldover

TO THE END OF RECKONING, Author

Joseph Moldover’s mystery debut, To the End of Reckoning, was published by Mysterious Press in April 2026. He is also the author of the Young Adult novels Every Moment After and Just Until. His short fiction has appeared in McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, Stonecoast Review, Mo... Read More →

Sunday January 17, 2027 10:45am - 11:45am EST
TBA

Track 1: Deep Craft

Tickets

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TBR 2027

Jenna Blum

Hank Phillippi Ryan

Edwin Hill

Joe Moldover

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Success you have shared X tickets.

TBR 2027

Jenna Blum

Hank Phillippi Ryan

Edwin Hill

Joe Moldover

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