A quick check of the best-seller lists confirms the immense popularity of mysteries and crime stories. And there’s no better mecca than Eatonton for anyone who loves a good thriller.
So, there is no mystery to the allure of attending Georgia Writers Museum’s (GWM’s) Southern Fried Crime Conference and Retreat scheduled for April 4-5 on the shores of Lake Oconee, near Eatonton.
Whether an experienced author or an aspiring writer, everyone will enjoy and benefit from this intimate experience, which will provide a unique setting for learning, networking, and working.
All conference faculty members are renowned authors with deep experience in the mystery/crime-writing genre. From practical workshops to encouraging keynotes to engaging discussions, attendees will learn and gain new ways to improve their writing skills and enhance their success as mystery/crime authors.
Friday evening of the conference, attendees will be treated to an evening of Crime & Wine with Law Enforcement Hall of Fame member Sheryl “Mac” McCollum. This very popular, always sold-out event begins at 7 p.m. after doors open a half-hour earlier and will be open to the public. Tickets for non-conference attendees will be $40 or $35 each for two or more.
McCollum’s program takes an in-depth look at unsolved cold case files. She and her team share their experience, the case “murder box,” and much more with the audience for a hands-on investigation of a real cold case.
Another special feature of the GWM Southern Fried Crime Conference will be a keynote address by renowned mystery writer Wanda Morris. Morris is the acclaimed author of All Her Little Secrets, which has been reviewed by The Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, among other major newspapers and magazines.
Morris’s second book, Anywhere You Run, was named in 2022 among the “Top-10 Crime Fiction Books” by The New York Times, and her book, What You Leave Behind, was called “one of the best books of the year,” by Amazon editors that same year. It was also featured in People Magazine, U.S.
Weekly, and the AJC. Morris also won the 2023 Georgia Author of the Year Award for Best Mystery.
This jam-packed conference opens on Saturday with Blue Ridge Mountain Cozy Mysteries author Cathy Pickens speaking on “Using True Crime to Write Better Crime Fiction.”
It will be followed by “Cashing in On Crimes of Yesteryear: Researching and Writing Historical Mystery Fiction,” presented by Paul A. Barra, author of Samson and the Charleston Spy and Sgt. Ford’s Widow.
Saturday afternoon will feature Lynn Cahoon’s “Killing Me Softly: Writing the Cozy Mystery,” which proved to be a very popular session at the recent GWM Writers Retreat. Cahoon is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling mystery writer and will be followed by Townsend Prize finalist Peter Selgin presenting his renowned workshop, “Your First Page.”
To ensure close connections between GWM Southern Fried Crime Conference presenters and participants, attendance will be limited to the first 45 people who register.
The full conference fee is $300, or $145 for one day.
Sign up now for two days of instruction, inspiration, and fun. Visit GWM online at georgiawritersmuseum.org to register.