Thursday 3-Hour Master Classes
2:00-5:00 P.M.
Thursday, August 21, 2025
$99 for registered attendees / $209 for unregistered participants
“Fun and motivating!”
– Wendy Kendall
Check out the 2024 Killer Nashville Master Class Options:
↓ Four Master Classes to Choose From – Scroll Down ↓
Your Secret Weapon to (More) Writing Success —Tropes…Yes, seriously / Cindy Dees
In this hands-on master craft class, we’ll work on tightening and honing your story structure and using tropes to find, refine, and edit your plot and character arcs. We’ll do exercises to find the tropes you should be writing, layering multiple tropes, packaging and marketing your books using tropes, and more. Bring a pen/laptop and be ready to work.
Cindy Dees
NYT and USA Today bestselling author, Cindy Dees, is the author of 100+ novels. A former U. S. Air Force pilot and part-time spy, she writes thrillers, military romance, and a bestselling, non-fiction, writing how-to series on using tropes. You can learn more or contact her at www.cindydees.com.
“I love this conference. I went last year for the first time and can’t wait for this one. I’m excited to be on a panel and looking forward to listening to other authors and friends discuss their writing experiences and insights!”
– Susan Crawford
Constructing/Deconstructing the Perfect Murder / D. P. Lyle
When your antagonist plans and executes “The Perfect Murder,” he always, ALWAYS, makes a mistake or two. These errors lead your sleuth to the solution. In this enlightening session, attendees will become the killer and “construct” the perfect murder in every detail—the where, when, how, and why. We will then don the hat of the protagonist and “deconstruct” the crime while considering the many variables that make plotting a murder fun for the writer and a disaster for the antagonist. We will delve into the killer’s Pre-Crime Behavior, the steps taken to “do the deed,” and his Post-Crime Behavior from social, psychological, forensics, investigative, and motivational points of view, providing you with a comprehensive understanding of the art of murder plotting.
D. P. Lyle
D. P. Lyle is the Amazon #1 Bestselling; Macavity and Benjamin Franklin Award-winning; and Edgar(2), Agatha, Anthony, Shamus, Scribe, and USA Today Best Book(2) nominated author of 25 books. He has worked with the writers of the TV’s Law & Order, CSI: Miami, Monk, House, and other shows. He is also a former Guest of Honor at Killer Nashville International Writers’ Conference. https://www.dplylemd.com Outliers Writing University: https://www.outlierswritinguniversity.com
“As an aspiring novelist, I can easily say that attending Killer Nashville International Writers’ Conference was a fundamental turning point in my career. I learned how to pitch my novel, how to polish my manuscript, and met my agent in a pitch session.”
– Deitrich Stogner
From Novice to Novelist / John DeDakis
We’ll begin with an overview that demystifies and deconstructs how to write a novel—thriller, mystery, or any genre. Then, you’ll learn deep listening skills that will widen your horizons so that you can write down what you don’t know. We’ll end with a deep dive into how to buff and polish your manuscript to bring your writing to a professional level.
John DeDakis
Novelist, writing coach, and manuscript editor John DeDakis is a former editor on CNN’s “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.” DeDakis is the author of five mystery-suspense novels. His fourth novel, Bullet in the Chamber, is the winner of Reviewers Choice, Foreword INDIES, and Feathered Quill book awards. In his most recent novel, Fake, protagonist Lark Chadwick is a White House correspondent dealing with “fake news” in the era of #MeToo. Fake earned Honorable Mention for the Reviewers Choice Award and was a Finalist for Killer Nashville’s Silver Falchion, and for CIBA’s CLUE Award. DeDakis is also the host of the video podcast “One-to-One with John DeDakis” on YouTube.
Learn more about John at https://www.johndedakis.com
“I ended up shelving the manuscript for 13 years. Last year, I dusted off that manuscript, made some edits, and took both novels to the Killer Nashville International Writers’ Conference. This is where I met my publisher. The rest, they say, is history. It would not have happened without Killer Nashville.”
– Sandy Manning
Presenting Yourself as a Professional Author / Carmen Amato, Ashley Hagen, Lisa Wysocky
Presented by The Dangerous Pen Society, participants will learn how to make the most of author conferences and networking opportunities before the full Killer Nashville schedule to get the most out of the conference experience. The session will cover creating a first impression, networking do's and don'ts, refining how to talk about your books, author branding, and case studies of who is doing it right.
Carmen Amato
Ex-CIA officer Carmen Amato crafts crime fiction brimming with danger and deception. Beginning with Cliff Diver, her Detective Emilia Cruz mystery series pits the first female police detective in Acapulco against Mexico's cartels and corruption. A judge for the BookLife Prize and Killer Nashville’s Claymore Award, Carmen’s essays have appeared in Criminal Element, Publishers Weekly, and other national publications. Find out more at carmenamato.net.
Ashley Hagen
Ashley Sargeant Hagan writes traditional mysteries with a large dose of romance. In her Backstage Mystery series a British actor plays a detective on television yet finds himself solving actual crimes. A long-time resident of Nashville, Ashley is also a professional editor and publishing consultant and the immediate past president of Sisters in Crime Middle Tennessee. When not writing, she is in her vintage and new shop or supporting other authors through The Dangerous Pen Society.
Lisa Wysocky
Lisa Wysocky is the author of more than twenty fiction and nonfiction books and the ghostwriter for several dozen more. She is an in-demand book editor, host of the Celebs with Horses podcast, and the author of the award-winning Cat Enright cozy equestrian mystery series, now optioned for television. Lisa also serves as executive director of the nonprofit organization Colby’s Army. Find out more at lisawysocky.com, or at lisawysocky@gmail.com.