2014 May 29 – Killer Nashville’s Guest of Honor William Kent Krueger Wins Edgar Award for “Ordinary Grace”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Nashville, TN. May 29, 2014

WHAT: 9th annual Killer Nashville® International Thriller, Mystery and Crime Literature Writers’ Conference
WHEN: August 21-24, 2014
WHERE: Hutton Hotel & Convention Center, Nashville, TN

Bestselling author William Kent Krueger says he is overwhelmed by the extraordinary reception for his Edgar® Award-winning literary achievement with “Ordinary Grace.”

Krueger, the 2014 winner of the prestigious Edgar® Award for Best Novel, will be one of the Guests of Honor at the 9th annual Killer Nashville International Writers’ Conference occurring the fourth full weekend in August.

“I can’t adequately convey how happy I am that this story so special to me has been recognized in this way,” Krueger tweeted after being honored on May 1 at the 68th annual Edgar Allan Poe Awards in New York City, honoring the best in mystery fiction, non-fiction and television published or produced in 2013.

Krueger, who lives in St. Paul, Minn., is best known for his long-running New York Times bestselling Cork O’Connor series which is set in the north woods of Minnesota. But says he is most proud of what he achieved with “Ordinary Grace.”

“It’s not a Cork O’Connor novel, but it’s the best thing I’ve ever written,” Krueger said. “Sometimes, as an author, you’re given a story. It comes, just comes, and it’s so compelling that it haunts you until you’ve written it. For me, that was “Ordinary Grace”…I put everything I know about storytelling into this book.”

Besides “Ordinary Grace,” Krueger also published his thirteenth Cork O’Connor book, “Tamarack County,” in August 2013.

“Having William Kent Krueger (2014 Edgar Winner) as our Guest of Honor is just another example of the high quality of our speakers this year,” said Clay Stafford, Founder of Killer Nashville. Joining Krueger as a Guest of Honor for the 2014 Killer Nashville International Thriller, Mystery, and Crime Literature Writers’ Conference is Lisa Jackson, who has written more than 75 novels, many of which are New York Times and USA Today bestsellers.

Krueger and Jackson will each have an interview, presentation and book signing on Saturday, August 23, followed by that evening’s Guest of Honor banquet. As the number of seats for the Guest of Honor dinner is limited, they are available for purchase on a first-come, first-served basis.

Now in its ninth year, Killer Nashville has become one of the nation’s most prestigious book events. Last summer, Publishers Weekly named Killer Nashville and founder Clay Stafford as one of the top 10 Nashville literary  leaders playing “an essential role in defining which books become bestsellers” not only in middle-Tennessee, but also extending “beyond the city limits and into the nation’s book culture.” (PW 6/10/13).

The Killer Nashville International Thriller, Mystery, and Crime Literature Writers’ Conference, held annually on the fourth full weekend in August, was created in 2006 by author/filmmaker Clay Stafford to bring together forensic experts, writers, and fans of crime and thriller literature. The conference draws attendees from as far away as Portmahomack, Scotland; Rome, Italy; and Hadano, Kanagawa, Japan. For interviews or more information: www.KillerNashville.com, Contact@KillerNashville.com, 615-599-4032.

Killer Nashville | c/o American Blackguard, Inc. | 314 Watercress Drive | Franklin, Tennessee 37064-3234

2014 April 22 - First 50 Pages In Killer Nashville Claymore Award Provides A Springboard To Author's Success Story: An Agent & a 2-Book Deal

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Nashville, TN. April 22, 2014

Deadline for the next Claymore Award competition is April 30, 2014.

Terry Shames entered the Claymore Award four years ago full of dreams. In the end, she wound up with so much more – two nominations for the prestigious Claymore Award, an agent, a two-book deal, and a nomination for a Squid Award (the 2014 Left Coast Crimes Award) and now A Killing at Cotton Hill is also a finalist for the Strand Magazine award for Best First Mystery. Killer Nashville is honored to have played a role in her success.

How influential is Killer Nashville and the Claymore Award? Publisher’s Weekly has recognized the Killer Nashville writers’ conference and its founder Clay Stafford as playing “an essential role in defining which books become bestsellers” throughout “the nation’s book culture.” (PW 6/10/13) Terry Shames had heard of Killer Nashville’s success stories and became one herself.

“I got a two-book contract for my Texas mystery series. Both of them were finalists for the Claymore Award,” said Shames, a native Texan who now resides in California.

“That’s what Killer Nashville is all about,” says Clay Stafford, the founder of Killer Nashville Thriller, Mystery, and Crime Literature Writers’ Conference. “It’s about making connections for authors.” This doesn’t include the other perks: over $1,500 in prizes to winners, getting a dream agent, getting an advance, getting a book published through a traditional publisher, maybe even a movie deal.

THE DEADLINE FOR THE NEXT COMPETITION IS APRIL 30, 2014. Rules and registration are available at www.ClaymoreAward.com. Winners will be announced during the award ceremony at Killer Nashville on Saturday, August 23, 2014.

“The first book, MURDER AT JARRETT CREEK (now A KILLING AT COTTON HILL, July 2013) was a 2010 finalist. Shortly after the announcement I got an agent I really wanted. Right after Killer Nashville made the announcement of my being a finalist again in 2012 for THE LAST DEATH OF JACK HARBIN, my agent called to say that I had an offer for the first book.

All it takes is the first 50 pages of an unpublished manuscript not currently under contract. The manuscript does not even need to be complete.

“I asked my agent if the publisher might be interested in a two-book deal. She sent them the 50 pages that I had sent for the contest, and they loved it and offered the contract for both books. Thank you Killer Nashville!”

Not everyone’s Killer Nashville success story will match Terry’s, but there’s always that dream — and that possibility! Since its inception in 2009, the writing contest has led to publication for many authors and to agent representation for still more.

Judges will consider any subgenre of mystery, thriller, and suspense, including action, adventure, children’s, comedy, cozy, CSI, detective, dystopian, erotica, faith-based, fantasy, gangster, historical, horror, legal, literary, middle grade, paranormal, police procedural, political thriller, private eye, romantic suspense, science fiction (sci-fi), spy, steampunk, urban fantasy, western, women’s fiction, and young adult (YA).

The Killer Nashville Thriller, Mystery, and Crime Literature Writers’ Conference, held annually on the fourth full weekend in August, was created in 2006 by author/filmmaker Clay Stafford to bring together forensic experts, writers, and fans of crime and thriller literature. The conference has drawn attendees from as far away as Portmahomack, Scotland; Rome, Italy; and Hadano, Kanagawa, Japan. For interviews or more information: www.ClaymoreAward.com, contact@KillerNashville.com, 615-599-4032.

Killer Nashville | c/o American Blackguard, Inc. | 314 Watercress Drive | Franklin, Tennessee 37064-3234

2014 April 8 - Killer Nashville Claymore Award Nets Author Major Movie Deal

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Nashville, TN. April 8, 2014

Author Goes From Killer Nashville Claymore Award Winner to Major Book & Hollywood Movie Deal – Sony, Paramount, 20th Century Fox, Ron Howard. Deadline for the next Claymore Award competition is April 30, 2014.

Which is better? Winning a contest? $1,500 in prizes? Finding an agent? Getting a book published? Getting an advance? Getting a movie deal? How about all six? Winning the Killer Nashville Claymore Award may get you all this.

Nashville has long been known as the launching pad for successful country music careers, but author Jonathan Stone is an example of other success stories being written in Music City.

A longtime creative director at a New York advertising agency, Jonathan Stone’s writing career reached new heights after AGAIN won the prestigious 2012 Claymore Award at the Killer Nashville Thriller, Mystery, and Crime Literature Writers’ Conference.

Winning the Killer Nashville Claymore Award changed Jonathan’s career for the better. He also met his agent, Jill Marr of the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency, at Killer Nashville. And now the book is being developed into a movie. “That’s what Killer Nashville is all about,” says Clay Stafford, the founder of Killer Nashville. “It’s about making connections for authors.”

THE DEADLINE FOR THE NEXT COMPETITION IS APRIL 30, 2014. Rules and registration are available at www.ClaymoreAward.com.

Still amazed by the swiftness of how it all came together, Jonathan says AGAIN is currently re-titled MOVING DAY as a book and WRONG MOVE for film.

All it takes is the first 50 pages of an unpublished manuscript. The manuscript does not even need to be complete.

“My agent Jill (to whom I was also introduced through Killer Nashville after winning the Claymore Award) and her rights co-agent Andrea sent it to their Hollywood co-agent, who loved it,” Jonathan said.

“And next thing I know, he has five big production companies (Ron Howard’s Imagine Entertainment; Dan Lin, producer of the Sherlock Holmes movies, etc.) all taking it in to their respective studios – Sony, Paramount, 20th Century Fox, etc., etc.

“Then some folks we never even sent it to swooped in, made us an offer, and now have the rights – a team of two production companies – Nick Wechsler Productions (The Road, Time Traveler’s Wife, Magic Mike) and Steve Schwartz at Chockstone Pictures (The Host, Killing Them Softly, Tree of Life, etc.). Of course, a publisher made an offer two hours after the movie option deal – the tail wagged the dog! And it all got started thanks to a writing contest in Nashville!”

This kind of success doesn’t happen for everyone, of course, but winning the Claymore Award does indeed open the door to the possibility. Since its inception in 2009, the writing contest has led to publication for many authors and to agent representation for still more.

Killer Nashville’s Claymore Award offers aspiring authors more than $1,500 worth of prizes, plus a possible book advance and publication, plus possible agent representation, and – in the case of Jonathan Stone – a possible movie deal.

Judges will consider any subgenre of mystery, suspense, or thriller, including political thriller, cozy, police procedural, private eye, romantic suspense, paranormal mystery, and historical mystery.

Finalists will be posted on the Killer Nashville website and on our past winners page prior to the conference. Winners will be announced during the award ceremony at Killer Nashville on Saturday, August 23, 2014.

The Killer Nashville Thriller, Mystery, and Crime Literature Writers’ Conference, held annually on the fourth full weekend in August, was created in 2006 by author/filmmaker Clay Stafford to bring together forensic experts, writers, and fans of crime and thriller literature. The conference draws attendees from as far away as Portmahomack, Scotland; Rome, Italy; and Hadano, Kanagawa, Japan. For interviews or more information: www.KillerNashville.com, www.ClaymoreAward.com, Contact@KillerNashville.com, 615-599-4032. Click here to download a copy of this release.

Killer Nashville | c/o American Blackguard, Inc. | 314 Watercress Drive | Franklin, Tennessee 37064-3234