Instructor: Lisa Gardner

Description: While luck is always a factor in success, a good career plan also goes a long way.  Join Lisa Gardner for a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into making the New York Times list--and how you can start building your career today.

Bio: This New York Times bestselling crime novelist began her career in food service, but after catching her hair on fire numerous times, she took the hint and focused on writing instead.  A self-described research junkie, she has parlayed her interest in police procedure, cutting edge forensics and twisted plots into a streak of ten bestselling suspense novels, including her most recent release, The Neighbor.

Readers are invited to get in on the fun by entering the annual "Kill a Friend, Maim a Mate" Sweepstakes at www.LisaGardner.com where they can nominate the person of their choice to die in Lisa's latest novel.  Every year, one Lucky Stiff is selected for Literary Immortality.  It's cheaper than therapy, and you get a great book besides.

Lisa lives in New England with her husband, two highly spoiled dogs, one extremely neurotic cat and the world's most stubborn small child.

Instructor

Description: Many authors dream about leaving their day job and becoming a full-time writer.  But when does it make economic sense do so? It's important to write the best, most honest stories possible, but it's also important to know how to handle your income from those stories. Would a sudden large advance improve your life or potentially destroy it? Drawing on his 37 years as a professional writer, David Morrell (Rambo's father) discusses the business aspects of being an author.

Bio: David Morrell is the author of First Blood, the award-winning novel in which Rambo was created.  A co-founder of ITW, he has written numerous bestselling thrillers, which include The Brotherhood of the Rose (the basis for a top-rated NBC miniseries), The Fraternity of the Stone, Creepers, and The Shimmer.  His The Successful Novelist analyses what he has learned during his thirty-seven years as a published writer.  With eighteen million copies in print, his work has been translated into twenty-six languages. www.davidmorrell.net

Instructor: Peter Rubie

Description: Editors and agents consistently agree that the two elements missing from the majority of  manuscripts they reject is a weak or lackluster narrative "voice,"  and not enough emotional impact in the story.  This seminar will discuss how to find that voice and distinguish your narrative, while at the same time discussing the difference between narrative power, and melodrama and sentimentality.

Bio: Peter Rubie is the CEO of FinePrint Literary Management and has been a literary agent for nearly 20 years.  He is also the author of two published novels and a number of books about writing and publishing including The Elements of Storytelling (Wiley), and the recently rewritten The Elements of Narrative Non-Fiction (Quill Driver Books, 2009).  His books have been praised by industry experts such as former Harper editor and vp turned agent John Silbersack (Trident Media), Al Zuckerman (CEO Writer's House), Betsy Lerner (editor turned agent and author of The Forest for the Trees), and authors such as Mark Bowden (Black Hawk Down).  Prior to becoming an agent Rubie was a journalist working for Fleet Street newspapers in London and for BBC Radio News, as well as being editor in chief of a Manhattan local newspaper before becoming an editor at Walker & Co., for nearly 6 years. www.fineprintlit.com

Instructor: Hank Phillippi Ryan       

Description: Here's what you need to do to produce a successful television news story: Develop memorable characters. Build suspense. Show conflict. Tell a compelling story. Create a satisfying ending. Find justice. Change lives. That's exactly what Boston's premier investigative reporter Hank Phillippi Ryan's been doing for her entire career. But here's the scoop. Writing a successful thriller requires  exactly the same things. And Hank's years of experience with journalism can now give your book a boost.

With her top-ten list of questions, journalism techniques, solid practical applications and even in-class exercises, this Emmy- (and Agatha-) winning reporter will teach you the secrets of television news. And then: she'll show you exactly how those skills can work for you to develop the novel you always wanted to write. Or to make your next book better. It's a never-before-presented workshop...and your chance to learn the inside scoop!

Bio: Award-winning investigative reporter Hank Phillippi Ryan is on the air at Boston's NBC affiliate. Her thirty years in television have resulted in new laws, people sent to prison, homes removed from foreclosure, and millions of dollars in restitution. Along with her 26 EMMYs, Hank's won dozens of other honors for her groundbreaking journalism. She's been a radio reporter, a legislative aide in the United States Senate and an editorial assistant at Rolling Stone Magazine.

Her debut novels Prime Time (Agatha Winner, double RITA nominee and DAPHNE nominee) and Face Time (BookSense Notable Book), were best-sellers. Both are being re-issued in July and August 2009 as MIRA Books. Air Time is coming in September 2009 from MIRA and Drive Time in 2010. www.hankphillippiryan.com

CraftFest Sessions:

Instructor: James Scott Bell

Description: How to build tension into every exchange, even among allies. Orchestration (great dialogue begins before you write one line of it). How to make dialogue an extension or compression of action. Several techniques for tightening and heightening suspenseful dialogue.

Bio: James Scott Bell is the bestselling author of several thrillers, and the Ty Buchanan series (Try Dying, Try Darkness, Try Fear). He served as fiction columnist for Writers Digest and has written two bestselling craft books for the Writers Digest Books "Write Great Fiction" series  -- Plot & Structure and Revision & Self-Editing. A former trial lawyer, he lives and writes in L.A. His website is www.jamesscottbell.com.

Instructor: William Bernhardt

Description: William Goldman has said that, "Writing is structure."  Understanding story structure is one of the most important writing skills but one of the least frequently taught.  Bernhardt demonstrates how to organize the elements of your plot to create breathless pace, meaningful character arcs, and a thoroughly satisfying reading experience.

Bio: William Bernhardt loves his job and it shows in his writing. Library Journal has called him the "master of the courtroom drama."  His twenty-seven books have sold more than ten million copies worldwide. The Vancouver Sun dubbed him "the American equivalent of P.G. Wodehouse and John Mortimer." His most recent novel is Capitol Conspiracy, which takes attorney Ben Kincaid to Washington, D.C., for a high-profile case involving controversial anti-terrorist legislation, political skullduggery, and murder.  His forthcoming novel, Nemesis: The Final Case of Eliot Ness, solves the mystery of America's first serial killer, whose identity has eluded investigators for decades.  Bernhardt's novels are renowned for their unexpected twists, breathless pace, humor, and insightful consideration of issues confronting contemporary American society. He is also the author of The Code of Buddyhood, a coming-of-age novel described by The West Coast Review of Books as "a powerful and sophisticated novel about the nature of friendship," a biography for young adults, Equal Justice: The Courage of Ada Sipuel, a children's book, Princess Alice and the Dreadful Dragon, and he has edited an anthology of original short stories (Legal Briefs) and a multi-author fundraising novel for The Nature Conservancy (Natural Suspect). And as if that weren't enough, he is also an often-published poet and a member of the Academy of American Poets. www.williambernhardt.com 

Instructor: Steve Berry

Description: Story is not everything, it's absolutely everything. There is a right way and a wrong way. Structure is the key and we'll focus on the six C's to ensure the right result.

Bio: Steve has been writing since 1990, and though his undergraduate degree was in political science and he's trained as a lawyer, it was Steve's interest in history that led to him writing international suspense thrillers. They were the kind of books he liked to read, so naturally they became the kind of book he liked to write. Steve doesn't adhere to the adage, 'Write what you know'; instead, he says, 'Write what you love.' He also credits the nuns who taught him in Catholic school with instilling the discipline needed both to craft a novel and to find a publisher. It took Steve 12 years--85 rejections over 5 different manuscripts--before Ballantine Books finally bought a manuscript. Like he says, "I'm the poster child for the phrase, 'It can be done.'"  www.steveberry.org