SleuthFest

Registration Rates Rise at Midnight Tonight!

2012-01-15T09:35:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

I’ve been hiding out – a bird can’t be too careful during holidays when relatives are the featured entrée.

Registration rates go up after midnight tonight; it’s not too late to get the Early Bird rate. The Mystery Dinner Theatre rate also goes up after midnight tonight – register for it today, and spend the extra $20 you’ll save on books at the SleuthFest bookstore.

For sci-fi and horror fans, F. Paul Wilson is coming to SleuthFest. We’re excited to have him, and he proves the point that the basics of writing – plot, characters, dialogue, and setting – transcend genre.

It’s not too late to buy an ad in the program. The deadline is January 20. Contact Kelly Nichols (pjparish@aol.com) for more information. A quarter-page ad is only $75, and it will be in a program book that attendees usually keep. It’s a great way to get in front of your target audience, and also get a big bang for your advertising buck.

We’ve sent the draft schedule in an email blast. It isn’t the final schedule, but you’ll get enough of an idea of workshops, panels, and who’s presenting what to start planning your conference days. If you didn't get it, email SleuthFestLinda@gmail.com to have it forwarded to you.

I’m off for now, but I’ll have more exciting news to share with you soon.

SleuthFest Freddy

The Life and Death of a Pumpkin

2011-10-31T11:35:00.000-07:00

Halloween greetings -

I write this from rainy Florida, knowing that some of you had snow over the weekend. Halloween has been cancelled - the trick or treating portion anyway (hasn't Mother Nature tricked you enough already?).

SleuthFest has a writing track that will cover Viewpoint; we'll likely also have an in-depth workshop on Viewpoint on Third Degree Thursday (March 1, 2012). We hope to have a preliminary schedule up by the mid-November, so you can take a look and see if it suits your writing needs. 2011 registration fees will be good through November 15; they go up November 16 - January 15, 2012, before increasing again.

The Life and Death of a Pumpkin is an excellent primer on Viewpoint, because the story is told only from the pumpkin's perspective. Turn the volume up, because the narration and sound effects add to the visual of the film. Enjoy it, remember it, and best of all, utilize it when you're writing viewpoint.

Have you Liked us yet on Facebook?

Happy Halloween from SleuthFest Freddy!

Short Story Contest

2011-10-26T15:09:00.000-07:00

The SleuthFest Short Story Contest is open to all unpublished SF attendees who register before December 20. The submission deadline is postmarked no later than December 20. The winner receives free registration to SleuthFest 2013 and their winning story published in the SleuthFest 2012 program.

The link for information about the SleuthFest Short Story Contest is here: http://mwaflorida.org/sleuthfest2012shortstory.htm. There are links on that page to the two previous winning entries, written by Linda Benson and Elaine Togneri.

Your story must assume the following facts: It is Thursday, March 1, 2012 and you are staying at (or just arriving at) the Royal Plaza Hotel, the venue for SleuthFest 2012, which (for purposes of this contest) is right in the middle of The Magic Kingdom®. A child (yours or one the random million kids in the immediate area) asks for your help. He (she) has spotted a pair of Mickey Mouse ears in a bush (Under a tree? Someplace more clever?) but is having trouble pulling them loose. (For those of you who have avoided all popular culture references, Mickey Mouse ears consist of a black beanie with two large black plastic mouse ears attached.) You help and find the problem is that a head, but only the head, is still attached to the ears.

Intrigued? Creative juices flowing? Picture the scenario, and take it from there. Rules and pertinent information are on the website.

Remember: you must be registered for SleuthFest to submit a short story; your story must follow the story setup outlined above and on the website; and your manuscript copies must be postmarked by December 20.

Can’t wait to read this year’s entries!

SleuthFest 2012

2011-10-16T16:52:00.000-07:00

SleuthFest is changing locations. After four years at the Deerfield Beach Hilton, and 13 years in the South Florida area, we'll be in Orlando March 1-4, 2012. We're thrilled to have a stellar lineup: Chris Grabenstein is our Thursday Spotlight Speaker; Jeffery Deaver is our Friday Guest of Honor; and Charlaine Harris is our Saturday Guest of Honor.

We'll be at the Royal Plaza Hotel in the Walt Disney World Resort. The good news is the hotel is walking distance to Downtown Disney, with a wide variety of restaurants, shopping, and entertainment options. Mix and mingle with agents, editors, fellow attendees, and our Guests of Honor during the conference or at the bar. Meet fellow attendees and reconnect with friends at the SleuthFest 101 dinner, held Thursday evening before Reader's Corner.

New for 2012: a trip to a gun range and a Mystery Dinner Theater (Wednesday and Friday, respectively). Space for both is limited, so sign up if you're interested. The gun range event is on Wednesday, February 29, from 4-7, and we have transportation to and from the hotel arranged. Shoot guns without worrying about missing a workshop or panel. Registration is open and it's not too late to lock in 2011 registration rates; register here before November 15, before the rates go up. Included in the registration cost are lunch Friday and Saturday, Agents and Editors Cocktail Party Saturday evening, and breakfast Sunday morning. More information will be provided in future posts.

We'll be posting a very rough, preliminary schedule shortly, as well as a list of the Agents and Editors who have confirmed. Check back periodically for updates to those pages and the list of attendees.

See you in Orlando!