Mystery Writers of America - New York Chapter

Panel Discussion: Creating Unforgettable Characters
2026-05-18 17:00 - 18:00 (America/New_York) | Tredyffrin Library, 582 Upper Gulph Rd., Strafford, Pennsylvnia, 19087, United States
MWA Panel: “Creating Unforgettable Characters” In Person
Join us on Monday, May 18, for a free panel discussion on character development. At the heart of any memorable story is a character who probably remains with the reader long after the last page ends. Is it the strong backstory? The distinct personality? A unique voice? Does the character evolve and grow throughout the story? Do all of these attributes create a remarkable and lasting impression? This panel discussion with three mystery authors is open to MWA members and the public.
Monday, May 18
5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Tredyffrin Public Library
King Meeting Room
582 Upper Gulph Road
Strafford, PA 19087
Registration is required. There are 35 seats available.
Moderator:
Michael Bradley is an award-winning author from Delaware. He spent eight years as a radio DJ before realizing he needed a real job and turned to IT. Never one to waste an experience, he leveraged his familiarity with life on the radio to infuse his suspense novels with a unique blend of familiarity and intrigue. His third novel, Dead Air (2020), garnered critical acclaim, winning a Foreword INDIES Award and an IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award. The novel has been called “absorbing and filled with shocking twists.” His new novel, titled,Those Who Shall Die, is set for release on July 7. It has already garnered praise, being called “a well-written, clever whodunit with crafty twists.”
Panelists:
John Dobbyn: After graduation from Harvard College, Boston College Law School, and Harvard Law School and three years in the US Air Force, John Dobbyn practiced as a trial attorney before working forty-seven years as a professor of law at Villanova Law School. As a fiction writer, he has had seven award-winning novels published by Oceanview Publishing and over thirty short stories in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine and Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine. His latest novel is Deadly Depths.
James McCrone: James McCrone’s stories pose questions about the nature of power, the choices we make, and the lessons we don’t learn. He’s the author of the thriller trilogy Faithless Elector, Dark Network and Emergency Powers, about stealing the presidency and creating a puppet government, and Bastard Verdict, in which a looming second referendum on Scottish independence threatens to expose irregularities in the first. He’s the current president of the Delaware Valley Sisters in Crime chapter and a member of Mystery Writers of America and the International Association of Crime Writers. He lives in Philadelphia. His latest novel, Witness Tree, is out on submission. You can learn more at his website: JamesMcCrone.com
Jane Kelly: Jane Kelly is the author of the Meg Daniels Mysteries, Meg Daniels Mysteries Weekenders, Writing in Time Mysteries, and Widow Lady Mysteries. Her stand-alone novels include Nightingale Songs, A Death in Scilly, and The Secret Audience (2026). She holds an MS in information studies from Drexel University and an MPhil in popular literature from Trinity College, University of Dublin. She is a past president of the Delaware Valley Sisters in Crime and has served on the board of the New York Chapter of Mystery Writers of America. The fourth and sixth books in the Meg Daniels series, Missing You in Atlantic City, and Strangers in the Avalon Dunes, won the Independent Publisher Book Award silver medals for mid-Atlantic fiction. She lives in the Philadelphia area.
https://ccls.libcal.com/event/16690759

Crime Craft: "The Mistress of Misdirection: Agatha Christie Through the Novelist's and Scholar's Eye"
2026-05-19 18:00 - 19:30
Please join host Kate Hohl for a special Crime Craft celebrating National Mystery Month on Tuesday, May 19, at 6:00 p.m. EST for the May Crime Craft: “The Mistress of Misdirection: Agatha Christie Through the Novelist’s and Scholar’s Eye” with authors Lori Rader-Day and Dr. Michelle M. Klazmer!

Zoom meeting link:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83794864332?pwd=[REDACTED]

Lori Rader-Day is the USA Today bestselling author of eight novels, including Wreck Your Heart, The Death of Us, Death at Greenway, The Lucky One, and Under a Dark Sky. She has been nominated for crime fiction’s highest award, the Edgar Award, and has won the Mary Higgins Clark Award, the Agatha Award, three Anthony Awards, and an Indiana Author Award. Lori is a former national president of Sisters in Crime
and a former national board member of Mystery Writers of America. She lives in Chicago, where she cochairs the crime fiction readers’ event Midwest Mystery Conference and teaches creative writing at Northwestern University. Visit her at www.LoriRaderDay.com.

Michelle M. Kazmer, MLS, PhD, is dean of the College of Communication and Information at Florida State University in Tallahassee. Since 2014, Kazmer has maintained a research agenda applying information science theories to Golden Age detective fiction focused on Agatha Christie. She has written about information behavior in Agatha Christie’s Parker Pyne short stories; the character of Jessica Fletcher from the television series Murder, She Wrote in comparison with Christie’s Jane Marple; and comparisons between Archie Goodwin from Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe mysteries wand Arthur Hastings from Christie’s Poirot stories. She has published book chapters about information behavior in the Miss Marple novels and about clues as information objects in Agatha Christie’s novels, novellas, and short stories.
Dr. Kazmer was on the team of researchers who developed the script for the BBC Maestro course Agatha Christie on Writing. She holds a PhD from the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, an MLS from the University of Pittsburgh, and a BS in mechanical engineering from Columbia University.
We look forward to seeing you there!

Fairfield, Conn., Members Meeting and Greeting in July
2026-05-27 08:00 - 17:00
Come join your fellow Fairfield, Conn., area members for a meet and greet at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, July, 16, at South Bay Restaurant in Fairfield. RSVP to local coordinators Tessa Wegert at tessa@tessawegert.com or Lynne Constantine at liv@livconstantine.com

Library Panel Discussion: Creating a Mystery Novel: Building Worlds and Plotting Twists and Turns
2026-05-30 14:00 - 16:00
How do mystery writers build the world of the novel? What contributes to an exciting and intriguing location that offers varied possibilities for storytelling and supports the writer’s ability to supply a plotline that twists and turns? Join these MWA-NY mystery authors at the Hoboken Public Library on May 30 as they offer clues to successfully meshing the world of the mystery with surprising and unexpected plot twists.
This panel is open to MWA members and the public.
May 30
2-4:00 p.m.
Hoboken Public Library, 500 Park Avenue, Hoboken, NJ 07030
Register here
Moderator:
Tom Coffey retired from The New York Times in 2023 after a decades-long career in journalism. His first novel, The Serpent Club, was published in 1999 by Pocket Books and earned a starred review from Publishers Weekly. In 2008 Toby Press printed Blood Alley, which also earned a starred review from PW. His series with Level Best Books, The Devine Trilogy, which is named for the dysfunctional family at its center, began in 2023 with the publication of Public Morals, which gained four- and five-star reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. The second book in the series, Special Victim, was published in 2024, to similar acclaim. Tom recently completed the final book in the series, Stop and Frisk, which will be published next year.
Panelists:
Jeff Cohen, who also writes as E.J. Copperman, writes comedies that have mysteries in them. Sometimes they have ghosts. A lot of the time they don’t. He has been a newspaper reporter, trade magazine editor, freelance journalist and screenwriter (no credits on IMDb) and mystery novelist. The last one stuck. Jeff is a native New Jerseyan and has never been outside the Garden State for more than two weeks at a time. He has no patience for any form of entertainment that has no sense of humor at all, and will tell you about that at length if you are foolish enough to ask. Find him on Facebook and at www.ejcopperman.com.
Dawn M. Barclay is an Agatha Award and Lowell Thomas Gold Award-winning author and a Chanticleer finalist. She writes psychological/domestic/romantic suspense as D.M. Barr and nonfiction under her own name. Traditionally published works include seven novels, three anthologies, and three nonfiction books, with several anthologies to be published by White City Press in 2026. The owner of Suggested Development Editing and Book Coaching, she’s a former acquisition editor for Champagne Book Group, former editor for Down & Out Books, and the current editor for Hold Fast Publishing. She is the incoming co-president of Sisters in Crime New York/TriState and a former MWA board member.
Kellye Garrett’s crime fiction novels have been named to Time magazine’s 100 Best Mystery & Thrillers of All Time, were spotlighted as a $1,000 clue on Jeopardy, and have won Agatha, Anthony, Lefty, IPPY, and ITW Thriller awards. After breaking into publishing with the Detective by Day lightweight mystery series, she transitioned into standalone suspense with Like A Sister. Her latest, the Jersey City-set Missing White Woman, was a Reader’s Digest Book Club pick, CBS New York Club Calvi selection, Apple Books Staff Pick, and Amazon Editors’ Pick. In addition to writing, Kellye is a cofounder of Crime Writers of Color, which received the 2023 Raven Award from MWA and Boucheron’s 2024 David Thompson Special Service Award. She’s a New Jersey native.

MWA-NY Hosting First Spring Fling
2026-06-11 18:00 - 21:00
Spring Fling 2026
MWA-NY is hosting its first spring party on Thursday, June 11.
Great memories and new friendships await.
Join us as we celebrate the world of mystery.
Special Guest:
New York Times bestselling author
Susan Elia MacNeal
It would be a crime to miss it!
Deets:
MWA-NY Spring Fling!
Thursday, June 11, 6 – 9 p.m.
The Tailor Public House
505 8th Ave. New York, NY 10018
Registration link:
https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/ZC8F25BEMUKJL

June Crime Craft : 'Writing a Memorable Mystery'
2026-06-16 18:00 - 19:30
Please join host Kate Hohl on Tuesday, June 16, at 6:00 p.m. EST for the June Crime Craft: “Writing A Memorable Mystery” with Edgar Award-winning author Naomi Hirahara!
Naomi Hirahara is an Edgar Award-winning author of multiple traditional mystery series and noir short stories. Her Mas Arai mysteries feature a Los Angeles gardener and Hiroshima survivor who solves crimes. Her first historical mystery, Clark and Division, which won a Mary Higgins Clark Award, follows a Japanese American family’s move to Chicago in 1944 after being released from a California wartime detention center. A former journalist with the Rafu Shimpo newspaper, Naomi has also written numerous nonfiction history books and curated exhibitions. She has also written a middle-grade novel, 1001 Cranes. Her follow-up to Clark and Division, Evergreen, was released in August 2023 and was on the USA Today bestseller list for two weeks. Her latest book, Crown City, was published in February 2026. She and her husband live in Pasadena, California.
Zoom meeting link:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83794864332?pwd=[REDACTED]

NEW YORK MYSTERY AUTHORS TO READ ALOUD JUNE 23
2026-06-23 19:00 - 21:00
Four authors in the New York chapter of Mystery Writers of America (MWA-NY) will read from their work starting at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 23m at Bibliotheque in SoHo:
Andrew Kass is the author of A Woman of Agency, a feminist Civil War spy thriller from Holand Press. A member of the Historical Novel Society, he is a reviewer for Historical Novels Review and is awaiting publication of a story accepted by Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine.
Carol Binkowski writes mysteries as Caryl Janis. Her most recent books are To Sketch a Killer and Research
Can Be Murder. She is also a musician and author of nonfiction books on music and history. A member of MWA-
NY’s Board of Directors, she will be reading from a work- in-progress.
David Bushman is the author of true crime books, including Murder at Teal’s Pond: Hazel Drew and the
Mystery That Inspired Twin Peaks and Forget It, Jake, It’s Schenectady: The True Story Behind ‘The Place Beyond
the Pines.’ He serves on the MWA-NY Board of Directors, and will be reading from his most recent true crime book: New York’s Coldest Cases: Ten Murders That Rocked the Empire State.
Michael Penncavage’s story “The Cost of Doing Business, originally appeared in Thuglit, won the Derringer
Award for best mystery. One of his stories, “The Converts,” was filmed as a short movie, while another, “The
Landlord” was adapted into a play. His debut novella, Person Unknown, adapted from his screenplay The Phone
Call, was also released from All Due Respect Press. He will read from a short story due for publication in Mystery
Tribune magazine.
Bibliotheque is the bookstore/café/restaurant at 54 Mercer St. in SoHo.
The next MWA-NY authors’ readings will be held there on Tuesday, September 29 and Thursday, October
29.
For more information, please email info@mwany.org.
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Library Panel Discussion: What’s at Stake: Hooking the Reader from Page One
2026-06-28 14:00 - 16:00 | Morris County Library, 30 East Hanover Ave., Whippany, NJ
Morristown and Morris County Public Library
June 28, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
This panel is open to MWA members and the public.
June 28
1 Miller Road, Morristown NJ, 07960
Ever wonder how the writer keeps the reader turning pages? Join us for a panel discussion with three authors as they share their secrets for creating high stakes in a story. How do the risks and rewards that their characters confront result in compelling first pages and a pace that won’t let up?
Moderator:
Yvonne Ventresca is an award-winning author with an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her latest thriller, If I’m Gone, will be out in spring 2027 from Poisoned Pen Press. Told in a book-within-a-book narrative, it features a missing author who leaves behind a final manuscript that eerily mirrors her own life as a widow being stalked. Yvonne’s previous work includes the YA novels Pandemic and Black Flowers, White Lies, as well as two nonfiction books and nine short stories. She serves on the Mystery Writers of America NY board and mentors through AWP and MWA. You can learn more at her website, YvonneVentresca.com, where she blogs about writing productivity and features writing resources.
Panelists:
Linda Rawlins is an American writer of mystery fiction best known for her Misty Point Mystery Series. She is also known for her Rocky Meadow Mystery Series as well as two independent novels, Midnight Shift and Mystery of Heather House. Linda lives in New Jersey with her husband, family, and spoiled dog. She loves spending time at the beach and visiting Vermont. She is an active member of Mystery Writers of America. As a member of Sisters in Crime, Linda was the president of the Central Jersey Chapter for 2022, 2020, and 2019, and the VP in 2018 and 2025. She is an Amazon best seller and is currently working on a new series in addition to her Misty Point Mystery Series. You can connect with Linda at her website: www.lindarawlins.com
Jeff Markowitz is the author of six novels set in and around New Jersey, including The Other, a dual-timeline historical about standing up to hate. Jeff spent more than forty years creating community-based programs and services for children and adults with autism before retiring in 2018 to devote more time to writing. Jeff is a past president of the New York Chapter of Mystery Writers of America. He lives in Monmouth Junction, NJ, with his wife, Carol, and their rescue cat, Aeneas.
Annamaria Alfieri is the pen name of Patricia King, graduate of the College of St. Elizabeth, class of 1963. In 2009 she realized her childhood dream with the publication of her first novel. The Washington Post said, “As both history and mystery, City of Silver glitters.” Her critically acclaimed historical mysteries now also include Invisible Country and Blood Tango, both also set in South America. Her Colonial East Africa series begins in 1911 and now includes Strange Gods, The Idol of Mombasa, The Blasphemers, and A Death on the Lord’s Day. Patricia lives in New York City and is a member of the Board of Trustees of Hudson Valley Shakespeare and a past president of the New York Chapter of Mystery Writers of America

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