Library Panel Discussion: What’s at Stake: Hooking the Reader from Page One
2026-06-28 14:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | 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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“World-Building That Drives the Story and Creates Suspense” Panel in NJ
2026-07-16 18:00 - 19:30
Join us for a panel discussion by mystery authors as they reveal how they use words to build worlds. How do they set the scene for their novel that captivates readers, creates suspense on every page, and drives the story to a satisfying conclusion?
Deets:
Thursday, July 16, 6:00-7:30 pm
Montclair Public Library
50 S. Fullerton Avenue
Montclair, NJ 07042
This panel is open to the public
Moderator: Yvonne Ventresca
Panelists: Lori Robbins, Peggy Ehrhart, Valerie Wilson Wesley

Peggy Ehrhart is a former English professor with a doctorate in Medieval Literature. Her Maxx Maxwell mysteries, Sweet Man Is Gone (2008) and Got No Friend Anyhow (2011), were published by Five Star/Gale/Cengage and feature a blues-singer sleuth. More recently, Peggy has written the Knit & Nibble mysteries for Kensington Books. Book #12, Last Wool and Testament, was released in May 2025; “An Eggy Way to Die” appeared in Kensington’s 2026 Easter novella anthology, Easter Egg Murder. In September Peggy will be launching a new cozy series with The Quilt Whisperer Investigates, also from Kensington. Peggy herself is an avid crafter, dating from her childhood as a member of the 4-H Club in rural Southern California. She now lives in Leonia, New Jersey.
Lori Robbins is the Amazon bestselling author of the On Pointe and Master Class mystery series and a contributor to The Secret Ingredient: A Mystery Writers Cookbook. She is an Agatha Award nominee and the recipient of three Silver Falchions, the Indie Award for Best Mystery, and a silver medal in the Daphne du Maurier Award for Mystery and Suspense. Short stories include “Leading Ladies,” which received honorable mention in the 2022 Best American Mystery and
Suspense anthology. After ten very lean years as a professional dancer, Lori became an English teacher and now writes full time. Her experiences onstage, in the classroom, and at home as the mother of six have made her an expert in the homicidal tendencies everyday life inspires.
Valerie Wilson Wesley writes mysteries, novels, and children’s books. Her latest book is The Mysterious Death of Junetta Plum, the first mystery of her Harriet Stone series. The Odessa Jones Mysteries include A Glimmer of Death (2021), A Fatal Glow (2022) and A Shimmer of Red (2023). She has also written nine mysteries in the popular Tamara Hayle Mystery series, including When Death Comes Stealing, named by Time magazine as one of the 100 best
mysteries and thrillers. Her mysteries have been published in Germany, France, and the UK. Wesley is a graduate of Howard University and holds master’s degrees from the Bank Street College of Education and the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. She is a former executive editor of Essence magazine and a member of Crime Writers of Color, Sisters in Crime, and Mystery Writers of America. https://valeriewilsonwesley.com
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 and 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.
