WriteNOW! 2025 Friday Faculty

CraftNOW! Workshop! ♦ EditNOW! ♦ PitchNOW!

Please Note: Registration for Friday events closes Midnight, Wednesday, 9/17/25

CraftNOW! Workshop!

Catriona McPherson,  Planting Clues and Red Herrings

CLUE: anything in a fair-play, puzzle-plot mystery that allows the reader to twig whodunnit, howdunnit, whydunnit, whendunnit, and more ….

This workshop is going to use real examples (good and bad) from published mysteries to look at:

Catriona McPherson

Catriona (she/her) was born in Scotland and lived there until 2010, then immigrated to California where she lives on Patwin ancestral land. A former academic linguist, she now writes full-time. Her multi-award-winning and national best-selling work includes: the DANDY GILVER historical detective stories, the LAST DITCH mysteries, set in California, and a strand of contemporary standalone novels including Edgar-finalist The Day She Died and Mary Higgins Clark finalist Strangers at the Gate. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America, The Crimewriters’ Association, The Society of Authors and Sisters in Crime, of which she is a former national president.

What is an EditNOW! session?

EditNOW! is an asynchronous (offline) assessment/developmental edit of the first three chapters, approximately 25-30 pages, of your manuscript by a professional editor. Your registration is a placeholder. After registration, you will receive instructions on where and how to submit your manuscript. The editor will return it, with comments and suggestions, by mid-October.

Submitted manuscripts do not have to be complete, but should follow these guidelines:

• • Times New Roman, 12 pt, double spaced as an attached Word doc
  • 25-30 pages or the closest natural break (scene or chapter); max of 30 pp if you need to
  • Include a genre description
  • Include the word count
  • Optional (but helpful): Include a 2-3 paragraph synopsis or a query letter

EditNOW! Faculty

Terri Bischoff

Before entering the publishing field, Terri Bischoff worked at a feminist bookstore before purchasing and operating a mystery bookstore for five years, then worked in other bookstores for another eight years. She spent 10 years in acquisitions and development editing, and her authors have received numerous award wins, nominations, and starred reviews.

Now an independent freelance developmental editor, Terri has a wealth of experience and knowledge in both mysteries and bookselling, particularly as a book buyer and reviewer, with a keen understanding of what sells and why. Terri’s interests lie in mainstream suspense, thrillers, quirky and humorous cozies, LGBTQIA, and diverse characters/storylines.

Website: https://terribischoffcom.wordpress.com/

 

Jay Hartman

Jay A. Hartman is a 30+ year veteran of the publishing industry, with experience in both selling and producing. He started as a Waldenbooks store manager in Brunswick, Georgia, and was previously the Content Editor for KnowBetter.com, one of the Internet’s oldest sites reporting on ebooks and epublishing. Jay and his business partner at the time were hired by Random House and Simon & Schuster to provide statistical data when both publishing houses were building their ebook divisions.

In addition to his years of writing material for KnowBetter, Jay graduated from Florida State University with a degree in Literature and has worked in the retail management sector for over 30 years. Early in his career he was an on-air journalist for WVFS radio in Florida, and writer for the Florida Flambeau newspaper.

Jay would later found publishing house Untreed Reads, serving as its Editor-in-Chief for 13 years before making the decision to leave after the company was acquired by another entity.

Jay is known as a respected innovator in the ebook industry—constantly ahead of the curve. Because of his expertise and instincts, he is a regular speaker and interviewed expert on ebooks and all things in the ebook industry—at conferences in person and online.

With his love of literature and his knowledge of all aspects of the ebook industry, he is an author’s best friend in this industry. Because of his background and his nature, instead of doing what most companies do and building a business on what they “think” a customer wants, he listens to the customer and gives them not only what they want now, but anticipates what the customer will want 10 years from now—and gives it to them now.

Website: https://www.mistimedia.com/

 

Anne Rainbow, Author/Editor/Mentor

UK-based Anne Rainbow, aka ScrivenerVirgin and RedPen mentor, spent decades working in IT and Education and textbook publishing before turning to fiction in 2009, when she first took part in NaNoWriMo and became ML for Devon and Cornwall in 2010.

Through her website https://www.scrivenervirgin.com, Anne offers workshops and courses in creative writing and self-editing. Check out her Nine Online Zoom sessions, which provide small group read/review mentoring, and her Wednesday Writers Online, monthly creative writing workshops hosted by Anne with presenter Kerry Hadley-Pryce. Anne’s website houses a forum which is a great resource as well as a private space for writers to share ideas and get feedback from each other.

Anne also hosts a radio show “Artists on Air” for two hours on Monday mornings every four weeks and her wonderful long weekend writers’ retreats each March/April and November at the Cottage Hotel in Devon UK.

In theory, Anne is long-since retired, but her days are still spent encouraging other writers to achieve their publication dreams while advocating they use Scrivener for all their writing and apply her RedPen Editing strategy. She’ll apply her RedPen Editing process to your submission.

Website: https://www.scrivenervirgin.com/

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A literary pitch is a brief and captivating presentation of a book or story idea to agents, publishers, or readers. It aims to generate interest by providing a concise overview of the work’s genre, setting, characters, and conflict. A successful pitch grabs attention with a hook, conveys the unique aspects of the story, and leaves the audience wanting more. It should also demonstrate market potential and understanding of the target audience. The key is to be clear, passionate, and confident while highlighting what sets your work apart from everyone else’s. Practice and refine your pitch to make it engaging and memorable.

PitchNOW! is a one-on-one session with an industry agent. You will have 10 minutes to pitch your novel, and you may get feedback from the agent, or they may ask you to submit your manuscript. To prepare: practice, practice, practice!

Ginger Hutchinson

Ginger Hutchinson was raised on the Gulf Coast of Florida, where she developed a deep appreciation for both the natural world and its unusual inhabitants. She loves reading fast-paced, character-driven novels with a strong sense of place. As an agent, her approach is collaborative and editorial, and she loves working with writers who are committed to honing their craft one sentence at a time.

She’s on the lookout for high-concept stories and fresh takes on familiar tropes across genres, and eager to work with historically underrepresented authors. Thrillers, mysteries, book-club, horror, historical, light fantasy/sci-fi, and high-concept romance. I am especially keen to find stories that play with genre—thrillers with a romance sub-plot, historical mysteries, horror that investigates sociopolitical issues. When it comes to sci-fi/fantasy, I lean more towards a light touch of magical realism and five-minute-in-the-future stories than epic sagas. An interesting hook, compelling voice, and complex characters are key to grabbing my attention. I only represent books for adults.

Website: https://www.movabletm.com/

Melissa Rechter

Editor/Acquisitions Manager Melissa Rechter joined Crooked Lane Books in 2019. She has had the pleasure of working with ITW nominees, New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors, as well as a myriad of talented writers.

For Crooked Lane, she is looking for cozy mysteries, psychological thrillers, horror– either social or psychological– a la Jordan Peele’s Get Out or When No One is Watching, and historical mysteries with a feminist bent. She’d love to find the next Cassandra Khaw, Lucy Foley, or Jennifer Hillier. If a book has cults, serial killers, twisted female friendships, poisonous plants, small town secrets, or has a locked room element, it’s right up her alley.

For Alcove Press, she is interested in book club fiction that explores social issues in suburbia, in the vein of Such a Fun Age or Big Little Lies, historical fiction- especially if it leans into gothic in the vein of The Death of Jane Lawrence, romantasy, and speculative fiction. Anything witchy in the vein of Practical Magic and The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, is perfect for her. She’s also looking for novels that explore found families, grief, and trauma in those fantasy or speculative spaces.

Website: My Manuscript Wish List®