The 2nd Annual Suffolk Mystery Authors Festival was held Saturday, August 22nd, at the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts. Hundreds of people attended the event to meet the authors and purchase signed copies of their books, listen to readings from the authors themselves, hear writers’ firsthand experiences during moderated panels, and learn from experts about the topics of publishing and writing. For a video featuring clips from the event, click here.
Mystery by the Sea members were on hand at the festival to sign copies of the group’s latest anthology, Virginia is for Mysteries. Check out some photos from the event, taken by group member Ken Wingate.
An eager reader waits for Maria Hudgins to sign her copy of the Virginia is for Mysteries anthology.
The festival offered numerous moderated panels and workshops, including two hosted by Mystery by the Sea members. Group members took part in the workshop entitled How Do I Get Published?, which focused on ways authors can market their work, build their platforms, and handle social media. Another workshop held during the festival explained how to piece together all the parts of a murder mystery. Aptly titled Anatomy of a Mystery, the workshop was led by Mystery by the Sea members Jayne Ormerod, CB Lane, and Yvonne Saxon.
From left to right: CB Lane, Jayne Ormerod, and Yvonne Saxon.
Anatomy of a Murder featured special guest Jane Bones. Jane modeled all of the elements that go into a murder mystery novel and how they help the sleuth solve the mystery and reveal the killer.
Jayne Ormerod, right, goes over the keys to great mystery writing, as modeled by Jane Bones.
Mystery by the Sea 