Oline H. Cogdill

sleuthfestFreddieAward
Sleuthfest
, which is sponsored by the Florida chapter of Mystery Writers of America, has earned its reputation as being one of the best conferences for writers. Panels about the craft of writing and publishing give a boost to would-be writers. Plus, writers have the chance to talk with agents and editors.

The 24th Sleuthfest will be held March 1-4, 2018, at Embassy Suites, 661 NW 53rd St., Boca Raton.

And now is the time to polish those words of wisdom and enter the 2017 Freddie Award for Writing Excellence.

The Freddie Award is accepting submissions now through October 15 in two categories, mystery and thriller. This contest is a rare opportunity for unpublished writers. All entrants will receive feedback on their unpublished mystery or thriller manuscript: the judges' score sheet critiques of their writing.

A free three-day registration for the 2019 Sleuthfest is one of the prizes that come with the award.

The top five entrants in the Freddie Award Mystery and Thriller categories will be read by an acquiring agent or editor. All 10 finalists will be introduced to the editors during a special ceremony at SleuthFest 2018 and the winners will be announced at the same ceremony.

In addition to the three-day early registration, the top mystery and thriller winners will also receive a crystal plaque.

The contest fee is $25 for MWA members, $30 for nonmembers. You do NOT need to be an MWA member to enter.

For details go to http://mwaflorida.org/ and click on Contest for rules, entry forms, and more.

The Sleuthfest keynote speaker will be Andrew Gross and the Forensic Guest of Honor is Katherine Ramsland.

Guest Authors who will teach workshops will include Hallie Ephron, Kristy Montee (PJ Parrish), Hank Phillippi Ryan, and James R. Benn. Neil Nyren of G.P. Putnam's Sons returns as the Editor in Chief.

Yes, it’s not even Halloween yet, so why should we worry about March?

Because this is the time to save on registration.

An early bird rate of $360 for the Friday through Sunday conference and an $85 for the 3rd Degree Thursday on March 1 will be honored through September 30. To register, visit http://www.sleuthfest.com or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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