In this webinar, we will deal with how fire can be used in a crime, from using it as a way to cover up a crime or as an act of arson to destroy property and endanger lives. Mystery and crime writers will benefit from an honest talk about fire behaviour from a 31 yr veteran. Dave will delve into the fascinating and complex world of fire behavior and arson, providing crime writers with the technical knowledge and creative inspiration to craft authentic and compelling stories. From the science of combustion to the psychology of arsonists, participants will explore the key elements of fire dynamics, investigative techniques, and storytelling strategies to bring their crime plots to life.
Presenter
Dave Wickenden has spent time in the Canadian Armed Forces before the Fire Service, so is as comfortable with a rocket launcher as a fire hose. Dave Wickenden has spent time in the Canadian Armed Forces before the Fire Service, so he is as comfortable with a rocket launcher as a fire hose. After 31 years, Dave traded business plans and council reports as Deputy Fire Chief for creative writing. He’s the author of seven thriller novels, including his most recent, The Origami Deception.
Are you thinking about pitching an agent or a publisher? Or maybe you have and would like a refresher? In this 1-hour session, Angela will give you an overview of the types of pitching and how to put one together to make the most of the 3-5 minutes you usually get to pitch yourself and your manuscript. Bring something to take notes with, and your questions!
Presenter
Angela Douglas is a Canadian author who lives in the Okanagan with her husband and kids. Her debut novel and psychological thriller, EVERY FALL, was published by Rising Action Publishing in January 2025, and her sophomore novel, THE BONE TRAIL will follow in June 2026. She is a member of International Thriller Writers, Crime Writers of Canada, the Federation of BC Writers and Sisters in Crime - Canada West. When she isn’t working or hanging out with her family, she hides in her studio, writing her next book. You can find her @angeladouglasbooks on social media or angeladouglasbooks.com.
The goal of this talk is to persuade you to fore-front the connection between public issues and personal troubles in your own crime novels. In the webinar, we will consider why you should do that and How you can do that without slowing down the story. We will also talk briefly about how Lorne did that his recent novel, DEADLY DONATION.
Presenter
Lorne Tepperman, a retired Professor of Sociology at the University of Toronto, ventures into the realm of fiction with his debut crime novel. As an academic, Tepperman authored, co-authored, edited, and co-edited 88 academic books, delving into topics ranging from social inequality to families to gambling addiction, deviance, and crime.
DEADLY DONATION, Tepperman’s first novel, draws inspiration from his extensive research on families, crime, and gambling addiction. The Rachel Tile Mystery Series promises to captivate readers with its exploration of these themes within the framework of mystery and suspense.
Lorne is a CWC director for Ontario Southwest/North/Greater Toronto Region.
By Amber Cowie, award-winning author of The Off Season
Every story needs a setting. Amber Cowie—Squamish-based novelist and non-fiction writer recognized for West Coast atmospheric thrillers—will present tools that help successfully integrate place and plot to drive suspense and tension in crime writing. The one-hour on-line class will include writing prompts to assist in creating a strong and compelling sense of place. Bring a work in progress or a fresh notebook.
About the Presenter
Amber Cowie is a novelist living in a small town on the west coast of British Columbia. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Salon, The Globe and Mail, Crime Reads, and Scary Mommy and has been endorsed by numerous bestsellers including Samantha M. Bailey, Shannon Kirk, Kerry Lonsdale, Catherine McKenzie, Robyn Harding, and Blake Crouch. Her first novel, Rapid Falls, was a Whistler Book Awards nominee, hit number one overall on Amazon, and was a top-100 bestselling Kindle book of 2018. She was awarded Squamish’s Best Writer twice in the Squamish Chief’s Reader’s Choice Awards.
Visit Amber at: https://www.ambercowie.com/
Join author Amy Tector as she shares insights on leveraging her newsletter to amplify her writing and connect with readers. Discover how she crafts engaging content that promotes her work and builds a vibrant community.
Presenter
Amy Tector has spent more than 20 years plumbing the secrets squirrelled away at Canada’s national archives, Library and Archives.
Amy’s debut novel, THE HONEYBEE EMERALDS was published in spring 2022 and was a finalist for the Indie Book Award Best - First Novel. Her second novel, THE FOULEST THINGS, was the first in a loose trilogy centered on murders and mayhem in the archives. It was a finalist in the Crime Writers of Canada awards. SPEAK FOR THE DEAD was the second in the series and the third is HONOR THE DEAD.
Amy has a PhD in English literature and lives in Ottawa.
For over 35 years, Access Copyright has been a vital part of Canada’s cultural infrastructure, helping to ensure that royalties are paid when published works are copied. Discover how the organization represents the reproduction rights of Canadian writers, visual artists and publishers, and facilitates ethical content sharing by Canadian organizations. As well, learn why you should affiliate with our organization (it’s free!) and how to join our community of 14,000 Canadian creators and publishers.
Presenters
Bil Antoniou
Bil Antoniou serves as Royalties and Client Services Associate at Access Copyright. Through his role, he works as part of a team that helps address the needs of creator and publisher affiliates, as well as seeing to the administration of licences for Canada’s private and public colleges. In his free time, Bil writes, podcasts and acts.
Robert Gilbert
Robert Gilbert is Manager, Communications and Marketing at Access Copyright. Responsible for all external communications to the organization’s members, affiliates and customers, he ensures that Access Copyright is seen as a strong advocate for Canadian creators and publishers, and their right to be fairly compensated for the copying and sharing of their published work. In addition to his work at Access Copyright, Robert writes a popular music newsletter on Substack.
Artificial Intelligence and Copyright: A Primer
How does Artificial Intelligence (AI) intersect with copyright? Whether you are experimenting with generative AI as part of your writing practice, or are simply curious about this evolving technology, this session will provide a snapshot of some of the legal issues at play. Learn more from Access Copyright, the non-profit that represents over 14,000 Canadian writers, visual artists, publishers, and their works.
Presenter
Kate Edwards, CEO, Access Copyright
An experienced non-profit leader, Kate Edwards has spent her career in service of the arts and creative industries. She spent more than 15 years with the Association of Canadian Publishers, has served on several industry boards, and in January 2024, was appointed CEO of Access Copyright, representing more than 14,000 Canadian publishers, writers, and visual artists.
Being a talented writer with a good book is never enough. The hard part for many writers is managing the next steps of publishing and distribution, marketing and sales. The book business is a particular challenge for writers without prior business experience and without an entrepreneurial mindset. In this webinar presentation, Del Chatterson, CWC member and author of the Dale Hunter Series of crime thrillers, will share his storytelling journey and the lessons learned from the perspective of an experienced entrepreneur, business advisor, and writer for entrepreneurs. He will address the common criteria for success in entrepreneurship and in creative writing and how telling a good story is so important to both.
Bio
Delvin Chatterson is the internationally acclaimed author of the Dale Hunter Thriller Series, an explosive mix of crime and corruption in the computer business of the 1980s. Dale Hunter and his buddy, Frank the Fixer, were introduced in 2018 with NO EASY MONEY, followed by SIMPLY THE BEST, and MERGER MANIAC. Del is continuing the Dale Hunter series with three more novels coming soon – BAD BOYS IN BOSTON, CRASH LANDING, and WHATEVER IT TAKES. He is also working on another novel and writing collections of short stories.
As a former entrepreneur, business advisor, and cheerleader for enlightened entrepreneurship, Del has written extensively on business topics for decades and continues to write on entrepreneurship under the pen name of Your Uncle Ralph. Originally from the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Del has lived and worked for most of the last fifty years in the fascinating French-Canadian city of Montreal.
Course description:
Cozy crime is on the rise. Or maybe it's never really gone. Modern writers like Richard Osman and Janice Hallett have breathed new life into the genre pioneered by the likes of Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers. This webinar will look at the fundamentals of what makes a cozy mystery different from other mystery fiction, and how to put a more comforting face on your fictional cops and killers.
Bio:
Jonathan Whitelaw is an award-winning author, journalist and broadcaster. After working on the frontline of Scottish politics, he moved into journalism, covering everything from sports to music to radioactive waste – and everything in between. He moved to Alberta from the UK in 2022 and his latest book - The Concert Hall Killer - is released in July.
Characters of colour, of other genders or differing sexual orientations is necessary work that, to (greatly) paraphrase Toni Morrison, 'permits intimacy with the Other'. But how does a writer achieve this in our current landscape, where action and reaction to some works representing these characters, particularly when published by white writers, can quickly become incendiary. By focusing on the three parties who are critical to the act of reading: the writer, the reader and the characters themselves, Colleen will shed some light on how to tread down this road when creating Black characters specifically, by offering both insights and actions that writers keen to do this well, may consider.
Bio
Colleen van Niekerk is the South African-Canadian author of 'A Conspiracy of Mothers'. This debut literary novel is set in South Africa in 1994 at the brink of democracy for that country. It grapples with the fallout of apartheid as an exiled woman tries to find her way back to her home and family. Colleen's second novel - still in pre-publication - deals with the question of what it means to be Black for a mixed-race family in a modern North American context. Originally from Cape Town, South Africa, she lives in Vancouver, BC.
Find her at www.colleenvanniekerk.com