Ah, October. The month of the whodunit. The season of cold, rainy fall days, perfect for mystery reading. The Halloween ambiance that lends itself perfectly to a good thriller.
It’s here and that’s why we are happy to share with you more about these 9 thriller and mystery writers. All will be participating in the 2020 Fox Cities Book Festival so you will want to check out their books from your library, or find the titles in our BookShop.org storefront.
Kathy Buchen
Buchen is a Fox Cities native and librarian at Elisha D. Smith Public Library in Menasha. She’s also the author of the Rhiannon Nolan cozy mystery series. The latest in the series is titled Marriage is Murder: The Door Country Special. Buchen’s event, “Booked for Muerder” will take place October 14, 2020 at 9:30 AM.
Emily Carpenter
Carpenter is a critically acclaimed, bestselling suspense writer. Her latest novel, out October 20, Reviving the Hawthron Sisters follows the story of a woman still keeping secrets for her deceased grandmother. As Carpenter was born in Birmingham, Alabama and now lives in Atlanta Georgia, it is no wonder she is giving the talk “Writing the New Southern Gothic” on October 14, 2020 at 5:30 PM.
Amy Engel
Engel was a criminal defense attorney for ten years before turning to writing. Her first book, a YA novel titled The Book of Ivy, won the Missouri Gateway Readers Award and the Georgie Peach Book Award. Engel’s latest novel, The Familiar Dark, is set in a small town with big secrets. Discuss The Familiar Dark with Engel on October 12, 2020 at 10:30 AM.
John Galligan
After work as a newspaper journalist, screenwriter, house painter, au pair, ESL teacher, cab driver, and freezer boy in a salmon cannery, Galligan settled into his role as a novelist. His latest novel, Dead Man Dancing, is a thriller about the sheriff in rural Bad Axe County, Wisconsin. Galligan is from Madison. Pre-register for “Crime in the Heartland: How Fiction Can be Truer than the Truth” on October 16, 2020 at 1 PM.
Joy Ribar
Ribar lives in central Wisconsin where she writes the Deep Lakes Mystery Series, starring baker/vinter Frankie Champagne. Ribar’s writing is inspired by Wisconsin’s four distinct seasons and neighborly culture, along with her love of wineries and baking. Find her at “A Year of Truth & Dare: Writing, Hybrid Publishing, & Marketing” on October 17, 2020 at 2:30 PM.
Hank Phillippi Ryan
Hank Phillippi Ryan is the on-air investigative reporter for Boston’s WHDH-TV. She’s won 36 EMMYs and dozens more journalism honors. The nationally bestselling author of 11 mysteries, Ryan’s also an award-winner in her second profession—with five Agathas, three Anthonys, two Macavitys, the Daphne, and the coveted Mary Higgins Clark Award. Join her for the panel “Where Ideas Come From–And How We Turn Them into Books” on October 13, 2020 at 9:30 AM.
EG Scott
E. G. Scott is a pseudonym for two writers, who have been friends for over twenty-years. In Case of Emergency follows the story of a woman looking for answers when her boyfriend goes missing and a corpse appears. Connect with the writers at “A Discussion with E.G. Scott” on October 15, 2020 at 6:30 PM.
Jen Waite
Waite grew up on the coast of Maine. She is the author of the international bestseller, A Beautiful, Terrible Thing, which details her discovery that her ex-husband was leading a double life. Her latest book, Survival Instincts, was a New York Post ‘best book of the week’. Pre-register now for “A Discussion with Jen Waite” on October 18, 2020 at 9 AM.
Jamie Jo Wright
Wright is a Wisconsin author and winner of the Christy, Carol, Daphne du Maurier, and INSPY Awards. She’s also the Publishers Weekly and ECPA bestselling author of three novellas. Join Wright at “Writing the Dual-Time Story” on October 13, 2020 at 1:30 PM.
