KILLER NASHVILLE SEALS ITS SEVENTH ANNUAL
EVENT WITH AN ‘XO’

The Internationally Attended Conference Focusing On Crime, Mystery,
Thriller and Suspense Literature Will Host a Full Length Performance
By the Band and Vocalist (Treva Blomquist) Featured On
Jeffery Deaver’s XO (The Album),’ the Companion
CD to the Bestselling Author’s Latest Novel

Two years after Jeffery Deaver was guest of honor at Killer Nashville, the internationally acclaimed bestselling author returns to the scene of the crime to give a keynote address and introduce a special performance by the Music City-based band featured on “Jeffery Deaver’s XO (The Album),” the companion CD to the famed mystery and crime writer’s new novel “XO.”

Fronting the band, which will perform all eleven songs from the recording in addition to several covers, will be singer Treva Blomquist, who is also the lead vocalist on the disc. For the live performance, the longtime Nashville-based recording artist (currently living in Arkansas) and renowned independent folk/Americana singer reprises the “role” of Kayleigh Towne, the beautiful pop country singer/stalker victim protagonist of “XO.”

The performance takes place at the Hutton Hotel on August 25, 2012, the third day of the seventh annual conference. Joining Deaver (who penned the lyrics), Blomquist, and the band will be Clay Stafford and Ken Landers, who co-wrote the music and produced the “XO” album. All will be available to sign autographs.

Deaver first met Stafford, who launched Killer Nashville in 2006, when he appeared at the event in 2010.

Killer Nashville’s guests of honor this year include bestselling novelist C.J. Box (winner of the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Novel in 2009); bestselling author, screenwriter and filmmaker Heywood Gould (“Fort Apache – The Bronx,” “Boys From Brazil,” “Cocktail,” “Rolling Thunder,” “One Good Cop”); and famed horror novelist Peter Straub, who wrote the landmark “Ghost Story” and has collaborated with Stephen King.

In addition to Deaver, previous guests of honor include Michael Connelly, Carol Higgins Clark, Donald Bain, Robert Dugoni, Bill Bass and J.A. Jance.

Over the years, Killer Nashville has become the premier conference for mystery, thriller and crime fiction authors and fans. Held the fourth full weekend of every August, the event opened in the first year with 70 guests and has grown to attract over 500 people, including budding writers, authors, editors, lawyers, publicists, publishers and fans from throughout the U.S., Canada, the UK, and Italy. Under the direction of Stafford and executive director Beth Terrell, it is a completely volunteer run event.

Killer Nashville’s objectives are to assist writers of all genres and formats; develop a better understanding of the craft of the mystery, thriller, suspense, and true crime genres; discuss such topics as investigative techniques, verifying crime information, and submitting one’s manuscript for publication; and portray law enforcement and forensic science in a fair and accurate manner. In recent years, the event has included author pitches to agents, editors, and publishers, and this year will have Agent / Editor / Publisher Roundtables, where industry professionals will discuss previously submitted work with the authors themselves (free with registration).

2012 also marks the first time for a screenwriting session track. The other distinct session tracks cover general writing; genre specific writing; publishing; publicity and promotion; forensics; and sessions just for fans. There will also be nine breakout sessions for intense small groups, as well as special sessions that include Grants for Writers; Synopsis Writing; and Query Writing.

Other highlights at this year’s Killer Nashville include manuscript critiques (fiction, nonfiction, short story, screenplay, marketing, query); a realistic crime scene from agents of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI); prizes and free giveaways; and free book signings.  Networking opportunities include interactions with agents, editors, publishers, attorneys, publicists, bestselling authors, representatives from FBI, TBI, CIA, NSA, ATF, as well as emergency services, fire, sheriff, police, and private investigators.

Extras include mystery bingo, authors’ bar, wine tasting, bootscootin’ bash, two cocktail receptions, the Guest of Honor Dinner and live music.

Stafford himself is an internationally bestselling author, in addition to working in the film industry for years as writer, director, producer and actor. His retellings of American children’s classics released through Dalmatian Press have sold more than 1.5 million copies in the U.S. alone, and he has worked as a film development and production executive at Universal Studios and PBS. As a composer and record producer, his scores can be heard on everything from TV movies to commercials. He has also taught writing and filmmaking at the University of Miami and University of Tennessee, and co-designed the film curriculum at Miami Dade College.

“Education has always been a priority for me, and Killer Nashville is a huge opportunity to give back to the writing community,” says Stafford. “There are plenty of general writing conferences, but when I started this venture, there were none in the Southeast that catered to mystery, thriller and suspense writers. My fascination comes from the fact that, at their core, books in these genres are all about past, present, and future. Mystery is what happened in the past, a thriller is about the danger in the present, and suspense is about what may or may not happen. Any good book will have these three elements, and we’re happy to cover numerous subgenres within these areas.”

“My favorite part of this event is the success stories, seeing other people do well and make connections here that help them launch their careers and achieve their dreams,” he adds. “Killer Nashville is all about connecting: connecting readers and writers, connecting writers with information, and connecting authors with industry people who can assist them in reaching their goals regardless of where they are in the career. One author who attended wrote an inscription to me that called me the ‘patron saint of authors.’ That was nice of her to say, but the full truth is that I personify at least 30 volunteers who each year are patron saints of authors and who fully represent the spirit of Killer Nashville, which is to help writers achieve their goals.”