Jonathan Maberry to speak at Arcadia U. tonight on crafting a nail-biter of a story

Below is information I received recently, yet allowed to languish in my email for too long, from Arcadia University about an event tonight. If you fly by the seat of your pants like I do, you might not mind the late notice. Plus, it's FREE.                                                       

Arcadia University in Affiliation with Philadelphia Writers Conferences to Host Author Jonathan Maberry

October 5

JONATHAN MABERRY & ROSIE

Glenside, PA — Arcadia University’s Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing in affiliation with the Philadelphia Writers Conference’s free forums is hosting New York Times bestselling, multiple Bram Stoker Award-winning author, Jonathan Maberry, on Friday, October 5 from 7 to 9 p.m. in Arcadia’s Grey Towers Rose Room. The event is free and open to the public. Arcadia University is located at 450 S. Easton Road, Glenside, Pa.

Maberry will speak on “The Ticking Clock: Constructing a Nail-Biter of a Thriller,” and will share some of the techniques he uses to keep readers biting nails and turning pages. In thrillers, the hero races against time to prevent something bad from happening. According to Maberry, this storytelling model can be applied to any genre — from romance to comedy.

Maberry’s novels include “Ghost Road Blues,” “Dead Main’s Song,” “Bad Moon Rising,” and “Patient Zero” and "Rot & Ruin." His nonfiction works include “Vampire Universe,” (2006), “Cryptopedia,” (2007), “Zombie CSU: The Forensics of the Living Dead (2008), and “They Bite,” (2009), all Citadel Press.  

He is a frequent Writers Conference speaker, and has appeared at Penn Writers, PhilCon, HorrorFind, BackSpace, Monster Mania, Philadelphia Writers Conference, The World Horror Convention, The Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Conference, LunaCon, University of Pennsylvania Writers Conference and others.

The Philadelphia Writers’ Conference, Inc. is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1949 and incorporated as a nonprofit in 1980. As a nonprofit organization its purpose is to bring writers together for instruction, counsel, fellowship and the exchange of ideas. For more information, e-mail info@pwcwriters.org.

 
Arcadia University’s low-residency M.F.A. program in Creative Writing is the only one of its kind in the Philadelphia area, and is distinctive in that it incorporates both a dynamic online environment and a international experience. The course emphasizes online workshops; personal attention from faculty; studying abroad, with a residency in Edinburgh, Scotland; and the preparation of both a book-length manuscript and a plan to publish it. 

Arcadia’s experienced and award-winning faculty helps to prepare each student for a career in writing and in teaching the craft at the college level. The program is led by Joshua Isard, Visiting Assistant Professor of English.

Because this is a low-residency program and students take between six and nine credits each term, each participant is able to develop much of his or her own schedule and maintain a full-time professional life outside school. 

About Arcadia University: 

Arcadia University is a top-ranked private university in metropolitan Philadelphia and a national leader in study abroad and international education. The 2011 Open Doors report ranks Arcadia University a top leader in the nation in undergraduate study abroad. U.S. News & World Report ranks Arcadia University among the top regional universities in the North and as one of the top study abroad programs. U.S. News also ranks Arcadia’s Physical Therapy program among the top 15 in the nation. Arcadia’s Physician Assistant students score in the elite 4^th percentile on national boards. Arcadia University promises a distinctively global, integrative and personal learning experience that prepares students to contribute and prosper in a diverse and dynamic world. (www.arcadia.edu)