BookPeople and Writers' League of Texas proudly welcome Maya Golden Bethany, Kelsey Cox, and John A. McDermott in a conversation moderated by Sarah Renee Beach for Writers' League's October Third Thursday panel "Thrills, Chills & Twists: Writing a Page-Turner."

This event is free and open to the public.

• Start time: 7:00 P.M.
• Run time: 45-60 minutes, followed by a signing line.
• Location: The second floor of BookPeople.

The authors will be signing and personalizing copies of their books after the speaking portion of the event.

• To get a book signed, a copy of the event book or an item of equal value must be purchased from BookPeople.

Guidelines:

• Seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

• If you have any other questions, please visit our Eventbrite FAQ. If your question isn't covered in the FAQ, feel free to email us at [email protected].
• All event guidelines are subject to change.
• BookPeople reserves the right to cancel or postpone this event if necessary.
• There will not be a live stream or recording available.

About the panel:

In today’s world of many distractions and demands on our attention, it’s an especially rare and wonderful feeling when you look up to realize hours have gone by unnoticed because you’ve been fully absorbed in the world of a book. What produces these reading frenzies, causing you to furiously turn page after page? An undeniable hook? Exquisite sentences? Tension? Plot twists and turns?

Join the Writers' League of Texas for their October Third Thursday, where they’ll be joined by three authors — Maya Golden Bethany (The Senator), Kelsey Cox (Party of Liars), and John A. McDermott (The Last Spirits of Manhattan) — whose recent books keep their readers turning pages and holding their breath from the first page to the last. Join us to hear about the craft choices and considerations behind their thrilling, chilling, and twist-laden books.

This conversation will be moderated by WLT Program Director Sarah Renee Beach. Come out and say hello to your friendly WLT staff, meet other writers, and soak up the awesomeness that is our literary community.

About the authors:

Maya Golden Bethany is an Associated Press winning and Emmy-nominated freelance journalist in Tyler, Texas where her foundation, 1 in 3 Foundation, serves survivors of sexual trauma with little to no income. Her memoir, The Return Trip, re-released in hardcover edition on March 4 from Rising Action Publishing and Simon & Schuster after its debut in paperback in November 2023. Her first novel, a political thriller, The Senator, released April 15 also through RAP and Simon & Schuster. Maya has written for Newsweek, Salon, Insider and BlackGirlNerds.com. Maya recently received the Parent Writer Fellowship from the Martha’s Vineyard Institute for Creative Writing. She is a graduate of Texas A&M University and a member of the Writers' League of Texas.

Kelsey Cox received her MFA in fiction from Purdue University and works from home in the Texas Hill Country. You can often find her writing at Mammen Family Public Library, chasing around her two young daughters, or watching British mysteries with her mom and aunts. On nights when bedtime goes as planned, she enjoys curling up on the sofa, glass of wine in hand, and a book with complicated characters and a killer twist in her lap.

John A. McDermott was born and raised in Madison, Wisconsin. He now serves on the board of directors for the Writers’ League of Texas and teaches creative writing at Stephen F. Austin State University. Prior to teaching, he worked as an actor, bartender, house painter, and advertising copywriter. He lives in Nacogdoches with his wife and teenage daughter. The Last Spirits of Manhattan is his first novel.

About the moderator:

WLT Program Director Sarah Renee Beach is an Austin-based poet and writer originally from Southeast Texas. She received her MFA in Creative Writing from The New School and is an alum of the Tin House Summer Workshop. Her poetry chapbook Impact won Sundress Publications’ 2022 Chapbook Contest, and her nonfiction can be found in The Sewanee Review and, later this year, in the Indiana Review.

By purchasing a book from BookPeople, you are not only supporting a local, independent business – you’re showing publishers that they should continue sending authors to BookPeople.

Thank you for supporting Writers' League of Texas, Maya Golden Bethany, Kelsey Cox, John A. McDermott, Sarah Renee Beach, and your local independent bookstore!