Mystery Writers Learn How to Get Their News Noticed
From 10:15 am until 12:15 pm
At Ponte Vedra Beach Library
101 Library Blvd, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Mystery writers know how to hook a reader. But can they hook an editor? The same skills writers use to capture readers—finding the hook, telling a compelling story and knowing their audience—can help get their own news noticed.
Northeast Florida Sisters in Crime will present “The Anatomy of a Killer Media Release” Saturday, Oct. 3, at 10:15 a.m. Eastern Time. The free Zoom program is open to the public.
Laura Jo Brunson will show writers how to identify a newsworthy angle, build the essential “skeleton” of a professional media release, write a strong headline and lead, and provide the information journalists and editors need. She will also cover distribution—identifying media outlets and contacts, sending the release and following up.
Participants are encouraged to bring two possible subjects for a media release. During the workshop, they will consider which has the stronger news angle and begin developing their own release.
Brunson has worked on both sides of media relations—deciding what was news and figuring out how to get news noticed. A former journalist and editor, she later became an award-winning public relations professional whose work earned local, state and national recognition. Now a freelance writer and editor, Brunson brings those skills to promoting her own work. Under her pen name L.J. Provost, she is the author of Thistle Nook Secrets—A Disaster Murder Mystery, to be released this fall, and co-author of Legendary Locals of Jacksonville.
Meeting details:
Saturday, October 3, 2026, at 10:15 a.m. Eastern Time
Register for the Zoom link at NEFloridaSistersinCrime.org.
Northeast Florida Sisters in Crime, a chapter of the national organization, welcomes men and women interested in writing, promoting, and enjoying crime fiction.
For more information, contact floridasistersincrime@gmail.com.
