Ever think of adding murder to your romance? It’s a sure-fire way to generate conflict, both externally and internally, and readers love conflict.

There are thousands of poisons found all over the world and in every historical epoch: Pre-history, Medieval, Renaissance, Regency, Victorian, Industrial, to ‘Ripped from Today’s Headlines.’

But how do you choose which poison, and why? How do specific poisons work in the body? What symptoms would the victim experience? How are poisons forensically detected? And what about delivery? Cupcakes and coffee for cozies? Or polonium in perfume?

Whether you write contemporary or historical, this presentation will allow you to comfortably Pick Your Poison and add authentic details to your manuscript—both historical and cutting-edge—that will make your reader come back again and again.

Because, as Agatha Christie said, “Poison has a certain appeal...”

Carol Potenza teaches biochemistry and writes murder mysteries. Her debut novel ‘Hearts of the Missing’, won the Tony Hillerman Prize. The heroine of her forthcoming murder mystery series is a toxicologist who has poison on her mind.