Sneak Peek at Conference Programming
Advance Pricing now available!
David Baldacci, Steve Martini, and R.L. Stine join the ThrillerFest lineup!
Joseph Finder Interview!
See Latest News.
This month's BIG THRILL is loaded with a record-breaking number of thrillers ranging from exciting debut authors on up to the top names in international bestsellers. And we've included a BETWEEN THE LINES in-depth interview with the first of our three 2008 ThrillerFest Spotlight Guests, Eric Van Lustbader. So check out this month's amazing selection and then head for your favorite bookstore with your May Big Thrill reading list compiled for you by the best thriller writers on the planet.There's a thrilling month of reading ahead from your friends at the International Thriller Writers
Joe Moore
Editor
- LINDA FAIRSTEIN "delivers a scorcher" with KILLER HEAT
- BLACK OUT from LISA UNGER is "riveting psychological suspense"
- "Historical fiction meets thriller" in THE ROSETTA KEY by William Dietrich
- TONI MCGEE CAUSEY "grabs you by the heart" in BOBBIE FAYE'S FAMILY JEWELS
- SHADOW OF POWER from STEVE MARTINI is an "intelligent and intriguing thriller"
- TOM PICCIRILLI has written a "truly dazzling" thriller with THE COLD SPOT
- ADAM GITTLIN "rips open the underbelly of the real estate business" in THE DEAL
- THOMAS PERRY "intrigues with spare, intelligent prose" in FIDELITY
- TED BELL proves that he's "the master of swashbuckling" with NICK OF TIME
- SCREAM FOR ME by KAREN ROSE is "intense, complex and unforgettable"
- GHOST MOON from REBECCA YORK is filled with "page-turning suspense"
- ROBERT LIPARULO delivers a double punch with WATCHER IN THE WOODS and HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS
- KASEY MICHAELS has "done it again" with DIAL M FOR MISCHIEF
- "Buckle your seatbelts for a roller coaster ride" with SAY GOODBYE by E.J. RAND
- "No one does romantic suspense better" than CARLA NEGGERS in THE ANGEL
- CHRIS GRABENSTEIN writes his first book for younger readers with THE CROSSROADS
- SCORCH by debut author MARC PAOLETTI proves he's "the real deal"
- JORDAN DANE delivers "riveting, gritty suspense" in her second of three back-to-back thrillers with NO ONE LEFT TO TELL
- The latest International thriller news from RUSSEL MCLEAN
- Plus our contributing editors deliver in-depth feature interviews with JONATHAN MABERRY, JULIE COMPTON, STEVE WILSON, ROB PALMER, WENDY CORSI STAUB
- Bonus: a BETWEEN THE LINES interview with ThrillerFest Spotlight Author ERIC VAN LUSTBADER
- Extra Bonus: JAMES ROLLINS takes us BETWEEN THE LINES with his novelization of INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL
- And so much more from the best thriller writers on the planet!
Summer's fast approaching. Thinking of traveling abroad? Maybe you won't (dollar's too low) or can't (too busy writing), but that doesn't mean your book has to stay home. Your thriller wants to go overseas. And guess what? It can.More thriller writers than ever before are entertaining readers in all corners of the world. But it's not always easy: getting your book to cross borders is a lot like taking an international trip: you need a valid passport, you need to research the local sights and ask for recommendations...you may even need a shot. The same goes for your book. Do you know how to get your break-out thriller into the Berlin bookstores? Or why you need to know who your foreign rights agent is? And when to build a Spanish-language section on your website?
Continue reading ITW launches Across Borders.
Monthly Book Giveaway
Congratulations to Norman Glick, the winner of this month's BIG THRILL giveaway. Norman will receive an assortment of signed thrillers including ISLAND LIFE by MICHAEL W. SHERER, THE LAST NIGHTINGALE by ANTHONY FLACCO, SEASON OF STRANGERS by KAT MARTIN, KISS HER GOODBYE by WENDY CORSI STAUB, and NO ONE HEARD HER SCREAM by JORDAN DANE.
All subscribers to THE BIG THRILL webzine are automatically eligible for the monthly drawing. Click here to subscribe to the BIG THRILL email.
Congratulations to Norman Glick, the winner of this month's BIG THRILL giveaway. Norman will receive an assortment of signed thrillers including ISLAND LIFE by MICHAEL W. SHERER, THE LAST NIGHTINGALE by ANTHONY FLACCO, SEASON OF STRANGERS by KAT MARTIN, KISS HER GOODBYE by WENDY CORSI STAUB, and NO ONE HEARD HER SCREAM by JORDAN DANE.All subscribers to THE BIG THRILL webzine are automatically eligible for the monthly drawing. Click here to subscribe to the BIG THRILL email.
By Michelle Gagnon
Ironically, Graham Brown almost missed the Thrillerfest 2007 Agent luncheon. Thanks to a flight delay--on the red-eye, no less--he arrived late at JFK and made it to the Hyatt just as the event was about to begin. "I was completely wiped out at that point, and decided to skip the lunch. All I wanted was to check into my room and get some sleep." Graham confessed. "But another attendee got in the elevator with me, and by the time the doors opened on the ballroom level he'd convinced me to go. So I sat at the very last table and met Barbara, who was not only listening to pitches but helping authors make them better. My first thought was, 'This person had WAY too much coffee today.' I proceeded to come up with the worst pitch of all time, which she politely listened to."
By the end of lunch, Barbara Poelle of the Irene Goodman agency had invited Graham to submit his manuscript. "He was able to mark it with the coveted words 'Requested Submission,' insuring that his query would avoid the quagmire that can befall unsolicited manuscripts." Barbara said. "I read it within days of Thrillerfest, and didn't even make it to the bottom of page one before picking up the phone to request the full."
Ironically, Graham Brown almost missed the Thrillerfest 2007 Agent luncheon. Thanks to a flight delay--on the red-eye, no less--he arrived late at JFK and made it to the Hyatt just as the event was about to begin. "I was completely wiped out at that point, and decided to skip the lunch. All I wanted was to check into my room and get some sleep." Graham confessed. "But another attendee got in the elevator with me, and by the time the doors opened on the ballroom level he'd convinced me to go. So I sat at the very last table and met Barbara, who was not only listening to pitches but helping authors make them better. My first thought was, 'This person had WAY too much coffee today.' I proceeded to come up with the worst pitch of all time, which she politely listened to."
By the end of lunch, Barbara Poelle of the Irene Goodman agency had invited Graham to submit his manuscript. "He was able to mark it with the coveted words 'Requested Submission,' insuring that his query would avoid the quagmire that can befall unsolicited manuscripts." Barbara said. "I read it within days of Thrillerfest, and didn't even make it to the bottom of page one before picking up the phone to request the full."
Continue reading This Could Happen to You . . . at AgentFest.
Here's what was featured in the April edition of THE BIG THRILL.
- TWISTED by ANDREA KANE is a "high octane thriller"
- Get the scoop on WHERE ARE YOU NOW? by MARY HIGGINS CLARK
- JOHN RAMSEY MILLER "knows how to generate suspense" in SMOKE & MIRRORS
- GARY PHILLIPS edits a collection of "dark tales from the corridors of power" with POLITICS NOIR
- DANIEL KALLA is a "force to be reckoned with" with his new thriller COLD PLAGUE
- RAYMOND BENSON writes a "sizzling story full of thriller twists" in A HARD DAY'S DEATH
- LAST RUN by HILARY NORMAN is filled with "heart-stopping suspense"
- DAN FESPERMAN is "honing the genre of intelligent political thrillers" with THE AMATEUR SPY
- Don't miss SANTA FE DEAD by STUART WOODS
- IN THE KEY OF DEATH by ROBERT S. LEVINSON is called "a riveting thrill from start to finish"
- KATHLEEN LAWLESS delivers "wickedly erotic adventures" in XXX MARKS THE SPOT
- JEFF SHERRATT's THE BRIMSTONE MURDERS is filled with "good fun and great action"
- SHAKEDOWN by JOEL GOLDMAN is "chillingly realistic"
- Plus our contributing editors deliver in-depth feature interviews with LIBBY FISCHER HELLMANN, JORDAN DANE, GREGG OLSEN, THOMAS GREANIAS, and LISA JACKSON
- Bonus 1: 2008 Silver Bullet award winner DAVID BALDACCI and his newest thriller THE WHOLE TRUTH
- Bonus 2: a special BETWEEN THE LINES interview with ALEX KAVA
- And so much more from the best thriller writers on the planet!
A Toast to ThrillerFest by M.J. Rose
I
was sitting at the signing table on Sunday of ThrillerFest when a
gentleman approached with a copy of my latest novel, The Venus Fix and
a copy of the ITW anthology Thriller, and asked me to sign both. Of
course, I said. I asked him his name and proceeded to inscribe both
books. I'm slightly in awe when someone asks me to do this - of all
the things that make me "feel like a writer" it's this moment and I
love the chance to stop and talk to readers: find out what they like,
what they're tired of, what else they read, anything -- I'd be happy to
talk to readers all day.
I handed him back both books and he proceeded to hand me a bottle of wine. A gift he said, for me, and explained that authors give him so much pleasure that he likes to give them something back as a thank you.
The "thank you" I told him is buying the book - but wine too? It was his pleasure he assured me.
I was tired, it was the last day of the conference, it had been a lot of fun and work for those of us who were involved in the event and when this man gave me this gift out of the blue, I was not only blown away, I was speechless.
The cost of ThrillerFest - $300 plus
The cost of the two books - $32.00
The cost of the bottle of wine - $15
The moment: Priceless
Don't miss your priceless ThrillerFest moments. Register now!
Click to read more priceless ThrillerFest moments.
I
was sitting at the signing table on Sunday of ThrillerFest when a
gentleman approached with a copy of my latest novel, The Venus Fix and
a copy of the ITW anthology Thriller, and asked me to sign both. Of
course, I said. I asked him his name and proceeded to inscribe both
books. I'm slightly in awe when someone asks me to do this - of all
the things that make me "feel like a writer" it's this moment and I
love the chance to stop and talk to readers: find out what they like,
what they're tired of, what else they read, anything -- I'd be happy to
talk to readers all day.I handed him back both books and he proceeded to hand me a bottle of wine. A gift he said, for me, and explained that authors give him so much pleasure that he likes to give them something back as a thank you.
The "thank you" I told him is buying the book - but wine too? It was his pleasure he assured me.
I was tired, it was the last day of the conference, it had been a lot of fun and work for those of us who were involved in the event and when this man gave me this gift out of the blue, I was not only blown away, I was speechless.
The cost of ThrillerFest - $300 plus
The cost of the two books - $32.00
The cost of the bottle of wine - $15
The moment: Priceless
Don't miss your priceless ThrillerFest moments. Register now!
Click to read more priceless ThrillerFest moments.
Monthly Book Giveaway
Congratulations to Colleen Robbins, the winner of this month's BIG
THRILL giveaway. Colleen will receive an assortment of thrillers
including LEADING LADY by HEYWOOD GOULD, EMPTY EVER AFTER by REED
FARREL COLEMAN, ISLAND LIFE by MICHAEL W. SHERER, A HARD DAY'S DEATH by
RAYMOND BENSON, SHAKE DOWN by JOEL GOLDMAN, TWISTED by ANDREA KANE, THE AMATEUR SPY by DAN FESPERMAN, THE BRIMSTONE MURDERS by
JEFF SHERRATT, and NAMELESS by DEBRA WEBB.
All subscribers to THE BIG THRILL webzine are automatically eligible for the monthly drawing. Click here to subscribe to the BIG THRILL email.
Congratulations to Colleen Robbins, the winner of this month's BIG
THRILL giveaway. Colleen will receive an assortment of thrillers
including LEADING LADY by HEYWOOD GOULD, EMPTY EVER AFTER by REED
FARREL COLEMAN, ISLAND LIFE by MICHAEL W. SHERER, A HARD DAY'S DEATH by
RAYMOND BENSON, SHAKE DOWN by JOEL GOLDMAN, TWISTED by ANDREA KANE, THE AMATEUR SPY by DAN FESPERMAN, THE BRIMSTONE MURDERS by
JEFF SHERRATT, and NAMELESS by DEBRA WEBB.All subscribers to THE BIG THRILL webzine are automatically eligible for the monthly drawing. Click here to subscribe to the BIG THRILL email.
CraftFest is ITW’s annual pre-ThrillerFest writers’ university, where serious writers of all skill levels can study craft from the very best in the publishing industry. Boasting the largest number of New York Times best selling writers and instructors to teach under one roof, CraftFest is unmatched in quality.
CraftFest is a place to hone your craft, make industry connections, see old friends, and make many new ones. This year CraftFest will take place over two days and will offer Bonus Power Workshops for those available the morning of Wednesday, July 9th.
CraftFest officially begins on the afternoon of Wednesday, July 9th and concludes at lunch on Thursday, July 10th. As before, there will be three tracks of classes taught by some of the biggest names in the thriller genre. Wednesday evening there will be a group book signing for all of the instructors followed by a cocktail reception. On Thursday Tor/Forge presents a special luncheon event featuring a very special guest.
Thursday afternoon, ITW offers AgentFest, a chance to speed date with agents and editors to pitch your projects. That evening ITW will host another group book signing prior to the Cocktail Reception presented by Random House that will serve as the official kick-off to ThrillerFest 2008.
Continue reading CraftFest: where craft is the focus.
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ThrillerFest
ITW's annual celebration of the thriller world is the largest event of its kind, a meeting place for authors, readers, budding writers, and publishing industry professionals.
This year we're in the heart of New York in July, with two special add-on events, CraftFest and AgentFest, where authors of all levels can meet the professionals.
ThrillerFest 2008 will be held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City. There are limited rooms available at our conference rate. As soon as you register, please make your hotel reservation--don't wait! Once our block of rooms is filled, there will be no space available at the conference rate. You must be registered for the conference before making a hotel reservation. You can use our direct link to make your reservation online with the ThrillerFest rate.
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