ITW is proud to announce the finalists for the 2012 Thriller Awards!

BEST HARD COVER NOVEL

Joseph Finder – BURIED SECRETS (St. Martin’s Press) **
Jonathan Hayes – A HARD DEATH (Harper)
Stephen King – 11/22/63 (Scribner)
Michael Koryta – THE RIDGE (Little, Brown and Co.)
Marcus Sakey – THE TWO DEATHS OF DANIEL HAYES (Dutton Adult)

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL

Jeff Abbott – THE LAST MINUTE (Sphere/Little, Brown UK)
John Gilstrap – THREAT WARNING (Pinnacle)
Helen Grant – THE GLASS DEMON (Delacorte Press)
Steven James – THE QUEEN (Revell)
John Rector – ALREADY GONE (Thomas & Mercer)

BEST FIRST NOVEL

James Barney – THE GENESIS KEY (Harper)
Melinda Leigh – SHE CAN RUN (Montlake Romance)
Paul McEuen – SPIRAL (The Dial Press)
H.T. Narea – THE FUND (Forge Books)
Leslie Tentler – MIDNIGHT CALLER (Mira)

BEST SHORT STORY

James Scott Bell – “One More Lie” (Compendium Press)
Michael Lewin – “Anything to Win” (Strand Magazine)
Twist Phelan – “Happine$$” (MYSTERY WRITERS OF AMERICA PRESENTS THE RICH AND THE DEAD, Grand Central Publishing)
Tim L. Williams – “Half-Lives” (Dell Magazine)
Dave Zeltserman – “A Hostage Situation” (Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine)

Congratulations to all the finalists!

2012 Thriller Awards Winners to be announced at ThrillerFest VI July 14, 2012, Grand Hyatt, NYC.

Special thanks to:

Allen Wyler, VP Awards
Julie Korzenko, Awards Committee Chair
Liz Wolfe, Awards Coordinator
And the 2012 Thriller Awards Judges

** I’m honored that BURIED SECRETS has been nominated for the 2012 International Thriller Writers award for Best Novel but, regretfully, I’m withdrawing it from consideration. Since ITW’s founding, board members have been ineligible for ITW awards. Even though BURIED SECRETS was technically qualified because it was submitted for an award before I joined the board, I’d rather avoid any impression of undue influence or favoritism. I’m deeply grateful to the judges, though, for this nomination: it means a lot. Best of luck to the other nominees.  –Joseph Finder

LOVE IS MURDER, the third Thriller anthology of short stories published by the International Thriller Writers edited by Sandra Brown received a starred Publishers Weekly review!

“If a person is known by the company she keeps, then the company of the 30 romance and suspense writers in this stellar all-original anthology speaks volumes about bestseller Brown . . . Chockablock with nifty plot twists, these stories aren’t to be missed.”

Read the full review here.

Prepare for heart-racing suspense in this original collection by thirty of the hottest bestselling authors and new voices writing romance suspense today.

Go on vacation with Allison Brennan’s Lucy Kincaid, where she saves a man from drowning, only to discover he is in far greater danger on land. Meet Roxanne St. Claire’s “bullet catcher”–bodyguard Donovan Rush–who may have met his match in the sexually charged “Diamond Drop.” Debut author William Simon shows us what happens when the granddaughter of the president of the United States is kidnapped. And Lee Child’s pitch-perfect “I Heard a Romantic Story” puts a whole new spin on Love Is Murder.

Bodyguards, vigilantes, stalkers, serial killers, women (and men!) in jeopardy, cops, thieves, PIs, killers–these all-new stories will keep you thrilled and chilled late into the night.

LOVE IS MURDER is the third Thriller anthology written exclusively by members of International Thriller Writers, Inc. With original short stories from Lori Armstrong, Jeff Ayers, Beverly Barton, William Bernhardt, Allison Brennan, Robert Browne, Pamela Callow, Toni McGee Causey, Lee Child, JT Ellison, Bill Floyd, Cindy Gerard, Heather Graham, Laura Griffin, Vicki Hinze, Andrea Kane, Julie Kenner, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Dianna Love, Jon Land, D.P. Lyle, James Macomber, Carla Neggers, Brenda Novak, Patricia Rosemoor, William Simon, Alexandra Sokoloff, Roxanne St. Claire, Mariah Stewart, and Debra Webb, you won’t want to miss this!

Now available for pre-order at:

Praise for the Thriller anthologies

“A slam-dunk collection of the best in the business.” Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author

“For romantic suspense lovers, this is magical mayhem loaded with bark and bite. Downright beguiling.” Jeffery Deaver, International #1 bestselling author

“It’s like a box of chocolates–each one is different, but they’re all great.” Joseph Finder, New York Times bestselling author

“An absolute must-buy for thriller readers everywhere.” Lisa Gardner, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“I love this book and you will, too.” Tess Gerritsen, International bestselling author

“Absolutely superb.” Doug Preston, New York Times bestselling author

“Gripping, exciting, engaging–every story will leave you breathless.” Karin Slaughter, #1 Internationally bestselling author

Five of today’s most critically acclaimed thriller authors recently completed a USO tour to the Middle East on a week-long USO/Armed Forces Entertainment tour designed to lift the spirits of deployed troops. The tour, fittingly known as “Operation Thriller II,” featured a series of base visits and autograph signings with these best-selling authors and International Thriller Writers members:

Clive Cussler (Raise The Titanic, Sahara and Deep Six, among many, many others); Sandra Brown (French Silk, Smoke Screen, Smash Cut, Ricochet, The Crush and Unspeakable, among others); Kathy Reichs (The Temperance Brennan Series that became the basis for the popular Fox television series, Bones, Déjà Dead, Death du Jour, Fatal Voyage, Grave Secrets and Monday Mourning, among others); Mark Bowden (Black Hawk Down, Killing Pablo, Guests of the Ayatollah and most recently Worm, among others); Andrew Peterson (First to Kill, recently optioned for a major motion picture, and Forced to Kill)

More photos of Operation Thriller II at the USO website.  USO Photos by Mike Theiler

ITW would like to thank 5.1.1 Tactical for generously providing the clothing ITW authors wore on the Tour.

This year, spotlight guests will include 2012 ThrillerMaster Jack Higgins, 2011 ThrillerMaster R.L. Stine, Lee Child, John Sandford, and Ann Rule.

ThrillerFest VII offers something for everyone:

CraftFest — New York Times bestselling authors will share their secrets on the craft of writing.

AgentFest — The top agents and editors in the business will be on hand to hear your pitches.

ThrillerFest — Network with other writers and meet industry professionals at the fabulous panels.  Special guests will be announced soon.

SPECIAL PRICING FOR A LIMITED TIME! TO GET THE BEST DEAL,

REGISTER ONLINE NOW!

If you prefer to mail your registration, you can download and print the appropriate registrations forms here:

ITW Author-Member Registration

ITW Associate-Member and Thriller Fan Registration

As our organization has grown, so have our websites. What used to be a single website is now three: this official organization website, our ThrillerFest website, and ITW’s online ezine, The Big Thrill.

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This Official ITW website has information about the International Thriller Writers organization, our members, the Thriller Awards, and our various programs and initiatives to promote the thriller genre. Be sure to check out “Operation Thriller,” the first USO Tour ever by bestselling authors, and Thriller Watch, an online catalog of members’ upcoming releases designed especially for booksellers, librarians, and the public.

ITW members can also access the “Members Only” section of this website for information on how to submit to upcoming ITW short story anthologies, members-only discounts and promotional opportunities including how to get your new release featured in ITW’s monthly publication, The Big Thrill, and more.

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Each month, The Big Thrill newsletter and ezine features dozens of original interviews with ITW members discussing their new releases.

The new Big Thrill website includes all this and more. Check out our brand-new collection of members’ video trailers, and if you’re an ITW member, be sure to add yours.

And whether you’re an author or a fan, you’ll want to join the weekly Thriller Roundtable discussions, where each week, a new group of authors talk about what inspires them, who their favorite thriller hero characters are, and what advice they’d give to the next generation of thriller authors.  The Thriller Roundtable is truly a unique place where readers and fans can discuss their favorite books with their favorite authors.

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The new ThrillerFest website collects together everything you need to know about ITW’s premier conference for thriller authors and fans. Check out photos of previous events, find out who the special guests will be at ThrillerFest VI and which of your favorite authors are coming, as well as pricing, programming, registration, and hotel information — now in one convenient place.

July 11 – 14, 2012 – Grand Hyatt, NYC

TWO FREE STORIES!

CLICK HERE to read “The Thief” by Gregg Hurwitz

CLICK HERE to read “Children’s Day” by Kelli Stanley..

“Hands down one of the best short story collections you’re ever likely to read. A masterful collection.”–Booklist, starred review

FIRST THRILLS includes never-before-published stories by New York Times bestselling authors Lee Child, Stephen Coonts, Jeffrey Deaver, Heather Graham, Gregg Hurwitz, John Lescroart, John Lutz (with Lise E. Baker), Alex Kava (with Deb Carlin), Michael Palmer (with Daniel James Palmer), Karin Slaughter, and Wendi Corsi Staub.

The collection also serves as an introduction to a new generation of thriller authors, including Sean Michael Bailey, Ken Bruen, Ryan Brown, Bill Cameron, Rebecca Cantrell, Karen Dionne, JT Ellison, Theo Gangi, Rip Gerber, CJ Lyons, Grant McKenzie, Marc Paoletti, Cynthia Robinson, and Kelli Stanley...

AVAILABLE NOW!

Also available June 7 as four mini e-books for just $2.99!

What reviewers are saying about the stories in FIRST THRILLS:

“The Dead Club” by Michael Palmer and Daniel James Palmer – “a very twisty tale” - Little Big Crimes

“The Bodyguard” by Lee Child – “a very clever piece of work” – Bookreporter.com

“Children’s Day” by Kelli Stanley - “destined to become a classic” - San Francisco Book Review

“Eddy May” by Theo Gangi – “in an anthology full of plot twists, Gangi’s definitely out twists them all” – Booklist;  ”most impressive” - The Independent

“Underbelly” by Grant McKenzie – “a standout” – Crimespree Magazine; “remarkably good” - The Independent

“Calling the Shots” by Karen Dionne - “a terrific tale, with the coldest ending line I have read since the last novel by Richard Stark.” - Little Big Crimes

“The Plot” by Jeffery Deaver – nominated for an Edgar Award