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 6 – 9, 2011 – 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