ITW is proud to announce the finalists for the 2013 Thriller Awards!

BEST HARDCOVER NOVEL

Sean Chercover – THE TRINITY GAME (Thomas & Mercer)
Brian Freeman – SPILLED BLOOD (SilverOak)
Lisa Gardner – CATCH ME (Dutton Books)
Gregg Hurwitz – THE SURVIVOR (St. Martin’s Press)
William Landay – DEFENDING JACOB (Delacorte Press)

BEST FIRST NOVEL

Daniel Friedman – DON’T EVER GET OLD (Minotaur Books)
Owen Laukkanen – THE PROFESSIONALS (Putnam Adult)
Chris Pavone – THE EXPATS (Crown)
Matthew Quirk – THE 500 (Reagan Arthur Books)
Michael Sears – BLACK FRIDAYS (Putnam Adult)

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL NOVEL

Blake Crouch – PINES (Thomas & Mercer)
Sean Doolittle – LAKE COUNTRY (Bantam)
Alison Gaylin – AND SHE WAS (Harper)
Alex Marwood – THE WICKED GIRLS (Penguin Books)
Michael W. Sherer – NIGHT BLIND (Thomas & Mercer)

BEST SHORT STORY

David Edgerley Gates – “The Devil to Pay” (Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine)
Clark Howard – “The Street Ends at the Cemetery” (Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine)
Dennis Lehane – “The Consumers” (Mulholland Books)
Gordon McEachern – “The History Lesson” (Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine)
John Rector – “Lost Things” (Thomas & Mercer)

BEST YOUNG ADULT NOVEL

Michelle Gagnon – DON’T TURN AROUND (HarperCollins)
Andrew Klavan – IF WE SURVIVE (Thomas Nelson)
Dan Krokos – FALSE MEMORY (Hyperion Books CH)
Niall Leonard – CRUSHER (Delacorte Books for Young Readers)
William Richter – DARK EYES (Razorbill)

BEST E-BOOK ORIGINAL NOVEL

Jon Land – PANDORA’S TEMPLE (Open Road E-riginal)
CJ Lyons – BLIND FAITH (Minotaur Books)
Alexandra Sokoloff – HUNTRESS MOON (Alexandra Sokoloff)
Allen Wyler – DEAD END DEAL (Astor + Blue Editions)
Allen Wyler – DEAD WRONG (Astor + Blue Editions)

Congratulations to all the finalists!

The 2013 Thriller Award Winners will be announced at ThrillerFest VIII, July 13, 2013, at the Grand Hyatt (New York City).

Very special thanks to:

Joshua Corin, Awards Committee Chair
Allan Leverone, Awards Coordinator
Jeff Ayers, Awards Coordinator

And all the 2013 Thriller Awards Judges

Carla Buckley
ITW Board of Directors, Vice President, Awards

Last fall, ITW members Kathleen Antrim, Brad Meltzer, Andy Harp, Michael Connelly, and Joseph Finder traveled across the Middle East as members of the third installment of the ITW-USO tour in a hectic 10-day schedule that covered multiple bases and lots of ground in four countries.

Members of the tours try their best to touch as many lives as they can. This year, as a token of appreciation, the ITW gave a challenge coin to the troops. The coin, known well in the military, signifies a gift from a command. Here, the command is the tour group Operation Thriller III and the coin reflects the logo of the ITW.

Behind-the-scenes work goes on for months before the tour begins. Representatives with the USO, Armed Forces Entertainment, the Morale, Welfare and Recreation program (called the MWR), the ITW, 5.11 Tactical, and security forces on the ground, all work together to coordinate schedules, transportation, meals, lodging and a host of other details to get five writers to as many troops as possible in the time allowed.

You can read more about the tour in Andy Harp’s official report at The Big Thrill, and Michael Connelly’s essay “What it means to be a hero” on the CNN website.

Brown University Library and the International Thriller Writers, Inc. are collaborating to identify, acquire, preserve, promote and make accessible for scholarly research ITW’s organizational records that have long-term research potential and the personal and professional papers of selected authors who are members of ITW. Together, ITW and Brown are developing a Thriller Writers Archive to join the Brown University Library’s Special Collections.

“ITW was founded in large part to carve out a unique identity for the Thriller genre,” writes ITW’s Jon Land, “and what better way to serve that mission that than to establish the first ever dedicated Thriller Archive at Brown University’s esteemed John Hay Library. Doing so will further ITW’s footprint and legitimacy, enabling us to better and more fully serve our membership and the genre as a whole. Because what’s good for Thrillers in general is good for the organization and the members who make us what we are in particular.  A big step in the right direction, but just one of many.”

You can read more about the gala kickoff event on Brown University’s website.

ITW would like to welcome new and re-elected board members Kathleen Antrim, Lee Child, D.P. Lyle, MD, and M.J. Rose to the 2012 Board of Directors. We would also like to thank retiring members Jon Land and Allen Wyler for their most excellent service. The current ITW Board of Directors and officers are as follows:

Kathleen Antrim, Director and officer; Co-President

Lee Child, Director and officer; Co-President

Douglas Preston, Director at Large

R.L. Stine, Director at Large

Carla Buckley, Director and officer; Vice President of Awards

Karen Dionne, Director and officer; Vice President of Technology

Joseph Finder, Director and officer; Vice President of Publications

Peter James, Director and officer; International Vice President

D.P. Lyle, MD, Director and officer; Vice President of Education and Member Services

M.J. Rose, Director and officer; Vice President of Marketing/Communications

D.L. Wilson, Director and officer; Vice President of National Events

David Dun, Treasurer (officer)

Liz Berry, Executive Director (officer)

We hope everyone has enjoyed a fabulous summer. Now that September has arrived, we’re already gearing up to make ThrillerFest VIII an unforgettable conference. This year, spotlight guests will include 2013 ThrillerMaster Anne Rice, 2011 ThrillerMaster R.L. Stine, T. Jefferson Parker, and Michael Connelly. Stay tuned for further announcements.

ThrillerFest VIII offers something for everyone:

CraftFest—NYT Bestselling authors will share their secrets on the craft of writing.

AgentFest—Over 50 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 and workshops. Special guests will be announced soon.

Also, we’d like to introduce our ThrillerFest team for the upcoming year. D.L. Wilson will be the new VP of National Events, D.P. Lyle, MD returns as our CraftFest Director, Boyd Morrison returns as AgentFest Director, and Kimberley Howe joins us again as Executive Director.

We’re really looking forward to seeing you next July 10-13, 2013 in NYC for ThrillerFest VIII.

Warmly,

D.P. Lyle, MD
CraftFest Director

D.L. Wilson
VP, National Events

 REGISTER ONLINE TODAY!

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

Don’t forget to a few minutes and peruse the ThrillerFest VII photo slideshow compliments of Alan Jacobson.

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.

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 VIII and which of your favorite authors are coming, as well as pricing, programming, registration, and hotel information — now in one convenient place.

July 10 – 13, 2013 – Grand Hyatt, NYC