The April 2014 Edition of The Big Thrill

Read the stories that were featured in the April edition of The Big Thrill.

29 new thrillers this month from ITW Members, plus a Between the Lines interview with Andrew Peterson by Brett King, the Top Ten Firearms Mistakes in Fiction by Chris Grall and News from South Africa by Michael Sears. Go behind the scenes as seven bestselling authors tell you about their courses at ITW’s first-ever Online Thriller School. Have you registered yet? There are still a few spots left. Classes start April 7th!

Hot off the press:

Click on a book title to read the feature story

• Special to the Big Thrill: ITW’s Online ThrillerSchool
• Special to the Big Thrill: Top Ten Firearms Mistakes in Fiction by Chris Grall
• A Between The Lines Interview with Andrew Peterson by Brett King
• News from South Africa by Michael Sears
• The Collector of Dying Breaths by M.J. Rose
• The Johnstown Girls by Kathleen George
• Everything To Lose by Andrew Gross
• Stalk Me by Richard Parker
• Code Zero by Jonathan Maberry
• The Furies by Mark Alpert
• Blood Always Tells by Hilary Davidson
• Montecito Heights by Colin Campbell
• Waking the Dead by Heather Graham
• Keep Quiet by Lisa Scottoline
• Safe Keeping by Barbara Taylor Sissel
• Critical Condition by Richard L. Mabry, M.D.
• Hanging By A Hair by Nancy J. Cohen
• A Roux of Revenge by Connie Archer
• Say That to My Face by Bernard Maestas
• The Blood of Alexander by Tom Wilde
• Far Gone by Laura Griffin
• The Best Victim by Colleen Thompson
• Ancient Enemy by Michael McBride
• Deadly Echoes by Philip Donlay
• The Code of the Hills: An Ozarks Mystery by Nancy Allen
• Whirlwind by Rick Mofina
• Xom-B by Jeremy Robinson
• Stay Dead by Anne Frasier
• When Smiles Fade by Paige Dearth
• The Way of All Flesh by Tim Waggoner
• Limestone Gumption: A Brad Pope and Sisterfriends Mystery by Bryan E. Robinson
• Aloha Betrayed by Jessica Fletcher & Donald Bain
• Courier by Terry Irving

Coming Next Month

The latest thrillers from Joseph Finder, Heather Graham, Steve Berry, Iris Johansen, James Rollins & Grant Blackwood, Reed Farrel Coleman, Douglas Preston, John Lescroart, Michael Palmer, Don Mann & Ralph Pezzullo, Donald Bain, William Dietrich and Shelley Coriell and many more!

New E-Releases from ITW Members

• Beverly Hills is Burning by Neil Russell
• Of Good and Evil by Gerald G. Griffin
• Sirens by Gary Cahill
• A Cold Dark Place by Toni Anderson
• Ashes and Bone by Stacy Green
• Before There Was You by Denise A. Agnew
• Vehemence by J.J. Hensley
• A Burning Desire by J. R. Lindermuth
• A Danger to Himself and Others (Bomb Squad NYC: Incident 1) by J.E. Fishman
• After Burn by Kathleen Lawless
• Everything To Lose by Gordon Bickerstaff
• Strike Price by L. A. Starks
• Sleeping Dogs: The Awakening by John Wayne Falbey
• Devil Eye by Rebecca Jean Downey
• Final Witness by James Scott Bell
• Sleep No More by Billie Sue Mosiman
• Captivated (Book 2 in the Bruised Series) by Stacy-Deanne
• Stalk Me by Richard Parker
• Before You by Jenna Bennett
• Fractured Trust: A Renee Steele Legal Mystery by R. Barri Flowers
• Extricate by Graham Wynd
• Saito Izumi, Night at the Alamo by David Miller

New Audio Books from ITW Members

• Shadow on the Moon by Connie Flynn
• Shadow of the Wolf by Connie Flynn
• Death and the Lit Chick by G.M. Malliet
• The Dark Pool by J.E. Fishman
• Darkbound by Michaelbrent Collings
• Run by Michaelbrent Collings

Introducing: ITW’s First-Ever Online ThrillerSchool!

Seven Weeks! Seven Bestselling Authors!

Join Stephen James, D.P. Lyle, Robert Dugoni, Gayle Lynds,

Andrew Gross, Linwood Barclay and Heather Graham!

In this seven-week program, which begins April 7th, 2014, the craft of thriller writing will be front and center. Each instructor will teach an aspect of craft though a podcast, written materials that include further reading and study suggestions, and an entire week of online Q&A with the registered students. The goal is simple: To make each student a better writer.

Attendance is limited, so register today. Visit ITW’s Online Thriller School for more information.

ThrillerFest IX – Registration Now Open!

ThrillerFest IX – July 8th – 12th, Grand Hyatt, NYC.

This year is the 10th Anniversary of ITW, and we are thrilled to be honoring 2014 ThrillerMaster Scott Turow and 2014 Silver Bullet Award recipient Brenda Novak. We’ll also be welcoming back 2013 ThrillerMaster Anne Rice and 2013 Silver Bullet Award recipient Steve Berry.

With the upcoming release of ITW’s Thriller 4 Anthology, FACEOFF, we’re pleased to be showcasing the contributing authors, including David Baldacci, Linwood Barclay, Steve Berry, Lee Child, Michael Connelly, Jeffery Deaver, Linda Fairstein, Joseph Finder, Lisa Gardner, Heather Graham, Peter James, Raymond Khoury, Dennis Lehane, John Lescroart, Steve Martini, T. Jefferson Parker, Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child, Ian Rankin, James Rollins, M.J. Rose, John Sandford, R.L. Stine, and F. Paul Wilson. You won’t want to miss this incredible line-up, so please sign up today!

Best First Sentence Contest

To celebrate our first year of Master CraftFest, a one-day intensive retreat on Tuesday, July 8, 2014, we are running a special event called the Best First Sentence Contest. All you need to do is send your VERY best first sentence (for a novel) along with your name, email address, and phone number to bestfirstsentence@gmail.com for a chance to win a critique of 10 pages of your work.

Five winners will be selected, and the Master CraftFest teachers—Steve Berry, Steven James, John Lescroart, and David Morrell—along with CraftFest Director, D.P. Lyle, MD will be choosing their favorite sentences and critiquing ten pages of the winners’ work. This is an incredible opportunity for feedback, whether you are an aspiring writer or a seasoned author.

Visit The ThrillerFest Website for more information.

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

The Thriller Roundtable

Whether you’re a fan or an author, you’ll want to join the Thriller Roundtable discussions at the Big Thrill website, where each week a new group of authors discuss everything from what they love about writing thrillers, to what they’ve learned, and more.

Here’s what’s in store for April:

March 31 – April 6: Do characters speak to you?
April 7 to 14: What are the dangers of modeling characters after people you know?
April 15 – 20: Is fact really stranger than fiction?
April 21 – 27: Do you enjoy reading books out of seasons, e.g. a Christmas story during the summer?
April 28 – May 4: Share an anecdote of when you used an incident from your own life in a novel.

Authors, don’t miss this promotional opportunity! Participate in the Thriller Roundtable by contacting
J.H. Bográn.

The Neverending Book Giveaway

If you’re a thriller fan who likes to win free books, be sure to check out the Neverending Book Giveaway on The Big Thrill website. Sign up for as many of the contests as you like! Just post a reply, and you’re entered!

Don’t forget to scroll down the list of contests or CLICK HERE for more contests and giveaways so you don’t miss any. (Tip: to shorten the display, click “Toggle Comment Threads.”) And because this book giveaway is “neverending,” be sure to check back often to enter the latest drawings!

Monthly Giveaway

Congratulations to Aimee Widick, the winner of this month’s Big Thrill giveaway. Aimee will receive an assortment of signed thrillers including Safe Keeping by Barbara Taylor Sissel, The Way of All Flesh by Tim Waggoner, Limestone Gumption by Bryan E. Robinson, Deadly Echoes by Philip Donlay, Poisoned Ground by Sandra Parshall, Steeped in Evil by Laura Childs, The Janus Legacy by Lisa Von Biela and Lights Out by Donald Bain.

All subscribers to the Big Thrill magazine are automatically eligible for the monthly drawing. CLICK HERE to subscribe to the Big Thrill email.