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Debut Spotlight: Nina Mansfield by Alex Dolan
By Alex Dolan I’m jealous of Nina Mansfield, in part because she just moved into a writer’s dream house in Connecticut, complete with stained glass windows, a wraparound staircase, and some eccentric neighbors that will help fuel future creativity. For a few minutes, Nina stopped unpacking to talk to me about her debut novel, SWIMMING ALONE, as well as her upcoming second book and graphic novel. Tell me about your sweet new house. Is it a good place to write? It’s a total mystery writer’s house. It’s a little creepy, and we have strange things happening. We clearly have a cat that keeps coming back to leave us things, like a dead bird and a regurgitated mouse on the front step. You started out as more »
Shadowed by Karen E. Olson
By Sidney Williams The first line of Karen E. Olson’s new novel SHADOWED is one of those that really grabs your attention: He is looking for me. Readers will quickly discover Nicole Jones, the hacker heroine of Karen’s previous novel Hidden, is the narrator, and even though she’s living under a new identity on a remote island in Quebec, Canada, she’s discovered “someone is inside her laptop, watching her every move.” From that chilling beginning, the novel follows Nicole, who’s now living as Susan McQueen, on her flight and quest to determine who’s after her. She’s soon to learn she can’t outrun her past. In just a glance, it’s clear to see why Kirkus Review had this to say about SHADOWED: “The second in this more »
Ink And Bone by Lisa Unger
By Dawn Ius Lisa Unger won’t tell you how to pen a bestseller, not even if you get on your hands and knees and beg. Frankly, when it comes to writing, “choice” doesn’t really factor into her process—and while that seems all romantic and author-ish, it’s sometimes scary for a writer who categorizes herself as the ultimate control freak. “I don’t have an outline, I don’t even know who is going to show up,” she says. “People look at you like there’s some secret you’re not sharing, but I’m not going to tell you how to develop a character. I don’t think there is one way to develop a plot, to explain how story and character are unified, and setting, and scene, atmosphere, suspense … more »
Author Guided Tour: Linda Fairstein’s New York City
By Linda Fairstein Scratch the surface of an iconic New York City landmark and you are likely to find a dark underside. The grand Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center was the scene of the backstage murder of a young musician, which occurred during a ballet performance. Roosevelt Island, home to the stunning Four Freedoms Park, once was known for its hospital and nearby “deadhouse”– a morgue to which Manhattan’s smallpox victims were ferried in huge numbers. And the Museum of Natural History used to be the repository of millions of human bones, stolen from graves of Native Americans and African villagers over decades, a century ago. When I started to write my Alexandra Cooper series of crime novels featuring a New York prosecutor, I more »
Off the Page: Writing the Autistic Character, by Michael Sears
One of the greatest rewards I have found in this writer’s life is the knowledge that I have deeply touched someone through my work. Those moments when someone comes up to me at a reading or panel or other public event, and tells me that some element of the father-son relationship in one of my Jason Stafford books moved them, are my reward for the long, often exasperating hours I spent writing those scenes. So it is for all writers, I would assume. But what makes the novels special is that Jason’s son (the “Kid”) is autistic. How did I choose autism? My personal relationship with those on the spectrum is limited. Neither of my children is on the spectrum but if they were I more »
Hidden by Karen E. Olson
By Ovidia Yu Karen E. Olson, well-known author of the Annie Seymour and Tattoo Shop mystery series, launches a new series with Severn House Publishers. The first book, HIDDEN, features Nicole Jones, a woman who has been hiding for years from her past and her criminal-hacker skills . . . till her serene refuge is invaded. HIDDEN sounds like quite a departure from your previous books—and it’s definitely not a cozy. How would you describe it? HIDDEN is a suspense thriller. And would you share your elevator pitch for HIDDEN? Nicole Jones has been a fugitive for fifteen years, living under the radar on Block Island, off the coast of Rhode Island, until one day someone from her past shows up on the island and more »
The Miser’s Dream by John Gaspard
By Gary Kriss Ladies and Gentlemen and Writers of all Genres and Persuasions. Prepare yourselves to partake in an amazing demonstration of literary legerdemain, of conundrum cunning, of puzzle prestidigitation, all of which will prove conclusively that the word is quicker than the eye. Are you ready? Watch closely for I shall make materialize a small fish which is a magician. Shazam! And there it is, a Magic Carpet! Stupefied? Of course you are. Nevertheless, in the unlikely case that there still might be doubters among you, I shall continue to shock your very sensibilities. There, to the right of the fish, in an instant, an owl which is a magician. Hocus Pocus! Allow me to introduce Hoodini! Again, you have been dazzled by the more »
Woman With A Blue Pencil by Gordon McAlpine
By John Clement Gordon McAlpine’s latest novel, WOMAN WITH A BLUE PENCIL (Seventh Street Books, 2015), is an engaging and imaginative palimpsest of stories, each unfolding in piecemeal through glimpses of letters, notes, manuscripts, and excerpted passages from both historical accounts and novels. The book has been described as a mash-up of Raymond Chandler and Sax Rhomer, as orchestrated by Jorge Luis Borges, and I think that’s not far off the mark. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Earlier this month, I got the chance to talk with McAlpine about the book’s creation. Your new book is such an impressive feat, with numerous intertwining stories—some fictional, some non-fictional—all unfolding at the same time and yet quite seamlessly. Can you talk about how you came up with the more »
The British Lion by Tony Schumacher
By Terry DiDomenico There are all kinds of thrillers and one of the more unusual is an alternate history. Introduced in The Darkest Hour, Tony Schumacher returns to 1946 in his latest thriller, THE BRITISH LION, where the victorious Germans now occupy a defeated Great Britain. Decorated detective John Henry Rossett is lying in a London hospital room recovering from gunshot wounds. Desperate to avoid blame over the events leading to the shooting, his boss, Ernst Koehler, covers up the incident. But when Koehler’s wife and daughter are kidnapped by American spies, the terrified German turns to the only man he trusts to help him and to do whatever is necessary: John Rossett. Rossett agrees to save his friend’s daughter, but in the chaotic new more »
Dead of Summer by Sherry Knowlton
By Eyre Price I recently had the opportunity to ask a few questions of Sherry Knowlton, author of the successful Alexa Williams suspense novels, Dead of Autumn and now DEAD OF SUMMER. Knowlton (nee Rothenberger) was born and raised in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, where she developed a lifelong passion for books. She was that kid who would sneak a flashlight to bed at night so she could read beneath the covers. All the local librarians knew her by name. Knowlton spent much of her early career in state government, working primarily with social and human services programs, including services for abused children, rape crisis, domestic violence, and family planning. In the 1990s, she served as the Deputy Secretary for Medical Assistance in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. more »
Heaven Sent by Ann Simas
The bad-luck threes. . . Sophie Doyle is not having a good day. She’s without a car, because hers was stolen. She’s without a washer and dryer, because hers tanked on the same day. She’s overslept because of a power outtage and when she finally arrives late for work, she’s told her employment is terminated due to budget constraints. Could things get any worse? Never ask, “What next?” Hit in the crosswalk by red-light runner, Sophie finds herself dead on the sidewalk, observing a good Samaritan trying to resuscitate her. Suddenly, she thrust into a tunnel of incredibly bright light, where she meets…God? Sophie likes it in Heaven where it’s nice and warm and welcoming, but she’s told she can’t stay. Her assignment? Return to more »
Chilling Effect by Melissa F. Miller
By Wendy Tyson USA Today bestselling author and practicing attorney Melissa F. Miller is well acquainted with the tough demands of the legal world, and so is Aroostine Higgins, the sharp and strong-minded protagonist in Miller’s upcoming release, CHILLING EFFECT. In CHILLING EFFECT, the second installment in the Aroostine Higgins series, federal prosecutor Higgins is called upon to investigate an embezzlement scheme at a Native American casino. As a Native American raised by adoptive parents, Higgins must reconnect with her past and gain the trust of a community wary of outsiders. But when her would-be informant is executed in his home, the stakes are raised and Higgins finds herself tracking down a ruthless murderer. The Big Thrill recently caught up with Miller to talk about more »
Burned by Valerie Plame and Sarah Lovett
By Nancy Bilyeau After a 2003 newspaper column on nuclear weapons in Iraq disclosed that she was a CIA operations officer, Valerie Plame was “burned”—finished with the CIA. The international controversy that ensued led to hearings, lawsuits, even arrests. Plame wrote a memoir, Fair Game: My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House, which was the basis for a film starring Naomi Watts and Sean Penn. And then Plame turned to fiction. Her first thriller, Blowback, introduced a female covert CIA ops officer named Vanessa Pierson, on the trail of the world’s most dangerous nuclear arms dealer. In Plame’s second thriller, the recently published BURNED, Pierson’s mission takes some even more frightening turns. It’s a story of high stakes—the novel opens with a more »
Stay Dead by Anne Frasier
New York Times bestselling author Anne Frasier takes readers back to her dark, enchanting Savannah—a place as terrifying as it is mesmerizing. Homicide detective Elise Sandburg is traumatized after her run-in with a madman the press has dubbed “The Organ Thief.” As Elise takes refuge in her deceased aunt Anastasia’s abandoned plantation to investigate and recover from her ordeal, she begins to question everything—from her dangerous line of work to her complex relationship with her handsome, tortured partner, David Gould. But with a madman on the loose, and her mother’s claims to still hear from Aunt Anastasia, she may have more immediate problems on her hands. In Elise’s world, where cold hard crime mixes with the local Gullah culture, nothing is ever what it seems, more »
Hunting Shadows: An Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery by Charles Todd
In the latest mystery from New York Times bestselling author Charles Todd, Inspector Ian Rutledge is summoned to the quiet, isolated Fen country to solve a series of seemingly unconnected murders before the killer strikes again August 1920. A society wedding at Ely Cathedral in Cambridgeshire becomes a crime scene when a guest is shot just as the bride arrives. Two weeks later, after a fruitless search for clues, the local police are forced to call in Scotland Yard. But not before there is another shooting in a village close by. This second murder has a witness; the only problem is that her description of the killer is so horrific it’s unbelievable. Badgered by the police, she quickly recants her story.
Crimes of Memory by L.J. Sellers
L.J. Sellers writes the bestselling Detective Jackson mystery series—a two-time Readers Favorite Award winner—as well as provocative standalone thrillers. Her novels have been highly praised by reviewers, and her Jackson books are the highest-rated crime fiction on Amazon. L.J. resides in Eugene, Oregon where her novels are set and is an award-winning journalist who earned the Grand Neal. When not plotting murders, she enjoys standup comedy, cycling, social networking, and attending mystery conferences. She’s also been known to jump out of airplanes. In CRIMES OF MEMORY, the eighth in her Detective Jackson series, Jackson returns to the Eugene, Oregon Police Department after a leave of absence resulting from a personal tragedy. He’s immediately assigned to investigate the homicide of a man who lived more »
Blurb for top spot – do not publish
The September edition of The Big Thrill is here! 38 new thrillers from ITW Members this month including debut novels from Barry Lancet, Carla Norton, Mary Miley, Geoffrey Girard, Misty Dietz and S.L. Menear, plus Special to the Big Thrill: Up Close and Personal with Allison Brennan and Laura Griffin, a Between the Lines interview with William Kent Krueger by Julie Kramer, and News From South Africa by Joanne Hichens! CLICK HERE to read more!
Lies in Wait by Donna Del Oro
Writing this prescient story last year (I wrote LIES IN WAIT before the recent and tragic Boston Marathon bombings) was a challenge. I read scores of books and articles about Islam, Muslims in America, the Qur’an, the history of Islam and the FBI’s undercover and intelligence strategies in counter-terrorism. What I discovered was both enlightening and deeply disturbing. I read declassified reports by the CIA on what law enforcements agencies can expect will happen when the Muslim population in an American city reaches 1%, 2 %, 3-5%. When the population reaches the 3-5% range, the Muslim community begins to petition for Sharia Law zones, like the ones that currently exist in the Netherlands. Denmark and France are approaching that percentage and their laws are facing more »
The Homecoming by Carsten Stroud
By Carsten Stroud Four years ago, southbound on Interstate 75, a hundred miles out of Chattanooga and on our way to Savannah,my wife Linda and I saw a Lexus SUV in the ditch on the far side of the northbound lanes, a couple of dazed people standing around beside it. One of them, a puffy older guy in one of those awful canvas boonie hats,was on a cell phone. There was no blue-and-grey Georgia State Patrol car at the scene: it was just another roadside enigma. Linda and I drove off, but a half-mile down the road, we saw another badly-damaged car in the ditch, and another guy on a cell. Once is incident, twice is coincidence: but again we drove away. And then, five more »
Special to the Big Thrill: Thriller Award Nominees by John Raab
By John Raab And the nominee’s are……. And the winner is….well, you are going to have to wait for ThrillerFest NYC 2013 to get this answer. The Big Thrill newsletter would like to introduce you to some of the nominees in each category. Some of the nominees were too busy writing their next novel, but we have a great lineup and a couple of questions for them to answer. When you put together an award ceremony with so many great authors, there are always some that just missed this list. The process is a long involved one and a lot of reading to determine the nominees. It all starts at the top and that would include two very important people, Carla Buckley, ITW Board of more »
Special to the Big Thrill: Law & Disorder by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker
By Mark Olshaker THE PERFECT CHARACTER Though I didn’t know it at the time, I’d been looking for John Douglas my entire professional life. I made my living as a documentary film writer-producer and happened into the thriller genre almost by accident. I saw a small article in the newspaper noting that when Albert Einstein died in 1955, his brain had been removed from his skull for scientific study, but after more than two decades, nothing substantial about the physical nature of genius had been revealed. Yeah, that’s a good cover story, I thought, but what did they really do with the brain? Out of that idle thought came my first novel, EINSTEIN’S BRAIN, for which I was fortunate enough to garner reviews and sales more »
ThrillerFest VI – by Ian Walkley
THRILLERFEST 2011 In July, I attended the International Thriller Writers’ annual ThrillerFest in New York. This was my second year attending and it was great to be reacquainted with some friends from last year as well as breathing the same air as the likes of Ken Follett, Robert Crais, Gayle Lynds, David Morrell, Karin Slaughter and many other famous thriller authors. Writers tend not to have the egos of actors, and their bodyguards are unarmed publicists, so even the most hallowed writer would generally be open for a chat, or at least willing to spare a moment for a kind word of encouragement to a fellow writer, even one as yet unpublished. And hearing other writers talk about how they approach writing, particularly how they more »
