FANFEST—THRILLERFEST’S INAUGURAL FAN EVENT!

One thing you can count on is that the team at ThrillerFest will find a way to keep things interesting. This year, the annual ITW conference will include a cocktail party called FanFest that will allow authors to give back to their readers in a unique way.  ITW’s VP of Marketing, M.J. Rose, created the event, and shares her thoughts about the premiere,

“ThrillerFest is a great conference, but how could we make it greater?  How could we fashion an event that would make our members look like heroes to their fans?  That members could use as a marketing tool?  Our idea—FanFest, the prize authors could offer in contests on their blogs, newsletters, Facebook pages, and Twitter.  A way to get attention in the best way—by rewarding our most ardent fans.”

Scheduled for Friday, July 12, 2013 from 6:00-8:00pm, FanFest offers authors a chance to invite their readers to a signing and cocktail party that features not only their favorite thriller writers, but some of the most recognized names in the Thriller world. Look for Steve Berry, Lee Child, Joe Finder, Heather Graham, Andrew Gross, John Lescroart, and R.L. Stine, just to name a few.

Co-President Kathleen Antrim comments, “At ThrillerFest, we’re all about having a wonderful time with our readers, and the addition of FanFest takes fun to a whole new level!  It’s going to be a fantastic party.”

If you’ve attended writing conferences before, then you know that finding a group of authors together in one area is often tough to do. Well, the hotel bar is one place you might catch more than usual, but by no means is a “sighting” guaranteed. At FanFest, it will be.

The joy of Thrillerfest is that it’s located in New York City and because a big chunk of the publishing industry is also there, the conference is packed with agents, editors, publishers, and authors. While this is one of the best aspects of the conference, it also can lead to lots of appointments for the authors. I know that after the panels for the day are done, I’m often off-site at dinners with my agent or editor, and I suspect so are a lot of the other authors. By creating FanFest, ITW will keep the buzz going.

Avery Ames (The Cheese Shop Mysteries) shares,

“It’s a great way to offer my readers an opportunity to mingle with some of their favorite authors in a relaxed setting.“

Hank Philippi Ryan, (THE OTHER WOMAN) agrees,

“I see it as a way to give something back to my readers. It’s rare, or even impossible, to get this many thriller writers in one room under other circumstances.”

Richard Bard began his career as an indie author and his third novel (BRAINRUSH) will launch with the Thomas and Mercer imprint just a week before the ITW conference, so he’ll have a lot to celebrate. Contacted by email, he said,“I can’t wait to share a toast with them at the party. Fun!”

Andrew Gross (NO WAY BACK) echoed a lot of the comments when he said “I’m local, and it’s a nice way to both reward fans who will be thrilled to be in such favorite author company, and also open Thrillerfest to a broader audience.”

And as Vincent Zandri (MURDER BY MOONLIGHT) notes:

“Authors rely (on) readers. Loyal readers…the relationship between author and reader is one of the most special and precious ever devised, and now with FanFest, we have a chance to give back just a little.”

In addition to the cocktails and mingling, there will be a signing and specially created swag bags for the attendees.  We’re also excited that SIRIUS radio hosts Kim Alexander and Maggie Linton and their fans will be joining us.

Because a host has a limited number of readers they can invite, I asked the participating authors how they were intending to offer their available spaces.  Most are looking to do a combination of Facebook sweepstakes and email contests, but the funniest answer had to be from Daniel Palmer, (STOLEN) son of Michael Palmer and a fine thriller writer in his own right.

I was going to host a gladiatorial type competition—the last five people standing could come. Surprisingly, that idea didn’t get a very large response. So, I was thinking about asking my social media followers to email me if they want to come, and then I’d pick the winners using a random number generator. Not very creative, I know.

Maybe not as electrifying as a fight to the finish, but definitely safer!

*****

Kimberley Howe has the honor of winning three Daphne du Maurier awards for Excellence in Mystery and Suspense and numerous other writing awards. She works as a medical, health, and fitness writer, excellent training ground for research and answers to countless Jeopardy questions.

Travel and adventure are her passions. She has had the pleasure of riding racing camels in Jordan, learning how to surf in Hawaii, hanging upside down on the zipline in the Costa Rican jungle, swimming with Great White Sharks in South Africa, and working with elephants in Botswana. Home is in Toronto, Canada, but she is often missing in action!

To learn more about Kimberley, please visit her website.

*****

Jamie Freveletti is the internationally bestselling and ITW and Barry award winning author of four thrillers in her Emma Caldridge series and her latest, DEAD ASLEEP, hit #1 on Amazon. She also writes for Robert Ludlum’s Covert One series, titled THE JANUS REPRISAL. She lives in Chicago.

To learn more about Jamie, please visit her website.

*****

Participating Authors:

Avery Ames Kim Alexander Axel Avian Richard Bard Steve Berry Diane Capri Joseph Finder Heather Graham Andrew Gross

Peter James John Lescroart Maggie Linton D. P. Lyle Daniel Palmer Michael Palmer Brad Parks W. Craig Reed

M.J. Rose Hank Phillippi Ryan R.L. Stine Simon Toyne Larry D. Thompson F. Paul Wilson Jeff Wilson Vincent Zandri

Top Secret: Operation Thriller III by Andy Harp

Author Michael Connelly climbs into the van just before midnight to get to the airport for a 2 a.m. flight. Much like Mickey Haller, the protagonist in Connelly’s THE LINCOLN LAWYER, he’s taking part in something undercover.  Connelly’s most dedicated fans won’t learn what is going on until he returns.

He’s not the only one. Brad Meltzer, Joseph Finder, Kathy Antrim and myself are all on the same undercover mission. We’ve each had, at best, three hours of sleep. It is day three.

Why would the authors of THE LINCOLN LAWYER, PARANOIA (Finder), CAPITAL OFFENSE (Antrim) or the creator of the popular television show DECODED (Meltzer) spend 20-hour days away from home?  Why would Connelly join the ranks of James Rollins or Sandra Brown, authors who have embarked on this mission previously?  Why would authors like Kathy Antrim live out of their bags for a ten-day tour where showering might involve a 100-yard hike in the dark?

Their mission is clear: They’re part of the USO’s Operation Thriller, a tour that brings authors across the globe to meet the men and women who serve.
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The FBI Files: Gangs and Organized Crime

By Kimberley Howe

THE SOPRANOS brought organized crime into our living rooms, and SONS OF ANARCHY revved our interest in the world of motorcycle gangs.  But are these popular television shows an accurate portrayal of what gangs and organized crime look like today?

Michael Plichta

Michael Plichta, Unit Chief, La Casa Nostra/Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs/Major Theft Unit,was kind enough to appease my burning curiosity about this fascinating subject.  His informative answers opened my eyes, as I hope they will open yours, to this growing international issue.

GANGS

How are gangs growing and evolving?

For most people who join an urban street gang, the decision is less of a choice, and more a way of life.  These gang members are not weighing options, but rather accepting a lifestyle within their comfort zone.  Rough neighborhoods provide a ready-made membership.

Gangs are growing both nationally and internationally.  The demographics have changed, and gangs are not only popular in inner cities, but suburbs as well.  The smaller local police departments don’t have the proper resources to deal with the gangs, so they prosper in the suburbs.  Gangs are also becoming more sophisticated, exploiting new and advanced technology as a means to recruit, communicate discretely, target their rivals, and engage in criminal activities.

How are gangs impacting our society?

There are more than 33,000 gangs in the United States, and membership has skyrocketed to approximately 1.4 million.  Gang membership has increased most significantly in the Northeast and Southeast regions, although the gangs in the West and Great Lakes have the dubious honor of having the highest number of members.  Many communities are experiencing an increase in ethnic-based groups, such as African, Asian, Caribbean, and Eurasian gangs.

Gangs are responsible for an average of 48 percent of violent crime in many jurisdictions, and up to a breathtaking 90 percent in others.  Large cities and suburban areas are the sites of most gang-related violence.  Neighborhood gangs and drug crews pose the most significant threat to communities.

What makes gangs increasingly more dangerous?

The days of simple street crimes are gone.  Gangs have become more sophisticated, better equipped, and highly organized.  The crimes are more varied and profitable.  Alien smuggling, human trafficking, and prostitution are becoming prevalent.  White collar crime, such as counterfeiting, identity theft, and mortgage fraud are also on the rise.  Gang members are looking for crimes with high profitability and lower risk of detection.  They are also more apt to commit crimes with lighter sentences than drug and weapons trafficking.

High-powered, military-style weapons and equipment have made gangs more lethal.  Gang members often raid military and law enforcement officials, facilities, and vehicles to secure weapons, ammunition, body armor, police gear, badges, uniforms, and official identification.

Prison time doesn’t mean that members will stop engaging in gang-related activities.  Family members often play roles in assisting the facilitation of criminal activities and recruitment during a member’s incarceration.

How is law enforcement dealing with gangs?

In January 1992, the FBI created the Safe Streets Violent Crime Initiative, which allowed each field office to address violent street gangs and drug-related violence through the establishment of FBI-sponsored, long-term proactive task forces focusing on gang issues.  The Violent Gang Safe Streets Task Force became the medium for all federal, state, and local law enforcement to join together and fight violent crime perpetuated by gangs.  This task force administers 160 Violent Gang Streets Task Forces across the nation.

To assist this effort, Congress established the National Gang Intelligence Center (NGIC) in 2005 to support law enforcement agencies in their fight against criminal activities perpetuated by gangs.  The NGIC includes members from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), US Drug Enforcement Administration, US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), US Bureau of Prisons (BOP), United States Marshals Service (USMS), US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC), and US Customs and Border Protection (CBP).  This multi-agency center gathers gang intelligence assets to serve as a central intelligence resource for gang information and analytical support.

To keep up-to-date in our fast-paced information age, NGIC has unveiled NGIC Online, an information system with web-based tools designed for researching gang-related intelligence.  Law enforcement officials can now look online to search the large library of intelligence products and images, post announcements, access officer safety reports, request information, and view the status of requests and submissions to NGIC.

ORGANIZED CRIME

How does organized crime prosper?

Organized crime rings reap illegal profits of around one trillion dollars a year.  How do they rake in this astronomical amount?  They manipulate financial markets and labor unions along with construction and trash hauling industries.  These rings also bring drugs into our communities and raise the levels of violence.  Some of the techniques they use include bribing corrupt officials, extortion, graft, intimidation, and murder.  They also run underground businesses like human trafficking and prostitution, and they con people out of millions of dollars every year through stock frauds and financial scams.

What does the face of organized crime look like today?

The group we think of as the Italian Mafia, La Cosa Nostra (or the LCN as it’s known by the FBI), is literally translated to “this thing of ours.” These “families” or groups are engaged in significant and organized racketeering activity.  The LCN is most active in the New York metropolitan area, parts of New Jersey, Philadelphia, Detroit, Chicago, and New England, but it has members in other major cities, and it is involved in international crimes.

Although the Italian Mafia remains a powerful force, globalization has changed the face of organized crime. The focus has shifted from regional families with a hierarchical structure to a variety of flat, fluid networks with global reach.  International enterprises are more anonymous and sophisticated.  Some of the threats surging to the forefront of organized crime include:

• African groups have become a powerful force.  Consider the millions that corrupt Nigerians have made from their internet scams or the boon of Somali pirates.  Africa has also become a player in the narcotics trade, with drugs being shipped from South America to Europe via ports in Africa.
• Asia offers the Chinese triads and tongs, the Japanese Boryokudan, and other Asian crime rings.
• Criminals from Russia became rich after the Cold War because they understood basic unregulated capitalism.When the travel/immigration restrictions relaxed, some lower level Russian organized criminals traveled to the U.S. to try their luck at establishing criminal organizations in the United States.  So far, they have been kept in check.
• Eastern European nations like Hungary and Romania have criminal enterprises that are becoming powerful entities.

Making things even more challenging, the FBI is seeing cross-pollination between groups that have never worked together before.  The internet facilitates these collaborations. These criminals may never actually meet, but their common greed results in shared ventures.  Internet crimes that generate money are increasingly becoming tools of the trade.

The players have transformed.  Former members of nation-state governments, security services, and the military use their specialized knowledge to exploit rich targets.  The shake-downs of local businesses showcased in THE SOPRANOS have been replaced by high-stakes, profitable enterprises.

The FBI has also changed, especially after 9/11.  It was given broader permissions to use tools to prevent crimes and purposeful acts of terror.  The FBI has evolved from a law enforcement agency to a national security service that is focused on threats and intelligence gathering.

How does the FBI combat organized crime?

Organized crime comes at us from every corner of the globe.  The FBI fights to minimize the damage caused by these national and transnational syndicates through undercover operations, confidential sources, surveillance, intelligence analysis and sharing, forensic accounting, multi-agency investigations, and the use of racketeering statutes to help take down entire organizations.  The FBI also maintains close ties with its international partners to build cases and disrupt groups with global ties.  For example, FBI agents have worked side-by-side with the Hungarian National Police for over 10 years targeting Eurasian organized crime to bring criminals from Russia, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, and others to justice.

All of this hard work does pay off.  In October 2010, the FBI (along with its state and local partners) arrested 52 individuals, many of whom allegedly belonged to an Armenian-American syndicate, for health care fraud amounting to more than $163 million dollars.  Among those arrested was an individual believed to be a “Thief-in-law” (may be more closely translated as a “thief who follows the law,” figuratively referring to a criminal who obeys the Thieves’ Code), an elite in today’s world of organized crime.  Cases like this one require serious commitment and cooperation of many individuals, and to remain successful in the fight against crime, the FBI must continue to adapt to the evolving threat of organized crime.

The FBI’s organized crime section is divided into three units, devoted to:

• La Cosa Nostra, Italian organized crime and racketeering.
• Eurasian and Middle Eastern organized crime.
• Asian and African criminal enterprises.

FBI headquarters handles the overall coordination and support of all organized crime investigations.  The 56 Field Offices and Resident Agencies investigate crimes within their own territory and they rely on headquarters for additional support and assistance.  The FBI also participates in joint task forces with other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to help combat organized crime. There are also 63 Legal Attachés overseas.

TV shows like the SOPRANOS, SONS OF ANARCHY, and BOARDWALK EMPIRE glamorize organized crime and gangs, seducing people into “the life.”  But as you can see from Michael’s helpful information, this lifestyle can lead down a destructive path.  If you are interested in learning more, Michael recommends reading CLOCKERS by Richard Price, a fascinating tale about the underside of a gritty New Jersey housing project or GANG LEADER FOR A DAY by Sudhir Venkatesh, a gripping tale of how a young sociologist was able to infiltrate a Chicago gang and befriend a gang leader.

I hope you enjoyed these insights into such a timely topic. Michael Plichta was incredibly helpful and forthcoming about his extensive background in organized crime and gangs.  I’d also like to thank Betsy Glick in the Office of Public Affairs at FBI Headquarters in Washington D.C. for her efforts in coordinating this interview. 

WORKING WITH THE FBI: A Guide for Writers

If you are a writer who wants to feature the FBI in a TV, film, and literary project, the FBI may be able to work with you to help create an accurate portrayal of the Bureau’s work.

The FBI’s Investigative Publicity and Public Affairs Unit (IPPAU) in the Bureau’s DC-based Office of Public Affairs works with screenwriters, producers, authors, and other industry personnel associated with TV programs, documentaries, made-for-TV movies, films, and books.

What the FBI needs from you:

• Company name, point of contact, address, email, and phone number
• Project status, i.e., sold, green-lit, commissioned, or speculative
• Scope of FBI’s importance in the script
• Overview of FBI characters and actions
• Copy of the script or treatment
• Project status and/or production schedule
• Specificity regarding cases, procedures, or information needed
• A list of FBI personnel desired for interviews and/or background meeting(s)

What the FBI can consider providing you:

• Guidance on content and/or dialogue regarding FBI investigations, procedures, interagency coordination, structure, and history
• Information on costumes, props, scenery, or weapons
• Fact-checking
• Liaison and coordination with local FBI field offices for interviews or B-roll footage
• Coordination of visits to FBI headquarters and other facilities
• Background briefings

For project assistance, please send a written proposal with the above info to: public.affairs@ic.fbi.gov or call the Office of Public Affairs in Washington, D.C. at (202) 324-5348.

Please note that IPPAU considers and/or approves project assistance on a case-by-case basis. The FBI’s unit has limited resources and cannot assure cooperation or offer reviews or critiques of submitted projects/proposal. Please allow ample time for approval/clearance process.

*****

Kimberley Howe has the honor of winning three Daphne du Maurier awards for Excellence in Mystery and Suspense and numerous other writing awards. She works as a medical, health, and fitness writer, excellent training ground for research and answers to countless Jeopardy questions.

Travel and adventure are her passions. She has had the pleasure of riding racing camels in Jordan, learning how to surf in Hawaii, hanging upside down on the zipline in the Costa Rican jungle, swimming with Great White Sharks in South Africa, and working with elephants in Botswana. Home is in Toronto, Canada, but she is often missing in action!

To learn more about Kimberley, please visit her website.

By Anthony J. Franze and Jenny Milchman

Anything that calls itself ThrillerFest has a lot to live up to.

Luckily, this year’s ThrillerFest—the International Thriller Writers’ annual conference—delivered more than its share of thrills. Held in the heart of Manhattan, ThrillerFest VII was the largest and most successful T-Fest yet. On hand were hundreds of the world’s top thriller writers, as well as scores of industry professionals, journalists, producers, aspiring writers—and let’s not forget the readers and fans.

Haven’t been to ThrillerFest yet? Not clear what it’s all about? Come take a journey with both the Chair and the Membership Coordinator of ITW’s Debut Authors Program as we give some background on ThrillerFest, and then go behind the scenes—way behind the scenes—at this year’s event.

What is ThrillerFest?

Officially, ThrillerFest is “a four-day celebration of thriller books, the authors who write them, and the fans who read them.” Or, as Co-Presidents of International Thriller Writers, Kathleen Antrim and Douglas Preston, say: “ThrillerFest creates an environment in which readers meet authors, and aspiring authors gain the tools and make the contacts they need to get published. It’s a place where agents discover new authors, and where up-and-coming authors find resources to move their careers forward. And finally, it’s a place where bestselling authors share their experiences, advice, and wisdom with those traveling the same road.”
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By Hank Wagner

Although it might be hard to believe, forty years have passed since David Morrell’s classic thriller FIRST BLOOD was first published. During that time, the book’s protagonist, Rambo, has become well known across the globe, primarily due to four movies starring Sylvester Stallone. We thought it appropriate to celebrate this milestone anniversary by sitting down with Morrell, the author who started it all with his creation of the traumatized ex-soldier, to get his perspective on the novel and its important literary and cinematic legacy.

This is the 40^th anniversary of the publication of FIRST BLOOD.  For the occasion, you revised your novelizations for the second and third Rambo films and then wrote introductions for them. You also wrote an e-essay, “Rambo and Me: The Story behind the Story.” What was it like, revisiting those works?

Four decades. Amazing. As I revisited FIRST BLOOD and the novelizations I wrote for Rambo (FIRST BLOOD Part II) and Rambo III, I was surprised by how little the world had changed since 1972. The United States is as polarized today as when FIRST BLOOD was published.  The term “post-trauma stress disorder” didn’t exist back then. Nonetheless that’s one of the themes of my novel, and now after Afghanistan and Iraq, two wars that lasted even longer than Vietnam, PTSD is more prevalent, a daily item in the news. In Rambo III, the character went to Afghanistan. The day the movie opened, the Soviets retreated, probably because they knew Rambo was coming. That was the end of that. Or so it seemed, and yet two decades later, Afghanistan is as much in the news as ever.
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By Brett King

Synchronicity.

From time to time, psychiatrist Carl Jung believed, we face events that seem unrelated or even coincidental until we find meaning in their shared experience. I think Alan Jacobson can testify to the importance of synchronicity in his career as a bestselling novelist.

While practicing as a chiropractor years ago, a hand injury forced Alan to retire and sell his practice. During the transition period, he had a chance encounter with the head of the Department of Justice’s Criminalists Institute. Although the criminalist was seeking a character reference, that moment of synchronicity led Alan to audit a course on blood spatter pattern analysis. His research at the DOJ crime lab, in turn, allowed him to meet rising FBI agent Mark Safarik who shared his insights and expertise.Agent Safarik later invited him to Quantico to tour the FBI Academy and profiling unit. Alan drew upon those critical influences to write his debut novel, False Accusations. His thriller became a national bestseller and also stimulated an enthused fan base abroad when it was published in several foreign countries.
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By Julie Kramer

New York Times bestselling author Linda Fairstein is back with NIGHT WATCH, her fourteenth thriller starring sex crimes prosecutor Alexandra Cooper. Fairstein has certainly lived her research, spending a career as a New York prosecutor before becoming a crime novelist. She remains a leading legal expert on sex crimes and domestic violence.

Her latest tale of suspense features a wealthy financier charged with attacking a hotel maid – a ripped from the headlines premise. As an added treat, readers get an inside look at the ruthless business of gourmet dining.  Booklist gave NIGHT WATCH a starred review, calling it “a real winner from a legal thriller master.”

Here in THE BIG THRILL, Fairstein discusses the difficulty of finishing NIGHT WATCH after the death of her husband, what scares her most about changes in the publishing industry, and her take on the 50 SHADES OF GREY phenomenon.
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By Julie Kramer

LOVE IS MURDER says it all. Story after story. Romantic suspense is the theme of the latest International Thriller Writers anthology.

Sandra Brown, author of more than sixty New York Times bestselling novels, immediately accepted the task of editing the short story collection even though she’s never written a short story herself.

“The challenge of writing a short story is so daunting to me,” she said.  “I’d rather write a

full-length novel than even attempt a short story because a good one requires a particular talent that, sadly, I don’t have. That’s why I was so impressed by the cleverness of the stories.”

The book’s appeal is also that Brown shares her gut reaction to each narrative’s mechanics and passion, heightening readers’ expectations story-by-story.

“These writers knew what they were doing,” she said. “Each is different. Some are poignant, others scary. Some focus on high octane action, while others are shatteringly emotional or psychologically terrifying.  Reading them for the first time, I was truly, jaw-droppingly amazed by the variety of talent.”

Brown says the allure of romantic suspense as a genre comes because it crosses over so many other genres — mystery, thrillers, even science fiction.  “Diehard readers of those genres find all the elements they expect and favor, plus the love story angle. The romance adds spice, certainly, but it also raises the stakes for the protagonists.  Love is a dramatic and powerful motivator that can instill in a character strong emotions like rage, bravery, despair, all of which makes for great storytelling.”

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By Anthony J. Franze

Imagine you’re forty years old.  You’re married with a teenage daughter.  You’ve been at your job for eighteen years.  And one day, you come home to a message on your voicemail:  you’ve been fired (“downsized”) and shouldn’t come back in to work.

For many, this would be the first step down a path of defeat, desperation, and despair.  They’d find themselves in a dark room curled up in a ball — or in a dark bar curled up in a bottle.

But not Lee Child.

In the mid-1990s, he received that call — the third message on his voicemail after returning from vacation.  Child’s career as a British television director was over.  His response?  He went to the store, “bought six dollars’ worth of paper and pencils,” and sat down to write his first novel, KILLING FLOOR.  It was about a man who had been downsized from the U.S. military, who wanders the American landscape righting wrongs and dispensing justice.  His name was Jack Reacher.

Today, nearly two decades later, Child is one of the most successful writers in the United States, if not the world, selling more than 50 million books.  And Reacher, well, he’s one of the most celebrated characters in fiction.  The millions of Reacher fans (“Reacher creatures”) soon will see the beloved character immortalized in ONE SHOT, a film starring Tom Cruise as Reacher.  Paramount Pictures is so confident in the film that it recently moved up the release date.

On March 18th I met with Child in a “mentor forum” hosted by the International Thriller Writers Debut Authors Program, where he dispensed his wit and wisdom to a small group of the newest generation of thriller writers seeking to learn from a master.  Participating via Skype, writers from across the country spent over two hours peppering Child with questions about writing, book promotion, and the publishing industry.  To his credit, Child agreed to answer “any question at all.”  And he did so, breaking only to fill up his mug with coffee and to give an occasional longing glance at his computer where he is putting the final touches on his forthcoming Reacher book, A WANTED MAN.
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By Steven M. Forman

Doug Preston, current Co-President and a founder of ITW, began writing books in 1985. Twenty of his novels and five works of non-fiction have been published. Fourteen of his books were best sellers including his latest, COLD REVENGE, written with Lincoln Child, which reached number one on the NEW YORK TIMES best seller list. Doug’s thrillers contain suspense, intrigue, danger and a fascinating cast of characters. Ironically, Doug experienced an international real life thriller that included many of the elements of his fiction and gave him the unique perspective of being his own protagonist. He recently shared his adventure with me.

Your real life thriller took place in Italy. Why were you there?

I went to Italy with my wife and two children in 2000 intending to stay four years. I planned to write a murder mystery set in Florence involving an art historian who is murdered, his body found by the side of the road with his eyes gouged out.
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Special to the Big Thrill by Andrew F. Gulli

It was hot and humid in New York, not many of you will remember the 2005 edition of BEA, but I will for many reasons…

For starters it was the first BEA I attended (and so far the last) and also, I was so damned tired from talking non-stop, shaking hands, and being stuck in that sauna of germs the Javitz Center, that on the airplane journey back home, I was struck with a flu which was biblical in its severity. Being on a runway for three hours and for another three hours on a flight that usually took 90 minutes didn’t help.

A distant memory from that stifling trip that today shines brightly was welcomed by the ITW. I had arranged to see my friend Joe Konrath at the Javitz, “Hey, Andrew you’re coming to the party right?” he asked.
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By Kimberly Howe

ThrillerFest VI delivered four days of non-stop action, setting new attendance records and gracing the Grand Hyatt with the best of the best in the genre. The eye-catching banners on the bustling streets of NYC caused a buzz, enticing both locals and tourists to join us and meet their favorite authors. People came from around the corner and from around the globe–including Australia, England, and Qatar–to celebrate the sixth year of ThrillerFest. Click through to read the full story.
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By Dan Levy

Imagine you’re at ThrillerFest attending one of the many social events. You turn, and just out of earshot, Steve Berry, David Morell, Lisa Gardner, Tess Gerritsen, and Lee Child are talking. You can tell by their faces, the discussion isn’t current events or cocktail party chitchat. They’re discussing something deep…some element of writing thrillers, you’re sure.

More than knowing, you feel the burn that tells you just two minutes with this group would unearth some huge nugget. The kind of intel that would send your own protagonist charging into Act III, and put your novel in the homestretch. Mentally, you begin cataloging the body parts you would give just to be able to stand there, to hear what topic has the thriller elites so rapt.

Then one of them turns to you, “Do you have a minute to join us? We’d really value your opinion on…”
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By Karin Slaughter

Not many of us listened to our parents when we were growing up, but we always listened to the words we read in books.  I remember my own childhood through the novels I read—Encyclopedia Brown Takes the Case; The Secret of the Old Clock; Are You There God, It’s Me, Margaret; Flowers in the Attic; Gone With the Wind.

The one thing all of these books have in common is that they were suggested to me by my local librarian.  With a stealthy hand, she directed me toward choices that fostered a lifetime love of reading.

I am hard pressed to find a successful writer who doesn’t have a similar story to mine—transformation through the public library.   This is why I am beseeching all ITW authors and thriller fans to support the Save the Libraries program.
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By Aaron L Brown

You may have never heard of Neil Russell, but if you’ve ever been to the movies or turned on a television, chances are that you’ve seen his handiwork. He is currently the president of Site 85 Productions, a company engaged in the creation and acquisition of intellectual properties for entertainment media. But he is also a former senior executive of Paramount, Columbia, MGM/UA and Carolco Pictures (producers of the Rambo movies, Terminator 2, and Total Recall), where he also founded and headed Carolco Television Productions. On top of all this, he is a novelist who the legendary Clive Cussler described as “one of the finest, skilled, and accomplished writers in the country, a true master of intrigue.”
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Imagine a literary jam session with 22 of your favorite masters of pulse-pounding fiction and you have WATCHLIST: Two Serial Thrillers in One Killer Book. Jeffery Deaver conceived of the characters and put the plot into motion and Jim Fusilli leant a sharp editorial eye, finely orchestrating this chorus of suspense that includes such top writers as Lee Child, Joseph Finder, Lisa Scottoline, Gayle Lynds, P.J. Parrish and many others. Dramatic tension ties the novellas together as each thriller titan leads the reader down dark alleys and around blind corners, saving the fireworks for the climactic endings, also crafted by Jeffery Deaver.

To celebrate the paperback release, Watchlist contributors Lee Child, David Hewson, David Corbett, John Ramsey Miller, Brett Battles, Ralph Pezzulo, James Grady, Gayle Lynds, Jim Fusilli, James Phelan, SJ Rozan, David Liss, John Gilstrap, Erica Spindler, PJ Parrish, Peter Spiegelman and Joseph Finder, along with MJ Rose (who wrote the introduction) will answer the question, “What’s it like to write a serial novel?” Be sure to read their observations in the comment trail!
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By Brett King

Twenty-two thriller masters. Two masterful thrillers. One fascinating experiment in creativity.

It was a bold idea. Gather many of the world’s finest thriller writers and challenge each one to compose a chapter during a two-week window before handing it off, no questions asked or advice given, to the next author. Based on an idea by New York Times bestselling author Jeffery Deaver, Watchlist blends two novellas, The Chopin Manuscript and The Copper Bracelet, into a single book, available in paperback on December 7th. Brimming with explosive twists, one novella deals with a mysterious manuscript containing a deadly secret while the sequel centers on an international terror plot that threatens to escalate into the next world war.
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By Hoyt Hilsman

After a decade as a screenwriter and journalist, writing scripts for the major studios and networks and articles for national publications, and several more years in the world of politics, including running for Congress in California, I decided to write my first novel, a political thriller.  While I never aspired to be a novelist, I was not eager to return to screenwriting – with the endless pitch meetings, rewrites and other disappointments.

More importantly, I had an idea for a series of political thrillers based on a strong central character, and drawn from my knowledge of the world of intelligence and politics (My father had been head of intelligence for the State Department under President Kennedy, and I had grown up in that world).  So I launched enthusiastically into writing 19 Angels, a political thriller set in the Middle East.  Nine months later I had produced what I believed was a strong debut novel — fast-paced, well plotted and full of detail and texture.
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By Janice Gable Bashman

“Moving from room to room, hearing their stories…we writers of invented action were humbled by meeting warriors who had lived the real thing, examples of heroism far beyond anything we could imagine,” says David Morrell. For Morrell and the other thriller writers (Steve Berry, Andy Harp, Douglas Preston, and James Rollins) who participated in the recent Operation Thriller USO Tour, the tour was a life-changing experience. It brought them face-to-face with wounded military personnel at hospitals in the United States and with personnel stationed in Kuwait and Iraq. This was the first time in the USO’s 69-year history that authors visited a combat zone, and it was a huge success for both the authors and the men and women they visited.
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By Aaron Brown

With his new novel, Narrows Gate, author Jim Fusilli has blazed a path that may open up a bold new outlet for writers to share their stories.  He’s done so by becoming the first writer to sell a book to Audible (a large audiobook publisher and distributor) without the book first appearing in print.  And it’s fitting that the book treading this new ground is one described as “outstanding in every way” and “a big, broad-shouldered novel, equal parts Ellroy, Puzo and Scorsese.”
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The much-heralded ITW project Thrillers: 100 Must Reads is scheduled to be published by Oceanview this July during ThrillerFest. To whet your appetite for this essential book, The Big Thrill is going to feature a series of short interviews with various essayists in upcoming issues. In our first interview, Hank Wagner, co-editor of the collection, chats with Douglas Preston, who contributed a fascinating essay on Wilkie Collins’s The Woman in White, hailed by many in 1860 as the first “novel of sensation.”
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The much-heralded ITW project THRILLERS: 100 MUST-READS is scheduled to be published by Oceanview this July during ThrillerFest.  To whet your appetite for this essential book, we’re going to feature a series of short interviews with various essayists in upcoming issues. This interview by Hank Wagner, co-editor of the collection, is with Tess Gerritsen, who contributed a fabulous essay on Ken Follet’s masterpiece, Eye of the Needle.
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The much-heralded ITW project THRILLERS: 100 MUST-READS is scheduled to be published by Oceanview this July, debuting at ThrillerFest.  To whet your appetite for this essential book, we’re going to feature a series of short interviews with various essayists in upcoming issues.  This interview by Hank Wagner, co-editor of the collection, is with ITW co-founder Gayle Lynds, who contributed a heartfelt tribute to Helen MacInnes in her essay on MacInnes’s classic, Above Suspicion.
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Special to the Big Thrill by Hank Wagner.

The much-heralded ITW project THRILLERS: 100 MUST-READS is scheduled to be published by Oceanview this July, debuting at ThrillerFest.  To whet your appetite for this essential book, we’re going to feature a series of short interviews with various essayists in upcoming issues.  This interview is with James O. Born, who contributed a piece on Joseph Wambaugh’s seminal police procedural,The Choirboys.
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By K.J. Howe

“Nobody is born a warrior, in exactly the same way that nobody is born an average man.  We make ourselves into one or the other.” Carlos Castaneda

If there is one author who has transformed himself into a literary warrior, it’s David Morrell.  David published First Blood in 1970 and he has now written over 30 books.  With 18 million copies in print, our current ThrillerMaster has been published in 26 languages.

Perhaps the best word to describe David is indefatigable.  Relentless in his pursuit of excellence, he has been a trailblazer in the publishing world for four decades.  As Jon Land (Strong Justice, June 2010) says, “David is a true warrior who sets trends and doesn’t please anyone other than himself.  He creates molds, and then breaks them.”  One only has to look at the variety and volume of books David has written to see he has always been ahead of the curve.
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By Kathleen Antrim

Ken Follett is an inspiration.  Yes, he’s an internationally acclaimed, bestselling author with 21 blockbusters to his name, and that is definitely inspiring, but it’s his honesty and generosity in sharing his experience and knowledge that is a true inspiration.

Upon visiting his website, the reader will find a wealth of information including a “Masterclass” for writers and a lecture on “The Art of Suspense.”  In an age when almost nothing is free, Follett offers a step-by-step guide to writing a novel, without charge.  It’s concise and dense with fabulous information.
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By Matthew Dunn

ThrillerFest forecast: Gayle (force) Lynds . . .

Gayle will readily tell you that her first attempt at writing was dreadful.  It was a poem–one of those feared school assignments that culminated in three minutes of torture standing in front of the entire class. But it rhymed, as only a grade-schooler’s could, and garnered an “A” from her teacher. She was eight years old at the time, living in Iowa, and though the years have passed and she has had countless short stories published and filled her mantle full of awards for her many spy novels, Gayle can still recite the piece line by line. (Due to copyright law and Gayle’s modesty, I cannot reprise it here.) One could venture to guess that the wind starting blowing that day; one that has only gotten stronger. But then one of things Iowa is known for is tornados.
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By Keith Raffel

Sherlock Holmes said, “When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”   I’ve followed the master’s advice and concluded that-improbable as it may sound-Linda Fairstein has cloned herself.  How else could the 2010 International Thriller Writers Silver Bullet Winner have accomplished so much?

Hell Gate, her latest novel, is the twelfth in the series featuring Alex Cooper, head of the Manhattan DA’s Sex Prosecution Crimes Unit.  And these books are not just run of the mill.  The Daily Beast made Hell Gate “a hot read” and called it “superb, intense, gripping” and “frighteningly realistic.” As is customary for a Fairstein thriller, Hell Gate zoomed on to The New York Times bestseller list when it came out in March.
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By Jeff Ayers

When a person thinks about Brad Meltzer’s career, it’s hard to remember that he has only been publishing books since 1997, when he burst onto the thriller scene with The Tenth Justice.

He started writing after a job fell through. He finished that first novel and started looking to find a home for it.

“I got twenty-four rejection letters on my first novel,” Brad said. “It’s still sitting on my shelf, published by Kinko’s. I had twenty-four people tell me to give it up–that I couldn’t write. But the day I got my twenty-third and twenty-fourth rejection, I said to myself, ‘If they don’t like this novel, I’ll write another, and if they don’t like that one, I’ll write another.’ Why? Because I fell in love with writing. A week later, I started the book that became The Tenth Justice. And then, I got lucky.”
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