Who We Are
About Us
Our mission is to connect thriller readers with the authors they love.
For almost 15 years, The Big Thrill has spotlighted thousands of authors, from bestselling legends to exciting new voices. Our contributing editors are ITW authors who pull back the curtain to reveal an insider’s view of the thriller world. Who better to guide you through the genre than the people who write it? With every feature, author ‘confession’, and behind-the-scenes snapshot, we deepen the relationship between thriller enthusiasts and the storytellers who keep hearts racing and minds guessing.
Powered by ITW members, The Big Thrill is a platform for authors and a resource for readers—a place for them to be entertained while they explore the evolving landscape of thriller fiction.
Who We Are
Kerry Savage, Editor-in-Chief
Kerry Savage is a voracious reader of all kinds of fiction, but she especially loves spooky, scary books. She is a book coach, journalism school grad, and recovering project manager and she is also hard at work on her second novel. The co-founder (with ThrillerFest Director Samantha Skal) of Shadows and Secrets, a company that has created/fosters a writing community along with retreats for mystery, thriller, suspense, and horror authors, she loves wine, cheese, and trying to keep her succulents alive.
José H. Bográn, Assistant Editor
José H. Bográn is an award-winning international author of novels, short stories, and scripts for television and film. Born in Honduras, he writes in both English and his native Spanish. Although he’s the son of a journalist, he ironically prefers to write fiction rather than facts. His genre of choice is thrillers, but he likes to pour a dash of others into the mix. He’s also an independent editor and ghostwriter.
He signs his emails with the motto: “I never tell lies, I only write them.” Find him on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Tracey Devlyn
USA Today bestselling author Tracey Devlyn wanted to be the next Dian Fossey and explore the wilds of Africa, but that was before she met chemistry and calculus. With an enthusiasm for research that translates into creative (and disturbing) plot twists for her characters to navigate, it’s no surprise that her suspense-laden stories excite her readers and offer a glimpse of the nefarious nature lurking behind her smile. Despite the thrilling, emotional ride she gives her readers, Tracey enjoys a laid back, fleece and boots lifestyle with her husband and rescue dogs at her home in the mountains of North Carolina. Visit Tracey at traceydevlyn.com, @traceydevlyn on Twitter, @traceydevlyn on Instagram, and @AuthorTraceyDevlyn on Facebook.
Millie Naylor Hast
Millie Naylor Hast throws her characters over the edge in their quests to address important themes of today. A former journalist and news junkie, she has won two national awards for her manuscripts. She is a graduate of the FBI, DEA, Houston Police, and Bellaire Police Citizens Academies. When not writing, she hikes, kayaks, cycles, and plots new adventures.
Gina Hott
Gina Hott is the owner of Partners in Crime Tours, a company dedicated to connecting book lovers with new authors. With a strong background in marketing and social media, she excels at creating engaging experiences for both readers and writers alike. A book lover at heart, she not only enjoys reading but also shares insightful book reviews that resonate with fellow enthusiasts. Her expertise extends to web design, where she leverages her creativity to craft captivating online experiences for her audience. Always eager to explore new tech tools, she loves to find ways to leverage new tech tools for the benefit of both readers and authors. In addition to her professional pursuits, she actively gives back to the author community by advocating for their work and supporting aspiring writers.
J.B. Manas
J.B. Manas is a bestselling author of suspense thrillers, often blending elements of sci-fi, mystery, espionage, and the supernatural. His books have been praised for their fast-paced narrative, meticulous research, and unforgettable characters. He also writes nonfiction books on leadership and management as Jerry Manas and has appeared on TV and radio internationally. When he’s not writing he enjoys spending time with his family and begging the dog to come in from the cold.
Neil Nyren
Neil Nyren is the former EVP, associate publisher, and editor in chief of G.P. Putnam’s Sons and the winner of the 2017 Ellery Queen Award from the Mystery Writers of America. Among the writers of crime and suspense he has edited are Tom Clancy, Clive Cussler, John Sandford, C. J. Box, Robert Crais, Carl Hiaasen, Daniel Silva, Jack Higgins, Frederick Forsyth, Ken Follett, Jonathan Kellerman, Ed McBain, and Ace Atkins. He now writes about crime fiction and publishing for CrimeReads, BookTrib, The Big Thrill, and The Third Degree, among others, and is a contributing writer to the Anthony/Agatha/Macavity-winning How to Write a Mystery.
He is currently writing a monthly publishing column for the MWA newsletter The Third Degree, as well as a regular ITW-sponsored series on debut thriller authors for BookTrib.com and is an editor at large for CrimeReads.
Ellen Quint
Ellen Quint is an audiobook reviewer, mystery writer, and Audies judge and an active member of Sisters in Crime-NY. Ellen brings a love of mysteries and a deep knowledge of the genre to her writing for Audiofile Magazine where she writes reviews, articles on Mystery/Suspense audiobooks, and interviews with authors including S.A. Cosby and David Baldacci. Her own crime short stories can be found in the anthologies: Justice for All-Murder New York Style, Family Matters and Where Crime Never Sleeps.
Basil Sands
Basil Sands is the author of military and historical thrillers, novellas, and short stories, many set in his home state of Alaska. He’s also a professional audiobook narrator with work published by many major audiobook producers such as Recorded Books, Tantor, ChristianAudio, Audible and for many fellow members of ITW. Born on a homestead near Fairbanks Alaska, he served in the US Marines, was a Chef to the Spies (military dining manager at the NSA), computer shop owner, lumberjack, Wilderness Rescue EMT, Boy Scout leader, youth minister, talk radio host, and has spent over twenty years as a government IT guy. He lives in Anchorage Alaska with his Porsche driving Korean wife, and has three grown sons and a Yorkie named ‘Heimdall, The Norse Dog’. His most recent series, ICE HAMMER, as well as his back list of novels are published/republished by Permuted Press. Whilst he does rent his basement out to four actual Leprechauns, featured in his sole comic novel along with his Butler Gerald, a Reformed Arctic Cave Troll, he has never been able to convince Chive the Multidimensional Psychedelic Space-Goat to do karaoke with the gang. Oh well, such is the life of a Sub-Arctic Madman.
Michael Sears
Michael Sears writes with Stanley Trollip under the name Michael Stanley. Their award-winning mystery series with Detective Kubu is set in Botswana, a fascinating country with wonderful conservation areas and varied peoples. They also have a stand-alone thriller Dead of Night, which introduces Minnesotan environmental journalist Crystal Nguyen. Set mainly in South Africa, it has as backstory the vicious trade in rhino horn.
Their latest book, A Deadly Covenant, is a prequel featuring Kubu as a young detective, set near the magnificent Okavango Delta. Kubu has to work out why an ancient massacre of a Bushman clan is causing deaths in the present day and who is behind them.
Michael has lived in South Africa, Kenya, Australia and the US. He now lives in Knysna on the Cape south coast of South Africa. Please visit his website and follow him on Facebook.
Diane Vallere
National bestselling author Diane Vallere writes entertaining, character-based mysteries. After two decades in luxury retailing, she traded fashion accessories for accessories to murder. As past president of the national Sisters in Crime organization, she edited the Agatha-Award-winning essay collection PROMOPHOBIA: Taking the Mystery out of Promoting Crime Fiction. Diane started her own detective agency at age ten and has maintained a passion for shoes, clues, and clothes ever since.