tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2297828716163299902024-03-13T12:48:33.092-04:00Thrillerfest V!ThrillerFest V, International Thriller Writers' fifth annual conference, will be held July 7-10, 2010 at the Grand Hyatt in New York. See http://www.thrillerfest.org for details.Thrillerfest Vhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10847599970908156195noreply@blogger.comBlogger92125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229782871616329990.post-37087880003069828412010-10-29T21:13:00.002-04:002010-10-29T21:16:27.278-04:00The FEAR Anthology with R.L. Stine Review<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Looking for a fun read for your teens? Fan of mysteries and spooky stories? I recommend Fear… 13 stories of suspense and horror presented by R. L. Stine. Fear offers 13 original stories by 13 authors such as Meg Cabot, Heather Brewer and more!<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TMtw0PpjzKI/AAAAAAAABoA/FYqzoxdV-Z8/s1600/fear.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TMtw0PpjzKI/AAAAAAAABoA/FYqzoxdV-Z8/s200/fear.jpeg" width="131" /></a>My two teens loved the stories and found it hard to put the book down. I have to admit, it was hard for me to put down as well! Fear is an easy and fun read and will even appeal to the most reluctant reader.<br />
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This book is a real page turner and great for young adults who love stories that keep them on the edge of their seat. Filled with suspense, mystery, and some cliffhangers that leave the ending to the imagination, Fear is like The Twilight Zone for kids. So watch out for the monster under the bed or shadows in the dark! There is something slightly creepy around every corner! Myself and my teens agree that <a href="http://bit.ly/d4P3j9">Fear is a must have book</a> for this Halloween Season!Garrett Valdiviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01139718095593102827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229782871616329990.post-81242013647371289522010-09-01T15:28:00.000-04:002010-09-01T15:28:38.076-04:00ITW Interview: The DeValera Deception - Michael and Patrick McMenamin<i>Every month ITW features authors and books. You can read more articles like this one when you visit <a href="http://www.thrillerwriters.org/">www.thrillerwriters.org</a> and/or subscribe to the newsletter easily by going to the homepage!<br />
Here's a great example of just one of the many featured authors we're talking about at ITW this month!</i><br />
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Recently, I sat down with the father and son writing team of Michael and Patrick McMenamin to talk about their debut novel, The Valera Deception.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b>How did you come up with the idea of The De Valera Deception?</b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TH6nL6tiodI/AAAAAAAABmc/O-B-kjjK24I/s1600/the-devalera-deception.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TH6nL6tiodI/AAAAAAAABmc/O-B-kjjK24I/s320/the-devalera-deception.jpeg" /></a></div>MICHAEL: I'm a Winston Churchill biographer and scholar, and I've always had an interest in Irish history as well. Patrick is a Phi Beta Kappa history major who specialized in 19th and 20th century European history, so we both have an interest in the period where our thrillers occur. For years, I had talked about writing a thriller series set in Churchill's "Wilderness Years" from 1929 to 1939. I wanted the first book, set in 1929, to revolve around two historical facts: Churchill's three-month holiday that summer in North America while at the same time the Graf Zeppelin was making its historical round the world airship flight sponsored by the Hearst media empire.<br />
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PATRICK: The rest we sort of pieced together over family dinners whenever we visited each other. (I think it's fair to say we became a bit of a nuisance at the dinner table for the rest of the family.) We were both familiar with Weimar Germany's secret military alliance with the USSR during the 1920s which enabled Germany to evade the Versailles Treaty's limits on arms. This is years before Hitler assumed power. Germany developed in Russia the most modern weapons systems in Europe--planes, tanks, artillery, poison gas--and the Allies were none the wiser. The goal of the alliance was to invade Poland and divide it between them. That's all historical fact.<br />
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MICHAEL: And that's how we were able to work in the Irish angle, which forms the core of our story. We created a conspiracy of arms makers and financiers backing this real-life military alliance. If there was an invasion of Poland, they would want to distract Britain from getting involved in a general European conflict. So, they determined to finance an IRA coup d'état in the new Irish Free State which would inevitably lead to war with Northern Ireland and Britain. De Valera, for his own reasons, was happy to help.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">How does Churchill fit in?</span></b><br />
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PATRICK: When MI-6 hears rumors of the IRA arms deal brewing in America as a necessary prelude to the coup d'état, the new British Prime Minister asks the newly out-of-office Churchill to accompany a team of MI-6 agents to America and use the information they assemble to persuade President Hoover to stop the arms deal. Churchill agrees but he mistrusts MI-6 and assembles his own team which includes Bourke Cockran, Jr., a former US Army counterintelligence officer (and the fictional son of Churchill's real-life Irish-American political mentor) and Mattie McGary, a Hearst photojournalist (and Churchill's fictional god-daughter). While Churchill travels by private rail car across Canada, Cockran and Mattie travel across America--at first apart and then together--to gather at considerable peril the information Churchill needs to persuade President Hoover to intervene and stop the arms from reaching the IRA. And as they do that, the Graf Zeppelin, on its round the world flight, is drawing ever closer to California carrying gold bearer bonds to complete the IRA's arms purchase...<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">I myself have dozens of books by and about Churchill on my shelves at home. How do you get a new take on such a well-documented life?</span></b><br />
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MICHAEL: Well, the short answer is that we get a "new take" because we make it all up. The long answer is more complicated.<br />
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PATRICK: I'll take the short answer. My Dad enjoys the long ones. We try and do what Ken Follett did in The Man From St. Petersburg, where Churchill served as the catalyst who enlists the protagonists to foil an anarchist plot in 1914 to assassinate a Russian diplomat and disrupt a budding English-Russian alliance. We use Churchill the same way - launching the protagonists on their adventure and pulling strings along the way both behind the scenes and sometimes in them.<br />
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MICHAEL: The long answer is that while Churchill probably has the most-documented life of any historical figure, most people don't know much about him beyond his saving the world in 1940 when England stood alone against the Nazis.<br />
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Churchill is in many ways a perfect historical character around which to craft period thrillers. He had a remarkably adventure-filled life. He was a fencing champion in prep school, a championship polo player in the Army and a seaplane pilot in the early, peril-filled days of flight in 1910. In between, he was a much decorated war hero in bloody battles on the Afghan-Indian border and in the Sudan. In the Boer war in South Africa, he was nominated by his commanding officer for the Victoria Cross, Britain's highest military honor. He also escaped from a Boer prisoner of war camp and made his way to freedom over hundreds of miles of enemy territory. During the Great War, while other politicians safely abed sent millions of young men to their death, Winston was with his troops in the trenches in the bloody Ypres salient daily risking death himself.<br />
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So how we get a new take on Churchill is to create a plot based on something that might have happened in the 30s; toss him into the middle of it; and ask "What would Winston do?" Which, as Patrick noted, is just what Follett did in The Man From St. Petersburg.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">Tolstoy, of course, seems to have done okay in blending historical and fictional characters. What are the challenges you found?</span></b><br />
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MICHAEL: Wow, Tolstoy? Keep in mind these are historical thrillers, not historical novels, so we try to keep the background accurate for our stories which otherwise never happened. One key way is to make sure your historical characters stay within themselves. To do this, I read biographies of all those with major speaking roles, e.g., Churchill, Hearst, Hitler, Hoover, De Valera, John Devoy etc. because we don't want the historical character to say or do something in a purely fictional scene that would be out of character. At the same time, we want to make sure he fills the role we have for him in the plot. Herbert Hoover, for example, would never swear, even in private, so he doesn't in our book. Similarly, the Irish revolutionary John Devoy damn well would have and his "colorful" descriptions of his arch foe De Valera are not out of character.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">How do you handle Churchill's "black dog" in your book?</span></b><br />
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MICHAEL: We don't because it's a myth. Churchill did refer to periods when he was down in the dumps as a "black dog" but that was a common term in the late 19th century, one he probably first heard from his nanny. My wife (and Patrick's artist mother), Carol Breckenridge, a psychotherapist and an adjunct professor of Art Therapy, is glad you asked because she believes writers who do not understand mental illness have taken "black dog" to mean clinical depression, i.e., bi-polar disorder, which is simply not true of Churchill.<br />
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As Churchill's daughter Mary Soames once told Carol, she thinks a number of Churchill biographers "have made too big a meal" of Churchill's "black dog". When he was down, as all of us are from time to time, there was always something external as a cause, she said, and she suggest a person would have had to be almost inhuman not to have been down at these times.<br />
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In fact, Carol was so taken by my fascination with Churchill...<br />
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PATRICK: Mom would call it an obsession ...<br />
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MICHAEL: Which reminds me that Churchill hated having a monologue interrupted.... Anyway, Carol once prepared and delivered a peer-reviewed paper to the American Art Therapy Association on "The Use of Art as Therapy: How Churchill Coped" in which she demonstrates that Churchill was not bi-polar and diagnosed him in his youth as having ADD, attention-deficit disorder, which afflicts many bright young people (raise your hand, Patrick). If Churchill carried ADD into adulthood, Carol suggests that his painting (he was an undeniably gifted impressionist producing over 500 oil paintings after the age of 40) was one of his methods of coping with ADD.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">Churchill's mother was born in Rochester, New York. Much of the action in The De Valera Deception takes place in the United States. Just how American was Churchill?</span></b><br />
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PATRICK: Very. To begin with, Churchill's only political and oratorical mentor was an American, Bourke Cockran, and my Dad has written a great book, Becoming Winston Churchill, about their relationship. Most of Churchill's detractors, of whom there was no shortage especially among Conservatives, referred to his American origins disparagingly, e.g., calling him a "half-breed adventurer." And Winston was a very pushy, self-promoting young man in an upper-class British culture that did not value and looked down on such traits. From WWII on, Churchill has been more revered in the US than in the UK. He still is.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">Two terrific series have been written by "Charles Todd," who is in fact a mother and son writing together. What's it like for you two, father and son, to collaborate? Come on now, a straight, no-holds-barred answer.</span></b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TH6oaLvE6EI/AAAAAAAABmk/CPAzSuHCqSc/s1600/mcmenahin-michael-patrick.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TH6oaLvE6EI/AAAAAAAABmk/CPAzSuHCqSc/s320/mcmenahin-michael-patrick.jpeg" /></a></div>MICHAEL: We also like the two "Charles Todd" series and I met the mother half of the team at the last ThrillerFest. More importantly, we're both big fans of the Indiana Jones films and Young Indiana Jones (a much under-rated TV series) so it's fun to write novels together in that era where Nazis are always the villains (but we have any number of good guy Germans too ) . We're having a great time. Really.<br />
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PATRICK: It's true. Honestly, we only write the books because it's fun to write them together.</div><div><br />
MICHAEL: No-holds-barred, though. We come up with a book concept jointly...<br />
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PATRICK: Well, hang on. You said "no holds barred" and my dad is being uncharacteristically modest. I'd credit him with most of the initial inspiration for each book. I really like thrillers, but I don't read nearly as many as Dad. (Too many Sci-Fi/Fantasy books on my plate.) He really has a nose for this stuff. Once he has an idea, it gives me about five other ideas for plot lines and then we really start talking.<br />
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MICHAEL: And I try so hard not to be modest. But Patrick is correct in that I usually come up with what he calls "the initial inspiration" but I don't think we have an actual "concept" until after we bat it around. Anyway, I then do a first draft of a chapter by chapter outline, 100-130 pages. We pass it back and forth until we're satisfied. Then Patrick takes one of the major characters and drafts the chapters within that character's story arc while I do the other chapters.<br />
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PATRICK: Then we edit each other's chapters so many times, that when you read the book, you aren't able to tell which chapters were initially drafted by whom unless we tell you.<br />
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MICHAEL: Which we won't.<br />
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PATRICK: Also, we're both libertarians. Dad is a contributing editor at Reason and I'm a producer for John Stossel at Fox, so we have similar views on politics, economics and history which helps keep us on the same page. Of course, we do have disagreements. And from my perspective, Dad's training as a lawyer can make some arguments especially tedious! But the fact we have a long history together and love each other helps smooth things out.<br />
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MICHAEL: Well, I was a media defense lawyer in my previous life and dealing with journalists is no walk in the park either. But, defending them was a decent living so I have no complaints. So that and living in different cities where Patrick and I can't see our facial expressions when we talk helps. When we can't persuade each other, we typically compromise along the lines of the one who did the initial draft of a chapter usually gets the last word.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">Do readers have to remember who De Valera was for the title to make sense? </span></b></div><div><br />
MICHAEL: As opposed to the book? No, not at all. You learn all you need to know about the underlying Irish politics--the Treaty negotiated by Churchill and Michael Collins which created the Irish Free State in 1922, the Irish Civil War in 1922-23, the IRA and De Valera later in the 20s--from characters' dialogue and internal monologue.<br />
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PATRICK: But I don't think it affects the title, no more than a Steve Berry title or most other thrillers. Once you get into the book, the title will make sense. Dad is a big fan of Robert Ludlum titles and alliteration so our first three books in the Churchill series reflect that. Ludlum fans will recognize "Deception", "Parsifal" and "Gemini" as part of Ludlum titles. Sort of an homage.<br />
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MICHAEL: It is an homage and all thriller writers owe him a huge debt. Patrick is tolerant of my Ludlum title affectation and uses this to extract what he considers to be more important concessions when we disagree.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">Enigma Books is publishing The De Valera Deception. How did you find them and what's it like working with them?</span></b><br />
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MICHAEL: Actually, Enigma found us when they bought the trade paperback rights from Greenwood, then a division of Harcourt, for my 2007 Becoming Winston Churchill, The Untold Story of Young Winston and His American Mentor ("BWC") which they published in July, 2009. As I like to say, it was critically acclaimed but, alas, not best selling. As we mentioned above, Bourke Cockran was Churchill's mentor (and his mother Jennie's lover) and his fictional son is our male protagonist in the Churchill Thriller series, Archie Goodwin to Winston's Nero Wolfe.<br />
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More to the point, Enigma is a small NYC publisher which specializes in 20th century history and biography and has published nearly 50 titles since its founding in 2000. In 2008, they started an Enigma Thriller line of historical novels with three out by the time they took on BWC. I became friends with Enigma's publisher, Robert Miller, after I came to NYC quite a few times to talk about the book for events that Enigma arranged. Publishers like that in a writer.<br />
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PATRICK: So when Robert learned we had written not one but three Winston Churchill thrillers (the first two of which our agents got read--and rejected--by many well-known publishers), he offered to publish all three in hard cover over an 18 month time frame, a trilogy which takes Winston through 1932 with Hitler on the cusp of power! Clearly, Robert is a very wise man. Talk about an offer you can't refuse...<br />
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Working with Enigma has been good so far. We have a great cover design team with Josh Beatman at Brainchild Studios in NYC. We just love the De Valera cover, with the zeppelin soaring over the 1930s NYC skyline and a 50-something Churchill hovering above. Brilliant!<br />
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MICHAEL: We're the lead book on Enigma's website and it's nice to be a big fish in a small pond. Plus we've got a brand beyond our unknown names (<a href="http://www.winstonchurchillthrillers.com/">www.winstonchurchillthrillers.com</a>) and if our books are good enough, we hope word-of-mouth will carry us.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">What's next for the future prime minister and his friend Bourke Cockran, Jr.?</span></b><br />
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PATRICK: Don't forget Hearst's favorite photojournalist and Winston's fictional god-daughter Mattie McGary. She features prominently in the series as our female protagonist.<br />
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MICHAEL: Yes, don't forget her. Patrick hates it when I do this but I channel Maureen O'Hara, Katherine Hepburn, and Karen Allen when I write Mattie's chapters and you don't want to be on wrong side of women like that. Mattie's the main character in the next book in the series, The Parsifal Pursuit (Spring, 2011). It's a blatant cribbing of the plot in Wagner's opera Parsifal where Mattie takes the traditional male role of Parsifal. She's assigned to cover an expedition to recover the "Spear of Destiny" hidden in the Austrian Alps while minions of both the Kaiser and Hitler vie to find it first. (Yes, there really is a spear of destiny which Hitler finally seized in 1938 along with the rest of Austria. It's now safely back in Vienna where I saw it last year.) At the same time, Cockran tangles with an SS protection racket in Munich whose story line eventually converges with Mattie's.<br />
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PATRICK: The next Mattie-Bourke adventure after that is The Gemini Agenda (Fall,2011) where Cockran and Mattie expose the true horror of a Eugenics movement that saw 26 US states forcibly sterilize nearly 50,000 women to advance the cause of racial purity before a pre-Hitler Germany had yet to sterilize one. And the movement was substantially financed by American capitalists, e.g., the Rockefeller Foundation and the Carnegie Institute. In fact, when Hitler came to power, he had Germany enact a eugenics law identical to the model US law. In Gemini, Mattie and Bourke uncover a conspiracy by Nazi scientists to kidnap and conduct lethal experiments upon American twins aided by elements in the Military Intelligence Division (the CIA of its day) of the US Army and funded by US industrialists.<br />
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MICHAEL: The fourth book--working title The Berghof Betrayal--is set in February, 1933 and concerns the attempted assassinations of FDR ( it really happened) and Hitler where a fake assassination attempt (rumors of one were circulating then in Berlin) staged by the SS is hijacked and turned into a real one by Hitler's enemies, some of them inside the Nazi party (yes, he had them). It's the first book in a new trilogy. Where our first trilogy is set against the backdrop of Hitler's rise to power from 1929-1932, our second trilogy will take our heroes through the summer of 1934 and the "Night of the Long Knives" when Hitler rid himself of his enemies within the Nazi party and consolidated his power.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TH6mA63I4MI/AAAAAAAABmU/yimCv-xNlWE/s1600/keith-raffel-small.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TH6mA63I4MI/AAAAAAAABmU/yimCv-xNlWE/s320/keith-raffel-small.jpeg" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.keithraffel.com/content/index.asp">Keith Raffel</a> has held a top secret clearance to watch over CIA activities and has founded an award-winning Internet software company. Steve Berry called Keith's latest book, Smasher: A Silicon Valley Thriller, "taut, tight, and suspenseful" and said it "skillfully carries the reader triumphantly from one climax to the next."</span><br />
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</div>Garrett Valdiviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01139718095593102827noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229782871616329990.post-28403848663728268652010-08-19T18:13:00.001-04:002010-08-19T18:34:42.261-04:00ITW Social Media Committee welcomes volunteer, Stacey McShane!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Cambria;">Stacey will be working on the ITW Myspace and Debut Author's MySpace sites this year.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: small;">Stacey was asked to introduce herself so you can get to know her better, so here is a letter from Stacey! - S. English, Chair of ITW Social Media</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: small;">Hello Fellow ITW members!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TG2sSbInktI/AAAAAAAABk8/VwBbFVwK3kc/s1600/SMcShane.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TG2sSbInktI/AAAAAAAABk8/VwBbFVwK3kc/s200/SMcShane.jpeg" width="186" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: small;">I am thrilled to be a part of ITW and look forward to the networking opportunities that bring us together as writers. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: small;">I've recently volunteered for the Social Media Committee and Sheila asked me to introduce myself, so I will tell you a little about me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: small;">I live in Washington State and supervise a large 911 emergency dispatch center near Seattle. When I am not working ridiculous hours, I am working on a thriller novel set in the Seattle area. I am a voracious reader, which sometimes impinges on my writing since I have a really hard time putting down a good book. I am married to a police officer and have two retired racing greyhounds to keep me company while I write. For those of you needing to add some realism to the law enforcement or emergency response side of your writing, I am happy to answer questions and provide critique. I have hundreds of law enforcement and firefighter contacts and if I can't answer your question, chances are I know someone, or can find someone who can. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: small;">I am excited to be working on ITW's MySpace pages and I invite you to contact me if you have anything you would like to post specifically to MySpace or MySpace Debut Authors. I can be reached via email at </span><span style="font-size: small;">SLMcShane19(at)gmail.com.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: small;">Happy writing!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: small;">Stacey McShane</span></div>Garrett Valdiviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01139718095593102827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229782871616329990.post-53400953423196713242010-07-28T18:26:00.000-04:002010-07-28T18:26:37.644-04:00When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A ThrillerFest Blog by Jillian Abbott </span></i><br />
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<blockquote>If a successful thriller author were a character in a book, what words would you use to describe him or her? Is there a common thread in thriller authors’ journey to success? Is good writing enough?</blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TFCue_Lc37I/AAAAAAAABkk/cf3rDpSGvIg/s1600/603_3_thrillerfest-logo-V-480.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="121" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TFCue_Lc37I/AAAAAAAABkk/cf3rDpSGvIg/s200/603_3_thrillerfest-logo-V-480.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Name the thriller/mystery/espionage/crime conference – Bouchercon, Malice Domestic, Crime Bake – and one thing is sure: I haven’t been to any of them. However, with one novel accepted for publication, but never published; a second falling though the gap when I changed agents; and another closing in on completion, now seemed like the time to answers those pressing questions, and ThrillerFest, with its all-star lineup, presented a likely source.<br />
<br />
At the opening reception ThrillerFest revealed its character: young, dynamic, open to new faces and ideas, and rising. But I hadn’t come to analyze the conference, so I pressed on with my quest, stopping to chat to new and old friends, famous and not, readers, writers, and publishers.<br />
<br />
On the way out I stumbled on Ken Follett, an entourage at his side, and a microphone in his face. He was hanging out with us, laughing, chatting and apparently delighted to make the acquaintance, and the day, of gushing fans like me. <b>Charming. Generous.</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TFCujwI9FsI/AAAAAAAABks/IXeA2nq4XjU/s1600/Book_of_Spies_Cover_by_immauss.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TFCujwI9FsI/AAAAAAAABks/IXeA2nq4XjU/s200/Book_of_Spies_Cover_by_immauss.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>The next day, trailblazing espionage writer and friend, Gayle Lynds, confirmed my suspicions about Follet, citing <b>“sugar lips”</b> as a key ingredient to success. For years Lynds published thrillers under male synonyms, work under her own name put on hold because, as the female president of a major publishing house put, “No woman could have written this book.” But Lynds <b>persisted</b>; Masquerade came out and quickly hit the best-seller list. Her tenacity paid off, and since then the awards and accolades have only grown. This piece is too short to list all Lynd’s acts of kindness and <b>generosity</b>, to me and other aspiring writers.<br />
<br />
But back in 2005, Lynds had a run of luck that was all bad. Her step daughter fell into a coma following a serious accident and her husband died suddenly. Just one of these events might stop an ordinary mortal in their tracks, but Lynds keep up her stride, finishing The Book of Spies a month after Dennis’s death. Was that <b>tenacity? Necessity?</b> It was both, and it was more: <b>larger-than-life heroism</b>. The kind of quiet heroism that’s humbling.<br />
<br />
Like looking up Allen Wyler, who I’d be working for on the ITW awards, and finding out about his staggering achievements. Orphaned as he approached college age, Wyler supported himself and went on to become an internationally renowned neurosurgeon, a best-selling thriller author and now he’s giving up his spare time to help foster other writers’ careers though the ITW awards. <b>Tenacity, overcoming adversity, generosity, and larger-than-life heroism.</b><br />
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On the subway after day one my mind transformed the Hyatt into Mount Olympus and the authors, publishers, and agents stalking its halls, and meeting rooms became its Gods and Goddesses. ThrillerFest was a gathering of players, authors who were the best in the world at what has to be one of the toughest professions on the planet.<br />
<br />
David Morrell won’t have heard of my hometown, Bendigo, situated a hundred miles inland from Melbourne, Australia, itself one of the most isolated western cities in the world. Although I read in the local paper that a boy who grew up 150 miles still further inland become a make-up artist for the movies and got to live in New York for a year, no one from Bendigo is famous.<br />
<br />
But the people of Bendigo know David Morrell. Growing up, I can remember discussing what Rambo meant to America and to masculinity with my brother, a T.V./radio journalist and news anchor. The very idea that I would one day meet Morrell in person was about as likely to my teenage mind as abduction by aliens. And yet here I was, in the audience, having already met him, listening to his life story.<br />
<br />
Describing himself as a mild mannered professor on the surface, a seething gangster underneath, Morrell’s journey to Mount Olympus was mind-boggling. As a child he had to sleep under his bed, his pillow over him to protect him from his step-father’s violence. Heart wrenching. To still be standing after such a childhood takes <b>larger-than-life heroism.</b><br />
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And then there was Ken Follet. He wrote his first novel because his car broke down and he couldn’t afford to fix it. He needed 200 pounds, and his friend had just earned 200 pounds from writing a thriller. Full of <b>generous,</b> practical advice (If you have to tell your reader something that takes away from the drama and action keep it to a paragraph. If the story requires a conference between several characters, to keep your reader on board, you must make sure each character present has already been introduced in their own chapter.) And <b>self depreciating</b>, I had to constantly refer to the line of books arranged on the stage to remind myself that this quiet man was one of a handful. He attributed most of his success to <b>luck, timing and necessity</b>, although another glance at his works and I added <b>hard work, persistence and genius.</b><br />
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When encapsulating these authors one phase came back time and again: <b>larger-than-life heroism</b>. Hearing these authors’ stories convinced me they’re able to create such <b>larger-than-life heroes </b>because they are themselves larger-than-life heroes. They pick themselves up from adversity, and through some mysterious combination of t<b>enacity, hard work, generosity, persistence, sugar-lipped charm, necessity, luck, timing and genius</b> they go on succeeding on a scale ordinary people can only dream of. It’s because of what they are that their leading men and women never give failure a second thought.<br />
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And so, dizzy from breathing the rarefied air on Mount Olympus, I headed home with a deeper understanding of what separated them up there from us down here, and hoped beyond hope that proximity to these Gods meant some, even if just a little bit of magic would rub off on me. <br />
<br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Jillian Abbott is a former Vice President of MWA/ New York chapter. She is the 2010 Hammett Award Reading Committee Chair and a Thriller Awards judge. She is working on an historical novel set in the 1850s gold rush in Bendigo, Australia.</span></i>Garrett Valdiviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01139718095593102827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229782871616329990.post-88968394886768018602010-07-10T07:00:00.005-04:002010-07-10T22:46:25.620-04:00The 2010 Thriller Awards<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TDkwBa_qiEI/AAAAAAAABi4/ht-uFD_v0nQ/s1600/thriller_award.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TDkwBa_qiEI/AAAAAAAABi4/ht-uFD_v0nQ/s320/thriller_award.jpeg" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">During a gala banquet and celebration held on Saturday, July 10 at the Grand Hyatt in New York City, the International Thriller Writers announced the winners of the 2010 Thriller Awards.</span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They are:</span></b></span><br />
<br />
<b>Best Hard Cover Novel:</b><br />
THE NEIGHBOR, Lisa Gardner<br />
<br />
<b>Best Paperback Original Novel:</b><br />
THE COLDEST MILE, Tom Piccirilli<br />
<br />
<b>Best First Novel:</b><br />
RUNNING FROM THE DEVIL, Jamie Freveletti<br />
<br />
<b>Best Short Story:</b><br />
A STAB IN THE HEART, Twist Phelan<br />
<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Also receiving special recognition during the ThrillerFest V Awards Banquet:</span></b></span><br />
<br />
<b>Ken Follett, ThrillerMaster</b><br />
in recognition of his legendary career and outstanding contributions to the thriller genre<br />
<br />
<b>Mark Bowden, True Thriller Award</b><br />
<br />
<b>Linda Fairstein, Silver Bullet Award</b><br />
<br />
<b>US Airways, Silver Bullet Award (Corporate)</b><br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">The board of directors and members of the International Thriller Writers wish to congratulates all the winners and nominees of the 2010 Thriller Awards.</div>Garrett Valdiviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01139718095593102827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229782871616329990.post-72456739637497461082010-07-10T06:30:00.000-04:002010-07-10T06:30:00.156-04:00Thrillerfest Saturday July 10th Schedule!!<b>THRILLERFEST SATURDAY, JULY 10, 2010 Registration 7:30 am - 11:00 am Awards Banquet Ticket Sales 5 pm - 6:45 pm, Ballroom Foyer Barnes & Noble Bookstore, open 9 am- 6 pm, Booth-Plymouth Room </b><br />
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<br />
<b>ROOM : URIS/JILLIARD</b><br />
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<b>8:00 am - 9:20 am BREAKFAST WITH 2009 SILVER BULLET AWARD WINNER BRAD MELTZER, THE DEBUT AUTHOR CLASS OF 2010:</b> <i>Introductions by Andrew Gross</i> <b>(Ballroom III)</b>,<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Graham Brown, Ryan Brown, Carla Buckley, Teresa Burrell, Pamela Callow, JJ Cooper, Reece Hirsch, Jeannie Holmes, Brett King, Sophie Littlefield, Boyd Morrison, Alan Orloff, Brad Parks, Sharon Potts, James Rubart, Stephen Jaw Schwartz, Norb Vonnegut</span></i><br />
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<b>9:30 am - 10:20 am WILL YOU SIGN BRA?:</b> <i>Funny stories from the road - Doug M. Cummings, Panel Master,</i> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Linwood Barclay, Robert Dugoni, Heather Graham, Alan Jacobson, Jon Land, William Lashner</span><br />
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<b>10:30 am- 11:50 am THRILLERMASTER PRESENTATION <i>(Ballroom I)</i></b><br />
2010 Thrillermaster Ken Follett,<i> Interviewed by STeve Berry</i><br />
2009 Thrillermaster David Morrell, <i>Interviewed by Douglas Preston</i><br />
<br />
<b>11:50 pm - 12:20 pm ThrillerMasters Ken Follett, David Morrell, Sandra Brown, Clive Cussler; Debut Authors, and morning panelists will sign in the bookstore</b><br />
<br />
<b>12:45 pm - 2:15 pm AFTERNOON SOFT DRINKS</b> Hosted by KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP. <b>(Ballroom I Foyer)</b><br />
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<b>12:15 pm - 1:00 pm BONUS SESSION 2</b> True Thriller Award Recipient Mark Bowden interviews by Peter James<br />
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<b>1:00 pm - 1:50 pm</b> Spotlight Guest Lisa Scottoline interviews by Jon Land <b>(Ballroom I)</b><br />
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<b>2:00 pm - 2:50 pm IS SCIENCE THRILLING?: Where thrillers and the scientific frontier meet - <i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Hans Watford, Panel Master</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">,</span></b> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Steve Alten, Lori Andrews, Karen Dionne, Michael Palmer, William B. Scott</span><br />
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<b>3:00 pm - 3:50 pm HOW DO YOU CROSS CONTINENTS?:</b> <i>Thrillers in the International Market - David Hewson, Panel Master,</i> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">R.J. Ellory, Sebastian Fitzek, Maria Gustafsson, Peter James, Camilla Lackberg</span><br />
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<b>4:00 pm - 4:50 pm DO YOU ENJOY WRITING YOUR VILLAIN A LITTLE TOO MUCH?</b> <i>Steve James, Panel Master, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">Jay Brandon, Meg Gardiner, Gar Haywood, C.E. Lawrence, F. Paul Wilson</span></span></i><br />
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<b>5:00 pm- 5:30 pm All authors from afternoon breakout session will sign inside bookstore</b><br />
<br />
<b>6:00 pm - 7:00 pm PRE-BANQUET COCKTAIL PARTY</b> Hosted by OCEANVIEW PUBLISHING <b>(Ballroom III & IV Foyer)</b><br />
<br />
<b>7:00 pm ITW 5th ANNUAL THRILLER AWARDS BANQUET <i>(Ballroom III & IV)</i></b><br />
<b>2010 THRILLERMASTER KEN FOLLETT, </b>Award Presented by 2009 ThrillerMaster DAVID MORRELL<br />
<b>2010 SILVER BULLET AWARD RECIPIENT LINDA FAIRSTEIN, </b>Award presented by 2009 Silver Bullet Recipient Brad Meltzer<br />
<b>2010 True Thriller Award Recipient MARK BOWDEN</b><br />
Presentation of THE THRILLER AWARDS<br />
Table Win Serviced hosted by Tor/Forge<br />
<br />
<b>THRILLERMASTER AFTERPARTY</b> Hosted by VANGUARD PRESS - Manhattan Ballroom<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>ROOM : BROADWAY</b><br />
<br />
<b>8:00 am - 9:20 am BREAKFAST WITH 2009 SILVER BULLET AWARD WINNER BRAD MELTZER, THE DEBUT AUTHOR CLASS OF 2010:</b> <i>Introductions by Andrew Gross (Ballroom III)</i>,<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Graham Brown, Ryan Brown, Carla Buckley, Teresa Burrell, Pamela Callow, JJ Cooper, Reece Hirsch, Jeannie Holmes, Brett King, Sophie Littlefield, Boyd Morrison, Alan Orloff, Brad Parks, Sharon Potts, James Rubart, Stephen Jaw Schwartz, Norb Vonnegut</span></i><br />
<br />
<b>9:30 am - 10:20 am IS YOUR HEROINE A BITCH? IS YOUR HERO A WIMP?:</b> <i>Where's the line between strong women and sensitive men?</i> - <i>Christine Kling, Panel Master, C.J.</i> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Carver, Stephen Coonts, Brandt Dodson, J.T. Ellison, Paul Kemprecos, Terry Watkins</span><br />
<br />
<b>10:30 am- 11:50 am THRILLERMASTER PRESENTATION <i>(Ballroom I)</i></b><br />
<b>2010 Thrillermaster Ken Follett</b>, Interviewed by STeve Berry<br />
<b>2009 Thrillermaster David Morrell</b>, Interviewed by Douglas Preston<br />
<br />
<b>11:50 pm - 12:20 pm ThrillerMasters Ken Follett, David Morrell, Sandra Brown, Clive Cussler; </b>Debut Authors, and morning panelists will sign in the bookstore<br />
<br />
<b>12:45 pm - 2:15 pm AFTERNOON SOFT DRINKS</b> Hosted by KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP. <b>(Ballroom I Foyer)</b><br />
<br />
<b>1:00 pm - 1:50 pm Spotlight Guest Lisa Scottoline interviews by Jon Land <i>(Ballroom I)</i></b><br />
<br />
<b>2:00 pm - 2:50 pm WHERE ARE THE SECRETS OF THE LOST ART?</b> <i>Steve Berry, Panel Master, </i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Glenn Cooper, Brian D'Amato, David Hewson, David Hosp, Raymond Khoury, M.J. Rose</span><br />
<br />
<b>3:00 pm - 3:50 pm WHAT IN GOD'S NAME ARE YOU DOING?</b> <i>Religion in thrillers - Katherine Neville, Panel Master,</i> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Kathleen O'Neal Gear, W. Michael Gear, Tom Grace, Tosca Lee, Joe Moore</span><br />
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<b>4:00 pm - 4:50 pm WHO'S MORE THRILLING?</b> <i>Cop or Con? - Harry Hunsicker, Panel Master,</i> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Lorenzo Carcaterra, Steve Forman, Mark Greany, Matt Hilton, Paul Lindsay</span><br />
<br />
<b>5:00 pm- 5:30 pm All authors from afternoon breakout session will sign inside bookstore</b><br />
<br />
<b>6:00 pm - 7:00 pm PRE-BANQUET COCKTAIL PARTY</b> Hosted by OCEANVIEW PUBLISHING <b>(Ballroom III & IV Foyer)</b><br />
<br />
<b>7:00 pm ITW 5th ANNUAL THRILLER AWARDS BANQUET <i>(Ballroom III & IV)</i></b><br />
<b>2010 THRILLERMASTER KEN FOLLETT,</b> Award Presented by 2009 ThrillerMaster DAVID MORRELL<br />
<b>2010 SILVER BULLET AWARD RECIPIENT LINDA FAIRSTEIN</b>, Award presented by 2009 Silver Bullet Recipient Brad Meltzer<br />
<b>2010 True Thriller Award Recipient MARK BOWDEN</b><br />
Presentation of THE THRILLER AWARDS<br />
Table Win Serviced hosted by Tor/Forge<br />
<br />
<b>THRILLERMASTER AFTERPARTY Hosted by VANGUARD PRESS - Manhattan Ballroom</b><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>ROOM : CARNEGIE/ALVIN</b><br />
<br />
<b>8:00 am - 9:20 am BREAKFAST WITH 2009 SILVER BULLET AWARD WINNER BRAD MELTZER, THE DEBUT AUTHOR CLASS OF 2010: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><i>Introductions by Andrew Gross <b>(Ballroom III)</b></i></span>,</b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Graham Brown, Ryan Brown, Carla Buckley, Teresa Burrell, Pamela Callow, JJ Cooper, Reece Hirsch, Jeannie Holmes, Brett King, Sophie Littlefield, Boyd Morrison, Alan Orloff, Brad Parks, Sharon Potts, James Rubart, Stephen Jaw Schwartz, Norb Vonnegut</span><br />
<br />
<b>9:30 am - 10:20 am DO JOURNALISTS THRILL?</b> <i>Mereditch Anthony, Panel Master,</i> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Clem Chambers, Lawrence Light, Rick Mofina, Milt Toby, Paula Tutman</span><br />
<br />
<b>10:30 am- 11:50 am THRILLERMASTER PRESENTATION <i>(Ballroom I)</i></b><br />
<b>2010 Thrillermaster Ken Follett,</b> Interviewed by STeve Berry<br />
<b>2009 Thrillermaster David Morrell</b>, Interviewed by Douglas Preston<br />
<br />
<b>11:50 pm - 12:20 pm ThrillerMasters Ken Follett, David Morrell, Sandra Brown, Clive Cussler; Debut Authors, and morning panelists will sign in the bookstore</b><br />
<br />
<b>12:45 pm - 2:15 pm AFTERNOON SOFT DRINKS</b> Hosted by KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP. <b>(Ballroom I Foyer)</b><br />
<br />
<b>1:00 pm - 1:50 pm Spotlight Guest Lisa Scottoline interviews by Jon Land <i>(Ballroom I)</i></b><br />
<br />
<b>2:00 pm - 2:50 pm WOULD YOU VOTE FOR THIS BOOK?</b> <i>Politics and thrillers - David Ellis, Panel Master, </i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Karna Small Bodman, Don Helin, Casey Moreton, Keith Raffel, Rick Robinson</span><br />
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<b>3:00 pm - 3:50 pm WAS SHAKESPEARE RIGHT?</b> <i>Should we kill all the lawyers? - Jamie Freveletty, Panel Master,</i> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Barry Broad, John Dobbyn, H. Terrell Griffin, Barbar Levenson, Steve Martini</span><br />
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<b>4:00 pm - 4:50 pm IS HISTORY HISTORY?</b> <i>How vital is Subgenre? - Rebecca Cantrell, Panel Master,</i> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">William Dietrich, David Liss, Laura Joh Rowland, Kelli Stanley, Charles Todd</span><br />
<br />
<b>5:00 pm- 5:30 pm All authors from afternoon breakout session will sign inside bookstore</b><br />
<br />
<b>6:00 pm - 7:00 pm PRE-BANQUET COCKTAIL PARTY</b> Hosted by OCEANVIEW PUBLISHING <b><i>(Ballroom III & IV Foyer)</i></b><br />
<br />
<b>7:00 pm ITW 5th ANNUAL THRILLER AWARDS BANQUET <i>(Ballroom III & IV)</i></b><br />
<b>2010 THRILLERMASTER KEN FOLLETT,</b> Award Presented by 2009 ThrillerMaster DAVID MORRELL<br />
<b>2010 SILVER BULLET AWARD RECIPIENT LINDA FAIRSTEIN,</b> Award presented by 2009 Silver Bullet Recipient Brad Meltzer<br />
<b>2010 True Thriller Award Recipient MARK BOWDEN</b><br />
Presentation of THE THRILLER AWARDS<br />
Table Win Serviced hosted by Tor/Forge<br />
<br />
<b>THRILLERMASTER AFTERPARTY Hosted by VANGUARD PRESS - Manhattan Ballroom</b><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>ROOM : BALLROOM I </b><br />
<br />
<b>8:00 am - 9:20 am BREAKFAST WITH 2009 SILVER BULLET AWARD WINNER BRAD MELTZER, THE DEBUT AUTHOR CLASS OF 2010: Introductions by Andrew Gross <i>(Ballroom III),</i></b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Graham Brown, Ryan Brown, Carla Buckley, Teresa Burrell, Pamela Callow, JJ Cooper, Reece Hirsch, Jeannie Holmes, Brett King, Sophie Littlefield, Boyd Morrison, Alan Orloff, Brad Parks, Sharon Potts, James Rubart, Stephen Jaw Schwartz, Norb Vonnegut</span></i><br />
<br />
<b>9:30 am - 10:20 am WHAT ARE THE 100 MUST-READ THRILLERS?</b> <i>David Morrel Panel Master, </i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Raymond Benson, Tess Gerritsen, Bob Gussin, John Lescroart, Michael Palmer, Hank Wagner</span><br />
<br />
<b>10:30 am- 11:50 am THRILLERMASTER PRESENTATION <i>(Ballroom I</i></b><i>)</i><br />
<b>2010 Thrillermaster Ken Follett,</b> Interviewed by STeve Berry<br />
<b>2009 Thrillermaster David Morrell,</b> Interviewed by Douglas Preston<br />
<br />
<b>11:50 pm - 12:20 pm ThrillerMasters Ken Follett, David Morrell, Sandra Brown, Clive Cussler; Debut Authors, and morning panelists will sign in the bookstore</b><br />
<br />
<b>12:45 pm - 2:15 pm AFTERNOON SOFT DRINKS</b> Hosted by KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP. <b>(Ballroom I Foyer)</b><br />
<br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>12:15 pm - 1:00 pm BONUS SESSION 1 INSIDE THE THRILLERMASTERS MIND: A Q&A with Sandra Brown and Clive Cussler - </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">hosted by Shane Gericke </span></b><br />
<br />
<b>1:00 pm - 1:50 pm Spotlight Guest Lisa Scottoline interviews by Jon Land <i>(Ballroom I)</i></b><br />
<br />
<b>2:00 pm - 2:50 pm WHATS LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT? </b><i>Andrew Gross, Panel Master,</i> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Anna DeStefano, Shane Gericke, Dianna Love, Jennifer St. Giles, Erica Spindler, Rebecca York</span><br />
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<b>3:00 pm - 3:50 pm HOW DO YOU MAKE YOUR CAREER A THRILLER?</b><i> Jeff Ayers, Panel Master,<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Laura Caldwell, Stephen Coonts, Linda Fairstein, Joseph Finder, John Gilstrap, Chris Kuzneski</span><br />
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<b>4:00 pm - 4:50 pm IS NON-FICTION MORE THRILLING?</b> <i>Douglas Preston, Panel Master, </i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Sean Michael Brailey, Emily Benedek, William Bernhardt, Mark Bowden, W. Craig Reed, Kathleen Sharp</span><br />
<br />
<b>5:00 pm- 5:30 pm All authors from afternoon breakout session will sign inside bookstore</b><br />
<br />
<b>6:00 pm - 7:00 pm PRE-BANQUET COCKTAIL PARTY</b> Hosted by OCEANVIEW PUBLISHING <b>(Ballroom III & IV Foyer)</b><br />
<br />
<b>7:00 pm ITW 5th ANNUAL THRILLER AWARDS BANQUET <i>(Ballroom III & IV)</i></b><br />
<b>2010 THRILLERMASTER KEN FOLLETT,</b> Award Presented by 2009 ThrillerMaster DAVID MORRELL<br />
<b>2010 SILVER BULLET AWARD RECIPIENT LINDA FAIRSTEIN,</b> Award presented by 2009 Silver Bullet Recipient Brad Meltzer<br />
<b>2010 True Thriller Award Recipient MARK BOWDEN</b><br />
Presentation of THE THRILLER AWARDS<br />
Table Win Serviced hosted by Tor/ForgeGarrett Valdiviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01139718095593102827noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229782871616329990.post-42142712890074305742010-07-09T17:31:00.000-04:002010-07-09T17:31:11.681-04:00Sample the Thrill : Carnal Sin, by Allison Brennan<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><i>One of many great articles that you can find each month in </i></b></span><a href="http://www.thrillerwriters.org/" style="color: #4386ce; font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><i>The Big Thrill</i></b></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><i>!</i></b></span></span></b></span></b></span><br />
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I love research.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TDeUrAmsQjI/AAAAAAAABh4/ptMcKWBmQmI/s1600/carnal-sin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TDeUrAmsQjI/AAAAAAAABh4/ptMcKWBmQmI/s320/carnal-sin.jpg" /></a></div>I think this love of research stems from my tendency to procrastinate. In school, I was really good at cramming at the last minute--back then, it was hitting the library the day before a major paper was due, reading everything I could on the subject, then writing all night. The last-minute projects inevitably garnered me a B+ or A- (which, had I spent more time researching, editing, and revising would have been an A--but we work we our natural talents, right?)<br />
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Last week I finished writing one book; this week I started the next. I realized real quick that my knowledge of modern private investigators was slim, and the books on my shelf were woefully outdated. The book I have on Missing Persons was printed in 1993--before Facebook, before MySpace, and before Google. Needless to say, useless.<br />
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I emailed a P.I. friend of mine asking for two books she'd recommend on modern P.I. techniques, and wondered if there was a P.I. ride-along program . . .<br />
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We are truly blessed writers to have so many resources at our fingertips. In the past twelve months, I've participated in two SWAT training exercises, toured the FBI Academy at Quantico, visited FBI Headquarters in D.C., toured Folsom State Prison (with fellow ITW author James Rollins), and took a second trip to the Sacramento County Morgue to learn how they preserve evidence. If you really twist my arm, I'll admit being a non-ambulatory victim during SWAT training was probably the most fun I've had in a long, long time . . . which shows you what a boring life I lead!<br />
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ITW members are also invaluable resources. I have all of Dr. D.P. Lyle's books--medical books for writers; author C.J. Lyons has answered my most arcane medical questions--even questions related to my supernatural thriller series; and former cop and forensic artist Robin Burcell is always available to answer questions about being a cop. One of my favorite research books on the paranormal is THE CRYPTOPEDIA, written by ITW member Jonathan Mayberry (and David Kramer).<br />
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Some people may think that research for a paranormal book is strange, but I believe that the only way to sell a reader on the world you're creating is to base it in a world you (and they) understand. My Seven Deadly Sins series is a supernatural thriller (or urban fantasy or paranormal romance--whatever marketing wants to call it is fine with me,) based in our modern world. I have demons released from Hell by an evil occult bent on finding the key to eternal youth. This is nothing new--for thousands of years, the hope of eternal youth (or eternal life) has been a part of most, if not all, religions. It was important to me to understand the basic foundations of this quest and then the darkest aspects of what it means. And it's hard to write a book about demons without understanding exorcisms, the old Catholic church, Judaism, and witchcraft, including black magic.<br />
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While the series itself is built on a paranormal premise, I wanted it to have enough "real world" facts to make it even scarier.<br />
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I think this is why monsters don't really scare me (psychotic clowns living in the sewer excluded), but serial killers terrify me. Real people who look normal, even attractive (Ted Bundy anyone?) but are down to their core evil.<br />
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What I loved about writing the Seven Deadly Sins books, most recently CARNAL SIN (Ballantine, July 2010), is merging my forensic and crime fiction research with my paranormal research.<br />
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For example, in my series the Seven Deadly Sins are released from Hell as incarnate demons. If they touch you, your conscience is stripped away and you act on your deadliest sin. I have a sheriff in the series who, while she has seen the paranormal at work, believes that there is a scientific--and logical--explanation as to why some people are infected by this demonic virus. She, with the medical examiner, are looking at the autopsies to give them answers, and discover (thanks to C.J. Lyons!) an enlarged amygdala, a primitive part of the brain with a role in processing memory and emotional responses.<br />
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I've learned (the hard way!) that less is more when writing about something I know very little about. So I took the basic scientific information about the amygdala and brainstem, then made up the idea that the demonic virus changed this, that this is in fact a physical "conscience" that when damaged changes the behavior of the victim--and they act out their worst sin, to deadly results.<br />
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Why? Because I needed something I could buy into. I had to believe it could happen, otherwise I'd never be able to convince my readers to suspend disbelief and believe in the story.<br />
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After writing two books in my supernatural thriller series, I'm writing two romantic thrillers--no demons in sight (except for the very human evil that my protagonists face.)<br />
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Looking at my bookshelves, I realized I have nearly as many paranormal research books as I do forensic and crime research books. But nothing compares to on-hands research: shooting at the gun range with the FBI firearms instructor; "bleeding" during SWAT training that seemed so real my heart raced when the men in black came in with guns; being cuffed during a scenario, down on the ground, and immobile while the tactical team cleared a building.<br />
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Real people do this all the time with real bullets, real blood, and real bad guys. I don't. I just write about them. But the research trips have helped me, a boring mom of five who quit her equally boring job in the California State Legislature to write, tell stories with more confidence and truth.<br />
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I just hope I don't have to face a real demon--or a real bad guy--to write about them convincingly.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TDeUv8hUxOI/AAAAAAAABiA/ixyk9-HDNBM/s1600/brennan-allison.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TDeUv8hUxOI/AAAAAAAABiA/ixyk9-HDNBM/s320/brennan-allison.jpg" /></a></div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Allison Brennan is a New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of fourteen books and four short stories, including Killing Fear, Sudden Death, Original Sin, and her latest release, the supernatural thriller Carnal Sin. She's also a contributor to "100 Must Read Thrillers" with her essay on Daphne du Maurier's "Rebecca." Married with five children, she lives in northern California and is currently writing--and researching--book two in her Lucy Kincaid romantic thriller series which launches in January of 2011 with "Love Me to Death." Visit her at allisonbrennan.com or check out her Seven Deadly Sins series at <a href="http://sevendeadlysinsbooks.com./">sevendeadlysinsbooks.com.</a></span></i><br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: large; font-style: normal;"><b>Find out more about great authors at <a href="http://www.thrillerwriters.org/thrillerfest/" style="color: #4386ce; font-weight: bold;">ThrillerFest 2010</a>!</b></span></i></span></span></i></span></span></i></span></span></i></span></i>Garrett Valdiviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01139718095593102827noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229782871616329990.post-67715594849195337122010-07-09T10:00:00.004-04:002010-07-09T10:00:04.794-04:00Thrillerfest: Off to a Great Start!It's been an amazing start to the convention and I have to admit to being a little star-struck. Lisa Scottoline, Steve Berry, Heather Graham, R.L. Stine the list just goes on and on of great authors I've seen so far.<br />
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I sent out tweets on Twitter for those who want to follow that. You can find us on Twitter at <a href="http://www.twitter.com/thrillerwriters">www.twitter.com/thrillerwriters</a> and if you're on Twitter and want to see what others are tweeting about use #ThrillerFest2010 to find news on Twitter about the convention.<br />
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A lot of pictures are going up on the ITW Facebook. You can find the main ITW page at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/thrillerwriters">www.facebook.com/thrillerwriters</a> but you can also look up the group site as well and join (aka "like") us there! I hope to have some video tomorrow.<br />
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I attended Lisa Scottoline's session where she gave out great advise and the contact information of her agent with instructions to attendees as to how to send their manuscript along with Lisa's referral. What a generous gift! You could actually hear gasps in the audience when she did it! It was a great moment! The offer is only open to those who attended the session as far as I'm aware. This session was amazing and I highly recommend getting the CD for the session when it becomes available. I'll let you know when that happens.<br />
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I also attended Buzz Your Book with Douglas Clegg and M.J. Rose. That isn't a session that gets recorded since they do the session as part of their teaching course. But you can find out more about it on Amazon since the book "Buzz Your Book" will be out in a new edition this year. Definately something I recommend picking up.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TDbI6hCkD5I/AAAAAAAABho/IFIBrGqQ8aE/s1600/RLStine_TF2010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TDbI6hCkD5I/AAAAAAAABho/IFIBrGqQ8aE/s200/RLStine_TF2010.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>I got just the end of R.L. Stine's session, but what impressed me was that he stayed after the session and gave his time to every person that wanted it. He gave advice, shared information and just chattd with fans and aspiring authors. He was so gracious with his time and I thought to myself, "Now THAT is why ITW is special." So many people here are willing to share their ideas, knowledge, experince and time. <br />
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I can't wait for tomorrows session!<br />
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- SheilaGarrett Valdiviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01139718095593102827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229782871616329990.post-84959045977384120302010-07-09T07:00:00.000-04:002010-07-09T07:00:02.882-04:00Thrillerfest Schedule, Friday July 9th!<b>THRILLERFEST FRIDAY, JULY 9, 2010 Registration 7:30 am - 11 am, 3 pm - 4:30 pm </b><br />
<b>Barnes & Noble Bookstore, open 9 am- 6 pm, Booth-Plymouth Room </b><br />
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<b>ROOM : URISI/JULLIARD </b><br />
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<b>8:30 am - 11:00 am MORNING COFFEE Hosted by HARPERCOLLINS (BALLROOM I FOYER)</b><br />
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<b>9:00 am-9:50 am HOW TO MAKE YOUR PULSE RACE?</b> <i>Cliche's and How to Avoid Them - Raffi Yessayan, Panel Master,</i> John Altman, Ted Dekker, Karen Harper, David Liss, Leslie Silbert<br />
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<b>10:00 am-10:50 am</b> Spotlight Guest Gayle Lynds interviewed by Lisa Gardner <b>(BALLROOM I)</b><br />
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<b>11:00 am- 11:50 am HOW TO BE NOVEL WITH YOUR NOVEL?:</b> <i>E-books, audio books, Vooks, etc. - And Industry Panel - Douglas Clegg, Panel Master, </i>Richard Doetsch, Steve Feldberg, Tammy Nam, Jeremy Robinson, Liz Scheier, Matt Schwartz<br />
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<b>11:45 am - 1:00pm SNACK SERVICE - Hosted by THE LOS ANGELES TIMES (Ballroom I Foyer)</b><br />
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<b>11:50 pm - 12:20 pm Authors from all morning sessions will be signing in the bookstore.</b><br />
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<b>12:15 pm - 1:00 pm Bonus Session - INTERROGATING THE FBI</b> <i>- FBI Profiler Mark Safarik interviewed by Alan Jacobson </i><b>(BALLROOM I)</b><br />
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<b>1:00 pm - 1:50 pm</b> <i>ITW General Membership Meeting </i><b>(BALLROOM I)</b><br />
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<b>1:45 pm - 3:15 pm AFTERNOON SOFT DRINKS</b> Hosted By HARPERCOLLINS <b>(BALLROOM I FOYER)</b><br />
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<b>2:00 pm - 2:50 pm ARE YOU YOUR MAIN CHARACTER?</b> <i>Allen Wyler, Panel Master,</i> Julie Kramer, Deborah LeBlanc, A. Scott Pearson, Rick Reed, Wendy Corsi Staub<br />
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<b>3:00 pm - 3:50 pm</b> <i>Spotlight Guest Harlan Coben interviewed by Kathleen Antrim</i> <b>(BALLROOM I)</b><br />
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<b>4:00 pm - 4:50 pm IS SOCIAL NETWORKING A WASTE OF TIME? </b><i>: An Industry Panel - Allison Brennan, Panel Master,</i> Emi Battaglia, Tess Gerritsen, Meryl Moss, Jason Pinter, Amy D. Shojai CABC, Pam Spengler-Jaffee<br />
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<b>5:00 pm - 5:30 pm All authors from afternoon sessions will sign inside the bookstore </b><br />
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<b>6:00 pm - 7:30 pm ITW PUBLICATIONS COCKTAIL PARTY </b>- Featuring the authors of: <i>Thrillers: 100 Must-Reads, Watchlist: The Chopin Manuscript & The Copper Bracelet, First Thrills, </i>and<i> Fear: 13 Stories of Suspense and Horror </i><b>(BALLROOM I)</b><br />
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<b>7:30 pm - 9:00 pm</b> Daktona Banks - SNAP CRITIQUES<br />
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<b>ROOM : BROADWAY</b><br />
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<b>8:30 am - 11:00 am MORNING COFFEE Hosted by HARPERCOLLINS (BALLROOM I FOYER)</b><br />
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<b>9:00 am-9:50 am WHICH RULES CAN YOU BREAK?</b> <i>Andrew Gulli, Panel Master, </i>William Bernhardt, Brandilyn Collins, W.G. Griffiths, Katia Lief, Erica Spindler, Mark T. Sullivan<br />
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<b>10:00 am-10:50 am</b> <i>Spotlight Guest Gayle Lynds interviewed by Lisa Gardner</i> <b>(BALLROOM I)</b><br />
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<b>11:00 am- 11:50 am WHAT'S THE WORST ADVICE YOU EVER GOT? THE BEST?</b> <i>Matt Richtel, Panel Master,</i> Richard Aaron, Alex Dryden, Lisa Gardner, Alex Kava, Daniel Palmer<br />
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<b>11:45 am - 1:00pm</b> SNACK SERVICE - Hosted by THE LOS ANGELES TIMES <b>(Ballroom I Foyer)</b><br />
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<b>11:50 pm - 12:20 pm</b> <i>Authors from all morning sessions will be signing in the bookstore.</i><br />
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<b>12:15 pm - 1:00 pm Bonus Session - INTERROGATING THE FBI</b> - FBI Profiler Mark Safarik interviewed by Alan Jacobson <b>(BALLROOM I)</b><br />
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<b>1:00 pm - 1:50 pm</b> ITW General Membership Meeting <b>(BALLROOM I)</b><br />
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<b>1:45 pm - 3:15 pm AFTERNOON SOFT DRINKS</b> Hosted By HARPERCOLLINS <b>(BALLROOM I FOYER)</b><br />
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<b>2:00 pm - 2:50 pm WHY BE NORMAL WHEN YOU CAN BE PARANORMAL?</b><i> Dakota Banks, Panel Master,</i> Allison Brennan, Heather Graham, Christopher Golden, Jonathan Mabery, Dave Sakmyster<br />
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<b>3:00 pm - 3:50 pm</b> Spotlight Guest Harlan Coben interviewed by Kathleen Antrim <b>(BALLROOM I)</b><br />
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<b>4:00 pm - 4:50 pm DO YOU SPY?</b> <i>Anthony Tata, Panel Master,</i> Mike Angly, Andy Hayp, Ward Larsen, Andrew Peterson, David Salkin<br />
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<b>5:00 pm - 5:30 pm All authors from afternoon sessions will sign inside the bookstore </b><br />
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<b>6:00 pm - 7:30 pm ITW PUBLICATIONS COCKTAIL PARTY</b> - Featuring the authors of:<i> Thrillers: 100 Must-Reads, Watchlist: The Chopin Manuscript & The Copper Bracelet, First Thrills,</i> and <i>Fear: 13 Stories of Suspense and Horror</i> <b>(BALLROOM I)</b><br />
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<b>7:30 pm - 9:00 pm SHEILA CLOVER ENGLISH</b> - SOCIAL MEDIA FOR THE THRILLER GENRE<br />
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<b>ROOM : CARNEGIE/ALVIN</b><br />
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<b>8:30 am - 11:00 am MORNING COFFEE Hosted by HARPERCOLLINS (BALLROOM I FOYER)</b><br />
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<b>9:00 am-9:50 am ARE FORENSIC TRILLERS DEADLY?</b> <i>D.P. Lyle, M.D., Panel Master,</i> Lisa Black, Robin Burcell, Kathryn Fox, Jonathan Hayes, Cheryl Paradis<br />
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<b>10:00 am-10:50 am</b> Spotlight Guest Gayle Lynds interviewed by Lisa Gardner <b>(BALLROOM I)</b><br />
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<b>11:00 am- 11:50 am HOW DO YOU PACK FOR A THRILLER?</b> : <i>Research & Settings - Jess Buick, Panel Master,</i> Hilary Davidson, Maria Hudgins, Katherine Neville, Peter Steiner, Taylor Stevens<br />
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<b>11:45 am - 1:00pm SNACK SERVICE</b> - Hosted by THE LOS ANGELES TIMES <b>(Ballroom I Foyer)</b><br />
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<b>11:50 pm - 12:20 pm</b> <b>Authors from all morning sessions will be signing in the bookstore.</b><br />
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<b>12:15 pm - 1:00 pm Bonus Session - INTERROGATING THE FBI -</b> FBI Profiler Mark Safarik interviewed by Alan Jacobson <b>(BALLROOM I)</b><br />
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<b>1:00 pm - 1:50 pm</b> ITW General Membership Meeting <b>(BALLROOM I)</b><br />
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<b>1:45 pm - 3:15 pm AFTERNOON SOFT DRINKS</b> Hosted By HARPERCOLLINS <b>(BALLROOM I FOYER)</b><br />
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<b>2:00 pm - 2:50 pm SHOULD YOU LIVE TO WRITE, OR WRITE TO LIVE?</b> <i>Pat Gussin, Panel Master,</i> Sandi Ault, Joshua Corin, CJ Lyons, Carla Neggers, Tom Sawyer<br />
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<b>3:00 pm - 3:50 pm</b> Spotlight Guest Harlan Coben interviewed by Kathleen Antrim <b>(BALLROOM I)</b><br />
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4<b>:00 pm - 4:50 pm WHO'S YOUR HERO?</b> <i>In fiction and real life - Julie Compton, Panel Master,</i> Linwood Barclay, Ted Dekker, David Hagberg, James Hayman, Nate Kenyon<br />
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<b>5:00 pm - 5:30 pm All authors from afternoon sessions will sign inside the bookstore </b><br />
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<b>6:00 pm - 7:30 pm ITW PUBLICATIONS COCKTAIL PARTY</b> - Featuring the authors of: <i>Thrillers: 100 Must-Reads, Watchlist: The Chopin Manuscript & The Copper Bracelet, First Thrills,</i> and <i>Fear: 13 Stories of Suspense and Horror </i><b>(BALLROOM I)</b><br />
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<b>7:30 pm - 9:00 pm ROBERT DUGONI - GETTING STARTED AND STAYING HEADED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION</b><br />
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<b>ROOM : BALLROOM I</b><br />
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<b>8:30 am - 11:00 am MORNING COFFEE Hosted by HARPERCOLLINS (BALLROOM I FOYER)</b><br />
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<b>9:00 am-9:50 am HOW DO YOU EXCITE YOUR EDITOR AND GET MORE OUT OF YOUR PUBLISHER?:</b> <i>And Industry Panel : John Lescroart, Panel Master,</i> Dan Conaway, Eric Van Lustbader, Steve Martini, Neil Nyren, Eric Raab, Kate White<br />
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<b>10:00 am-10:50 am</b> Spotlight Guest Gayle Lynds interviewed by Lisa Gardner <b>(BALLROOM I)</b><br />
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<b>11:00 am- 11:50 am ARE YA NOVELS FOR GROWNUPS TOO?</b> <i>F. Paul Wilson, Panel Master, </i>Jennifer Allison, A.J. Hartley, Andrew Harwell, Robert Liparulo, Ridley Pearson, R.L. Stine <br />
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<b>11:45 am - 1:00pm SNACK SERVICE</b> - Hosted by THE LOS ANGELES TIMES <b>(Ballroom I Foyer)</b><br />
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<b>11:50 pm - 12:20 pm</b> <b>Authors from all morning sessions will be signing in the bookstore.</b><br />
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<b>12:15 pm - 1:00 pm Bonus Session - INTERROGATING THE FBI</b> - FBI Profiler Mark Safarik interviewed by Alan Jacobson <b>(BALLROOM I)</b><br />
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<b>1:00 pm - 1:50 pm</b> ITW General Membership Meeting <b>(BALLROOM I)</b><br />
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<b>1:45 pm - 3:15 pm AFTERNOON SOFT DRINKS Hosted By HARPERCOLLINS (BALLROOM I FOYER)</b><br />
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<b>2:00 pm - 2:50 pm HOW CAN WE INNOVATE MORE?:</b> <i>An Industry Panel - M.J. Rose, Panel Master, </i>Rom Doherty, Joseph Finder, Libby McGuire, Mark Nichols, Barbara Peters, Daniel Slater<br />
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<b>3:00 pm - 3:50 pm</b> Spotlight Guest Harlan Coben interviewed by Kathleen Antrim <b>(BALLROOM I)</b><br />
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<b>4:00 pm - 4:50 pm WHY DO THRILLERS KICK ASS?</b> <i>Wendy Corsi Staub, Panel Master,</i> Steve Berry, Grant Blackwood, Eric Van Lustbader, John Lutz, Carla Neggers, Ridley Pearson<br />
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<b>5:00 pm - 5:30 pm All authors from afternoon sessions will sign inside the bookstore </b><br />
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<b>6:00 pm - 7:30 pm ITW PUBLICATIONS COCKTAIL PARTY </b>- Featuring the authors of: <i>Thrillers: 100 Must-Reads, Watchlist: The Chopin Manuscript & The Copper Bracelet, First Thrills,</i> and <i>Fear: 13 Stories of Suspense and Horror</i> <b>(BALLROOM I)</b>Garrett Valdiviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01139718095593102827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229782871616329990.post-85537574463121234072010-07-08T08:00:00.001-04:002010-07-08T08:00:04.834-04:00Craftfest Schedule for July 8th!<b>CRAFTFEST THURSDAY, JULY 8, 2010 Registration</b> - CraftFest only 8 am - 11 am <br />
<b>REGISTRATION FOR THRILLERFEST</b> 3:30 pm - 6:30 pm Barnes & Noble Bookstore, open 9 am- 6 pm, Booth-Plymouth Room <br />
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<b><i>ROOM :</i></b> URIS/JULLIARD<br />
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<b>8:30am - 11:00am MORNING COFFEE</b> Hosted by THE LOS ANGELES TIMES <br />
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<b>9:00am - 9:30am</b> Alex Kava, JT Ellison, Erica Spindler - CREATING AUTHENTIC, TOUGH, SMART FEMALE PROTAGONISTS <i>(Lipstick optional)</i><br />
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<b>10:00 am - 10:50 am</b> R.L. Stine - THE WORLD OF YA PUBLISHING : <i>The Top 10 & The Flop 10</i><br />
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<b>11:00 am - 11:50 am</b> Lisa Scottoline - HOW TO WRITE A THRILLER<br />
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<b>11:50 am - 1:50pm</b> All authors from CraftFest classes will sign inside bookstore - CRAFTFEST LUNCH <i>An Interactive Q&A with Gina Centrello President and Publisher, The Random House Publishing Group (Ballroom ll)</i><br />
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<b>2:00 pm - 5:30 pm</b> AGENTFEST - <i>Uris/Alvin</i><br />
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<b>5:30 pm - 6:20 pm</b> BUZZ YOUR BOOK: <i>And the New Reality (Open to all attendees)</i> - M.J. ROSE AND DOUG CLEGG (Edison/Winter Garden)<br />
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<b>6:30pm - 8:00pm</b> - THRILLERFEST OPENING RECEPTION Co-Hosted by THE RANDOM HOUSE PUBLISHING GROUP and WRITERS HOUSE <i>Featuring Random House and Writers House Authors (Ballroom II)</i><br />
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<b><i>ROOM :</i></b><i> </i>BROADWAY<br />
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<b>8:30am - 11:00am MORNING COFFEE</b> Hosted by THE LOS ANGELES TIMES<br />
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<b>9:00 am - 9:50 am</b> Douglas Preston - USING NON-FICTION TECHNIQUES TO WRITE THAT BREAK-OUT THRILLER<br />
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<b>10:00 am -10:50 am</b> Michael Palmder - FROM SOUP TO NUTS : <i>Crafting a Thriller from First Notion to Completion</i><br />
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<b>11am - 11:50am</b> Donald Maass - WHAT MAKES A HERO?<br />
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<b>11:50 am - 1:50pm</b> All authors from CraftFest classes will sign inside bookstore - CRAFTFEST LUNCH <i>An Interactive Q&A with Gina Centrello President and Publisher, The Random House Publishing Group (Ballroom ll</i>)<br />
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<b>2:00 pm - 5:30 pm</b> AGENTFEST - <i>Uris/Alvin</i><br />
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<b>5:30 pm - 6:20 pm</b> BUZZ YOUR BOOK: <i>And the New Reality (Open to all attendees) </i>- M.J. ROSE AND DOUG CLEGG (Edison/Winter Garden)<br />
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<b>6:30pm - 8:00pm</b> - THRILLERFEST OPENING RECEPTION Co-Hosted by THE RANDOM HOUSE PUBLISHING GROUP and WRITERS HOUSE Featuring Random House and Writers House Authors (Ballroom II)<br />
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<b><i>ROOM :</i></b> CARNEGIE/ALVIN<br />
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<b>8:30am - 11:00am MORNING COFFEE</b> Hosted by THE LOS ANGELES TIMES<br />
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<b>9:00 am - 9:50 am</b> David Hagberg - LOVE THINE ENEMY<br />
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<b>10:00 am -10:50 am</b> John Gilstrap - BROKEN BONES, BALLISTICS AND BACKDRAFTS : <i>Technical Stuff That Writers Should Get Right</i><br />
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<b>11am - 11:50am</b> Robert Dugoni - POWER EDITING<br />
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<b>11:50 am - 1:50pm</b> All authors from CraftFest classes will sign inside bookstore - CRAFTFEST LUNCH <i>An Interactive Q&A with Gina Centrello President and Publisher, The Random House Publishing Group (Ballroom ll)</i><br />
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<b>2:00 pm - 5:30 pm</b> AGENTFEST - <i>Uris/Alvin</i><br />
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<b>5:30 pm - 6:20 pm</b> BUZZ YOUR BOOK: <i>And the New Reality (Open to all attendees)</i> - M.J. ROSE AND DOUG CLEGG (Edison/Winter Garden)<br />
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<b>6:30pm - 8:00pm</b> - THRILLERFEST OPENING RECEPTION Co-Hosted by THE RANDOM HOUSE PUBLISHING GROUP and WRITERS HOUSE Featuring Random House and Writers House Authors (Ballroom II)Garrett Valdiviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01139718095593102827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229782871616329990.post-31471641486281301202010-07-07T08:00:00.004-04:002010-07-07T08:00:01.979-04:00Craftfest Schedule for Wednesday, July 7th!<b>CRAFTFEST WEDNESDAY, JULY 7, 2010 CraftFest Registration, </b><br />
<b>8:30 am -1 pm, 3 pm - 4:30 pm Barnes & Noble Bookstore, </b><b>open Noon - 6 pm : Booth-Plymouth Room</b><br />
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<b>CRAFTFEST BONUS POWER SESSIONS Presented by WRITER'S DIGEST</b><br />
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<b>ROOM :</b> URIS/JULLIARD<br />
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<b>10:00 am - 10:50 am</b> Kathleen Antrim and Jon Land WHAT IF? SO WHAT? <i>Learn To Pitch To An Agent or Editor </i><br />
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<b>11:00 am - 11:50 am</b> William Bernhardt - EIGHT STEPS TO WRITING - AND FINISHING - YOUR NOVEL <br />
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<b><i>CRAFTFEST CLASSES</i></b><br />
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<b>12:30 pm - 1:50 pm</b> Steve Berry - WHO'S TELLING THE STORY AND WHAT ARE THEY SAYING. <i>Point-of-view and Dialogue </i><br />
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<b>2:00 pm - 2:50 pm</b> David Morrell - THE PROS AND CONS OF THE FIRST PERSON VIEWPOINT <br />
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<b>3:00 pm - 3:50 pm</b> Gayle Lynds - NINE SECRETS TO WRITING BESTSELLING THRILLERS <br />
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<b>4:00 pm - 4:50 pm</b> Al Zuckerman - CRAFTING BIG SCENES FOR THE BLOCKBUSTER NOVEL<br />
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<b>5pm - 5:30 pm</b> <i>Authors from all CraftFest classes will sign inside Bookstore </i><br />
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<b>6:30 pm - 8:00 pm</b> <i>CRAFTFEST COCKTAIL PARTY Hosted by GRAND CENTRAL PUBLISHING Manhattan Ballroom </i><br />
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<b>ROOM :</b> BROADWAY<br />
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<b>9:00 am - 9:50 am</b> Lorenzo Carcaterra - FOR THE THRILL OF IT : <i>From Book to Screen </i><br />
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<b>10:00 am -10:50 am</b> Sophie Littlefield, Carla Buckley & Barbara Poelle - SETTING WORKSHOP - <i>Creating a Sense of Place </i><br />
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<b><i>CRAFTFEST CLASSES</i></b><br />
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<b>11:00am- 11:50am</b> Eric Van Lustbader - THE RED ZONE<br />
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<b>11:50 am - 12:20 pm</b> Andrew Gross - AND THE WINNER FOR THE BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IS...<br />
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<b>12:30 pm - 1:50p am</b> David Hewson - KEEPING A BOOK DIARY - <i>Simple Secrets That Can Keep Your Book On Track</i><br />
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<b>2:00 pm - 5:30 pm</b> Lisa Gardner - SUCCESSFUL REWRITING : <i>Pairing Down and Fleshing Out</i><br />
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<b>5:30 pm - 6:20 pm</b> <i>Authors from all Craftfest classes will sign inside Bookstore</i><br />
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<b>6:30 pm - 8:00 pm</b> <i>CRAFTFEST COCKTAIL PARTY Hosted by GRAND CENTRAL PUBLISHING Manhattan Ballroom</i><br />
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<b>ROOM :</b> CARNEGIE/ALVIN<br />
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<b>9:00 am - 9:50 am</b> Allison Brennan - NO PLOTTERS ALLOWED<br />
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<b>10:00 am -10:50 am</b> D.P. Lyle, MD - VOICE. WHOSE STORY IS IT?<br />
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<b><i>CRAFTFEST CLASSES</i></b><br />
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<b>11:00am- 11:50am</b> D.P. Lyle, MD - THE PSYCHOLOGY OF CHARACTER MOTIVATION<br />
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<b>11:50 am - 12:20 pm</b> Grant Blackwood - THE ELEMENTS OF BIG THRILLERS<br />
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<b>12:30 pm - 1:50p am</b> William Bernhardt - THE CHARACTER-DRIVEN THRILLER: <i>Giving Readers a Reason to Care</i><br />
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<b>2:00 pm - 5:30 pm</b> Steven James - SIX SECRETS TO NOVEL WRITING THAT NO ONE EVER TOLD YOU ABOUT<br />
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<b>5:30 pm - 6:20 pm</b> <i>Authors from all Craftfest classes will sign inside Bookstore</i><br />
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<b>6:30 pm - 8:00 pm</b> <i>CRAFTFEST COCKTAIL PARTY Hosted by GRAND CENTRAL PUBLISHING Manhattan Ballroom</i>Garrett Valdiviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01139718095593102827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229782871616329990.post-54159738180083322592010-07-06T14:32:00.000-04:002010-07-06T14:32:19.787-04:00Steve Berry and Jon Land talk about Thrillerfest<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">ThrillerFest is days away! </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">I caught up with Steve Berry and Jon Land at BEA and asked them what they're looking forward to most.<br />
Steve gets to interview Ken Follett and Jon gives us some humor and insight!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Steve Berry</b></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Jon Land</b></span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/vQ6RBE0IpiI&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vQ6RBE0IpiI&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.jonland.ne/"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TDN1Z4s9HVI/AAAAAAAABhg/ajvwY5ftNZc/s320/jonland.jpg" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br />
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You can find out more about Steve Berry at <a href="http://www.steveberry.org/" style="color: #2a5db0;" target="_blank">www.steveberry.org</a> and you can find Jon Land at <a href="http://www.jonland.net/" style="color: #2a5db0;" target="_blank">http://www.jonland.net</a>.</span>Garrett Valdiviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01139718095593102827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229782871616329990.post-90006852018051480462010-07-06T12:09:00.000-04:002010-07-06T12:09:39.327-04:00Celebrate Craft : Validate My Parking<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i><b>Celebrate the Craft! - from the <a href="http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/2008/07/validate-my-parking.html">Newbie's Guide to Publishing</a> blog</b></i></span><br />
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Writers crave validation.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TDNVKGKxDjI/AAAAAAAABhI/eMfv55iw0Xc/s1600/2631198382_5b34e833f7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TDNVKGKxDjI/AAAAAAAABhI/eMfv55iw0Xc/s200/2631198382_5b34e833f7.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>It's built into our psyches. We believe our words are good enough to put down on paper, and then we have the narcissism to think that others will not only enjoy our words, but pay for the privilege to read them.<br />
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Because of that, we tend to get attached to what we write. These words are our babies, and criticism is hard to bear. We take it personally.<br />
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This is silly. Everyone has an opinion, and all opinions are valid. Yes, if your writing failed a reader, it's your fault. But your job isn't to enthrall every reader. Your job is simply to enthrall more than you fail.<br />
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The fact is, you'll fail some readers. Lots of them.<br />
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You'll get bad reviews. You'll get angry emails. You'll get snotty comments. Some will be aimed at your writing. Some will be aimed at you personally.<br />
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This is a good thing.<br />
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Not because these comments are correct---though if enough people say the same thing, you should really start to listen. But because getting feedback, good or bad, means you're reaching people.<br />
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The bigger you get, the more negative feedback you can expect.<br />
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So how do you deal with people who don't like you?<br />
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If you want to be a grown-up, you should ignore them. I've never seen anything good come out of engaging a critic. Once you begin to defend yourself--or even worse, attack--you've pretty much lost some face.<br />
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What Peter says about Paul shows more about Peter than about Paul.<br />
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As for how you should feel, well, you should act like a grown up there as well. Sticks and stones. Unless someone is burning a cross outside on your front lawn, you really can't take negative people seriously.<br />
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You shouldn't take positive people seriously, either. But you can say "thanks" to those who offer kind words. If you're really grounded, you can thank the naysayers too.<br />
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But JA, isn't validation the reason we become writers in the first place? Didn't you read your opening sentence?<br />
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Yes. But get your ego boost from your royalty check, not from reviewers, critics, fans, blogs, awards, peers, and message boards.<br />
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Then who are the people you should listen to?<br />
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That's easy. Turn on your cell phone. Look at your contact list. Those are the important people in your life. Take praise and criticism from them. Everyone else is window dressing.<br />
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Some people won't like you. Get used to it. If you can't, don't be a writer.<br />
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You're a pompous, egotistical, self-important know-it-all.<br />
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Thanks for your comment, and thanks for reading. :)<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Find out more about great authors at <a href="http://www.thrillerwriters.org/thrillerfest/" style="color: #4386ce; font-weight: bold;">ThrillerFest 2010</a>!</b></span>Garrett Valdiviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01139718095593102827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229782871616329990.post-67911237900957465762010-06-28T22:27:00.000-04:002010-06-28T22:27:17.418-04:00Celebrate Craft: Do you fall into the Muddle-in-the-Middle Trap?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i><b>Celebrate the Craft! - from the <a href="http://writebyyou.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2010-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-08%3A00&updated-max=2011-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-08%3A00&max-results=3">Write by You</a> blog</b></i></span><br />
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When attempting to write a novel—that is, fiction that's book-length, say 80,000 words or so—some novice writers never get past the first few chapters. All of the excitement and enthusiasm they felt when inspiration grabbed them by the throat and shouted, "You must write this story!" suddenly leaves them high and dry. Sure, you have a good idea where the story needs to end. That's part of the reason you're writing--to share that fantastic scene you envision near the end of your tale that blows away your readers. But how to get from Point A to Point Z?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TClZjqd9_hI/AAAAAAAABhA/w8ksycOfE-w/s1600/Edgar+Allen+Poe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TClZjqd9_hI/AAAAAAAABhA/w8ksycOfE-w/s200/Edgar+Allen+Poe.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Although most writers recognize the danger of running out of steam in the middle of a book, those who are experienced realize that a lot of work is done in those central chapters. In fact, if you do all you should as a novelist, there's so much material for you to play with, you need to choose carefully to avoid stuffing too much into one story. Here are six tips you can use to keep your novel on track, moving forward, and holding your readers' attention without wandering, repeating information, or padding with unnecessary scenes.<br />
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<blockquote>1. Further develop the main character(s). Instead of dumping details about your characters' personalities, childhood, education, jobs, or friends and family at the beginning of your novel, save these for the middle. By now you've hooked your reader with strong writing, active scenes and conflict that readers will want to see resolved. Now, you can use conversations, flash-back scenes, or a character's thoughts to reveal more about what makes this character tick. You'll enrich your paper people and create an even stronger bond between reader and character.</blockquote><blockquote>2. Move the plot forward by increments that feel natural. Instead of leaping from conflict revealed in the beginning to conflict resolved (resulting in a far-too-short book), give the characters time to work things out for themselves (with a little help from you). This creates a much more realistic feeling story and will help avoid the dreaded deus ex machina conclusion. (In a children's book God takes the form of Mom or Uncle Joe, who supplies the solution to the child's problem.) Readers generally want their favorite characters to resolve their own problems.</blockquote><blockquote>3. Steadily increase the level of conflict and tension by making things worse, then even worse again for the central character. When the same problem occurs over and over throughout the story, the reader becomes immune to the danger, threat, or issue at hand. Using the middle of the story to "up the stakes" will guarantee your readers will stick around to see how their favorite character handles the ever-more-complex crisis.</blockquote><blockquote>4. Details make the story, but writers often forget to continue filtering them throughout the book. You may have described Main Street or the family homestead in Chapter 1, but by the middle of the book several days may have passed for the reader. Work, family demands, interruptions of all sorts may have wiped away the vision of the story's setting that you worked so hard to create in early chapters. Now you need to refresh the reader's mind. And my returning to a particular setting in your story, you strengthen the reader's belief that it might actually exist. However, never stop the forward motion of the plot to spend a few pages of solid description. Some readers simply skim passages that seem to have nothing happening in them, that are simply picture windows into the setting. Better to weave details through active scenes and keep the plot moving forward.</blockquote><blockquote>5. If you get lost in the middle of your story and don't know what should happen next, or you have written yourself into a corner, return to your plot outline. If you didn't write one, now is an excellent time to take a short break and brainstorm possible scenes, complications and solutions for your mid-story. Relax, pour yourself your favorite beverage, sit down in a comfy chair and write down everything that comes to mind without censoring yourself. In fifteen or twenty minutes you may come up with a dozen or more possibilities. The next day, look over your list of ideas. Some will be off the wall, not at all useful, and you can eliminate them. But there will be a few gems. Recharging your muse in this way will usually break you out of your block and give you new fuel for those middle chapters.</blockquote><blockquote>6. Reach out for support. Sometimes we need to know what's working and what isn't. We lose confidence and need someone to tell us we're on track and need to keep going, or there really is something wrong that needs fixing. Finding a writer's organization, critique group, professional writing mentor, or another author willing to partner up with you can be just the help you need to urge you on toward completion of your novel. Many published authors today rely on a personal support system they've developed for those times when they become too close to the book to make effective decisions about one or more elements.</blockquote><br />
Remember, writing to completion is important. To sell a novel you need more than a great idea. You have to get it down on paper—all of it—before you can hope to interest an editor or literary agent. Fight your way through that nasty middle by using the skills above, and you'll soon arrive that that exciting climax scene you've been dying to write! Happy writing, all--Kathryn<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Find out more about great authors at <a href="http://www.thrillerwriters.org/thrillerfest/" style="color: #4386ce; font-weight: bold;">ThrillerFest 2010</a>!</b></span>Garrett Valdiviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01139718095593102827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229782871616329990.post-87919226331080367522010-06-26T14:17:00.001-04:002010-06-26T14:18:12.361-04:00Sample the Thrill - Terror's Reach by Tom Bale<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><i>One of many great articles that you can find each month in </i></b></span><a href="http://www.thrillerwriters.org/" style="color: #4386ce; font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><i>The Big Thrill</i></b></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><i>!</i></b></span></span></b></span></b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TCZD8dzSM6I/AAAAAAAABg4/vSFriyiDbuE/s1600/terrors-reach.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TCZD8dzSM6I/AAAAAAAABg4/vSFriyiDbuE/s320/terrors-reach.jpeg" /></a></div>A burning summer's day explodes into violence. A murderous gang targets the exclusive south coast island of Terror's Reach, home to rival business tycoons Robert Felton and Valentin Nasenko. The residents are facing annihilation, and only one man stands a chance of saving them. Four years ago, after an undercover police operation went disastrously wrong, CID officer Joe Clayton lost his career and his family. Forced to adopt a new identity, he drifted from place to place and ended up on the Reach, working as a bodyguard to Nasenko's wife, Cassie, and her children. Now he must draw upon all his experience and reserves of strength to keep them alive. But nothing is as it seems on Terror's Reach, and a long night of betrayal and murder leaves Joe fighting for his own survival...<br />
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<blockquote>Praise for SKIN AND BONES: "This is a mystery and a thriller that is satisfying on every level. This book gave me chills." -- JON JORDAN, CRIMESPREE</blockquote><blockquote><br />
</blockquote><blockquote>"What truly sells SKIN AND BONES is Bale's almost cinematic storytelling style, along the lines of what Lee Child does with his Jack Reacher series." -- JIM WINTER, JANUARY MAGAZINE</blockquote><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TCZDzEX2pYI/AAAAAAAABgw/-5kMB2gcJio/s1600/bale-tom1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TCZDzEX2pYI/AAAAAAAABgw/-5kMB2gcJio/s320/bale-tom1.jpeg" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.tombale.net/">Tom Bale</a> is the author of SKIN AND BONES. He lives with his family in Brighton, England.</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: large; font-style: normal;"><b>Find out more about great authors at <a href="http://www.thrillerwriters.org/thrillerfest/" style="color: #4386ce; font-weight: bold;">ThrillerFest 2010</a>!</b></span></i></span></span></i></span></span></i></span></span></i></span></span></div>Garrett Valdiviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01139718095593102827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229782871616329990.post-7984051149658441592010-06-23T15:19:00.000-04:002010-06-23T15:19:30.498-04:00ROLLERCOASTER THRILLSBy <a href="http://www.averyaames.com/">Avery Aames</a> (the alter ego for Daryl Wood Gerber)<br />
<div><br />
</div><br />
<br />
Do you like riding on a rollercoaster?<br />
<br />
I love it! I love the thrill of not knowing what comes next. I crave spinning upside<br />
down, twisting to the right, the left, going through a dark tunnel, a plummeting drop, a loop-the-loop. Crave it. But I also like knowing that the rollercoaster creator spent hours—hopefully years—designing that ride and personally tested it out hundreds of times. I want to know that the designer rode, feet dangling, nose facing the ground, seeing that pavement below. I want the designer to be darned sure that the rollercoaster won’t collapse right at that very second. That took planning. Lots and lots of planning.<br />
<br />
Why am I writing about a rollercoaster? Because designing a rollercoaster is like<br />
designing a book. If the designer (i.e. author) doesn’t have a clue where the story is going, then the book can have sags and false starts and even plummet before its time.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TCJd2Xtp8JI/AAAAAAAABgA/HmdQFyyj4Y4/s1600/wof_patriot_cork.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TCJd2Xtp8JI/AAAAAAAABgA/HmdQFyyj4Y4/s200/wof_patriot_cork.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Yes, I love writing with an outline. I know that puts me in about one-half the population of writers. Many enjoy writing by the seat of their pants, but I like an outline. I prefer to know where the story starts and ends. I enjoy plotting out the turns, the act points, the highs and lows. I need to know how all the clues play out. I have to know all the red herrings ahead of time so I can plant them well. In the case of my current book, The Long Quiche Goodbye, the first in A Cheese Shop Mystery series, I also planned where I was going to include thrilling cheeses and intriguing points of interest in Ohio and the quaint town of Providence. The fine-tuning is in the details. It’s like creating a recipe for success.<br />
<br />
However, let’s return to the rollercoaster analogy ride for a second. I must admit that I like NOT knowing, too. You know what I mean. I don’t want my readers to guess every story turn I write. I want them thrilled, surprised. That’s why an author needs to be flexible and allow the outline to change. You read me right. An outline can change. Because when a surprise happens, and you know it’s the RIGHT surprise, then an author has to grasp it and believe it’s the right change to make. For me, an outline is like having a road map that shows the route to one destination, but along the way, I might decide to take the scenic route. Stop off at that little town to the east, have lunch, buy a trinket-- have a brawl with a villain or find a body--and get back on the road.<br />
<br />
The value of an outline is the comfort I get when I know where the end of the road is. I know who did it and why and what justice will be served.<br />
But what happens if who did it changes along the way, you ask? [Ahem.] Yes, that’s happened to me, too. I started out KNOWING that one character killed another, until surprise!, I discovered it was not one but a gang. Not a woman, but a man. Not the husband, but the ex-boyfriend. Does that shred my outline? Not necessarily. That’s when I go back and re-outline. I create a graph that makes sure I didn’t leave IN a red herring that now doesn’t belong. I make sure that the twist I took to get the original story to point A is now a twist to take me to point B.<br />
I outline because I don’t like to feel lost. I’m not James Bond. Heck, I’m not even Laura Croft, Tomb raider. I don’t feel comfortable if I’m in the dark without a flashlight…or a weapon…and I hear a crackle, a footstep, and then feel heavy breathing down my neck. {By the way, a deadline can often breathe heavily down one’s neck. Ever felt that?}<br />
<br />
But I do like a rollercoaster--the faster and steeper, the better.<br />
Do you like writing with an outline? Why? Or better yet, why not? What’s the advantage for you? Have you ever tried it the other way?Garrett Valdiviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01139718095593102827noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229782871616329990.post-57314820575693809622010-06-14T16:01:00.000-04:002010-06-14T16:01:51.893-04:00Celebrate the Craft!: Writing; The Temporary Career<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i><b>Celebrate the Craft! - from the <a href="http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/2008/12/writing-temporary-career.html">Newbie's Guide to Publishing</a> blog</b></i></span><br />
<br />
I'm not going to name names in this post. Partly because it would be mean. Partly because I'm only speculating on the reasons why, and have no real proof.<br />
<br />
But I still wanted to talk about something that's rampant in the word of publishing. It's also rampant in other media like radio, TV, movies, and music.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TBaJcBD6yYI/AAAAAAAABfY/ReVvbZqoMt4/s1600/question-mark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TBaJcBD6yYI/AAAAAAAABfY/ReVvbZqoMt4/s200/question-mark.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>It's Where Are They Now Syndrome.<br />
<br />
The scariest thing about WATNS is how quickly it seems to occur. When my first novel, Whiskey Sour, was published in 2004, I did as much self-promotion as I could. Going to writing conventions, signing at bookstores and libraries, I met dozens of writers who also had new books out. Some were debut authors, like me. Some were veterans who seemed like they'd be around forever.<br />
<br />
But here it is, a scant four and a half years later, and I can name more than thirty of these authors who didn't publish anything in the past year, and in some cases the past two years.<br />
<br />
This boggles my mind.<br />
<br />
While everyone is aware of the transitory nature of fame (it's particularly noticeable in Hollywood where A list actors fade into B list actors, and B list actors sometimes have a huge hit that makes them A list) I actually never thought it applied to writers as well.<br />
<br />
Well, it does. With one major difference. When you're considered a B list author, you can't even give your work away. There's no straight-to-DVD or movie-of-the-week option like there is for actors who used to be Somebody. There are some smaller presses, yes. And while a lot of them are terrific, their lack of major distribution dollars means even smaller numbers for writers who once were published by the major houses, which means the major houses will be even less likely to give these writers another shot.<br />
<br />
In thinking about this phenomenon, I was tempted to rationalize why so-and-so hasn't had a book deal in a while. Yes, numbers follow authors. But maybe there are other reasons too.<br />
<br />
Perhaps some authors decided they just didn't want to write anymore. Perhaps some veered off into different territory and couldn't find a home for it. Perhaps some wanted to write, but were out of ideas. Perhaps there were extenuating circumstances like sickness, or some personal or family tragedy. Perhaps some simply take a very long time to write a book. Perhaps work or some other aspect of real life got in the way.<br />
<br />
Perhaps.<br />
<br />
And yet, knowing what a struggle it is to find an agent and get published, it seems odd that so many writers--writers I did signings with only four years ago--would let anything prevent them from writing. This profession requires dedication and sticktoitivness, and the lessons learned early on in the career when rejections are plentiful tend to make a person battle-hardened. Writers, as a species, don't tend to give up easily.<br />
<br />
Which makes WATNS all the more troubling.<br />
<br />
There are writers who had the brass ring, and want to have it again, but for whatever reason can't seem to grasp it.<br />
<br />
Battle-hardened does not equal bullet-proof.<br />
<br />
It's tempting to blame the industry, which is flawed for many reasons. A book's success is often a self-fulfilling prophecy; big promotional dollars leads to more orders leads to more sales. Do bestsellers really sell so well because of name recognition, or because when you're at an airport or drugstore and want to buy a book you only have the choice of a dozen titles? If a lessor name writer was given wider distribution, naturally they would sell more books. Yet few are given this push.<br />
<br />
But I also personally know a few authors who did get that big push. In some cases, six and seven figure advances and corresponding marketing dollars. And here it is, a few years later, and those books are already out of print.<br />
<br />
It's tempting to blame the writer, for producing lackluster work, or failing to self-promote, or being difficult to work with. And yet I've read many out-of-print novels that I believe are just as good or even better than books in their thirtieth printing by name authors who do very little self-promotion. I also know a few successful authors who are real jerks, and that hasn't seemed to hurt their careers.<br />
<br />
There's a mentality that once you land a deal with a major house, you're set. But the fact is (and get ready for the kick in the groin) the majority of people who get a major deal wind up as WATHS statistics.<br />
<br />
I can look at my extensive personal library, and 90% of those books are out of print, and 60% of those authors haven't published anything in years.<br />
<br />
Landing a major deal, in most cases, doesn't signal the start of a longtime career. For many, it's the beginning of the end.<br />
<br />
I can guess what many regular readers of my blog are thinking. Okay Joe, now that you've presented the problem, tell us what we can do to fix it like you always do.<br />
<br />
Well, frightening as it is, this is one problem I can't fix.<br />
<br />
I'd love to be able to point a finger and conclusively say, "This is why she's still being published, and this is why he isn't." But I can't. There are no traits or commonalities that can accurately predict success or failure.<br />
<br />
After a certain level of competency is reached, who gets published and who doesn't is pretty much based on luck. This is true for newbies, and remains true for writers who have been in the biz for years.<br />
<br />
All we can do is persevere, and keep writing and self-promoting and doing our damnedest to survive. Because, depressingly enough, this career is more about survival than success.<br />
<br />
But, as I've been saying for years, the harder you try, the luckier you seem to get.<br />
<br />
So if anyone with WATNS is reading this, remember that giving up isn't an option. Yes, you've gotten some bad breaks. Yes, this business is woefully unfair. Yes, it doesn't make any sense at all. But the same dedication that got you published that first time must be used to get you published again.<br />
<br />
I know we all believe that once you "make it" there is no longer any struggle, the fears go away, and the opportunities are boundless.<br />
<br />
But the truth is the struggle never ends, the fears are always there, and every opportunity that comes along should be appreciated as the gift it actually is.<br />
<br />
So the rules, for newbie and pro alike, are the same.<br />
<br />
<b>1. Write the best book you can.</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>2. Try your best to get it into the hands of as many people as possible.</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>3. Repeat.</b><br />
<br />
That's all we can do. Beyond that, it's all luck.<br />
<br />
Just don't forget rule 3. The longer I'm in this business, the more I think it's the one that separates the haves from the have nots.<br />
<br />
Now quit your whining and get to work.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Find out more about great authors at <a href="http://www.thrillerwriters.org/thrillerfest/" style="color: #4386ce; font-weight: bold;">ThrillerFest 2010</a>!</b></span>Garrett Valdiviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01139718095593102827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229782871616329990.post-14558917083563549712010-06-11T18:28:00.000-04:002010-06-11T18:28:16.892-04:00Sample the Thrill: Blood Song by Cat Adams<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><i>One of many great articles that you can find each month in </i></b></span><a href="http://www.thrillerwriters.org/" style="color: #4386ce; font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><i>The Big Thrill</i></b></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><i>!</i></b></span></span></b></span></b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TBK4Yr_NbsI/AAAAAAAABfQ/E7Y7G-_jNGc/s1600/blood-song.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TBK4Yr_NbsI/AAAAAAAABfQ/E7Y7G-_jNGc/s320/blood-song.jpg" /></a></div>C.E. Lawrence recently chatted with Cathy Clamp, one half of the writing team of <a href="http://www.catadams.net/">Cat Adams</a> about their new thriller BLOOD SONG.<br />
<br />
<b>Your website says you write "as a team." How did you meet and when did you realize you'd work well together? </b><br />
<br />
Cie Adams and I met while we both worked at a law office in Denver, Colorado. Cie was the writer. I wasn't. Actually, I had no inclination to write when we met, but we would walk for exercise at lunch and talk about her book plots. It turned out I was pretty good at spotting logic gaps or suggesting subplots. She suggested I try my hand at writing and it seemed like something fun. I started with an X-Files tie-in (I call it a tie-in rather than fanfic because at the time they really were publishing X-Files novels.) Once I discovered no agent alive would take on a tie-in as a debut novel, I tried an original novel---an historical novel about an event in Colorado history. She told me it was accurate, but . . . well, sort of dry and lifeless. She suggested a feel-good, emotional subplot that was a lot of fun. When it got accepted for publication by a niche Colorado press, I felt sort of guilty. The editor had specifically mentioned the subplot she helped me with. What do you do about that? Say "Thanks"? Buy her dinner? Give her money? We decided that we were offering so many suggestions on each other's books we might as well co-author and share the money and the work. And "a team" was born!<br />
<br />
<b>What are some of the pros and cons of collaboration? </b><br />
<br />
The pros are you can do twice as much work in half as much time. And you get to earn money when you haven't actually done any work. Yay! The cons are you have to share your world and accept input even when you like what you wrote, and have to share money when you've done ALL the work. But it evens out, and once you accept that the co-author is equally talented and wants to create a BETTER book, it's all good.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TBK4To2kMZI/AAAAAAAABfI/RGlUhcqZdq8/s1600/adams-cat2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TBK4To2kMZI/AAAAAAAABfI/RGlUhcqZdq8/s320/adams-cat2.jpg" /></a></div><b>Why do you think vampires are so hot right now?</b><br />
<br />
I think the biggest reason vampires are hot is that they're NOT real. There's so much pain and fear and sadness in much of the world that readers can revel in a world where the stakes are higher, the baddies are evil and the good guys have an edge. But the best part is when the book is over, you can close the cover and it doesn't affect your real life. Nothing changes, nobody is undead and the world goes on. How much better can fiction get?<br />
<br />
<b>Who do you see as the target audience for your books? </b><br />
<br />
Well, most of our prior books are paranormal romance which are most definitely for adults. But our upcoming June release, BLOOD SONG, the first book of the Blood Singer series, is very different. Not only are we moving to the Science Fiction and Fantasy shelves (from romance) but the book will appeal to Young Adult readers. That's not to say it's shelved in YA, or the protagonist is--but the books are YA-friendly. The heroine is just out of college but still attending classes, there's romance IN the book, but nothing overtly sexual and the characters are real and deal with many of the same emotions and situations that other YA books out there are. Early readers are comparing the new series to the House of Night and Morganville Vampires series, and we agree that those same readers will enjoy this new series.<br />
<br />
<b>I see you belong to a number of organizations, including ITW and RWA, among others. What do you see as the main attraction of membership for a writer in these groups? </b><br />
<br />
The main attraction of organizations like ITW, RWA and SFWA is comraderie and industry knowledge. Yes, there are plenty of "writer websites" out there. I'm a member of several. But it's nice to have a place where you can ask stupid questions about the next level of publishing from people who have been there and meet people who enjoy writing the same things as you. While I was at the RT BOOKlovers convention, I ran into another thriller writer (RT isn't just for romances anymore! There were plenty of thriller writers there) and we got to talking about morgues. I mean, how often do you run into someone who works at a morgue? It's not something that comes up in casual conversation anywhere else. Very fun!<br />
<br />
<b>What's the most surprising or unusual thing that >ever happened to you while writing (these books or any of >your previously published work)?</b><br />
<br />
Probably the most surprising thing was when I first started writing and was foolish enough to make the mistake of submitting the manuscript for the historical fiction when I had only three chapters written. I had it in my mind that NO publisher ever responded before six months went by, and by then I'd have the book completed. WRONG! Oh so wrong. I got a letter the next week, saying he loved the samples and had a slot just open up in his spring line because another author pulled a book. If I could get it to him by the end of the month, it would hit the shelf in a mere six months. Except . . . um, I wasn't done. LOL! I had eighteen days to get the manuscript into his hands. And yes, I did it. But it was an UGLY eighteen days--just ask my husband.<br />
<br />
<b>What advice would you give to aspiring writers in your field or genre? </b><br />
<br />
Don't repeat my mistake. Finish the book, edit the book, polish the book and THEN submit. You don't want to be in a position to disappoint an editor if you just happen to get a lucky break.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TBK4NfryqQI/AAAAAAAABfA/QJW7KfVJFSc/s1600/lawrence-ce-small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TBK4NfryqQI/AAAAAAAABfA/QJW7KfVJFSc/s320/lawrence-ce-small.jpg" /></a></div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.celawrence.com/">C.E. Lawrence's</a> debut thriller, Silent Screams, recounts NYPD criminal profiler Lee' Campbell's dark journey into the mind of a serial killer. (Kensington Press). She has just completed the sequel, Scorned, to be released in 2010. </span></i><br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: large; font-style: normal;"><b>Find out more about great authors at <a href="http://www.thrillerwriters.org/thrillerfest/" style="color: #4386ce; font-weight: bold;">ThrillerFest 2010</a>!</b></span></i></span></span></i></span></span></i></span></span></i>Garrett Valdiviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01139718095593102827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229782871616329990.post-51441958882843277772010-06-10T16:46:00.002-04:002010-06-10T16:46:43.385-04:00Tweeting at ThrillerFest 2010<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The<a href="http://www.thrillerwriters.org/thrillerfest/2010%20Schedule.pdf" style="color: #0089aa;" target="_blank"> schedule</a> has been posted and speakers assigned! There are some awesome keynotes, guests and topics! And if you Tweet we encourage you to use <b>#ThrillerFest 2010</b> so we can find you!<br />
I will be Tweeting daily to let you know what's on the schedule and who! Be sure to follow us on Twitter @thrillerwriters<br />
<br />
CraftFest starts on Wednesday and runs through Thursday with ThrillerFest starting on Friday and running through Saturday and ending with the evening banquet and Thrillernaster Ken Follett and the awards ceremony. Hope to see you there!</span>Garrett Valdiviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01139718095593102827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229782871616329990.post-52608670740801181082010-06-07T11:10:00.001-04:002010-06-07T11:14:19.755-04:00Celebrate Craft! : The Killer<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i><b>Celebrate the Craft! - from the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://thethrillerguy.blogspot.com/2010/05/killer.html">Thriller Guy</a></span></span> blog</b></i></span><br />
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TA0MVoVDPAI/AAAAAAAABdI/Bv4Oe1XLcd4/s1600/9780312558048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TA0MVoVDPAI/AAAAAAAABdI/Bv4Oe1XLcd4/s200/9780312558048.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>Back when Thriller Guy was writing movie scripts he read an interesting piece of advice on how to craft a good action/adventure film. Scripts are short (each page equals one minute of screen time, hence around 100 to 120 pages) and they are traditionally divided up into three acts. To understand this soon-to-be-revealed piece of advice, you should know the screenwriting definition of the word “whammie.” A whammie is anything exciting, usually an explosion, car chase, gunfight, anything that gets the viewer's blood pumping. Here's the advice on how to structure your script:<br />
<br />
Act One: Whammies.<br />
<br />
Act Two: More Whammies.<br />
<br />
Act Three: All Whammies.<br />
<br />
With his recently published <i>The Killers</i>, Tom Hinshelwood has written a thriller that is all whammies.<br />
<br />
The primary elements are not all that unusual – a CIA traitor, hired killer, beautiful agency operative, Russian spies, and an espionage coup of invaluable proportion, betrayals and double crosses – but what he does with them is a steely, joy to read: a thriller that kicks butt from beginning to end without any sag in the middle, no fussy romantic entanglements, no cliched backstory that attempts to explain the psychological origins behind the ongoing mayhem. This book slams into gear from the first pages and roars along till it smashes into the end. Terrific.<br />
<br />
Victor is a hired killer who is coldly efficient. He's doing a hit on a Latvian national, killing the man and retrieving a small flash drive. When Victor heads back to his hotel he has to fight his way through a gang that suddenly attacks him. From then on legions of other hit men try to take his life, eventually culminating in an assassins duel between Victor and another hired killer, Reed, who may or may not be his equal.<br />
<br />
There's a scene soon after Reed is introduced where he is attacked, randomly, by a gang of street punks. Thriller Guy loves these scenes which are often found in thrillers. The street gang shows up, hones in on the professional, and you just know what is going to happen. Here, the leader of the punks demands that Reed hand over his wallet, phone and watch:<br />
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<blockquote>Reed's expression remained blank. “Why?”</blockquote><blockquote>“Say what?”</blockquote><blockquote>In that moment when confusion combined with anxiety, Reed grabbed the outstretched arm before him, wrapping his left hand around the wrist and pulling the kid forward sharply, directing the gun away to the side. He took hold of the kid's triceps with his free hand and twisted the wrist in his grip, locking the arm. He wrenched it downward, hard – against the joint – snapping the arm at the elbow and into an inverted V.</blockquote><blockquote>The gun clattered on the asphalt and the awful wail momentarily stunned the others. Reed released the wrist and the kid collapsed. Among the screams he managed to find his voice.</blockquote><blockquote>“F***ING KILL HIM.”</blockquote><blockquote>Reed sprang forward toward the other drawn gun, knocked the weapon aside as it was raised to fire, using his forward impetus to multiply the force of the elbow he sent into the kid's face. His head snapped backward, blood splashing from his mouth and the kid went down heavy, out cold, jaw broken.</blockquote><blockquote>The other youth armed with a gun backed off, palms showing, eyes wide, head shaking. Reed ignored him, heard the click of a switchblade opening, turned, sidestepped as his attacker lunged and overextended himself into empty air, stumbling, completely off balance, arms flailing.</blockquote><blockquote>The next one came from behind, his feet scraping on the ground. Reed whipped round, threw the edge of his hand into the guy's throat. He fell down convulsing.</blockquote><blockquote>Two more attacked at the same time, one wielding a hunting knife with a four-inch blade, the other a crowbar. The crowbar came at him first, from the left, swinging for his head. Reed caught it and the attacker's hand together, redirected it downward, using the kid's momentum against him to twist the bar from his fingers and into Reed's own.</blockquote><blockquote>He smashed an elbow into the youth's side, knocking him backward, as the youth gasped, ribs cracked. Reed followed through with the crowbar, backhanding it into the side of his attacker's skull. Blood splashed on faces in the crowd.</blockquote><blockquote>The hunting knife passed within inches of Reed's face, a wild swing, clumsy. Reed dodged backward, waiting for the next attack, used his forearm as a shield to turn the blade aside and the crowbar to sweep his attacker's feet out from under him and drove it down into the kid's face, exploding his nose across his cheeks.</blockquote><blockquote>The small youth with the switchblade recovered and yelled as he attacked again, a frenzied stab. Reed dodged, invited another attack, and brought the crowbar down hard on the youth's exposed arm, shattering bones. He screamed and dropped the knife, wrist and hand hanging limply from mid-forearm. Reed reversed his grip on the crowbar, swung it upward, cracking the youth under the jaw, the force lifting him off his feet and dropping him back to the ground in a silent heap.</blockquote><blockquote>It was all over in less than seven seconds.</blockquote><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TA0MwiAWeDI/AAAAAAAABdQ/eywnDm8WvU4/s1600/punch-in-the-face.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TA0MwiAWeDI/AAAAAAAABdQ/eywnDm8WvU4/s200/punch-in-the-face.jpg" width="194" /></a></div>This is pretty much just a throwaway scene, tossed in for the sheer, exuberant love of havoc. Hinshelwood cranks this stuff out by the ream, making it look easy when TG can assure all you writers, published and unpublished, out there, it isn't. It's da** hard to do a few times, much less over and over the course of the entire book. And without repeating himself, without, dare I say it, becoming gratuitous. Whenever a butt kicking comes, it is always well deserved and functions to move the plot forward. The point of the above scene: don't screw around with Reed. If you do he will kill you.<br />
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TG will contact Hinshelwood and see if he'll donate a signed book to the first one of TG's readers who requests a copy. Maybe TG will do a small interview and find out where the man learned to write and to kick butt. So let TG know if you want a copy. And remember, all you Thriller Writers:<br />
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Whammies.<br />
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In the end, it's all about the whammies.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Find out more about great authors at <a href="http://www.thrillerwriters.org/thrillerfest/" style="color: #4386ce; font-weight: bold;">ThrillerFest 2010</a>!</b></span>Garrett Valdiviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01139718095593102827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229782871616329990.post-85306808703191429912010-06-01T14:39:00.001-04:002010-06-01T14:39:41.220-04:00Celebrate Craft: Top Ebook Questions<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: normal;"><i><b>Celebrate the Craft! - from the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/2010/05/top-ebook-questions.html">Newbie's Guide to Publishing</a></span></span> blog</b></i></span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TAVTQ2UbQEI/AAAAAAAABdA/WWqlAuJ02Wc/s1600/ebook-readers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TAVTQ2UbQEI/AAAAAAAABdA/WWqlAuJ02Wc/s200/ebook-readers.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>I'm getting creamed with email lately, mostly from writers asking questions about ebooks. I wish I had time to individually answer all of them, but I'm on deadline and can't. So here are the most common questions I'm getting, and my responses.<br />
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<b>Q: Should I publish on Kindle?</b><br />
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A: That depends on your goals. Kindle and ebooks are no more a guaranteed success than any other type of publishing. If you want to be widely read, and have the potential for earning a lot of money, find an agent. If your agent can't sell your book, or if you have out of print books, I highly recommend self-pubbing on Kindle and Smashwords.<br />
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<b>Q: I've tried to get an agent. They keep rejecting me.</b><br />
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A: Perhaps your writing isn't strong enough yet. Are you sure you want to release a book that may not be ready?<br />
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<b>Q: How do I format for Kindle?</b><br />
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A: Contact Rob Siders at www.52novels.com. He's fast, reasonable, and very good.<br />
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<b>Q: Who does your covers?</b><br />
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A: My artist is a friend of mine named Carl Graves. He's at cgdouble2(at)sbcglobal.net. Tell him I sent you. Expect to pay around $300 for a cover, though the price fluctuates depending on your needs.<br />
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<b>Q: What do I do to promote my Kindle ebooks?</b><br />
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A: I post at www.kindleboards.com whenever I have a new release. That's pretty much all the promo I do. But I'm lucky to have a popular blog, and lots of folks who talk about me on the net. I also have a print backlist.<br />
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<b>Q: Do you need to have a popular blog and a backlist to be successful on Kindle?</b><br />
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A: No. Many others have sold well without the platform I have. But you shouldn't ever compare yourself with other authors, or their sales. Your mileage will vary.<br />
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<b>Q: What are the most important things to keep in mind when uploading a book to Kindle?</b><br />
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A: 1. A professional cover and professional formatting. 2. A good product description. 3. A price between 99 cents and $2.99. 4. A good book.<br />
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<b>Q: Are ebooks going to take over traditional publishing?</b><br />
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A: Eventually. But print will be around for a while.<br />
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<b>Q: I was offered a print deal. But you say I should keep my erights, but my publisher won't let me keep them. What should I do?</b><br />
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A: Right now, I'm selling about 230 ebooks a day. In July (when the royalty rate changes to 70%), I'll be making about $470 a day on Kindle. I won't give up my erights unless a publisher can pay me more than that. But these are my numbers. Your numbers may be different. So you have to set your own goals and follow your own path. But be very wary about signing away erights.<br />
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<b>Q: What about iPad, Sony, Kobo, and Nook?</b><br />
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A: Use www.smashwords.com. They'll upload to all of those, including Amazon, and take a small percentage. I have no idea how well I'm doing on these platforms yet, because Smashwords reports quarterly and I haven't gotten my numbers yet. I don't expect them to be anywhere near my Kindle numbers, but it's really early in the game. Who knows what the future holds?<br />
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<b>Q: How did you get movie deals on your Kindle books?</b><br />
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A: The folks who bought the rights came to me. Then my agent made the deals. My agent is also currently working on selling foreign rights to my self-pubbed ebooks. Bottom line: get a good agent.<br />
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<b>Q: Don't you think the ebook bubble is eventually going to burst?</b><br />
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A: If I maintain my current rate of sales, I'll earn $170,000 a year on ebook sales. That's just on the Kindle, and ebooks currently account for less than 6% of all book sales. What happens when ebooks account for 10%? Or 30%? What about platforms other than Kindle?<br />
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Eventually, there will be tens of millions of ereading devices out there, and I'm going to keep publishing new ebooks--many of them per year. I can envision a time in the future where I'm selling 500 or 1000 ebooks per day. If we predict that 40 million people will have ereaders in the year 2015, and I sold 1000 ebooks per day, it would take me over a hundred years to completely saturate that market. I'm not in any danger of maxing out my potential fanbase anytime soon.<br />
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<b>Q: You seem to really be down on print publishers lately.</b><br />
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A: I love print publishers. But the traditional publishing industry is flawed, and I don't see any signs it will be fixed anytime soon. It used to be the only game in town. If you wanted to make a living as an author, you had to accept small royalties, no control, and a system dependent on others who may not have your best interests in mind. Not a healthy environment for an artist. While I've been extremely lucky in my career, I've also felt that I was at the mercy of a broken industry.<br />
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With ebooks, the majority of the money, and all the control, goes to the writer. That's incredibly liberating. I set my prices. I pick my titles. I choose the cover. I edit according to my taste. I'm not dependent on pre-sales or buy-ins. I'm not at the mercy of coop. I don't worry about returns. I don't have to tour, or advertise, or do all the crazy self-promotion I've done in the past. Distribution is no longer important. Going out of print is no longer a worry. I don't have to wait 12 to 18 months for the book I wrote to get into the hands of readers. I don't have to suffer because of someone else's mistakes. I don't have to try to fit a certain model. Past numbers don't matter. I'm not tied in to any contract. I get paid once a month, not twice a year. And I don't have to answer to anybody.<br />
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Ebooks truly are the greatest thing to happen to writers since Gutenberg.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: normal;"><b>Find out more about great authors at <a href="http://www.thrillerwriters.org/thrillerfest/" style="color: #4386ce; font-weight: bold;">ThrillerFest 2010</a>!</b></span></span>Garrett Valdiviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01139718095593102827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229782871616329990.post-44004129346617818612010-05-28T19:32:00.000-04:002010-05-28T19:32:41.022-04:00Sample the Thrill: Death on the Aegean Queen by Maria Hudgins<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><i>One of many great articles that you can find each month in </i></b></span><a href="http://www.thrillerwriters.org/" style="color: #4386ce; font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><i>The Big Thrill</i></b></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><i>!</i></b></span></span></b></span></b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TABR8r6717I/AAAAAAAABcA/VLMkxWRDvxU/s1600/death-on-the-aegean-queen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TABR8r6717I/AAAAAAAABcA/VLMkxWRDvxU/s320/death-on-the-aegean-queen.jpg" /></a></div>Can't get away for vacation this year? Sit down in your favorite chair with one of <a href="http://www.mariahudgins.com/">Maria Hudgins</a>' novels from her Dotsy Lamb travel mysteries series, and you'll soon be transported to a new place with an exotic setting, intriguing characters, and a murder or two that needs solving. Her latest, <i>Death on the Aegean Queen</i>, finds protagonist Dotsy Lamb on a cruise ship in the Greek Islands searching for the killer of a tourist from Indiana and the ship's photographer. Dotsy's creator, Maria Hudgins, took some time to chat with The Big Thrill.<br />
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This is your third Dotsy Lamb mystery. The first two, <i>Death of an Obnoxious Tourist</i> and <i>Death of a Lovable Geek</i>, are set in Italy and Scotland, respectively. Your current novel, <i>Death on the Aegean Queen</i>, takes place on a cruise ship in the Greek Islands. How did you come to write what you call "travel" mysteries, and how did you develop the idea for this third book?<br />
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I love to go places. I'll hop on a plane and then ask, "Where are we going?" I don't visit a country with the purpose of writing a mystery about it. Sometimes, nothing strikes me, but when it does, I use the setting as part of the story. I did take a cruise around the Greek Islands a few years ago, but the idea for <i>Death on the Aegean Queen</i> came to me following TV coverage of a newlywed man who disappeared from a cruise ship on his honeymoon. The novel itself bears no further resemblance to that news story.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TABSFX-mSWI/AAAAAAAABcI/5FxuYeB9tjo/s1600/hudgins-marie.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TABSFX-mSWI/AAAAAAAABcI/5FxuYeB9tjo/s320/hudgins-marie.JPG" /></a></div><b>It was surprise to learn you were once a high school science teacher. How and why did you make the leap from science to literature?</b><br />
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I don't know why, but there's a strong connection between science and mystery, isn't there? In both, you're looking for answers to things you don't understand.<br />
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<b>I love the quotes on the left side of each page of your website, <a href="http://www.mariahudgins.com/">www.mariahudgins.com</a>! What's your all time favorite quote, and why?</b><br />
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I try to follow J. D. Salinger's advice to think of the book you'd most like to read, then "You just sit down and shamelessly write the thing yourself . . ."<br />
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<b>You also mention on your website that you and Dotsy share a trait: Neither of you tolerates injustice very well. Does this drive your writing? How does it play a part?</b><br />
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It's the whole point, isn't it? I can't stand to think of someone getting away with murder. The only thing worse is someone being convicted of a murder they didn't do. That gives me the willies.<br />
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<b>What has been most surprising to you about being a published author?</b><br />
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How much you have to hype yourself. It makes me uncomfortable, but as my mother used to say, "He that tooteth not his own horn the same shall not be tooted." I used to think that was really in the Bible.<br />
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<b>Which writers do you believe have influenced your writing the most? Why?</b><br />
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Truman Capote, Agatha Christie, Graham Greene. These are the ones I'm most aware of influencing me. The thing they have in common is that they all write so smoothly you can forget you're reading and loose yourself in the story.<br />
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<b>What's next for Maria Hudgins and Dotsy Lamb?</b><br />
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I'm working on a mystery set in the Swiss Alps. Dotsy's son is getting married there and he wants his whole family together. This puts Dotsy, her ex-husband, and his new wife in the same isolated Alpine chalet.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TABSONlB22I/AAAAAAAABcQ/HbpIsXBNa2Q/s1600/julie-compton-small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/TABSONlB22I/AAAAAAAABcQ/HbpIsXBNa2Q/s320/julie-compton-small.jpg" /></a></div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.julie-compton.com/">Julie Compton</a> is the author of the critically acclaimed legal thriller, TELL NO LIES, and the recently released RESCUING OLIVIA, which Kirkus called "a pleasing hybrid of modern-day fairy tale and contemporary thriller." She lives and writes near Orlando. To learn more, go to <a href="http://www.julie-compton.com./">www.julie-compton.com.</a></span></i><br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: large; font-style: normal;"><b>Find out more about great authors at <a href="http://www.thrillerwriters.org/thrillerfest/" style="color: #4386ce; font-weight: bold;">ThrillerFest 2010</a>!</b></span></i></span></span></i></span></span></i>Garrett Valdiviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01139718095593102827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229782871616329990.post-22844032288463922482010-05-24T19:23:00.000-04:002010-05-24T19:23:36.643-04:00Celebrate Craft: Perspective in Fiction; A Gift, Not a Curse<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i><b>Celebrate the Craft! - from the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://writebyyou.blogspot.com/2009/10/perspective-in-fiction-gift-not-curse.html">Write By You</a></span></span> blog</b></i></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/S_sKSSFc35I/AAAAAAAABa0/tA_7itY0KCQ/s1600/reading+glasses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/S_sKSSFc35I/AAAAAAAABa0/tA_7itY0KCQ/s200/reading+glasses.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>One of the most challenging (maddening?) techniques for new writers to master is perspective, also known as <b>Point of View</b>. Although POV is a very basic tool in fiction, few new writers (and even some veterans) have a clear sense of how to create it, control it, or use it to the advantage of their stories. As a result many authors throw up their hands at even bothering to think of whose perspective will work best for any particular scene, which character deserves to be in control, and how POV shifts can be most smoothly carried out. <br />
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The result of ignoring these questions is often a story that is difficult to follow and feels <i>out of control</i> to the reader, the agent, an editor. When the author has no idea through whose eyes we are viewing a scene, the reader will sense an unnerving detachment in the writing. And this leads to a loss of interest in the characters as well as in the drama being played out before us.<br />
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So, how do we establish perspective then keep it consistent throughout a short story or novel? <br />
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First, we need a game plan. Will your story best be served by developing it through the experiences of just one character, or do you need more than one character to show the scenes you envision? If one character will do, then all you need to decide upon is will you use first person ("I"), or third person (he/she), as the voice of the storyteller. If you need several characters to adequately tell your story, then you will choose which characters are the best ones for viewing the drama as it unfolds. <br />
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An important point to remember is that the more POV's you select, and the more jumping around between heads, the weaker the reader's connection will be with any one character. Therefore, it's to your advantage as the author to keep the number of perspectives limited, which will allow your reader to bond with one central character, to really care about this paper person and want to follow him/her to the end of the story.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/S_sKZ5S8QGI/AAAAAAAABa8/tTUyB1rB_78/s1600/old-young+woman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/S_sKZ5S8QGI/AAAAAAAABa8/tTUyB1rB_78/s200/old-young+woman.jpg" width="161" /></a></div>Finally, once you've chosen your POV character(s) decide on a plan for timing the shifts in perspective. Although some authors have mastered the omniscient (all knowing) perspective in which we as readers can see everything going on in the story and hear the thoughts and reactions of virtually any character, this can be very tricky for the author…and if omniscient is done badly, the plot will be nearly impossible for the reader to follow. <br />
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So for a strong and effective story plan, limit your POV characters, then decide where your POV shifts will fall. If you change perspectives at a scene break, or at a chapter break, your reader will have a much easier time understanding in whose head he's supposed to be.<br />
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Does this mean that you should think through your POV for a story before you start writing? Well…uh, yeah. It does. Planning your perspective, just as you outline the basic plot and choose your characters carefully, can mean the difference between a story that feels sharp, reads like the work of a pro, and is easy to follow—and one that unravels at the seams as the reader struggles through chapter after confusing chapter. But the good news is, even if you've already written your story without consciously analyzing your perspective, you can still dive back into revisions and find ways to focus the POV through one or another of your main characters in each scene.<br />
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You'll love what fine tuning that POV focus does for your fiction! Happy writing, Kathryn<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Find out more about great authors at <a href="http://www.thrillerwriters.org/thrillerfest/" style="color: #4386ce; font-weight: bold;">ThrillerFest 2010</a>!</b></span>Garrett Valdiviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01139718095593102827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229782871616329990.post-35273954755625968022010-05-21T22:09:00.000-04:002010-05-21T22:09:16.480-04:00Sample The Thrill: Dead in the Water by Meredith Cole<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><i>One of many great articles that you can find each month in </i></b></span><a href="http://www.thrillerwriters.org/" style="color: #4386ce; font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><i>The Big Thrill</i></b></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><i>!</i></b></span></span></b></span></b></span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/S_c8YGU17tI/AAAAAAAABac/z0DMmfdtiaY/s1600/dead-in-the-water.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/S_c8YGU17tI/AAAAAAAABac/z0DMmfdtiaY/s320/dead-in-the-water.jpg" /></a>Fans of well-written, cleverly plotted amateur detective novels are in for a treat; Meredith Cole, author of <i>Posed For Murder</i>, has written a second novel in her series featuring art photographer Lydia McKenzie. <i>Dead In The Water</i> will be released May 11.<br />
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<i>Posed For Murder</i> won the St. Martin's Minotaur/Malice Domestic Best First Traditional Mystery Novel Competition, and was an Agatha Nominee for Best First Novel. In Cole's first book, her protagonist is holding an exhibition of film noir style pictures which depict a series of cold cases involved murdered women. When one of her models is found murdered and posed in the same style as Mckenzie's photograph, McKenzie - who works as a Girl Friday for a detective agency during the day - becomes embroiled in the murder investigation.<br />
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In <i>Dead In The Water</i>, Cole says, "Lydia is now taking portraits of prostitutes on the waterfront, and one of them ends up a floater in the East River."<br />
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In addition to writing her mystery series, Cole has written and directed several films, teaches writing and is a wife and mother. To find out more about Meredith Cole, visit http://www.culturecurrent.com/cole/author.html<br />
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<b>I see that you went to Smith College where you majored in Women's Studies and minored in film. Did you take any writing courses, either in high school or college, or was that a self-taught skill?</b><br />
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Before I could actually write, I dictated songs and stories to my mother to write down for me. I can't really remember a time when I didn't write. Over the years, I've taken classes, participated in critique groups, and read many books on writing. They've all been helpful to varying degrees, and now I teach writing (at a writing center and at UVA in the fall). But one of the best ways to become a good writer is to spend hours, days and years doing it. Classes can't replace that time or give you a shortcut to finding your own voice.<br />
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<b>Who were your favorite authors as a child?</b><br />
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I have so many favorite authors -- it's hard to pick. I loved Laura Ingalls Wilder, Frances Hodgson Burnett, Kate Seredy, Beverly Cleary, E.B. White, and Madeleine L'Engle. We had a library in the small town near where I grew up, and the librarian, Louise Holt, let us take out as many books as we wanted. I dedicated Dead in the Water to Louise and to all the librarians out there who are forced to do more with less funding these days. They are my heroes.<br />
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<b>What are you working on now? What's coming up next?</b><br />
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I'm working on book number three right now, tentatively called <i>An Artful Death. </i>It's a Real Estate mystery. Lydia is working for a landlord who is trying to get rid of illegal tenants, and one of the tenants is murdered. She suspects that the landlord did it, so she starts investigating.<br />
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<b>I'd love to know about your daily writing process - do you set a certain amount of time aside every day to write? Do you have a certain number of words that you assign yourself? How do you find uninterrupted time to write as the mother of a young child?</b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/S_c8eaTxwsI/AAAAAAAABak/z8jnBoPFlxI/s1600/cole-meredith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/S_c8eaTxwsI/AAAAAAAABak/z8jnBoPFlxI/s320/cole-meredith.jpg" /></a></div>I'm much better at writing in the morning, and I used to never write at night. Since becoming published, I've had to adjust my routine to get everything done (revisions, drafts, marketing). I get up at 5:30 AM everyday to write before everyone in my house gets up, and I'll often write again at night when my son is in bed. I also work as a copywriter, so I can't devote my entire day to my fiction quite yet. When I'm rushing to finish a book, I give myself goals and deadlines, but I try to just be pleased that I'm making progress.<br />
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<b>Do you write an outline of your book before you start, or just go with the flow? ("Plotter" or "Pantser"?)</b><br />
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I'm definitely a plotter. Before I start a book, I spend a lot of time trying to figure out the story. My outline very rough, and it's certainly not final (there's always room for changes and surprises), but I need to know where I'm going before I start. Also, my writing schedule requires that I pick up and put down my first draft quite a lot. If I already have a note about what's coming up in my next scene, then I'm able to pick up where I left off much more easily.<br />
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<b>How long did it take you to write your first book? Your second book?</b><br />
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My first book took about two years to write. I think my second book took about a year and half, but it's hard to measure exactly. I keep hoping I'm going to get faster!<br />
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<b>In your first book, <i>Posed For Murder</i>, you thank members of the New York Police Department for helping you out with information about police procedure. How did you go making that first contact with them? Did you sit down and interview the officers in person? Did you have a list of specific questions that you wrote up before meeting with them?</b><br />
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After 9/11, it became very difficult to get access to the police department in New York. I tried reaching out to some detectives in my Brooklyn precinct. They were willing to talk, but said I had to get permission from headquarters. When I called the NYPD, they told me I could only talk to a retired police detective but never gave me the name of one. Lucky for me, I met a retired police officer in my MWA chapter who was willing to answer a list of questions I had prepared and emailed to him. Eventually I met a couple of current detectives through friends (and who asked to remain anonymous) who were willing to answer questions as they came up.<br />
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<b>What drew you to the mystery genre in particular?</b><br />
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When I was thirteen, I went on a trip to Europe with my mother. The only books I could find in English that I liked to read were by Agatha Christie. My father is English, and I was fascinated with English culture and society. I loved the sense of order in the books, and enjoyed trying to figure out the puzzle. I read everything she wrote, and then moved on to other mystery authors.<br />
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When I got pregnant with my son, I didn't think I was going to be returning to a film set anytime soon with a small baby. I decided to do something a little more flexible, and started my first novel. It seemed natural to write a mystery since that's a genre I've always enjoyed reading.<br />
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<b>Who are some of your favorite authors in that genre?</b><br />
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I read everything by Ruth Rendell, Laura Lippman, Laurie King, Ed McBain, Katherine Hall Paige, Dick Francis, Robert Parker, and so many more. It's been amazing to meet so many authors since I started going to mystery conventions, and I know my list of favorites will continue to grow.<br />
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<b>How did you go about seeking an agent? How did that process go? (Did you send a query letter and then the agent request to see your full manuscript, etc.?)</b><br />
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I sent out queries and partials for about a year, and got rejected by quite a few agents. A few told me that they didn't see a market for my kind of book, meaning they really didn't know who would buy it. The traditional mystery market has really shrunk a lot over the past few years. After I won the SMP/Malice Domestic Best Traditional Mystery Competition and had a publishing deal, a friend asked if I would be interested in talking to her agent. Her agent contacted me to ask for a copy of my manuscript. I sent it to her, and two days later she called me to say she'd like to work with me.<br />
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<b>How did you decide on a career for your heroine, Lydia McKenzie?</b><br />
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I loved the idea of a photographer solving crimes. Photographers are so observant, and they often see things that others miss. I made her an art photographer because I wanted her involved in the Williamsburg art scene.<br />
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One problem with amateur sleuth novels is that you have to give your heroine a reason to be investigating. Every artist needs a day job, so I gave Lydia one as an administrative assistant to two private eyes. I figured that job would give her a few skills, and give her a reason to be investigating.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/S_c8ib6-wbI/AAAAAAAABas/Q7-Vvm-TEU8/s1600/granger-dana-small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/S_c8ib6-wbI/AAAAAAAABas/Q7-Vvm-TEU8/s320/granger-dana-small.jpg" /></a></div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Dana Granger is an award-winning former newspaper reporter who lives in Florida with her family. She is currently working as a freelancer writer, writing a YA thriller, and pursuing a career in emergency medicine.</span></i><br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: large; font-style: normal;"><b>Find out more about great authors at <a href="http://www.thrillerwriters.org/thrillerfest/" style="color: #4386ce; font-weight: bold;">ThrillerFest 2010</a>!</b></span></i></span></span></i>Garrett Valdiviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01139718095593102827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-229782871616329990.post-47434390339659696282010-05-17T21:33:00.000-04:002010-05-17T21:33:36.150-04:00Celebrate the Craft: The Glories, and Perils, of Research<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i><b>Celebrate the Craft! - from the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://thethrillerguy.blogspot.com/2009/12/glories-and-perils-of-research.html">Thriller Guy</a></span></span> blog</b></i></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/S_HtwIsZNMI/AAAAAAAABaI/DEtHES815kc/s1600/51IMzg1Qj1L._SX500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_akDwxMm7VvI/S_HtwIsZNMI/AAAAAAAABaI/DEtHES815kc/s320/51IMzg1Qj1L._SX500_.jpg" /></a></div><b>What Is Thriller Guy Reading?</b><br />
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Out last month from Tor, Larry Bond and Jim DeFelice teaming up again with <i>Red Dragon Rising: Shadows of War</i>. This is military adventure at its finest. There's little time wasted on complex characterization or scene setting, instead the authors cut straight to the action. It's 2014, gas in the US costs $14.39 a gallon and the recession continues unabated. China decides to invade Vietnam then take over the rest of Asia; the US has to step in to save the world. In no time at all the missiles, bombs and bullets are flying. If you're interested in the genre, these guys are among the best.<br />
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<b>AJ Update.</b><br />
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As a reminder or for first-time viewers, TG is shepherding a first-time novelist, AJ, as he begins a thriller. Here's a sliver of his comment on the blog below: “Part of what does slow me down is the tons of research I find myself diving into on every little aspect of the story. There are some procedural things that I needed to find out, which makes other questions come up, which leads to new ideas, etc.”<br />
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TG loves doing research for a novel. The subject is always a place, time or concept that he's interested in, so what can beat whiling away hours on the Internet, in bookstores and libraries? Nothing. Certainly not writing, the painful act of putting words on paper. TG's suggestion is to do a small amount of research while you're getting your concept together, making sure things will work, then doing your outline to get the story down, go back and do any specific research you need for your first several chapters and then START WRITING. Everyone's schedule is different, but if you've got all day to write, a solid four hours in the morning, followed by a couple of hours rewriting what you did the day before followed by another couple of hours of research is a good day's work. A ratio of 4:2:2. If you're squeezing the writing in around a day job, try to stick with the ratio, even though your time will be shorter; splitting the various aspects up over several days if need be.<br />
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Research will suggest new lines of attack, new plot twists, new characters and sometimes entirely new directions. It is (usually) wise to follow these leads; beware of thinking that because it means going back and rewriting what has already been written to make the new material fit, that it will be too much work and not be worth it. This is a mistake. Plots, characters and concepts grow because they are fed new material, either from your own brain where you make it up or from outside sources. Research, in other words. You will be amazed how your book will grow from what you will come to see as the paltry, spindly little thing it was when it was first conceived, to the big, strong bruiser it will become when it is finished.<br />
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At the other end of the spectrum from Zuckerman's, How to <i>Write the Blockbuster Novel</i> is the newly published, <i>Talking About Detective Fiction</i>, By P.D. James. TG has not had the time to read this, but it's obviously going to have some good stuff in it. Everything that P.D. James writes has good stuff in it. Perhaps some kind soul out there might find a copy of this and review it for us on these pages? <a href="http://www.bookdaily.com/">For a look at the first chapter, go here.</a><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Find out more about great authors at <a href="http://www.thrillerwriters.org/thrillerfest/" style="color: #4386ce; font-weight: bold;">ThrillerFest 2010</a>!</b></span>Garrett Valdiviahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01139718095593102827noreply@blogger.com0