ITW Social Media Committee welcomes volunteer, Stacey McShane!

Stacey will be working on the ITW Myspace and Debut Author's MySpace sites this year.

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

Hello Fellow ITW members!

I am thrilled to be a part of ITW and look forward to the networking opportunities that bring us together as writers.  

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. 

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.  

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 SLMcShane19(at)gmail.com.

Happy writing!
Stacey McShane

You Want Thrills With That?

Whether you're a fan, a yet-to-be-discovered author, or an author with countless novels to your credit, ThrillerFest offers something for everyone, and one of the best ways to be certain you don't miss any of the action is to volunteer.

The International Thriller Writers (ITW) is a volunteer-operated organization. Everything from the website to this blog to ThrillerFest is built on the generosity of those who freely donate a portion of their time. It doesn't matter if you haven't attended a previous TF, in fact, if you are a first-timer, volunteering is a great way to meet people.

My first year to attend was in 2007. ThrillerFest was the largest conference I'd attended at that time and it was coupled with my first ever trip to New York. It may surprise some to know that I'm a shy person by nature. (Pause for the Peanut Gallery snickering to subside.) When I registered for TF07 I marked the little box on the form that said I'd be interesting in volunteering. It was one of the best decisions of my life.

That first year, I met many of the authors in attendance and other yet-to-be-discovered authors. Giving up a total of a few hours over the course of an extended weekend was time well spent because I had a lot of fun. Unsure of how you can contribute? It's easy. Some of the duties regularly preformed by TF volunteers include:

* Filling tote bag with goodies
* Keeping time for panels and Q&A sessions
* Transporting ARCs (Advance Reader Copies) of books
* Acting as greeters for special events such as special guest interviews
and the awards banquet
* "Traffic controllers" for book signings

There are many other ways and areas in which to contribute your time and talents. If you're attending ThrillerFest 2009 and are interested in volunteering, visit the official ThrillerFest website and click on "Contact ThrillerFest" for more information.

Jeannie Holmes
CRIMSON SWAN
http://www.jeannieholmes.com/