2011’s ThrillerFest VI Begins!

ThrillerFest VI: July 6-9, Grand Hyatt NYC, sponsored by ITWTonight is the opening reception for ThrillerFest VI here in New York City, a conference for thriller writers and fans hosted by ITW,  the International Thriller Writers.  The early sessions of CraftFest and AgentFest wrap up later today, and tomorrow, the author panels and signings begin in earnest— and there are a ton of them!  Those events run through Saturday’s banquet, when the 2011 Thriller Awards will be given for the Best Hard Cover, Paperback Original, First Novel, and Short Story.

This year’s ThrillerMaster is R.L. Stine, who’ll be enthroned (?) by last year’s, Ken FollettKarin Slaughter is the 2011 Silver Bullet Award recipient (ouch), and there will be spotlight guests Robert Crais, Diana Gabaldon, Joe McGinniss, and John Lescroart interviewed by authors like Gayle Lynds, Jon Land, and Kathleen Antrim.  Among many, many authors, panelists will include: Douglas Preston, Lisa Gardner, James Rollins, David Morrell, Erica Spindler, Steve Berry, Brad Parks, John Sandford, Karen Rose, Jeffery Deaver, Steve Martini, Allison Brennan, and Wendy Corsi Staub

In fact, among the thrilling panelists are even some who’ve penned posts for this humble blog, such as Laura Joh Rowland, B. Kent Anderson, Joseph Finder, Katia Lief, Sophie Littlefield, and J.T. Ellison, whose first post will debut next week, that is, if the staff here at HQ haven’t all died from palpitations by then. Do we have to tell you there will. be. thrills? 

Must dash to refill nitro prescription, but as of later today, we’ll be carousing and tweeting @crimeHQ #thrillerfest