Every July, the premier thriller writers from around the world convene at the Grand Hyatt—a hotel connected to Grand Central Terminal—in New York City for ThrillerFest, a multi-day convention filled with panels, camaraderie, and more than a few cocktails. It’s a yearly tradition for many authors, and like any good thriller, you never truly know…
The International Thriller Writers (ITW) recently announced the 2019 Thriller Award nominees. Join us in congratulating these worthy authors and books! BEST HARDCOVER NOVEL Lou Berney — NOVEMBER ROAD (William Morrow) Julia Heaberlin — PAPER GHOSTS (Ballantine Books) Jennifer Hillier — JAR OF HEARTS (Minotaur Books) Karin Slaughter — PIECES OF HER (William Morrow) Paul…
Thrillerfest 2018 was notable for having Thrillermaster George R. R. Martin as the Guest of Honor. He was interviewed by his editor Anne Groell, no questions were allowed, and he held court from the stage in his trademark Mets cap. Really, only a Mets fan could write The Red Wedding, am I right? Martin discussed…
This year's Thrillerfest was a blast! Hosted at the Grand Hyatt in New York City, it was five glorious days of meeting authors, hearing their stories, getting advice and writing tips, and schmoozing with authors, industry, and fans alike. Criminal Element was lucky enough to be there for it all, and in case you missed…
If you’re not familiar with ThrillerFest, it’s the official convention of the International Thriller Writers, held every July in New York City at the Grand Hyatt hotel. The basic convention is two days, Friday and Saturday, with the Thriller Awards banquet held Saturday evening. But, there’s a lot more if you include CraftFest, Master CraftFest,…
The International Thriller Writers organization is well known for their debut authors program, which has nurtured many a thriller writer from volunteer to award-winning novelist. One of these authors is Jenny Milchman, former Debut Author Chair for the ITW and the author of the Martha Higgins Clark Award-winning Cover of Snow, and her latest thriller,…
The mood of ThrillerFest is palpably different from CraftFest. There’s more excitement and the personalities come out. Such as Brad Parks, author of the Carter Ross mysteries, recognizable as the tall thin man in the gray suit, and Karin Slaughter, dressed all in black with a short blonde bob, but both are unforgettable with their…
The second day of CraftFest is technically CareerFest, with two tracks: one for independent (self) publishing and the other for traditional publishing. As I am yet unable to split myself in twain like a liver fluke and inhabit two spaces at once, I visited the first panel of the indie track and the second panel…
There are many mystery conventions, but only one ThrillerFest. The first was held in Phoenix, Arizona in 2006, when the International Thriller Writers was founded by David Morrell (author of First Blood and many others) and Gayle Lynds (The Last Spymaster and more). It got big quick, and moved to New York City, where every…
Mystery conventions are a great way to find new mystery-loving friends and hear directly from your favorite authors – and maybe even meet some of them. All of these conventions feature keynote speeches or interviews from big name guests of honor as well as author, expert and fan panels talking about all sorts of subjects.…
