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THRILLERFEST 2006: HOT, HOT, HOT IN ARIZONA
The weather was hot--109 and humid--but the buzz was even hotter at the world's first International Festival of Thrillers. ThrillerFest 2006 was held at the end of June 30-July 2, 2006, at the historic Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix. More than 400 readers and writers attended panels, luncheons, banquets, seminars and skull sessions presented by the hottest thriller authors in the business--David Morrell, Gayle Lynds, MJ Rose, Lee Child, Brad Meltzer, Clive Cussler, and many more--who belong to International Thriller Writers Inc. I am a proud founding author, and ran the ThrillerFest Live Auction for Literacy, which raised nearly $7,000 for two children's literacy charities and ITW awareness-building operations. Tfest, magnificently chaired by physician and thriller author C.J. Lyons, was a truly great event. It moves to New York City next year. Check the ITW website--www.internationalthrillerwriters.org--for details on that and more! Below are some of my photos from Arizona:
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| That's me with Clive Cussler, one of the true giants of the thriller field. ITW named Clive its first-ever thriller master, an honor richly deserved for his incredible output over the years. Plus, he was gracious enough to shake hands with us lesser writers! |
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| World-famous thriller author Brad Meltzer auctions off baskets of goodies at the ThrillerFest Live Auction for Literacy, which I and author C.J. Lyons chaired as a labor of love. Thanks to Brad's exhortations, we raised nearly $7,000 for children's literacy charities and ITW awareness-building programs. |
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| ITW Co-Presidents David Morrell and Gayle Lynds effortlessly juggled autographing sessions with their myriad other festival responsibilities. They are true class acts--David signed a copy of his first Rambo book to me, and Gayle was the very first big-name author to blurb my debut novel, Blown Away. She didn't know me from Adam, yet agreed to my request without hesitation. Every author should have such mentors from which to learn the craft. |
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| Yes, writers can clean up nicely! Stepping from the pages of CQ and Vogue . . . well, enjoying a cocktail in the Biltmore bar, anyway . . . are me and Elle Lothlorien, whose religious thriller "Virgin" is exceptional. |
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| Chicago thriller writers Michael Black and Julie Hyzy pause for a photo on their way to the autographing table. |
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| Renown cop writer--and real-life cop--James O. Born (right) tells the rapt audience how he disarms suspects. The "suspect," private-eye novelist Harry Hunsicker, wonders exactly what that means. |
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| Clive Cussler is bookended by two marvelous people: author Kathleen Brandt (left), and reader/fan Ruth Castleberry. |
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| That's me with Zoe Sharp, one of the best writers in the business. We served on a panel together, then headed to this table to sign autographs. I got hardly any. She got tons. I was happy to nestle in her aura! Seriously, though, check out her series if you haven't already. Lee Child is a huge fan ... and that says it all. |
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| Speaking of Lee Child, that's him, signing a Jack Reacher thriller. |
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| C.J. Lyons, a physician and medical-thriller author, takes a short break from her monumental duties as general chair of the festival. The badge is actually a target, for people who holler, "C.J.! Help! Fix this!" And she always did--ThrillerFest was one of the best managed book festivals I've ever attended. |
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| The effervescent Maryelizabeth Hart of Mysterious Galaxy bookstore in San Diego takes a moment from her Book Room duties to say hello. For the reading glasses generation like me, the T-shirt says, "Reading is sexy." |
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| Author Tess Garritsen is proof that "gracious" and "world-famous" aren't mutually exclusive terms. Here, she signs stacks of her books for the long lines at her table. |
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| ITW newsletter editor Kathleen Sharp interviews world-famous thriller author R.L. Stine, creator of the Goosebumps series. Bob Stine is one of the funniest speakers I've ever heard, and he left the luncheon crowd rolling. |
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| Charity auction baskets by Linda Fairstein and Sandra Brown attract the keen attention of the TV cameras. The baskets, donated by 18 world-famous authors, were displayed in the Book Room until Brad Meltzer and I auctioned them off Saturday afternoon. |
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| And speaking of Sandra Brown, there she is at the end, signing hundreds of autographs for eager fans. |
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| Thriller writer Steve Berry takes a meeting under the palms--well, the indoor one, anyway--at the Arizona Biltmore. |
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| One of my faves, Alex Kava, inscribes a copy of the Thriller anthology recently released by ITW. It's one of the finest collections of short thrillers you'll find anywhere. |
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| The Three Tenors of thriller writing: Michelle Martinez (left), Robin Burcell and Zoe Sharp. |
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| Authors cannot live by words alone. We need Scotch, and bread, and water. The Biltmore set a beautiful table . . . |
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| . . . served by the lovely and mysterious Rebecca. Well, she wasn't mysterious--this photo was, so I included it here. It turned out great, especially considering it was taken on the fly--a true point and click. Further proof it's better to be lucky than good. |
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| The view from the central courtyard of the Arizona Biltmore. |
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| Author Chris Fox shows off his stunning "Killer Leg," a full-sized thigh-to-toe gam of solid chocolate, wrapped with ribbon, a spiked collar, and an ultra-sharp Japanese chef's knife. Chris made it to donate to the ThrillerFest Auction for Literacy, and the crowd loved it. Reward this man handsomely by purchasing his book when it comes out. After you purchase mine, of course! |
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| ITW's uber-publicist, Sarie Morrell, poses with some of the 200 pounds of books, manuscripts, music, coffee mugs and more donated by ITW authors for the ThrillerFest Live Auction for Charity. |
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| Author Julie Hyzy moderated the ThrillerFest panel on which I appeared with fellow writers Zoe Sharp, Rick Mofina, Michael A. Black and Jeffrey Anderson. The coffee cup is mine--ours was the first panel on Friday and I needed the kick-start! |
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| And finally, this fun photo of James O. Born doing his shotgun demo to the audience. It's a real photo, but I goosed the color and contrast to make this happen--it symbolizes so nicely what we thriller writers try to do for our readers. Thanks for reading this far! |
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