With Hard To Kill in the rearview mirror, 2021 is shaping up to be the year of IMPACT Wrestling. One of the things I’ve learned while looking into the company’s history is that they’ve never taken the fans for granted. I know, I know — that sounds like some line that celebrities or corporations use to emotionally appeal to consumers, but I’m being serious. IMPACT Wrestling is known for taking meet and greets to the next level. It’s never been a cattle call, where they simply try to get fans in and out. Not at all. Rather than seeing these fan experiences as merely financial transactions, the company and the talent go the extra mile to make every single fan feel special. Accomplishing this in the era of COVID is harder than ever, yet IMPACT continues to push the bar higher. A perfect example of this is the Hard To Kill CELL-ebration that took place the morning of this epic PPV. Read on for my full thoughts on this special fan experience.
IMPACT Wrestling presents its second-ever virtual fanfest, The Hard To Kill CELL-ebration, on Saturday, January 16, 2021. The 2-hour event starts at 11 a.m. Eastern Time and, similar to the Slammiversary CELL-ebration this past July, the event will be an interactive, perk-filled, virtual private party, held hours before the much-anticipated HARD TO KILL pay-per-view event kicks off at 8 p.m. ET — and I intend on taking part in this special event!
At ThrillerFest IX I had the pleasure of meeting Linda Fairstein, the best-selling author of the Alexandra Cooper crime novels. The 16th book in the series, Terminal City, is now available and receiving rave reviews so make sure to pick up a copy. Below is my interview with the author where we cover a wide variety of topics – everything from her inspiration for Terminal City to her friendship with Lisa Scottoline. I hope you enjoy it.
Last week I attended ThrillerFest IX in New York City. This annual event is held by the terrific organization International Thriller Writers, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. While at ThrillerFest IX, I had the opportunity to attend FanFest, a portion of the week-long event where fans get to meet and spend time with a multitude of authors over cocktails. Picture it: There’s a large room with Lee Child, Michael Connelly, David Morrell, and countless others at tables waiting to sign your book, take photos with you and chat. It was a great way to cap off my week at ThrillerFest IX. Below are several photos of myself and authors whom I spent time with during the conference or at FanFest.
Yesterday was the third day of ThrillerFest, and last night was FanFest – a time for fans to spend time with the authors they love, get books autographed and have drinks. After FanFest, I had the honor of having dinner with one of my favorite authors, Andrew Gross. Below are photos from both events.
This July I’m attending my first ThrillerFest, and I can’t wait! What is ThrillerFest, you ask? According to the website, it’s “a four-day celebration of thriller books, the authors who write them, and the fans who read them.” This year’s event features an endless list of bestselling authors, including Anne Rice, Michael Connelly, R.L. Stine, Lee Child, and, Andrew Gross, just to name a few.
The conference is broken into different parts. The first day-and-a-half is CraftFest, which is essentially a writing school featuring top authors, agents and editors. These individuals lead educational panels and workshops about almost any topic a writer could be interested in when it comes to writing fiction. Whether you’re looking to learn about blogging as a novelist or what point of view you should write from, CraftFest has you covered. Since I’m working on a novel of my own, I’m looking forward to soaking up all sorts of good information during CraftFest.
Starting Thursday afternoon (July 11), AgentFest begins, which is best described as speed dating for agents and authors looking for representation. While my novel is nowhere near being finished, I still look forward to observing these interactions and speaking with a few agents and authors about their experiences during this event.
Thursday night, once AgentFest has come to a close, the ThrillerFest opening reception takes place. Then the following two days (July 12 and 13) are filled with panels from bestselling authors about a variety of interesting subjects. Last year some of the topics covered included:
Writing Opposite Sex Characters
Is Indie Publishing For You?
How Do You Build A Thriller Brand?
What Makes Them Scream?
Is It Really That Hard To Be Funny?
I’ll also be attending the first-ever FanFest on Friday, July 12. It’s a two-hour portion of the conference where fans can drink and chat with a roomful of bestselling authors. I look forward to speaking with many authors whom I’ll be meeting for the first time, including Andrew Gross, who I recently interviewed for my blog.
ThrillerFest is bound to be a terrific experience that will yield fascinating stories, photos and advice. Stay tuned to my blog for extensive coverage of the event. It’s going to be something special.
