Tag Archives: ThrillerFest

ThrillerFest VIII – Day 4

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I picked up more than 35 books at ThrillerFest.

I picked up more than 35 books at ThrillerFest.

The fourth and final day of ThrillerFest was just as enjoyable as the ones that preceded it. As you can see from the photo above, I left the conference with a ton of books. Below are highlights, photos and videos from the final day of ThrillerFest, including the entire 43-minute interview with Michael Connelly. I’m attending next year’s conference, which I’m sure will be even better. Now I have to try and finish these books before next July. Wish me luck!

Does Speed Kill?

Does Speed Kill?

  • “Writing expository material in my books makes me feel like I’m running in mud.” – Andrew Gross
  • “I don’t like to write books that feel like screenplays.” – A.J. Hartley
  • “If you have a sprint from the beginning of the book to the end, without slowing down, there’s no depth to it at that point.” – Sheldon Siegel
  • “If my wife stops reading my book in the middle of a chapter, I ask her why.” – John Gilstrap
  • “I love to go to plays to see where the acts end and whether or not people get up from their seats during the intermission. It’s a great way to learn about pacing.” – Heather Graham

Meeting T. Jefferson Parker.

T. Jefferson Parker Interview

  • “I decided to be a reporter so I could pursue my passion for writing and in my free time work on novels.”
  • “I didn’t want to be a series writer. I didn’t see myself in that place, at that time.”
  • “The great thing about being a writer is you can be sitting on the boardwalk in Laguna Beach, minding your own business, and the main character in your next novel can walk right in front of you.”
  • “When it comes to the writing process, I’m a Monday through Friday kind of guy, from 7 to 5 pm. If I can get five pages done, it’s a good day.”
  • “The hardest part for me is not writing. It takes me three months to come up with an idea good enough to start writing. Then it takes me about six months to finish the first draft, and another three months to make it as good as I can before I send it off to my agent.”
  • “The shortest outline I wrote was on a bar napkin. After explaining the outline to the publisher, my agent called me the next day and said, ‘I don’t know what you wrote on that napkin but the publisher just bought it.’”
  • “For Laguna Heat, I threw away 2,500 pages over a five year period. I never worked so hard to make a book readable. In total, there were six drafts.”
  • “I love to read; it’s nourishment for me. I usually have two or three books going at a time. If I didn’t read while I write, I’d never read.”
  • Young writers’ first goal should be to find their own voice, and stop trying to write like their heroes.”
  • “I still feel that my best work is ahead.”

Are Young Adult Novels Meant For Adults?

Are Young Adult Novels Meant For Adults?

  • “A lot of my readers are adults because they grew up with me. I’m nostalgia to them. I’m Hall & Oates.” – R.L. Stine
  • “There was a statistic saying that 52% of YA readers are adults. But if you remove The Hunger Games and Harry Potter, I’m not sure that’s true.” – Michelle Gagnon
  • “I wrote my first young adult book in five weeks.” – Barry Lyga
  • “I write YA because that’s what I like to read.” – Linda Gerber
  • “Young adult novels have a direct, powerful and emotional point of view.” – Allen Zadoff
  • “On social media, 30% of my followers are adults.” – Lissa Price
  • “I don’t think it’s so remarkable that adults read YA. We all used to be teenagers.” – Kat Rosenfield

Michael Connelly being interviewed by Jon Land.

ThrillerFest VIII – Day 3

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Meeting Taylor Stevens.

The third day of ThrillerFest was filled with great panels, as well as an entertaining Anne Rice interview that was conducted by her son, Christopher Rice. Check out the highlights, photos and videos below.

Fist, Knife or Gun?

Fist, Knife or Gun?

  • “It’s important to add vulnerability to your killer because no hero is all good and no villain is all bad.” – Wendi Corsi Staubb
  • “Guns are usually the easiest way to assure someone is dead.” – Alex Berenson
  • “My character isn’t setting out to kill people. So, for her, it’s about what’s available and what will work.” – Taylor Stevens
  • “You take a lot of darkness into you when you write about people hurting other people. It’s really hard.” – Allison Brennan
  • “You have to kill differently in different countries because of the cultures and the way people operate.” – D.L. Wilson

Keeping a Series Character Fresh.

Keeping a Series Character Fresh

  • “My Davenport character has been around for more than 20 years. The way I handle it is he ages slower than everyone else.” – John Sanford
  • “I loved my Charlie Hood series. But I didn’t want to be beholden to it. So, I decided to end it with my most recent book. I love the blank page, and I had to close one door to open another.” – T. Jefferson Parker
  • “Paul Christopher appeared out of nowhere, and I never expected to see him again.” – Charles McCarry
  • “In 10 books I’ve aged my character only one year because policemen retire at a certain age. But culturally I’ve moved the books along with each iteration.” – Peter James
  • “I wanted to keep my character in an age frame that was believable as a prosecutor, so I aged her very slowly. And I think readers go along with that.” – Linda Fairstein
  • “If Jessica Fletcher aged accurately, she’d be 175 years old. But I haven’t aged her a day.” – Donald Bain

Plotter or Pantser?

Plotter or Pantser?

  • “I’m bi – sometimes I outline, sometimes I don’t.” – Michael Stanley
  • “The biggest thing that sets thrillers apart is getting the tone right.” – David Rich
  • “Harlan Coben is an organic writer. He once told me that he writes a story from start to finish and then revises it about 40 times.” – Diane Capri
  • “Outlining is meant to help where you’re going, not mandate how you get there.” – Michael Robertson
  • “43% of people put down thrillers because they run out of gas.” – Rick Anderson
  • “I was a trial lawyer for many years and lived by the outline. Now I’m a loud and proud pantser.” – Joel Goldman

Anne Rice and her son, Christopher Rice.

 

 

 

ThrillerFest – AgentFest

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During the second half of day two of ThrillerFest was AgentFest, which is best described as speed dating between aspiring authors and agents. Hundreds of authors looking to get published lined up in four or five rooms waiting to have five minutes or less to pitch a book to a variety of agents. The agents were very nice to the authors, and they had timers to make sure each person was given a fair shot. This went on for three and a half hours. In the end, some authors were asked to email the agents a few chapters or an entire manuscript, while others were kindly rejected. The rooms were filled with so much hope and anxiety it was palpable. In case you’re curious, I didn’t pitch anything; my books aren’t far enough along to warrant a review, but next year, who knows.

ThrillerFest – FanFest

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Hanging out with Andrew Gross 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.

Meeting R.L. Stine.

With M.J. Rose.

Spending time with Lincoln Child.

Hanging out with Steve Berry.

Meeting Joe Finder.

Spending time with Jon Land.

Having dinner with Andrew Gross.

Dinner with Andrew Gross and fans.

ThrillerFest VIII – Day 2

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Hanging out with the best-selling author of the terrific Henry Parker series, Jason Pinter.

Today is the second day of ThrillerFest, and it’s been great so far. Not only did I meet the man who created John Rambo, I also ran into one of my favorite authors, Jason Pinter. Below are photos and highlights from some of the sessions. Enjoy!

Andrew Gross

Andrew Gross – 10 Ways to Keep the Reader Turning Pages

  1. Use short linking dramatic chapters to keep the reader hooked and wanting to know what’s next.
  2. In every scene eliminate what does not directly advance the story.
  3. Your writing cadence should reflect what’s happening in the book.
  4. Don’t bog the narrative down by showing off, being boring or using unnecessary description.
  5. Try to eliminate the parts that readers tend to skip.
  6. Remove extraneous words.
  7. Don’t provide too much information – decide what you need, and cut it in half.
  8. Orient the reader quickly when you begin a scene to avoid taking the reader out of the narrative.
  9. Know what each chapter or scene is trying to deliver and don’t do more.
  10. If all else fails, use a larger font.

Steven James

Steven James – How to Discard Your Outline and Write Better Stories

  1. Root yourself in what a story really is.
  2. Let the narrative forces, not formulas, drive your story forward.
  3. Trust the fluidity of the process.
  4. Follow rabbit trails – you have to explore.
  5. Write obligatory scenes.
  6. Make a promise or keep one – explain what the desire is, what’s at stake.
  7. Re-evaluate where you’re going – to understand the reader’s point of view.
  8. Ask those three vital questions that solve any plot problem (see below).
  9. Take the time to meet your characters.
  10. Give readers what they want or something better.

Three questions to solve any plot problem you encounter:

  • What would this character naturally do?
  • How can I make things worse?
  • How can I end this scene or story in a way that’s not predictable?

Meeting David Morrell, the author of First Blood.

David Morrell – Setting 

  • “Be a first-rate version of yourself and not a second-rate version of someone else.”
  • “Writing is a vocation, not a profession. It’s the history of our souls.”
  • “Forget about sight and concentrate on feeling.”
  •  “Writing can be one of two things: stained glass or Windex. Readers can either be aware that they’re reading a book or, like a window after being wiped down with Windex, they can see right through it and be completely absorbed. There’s a place for both.”
  • “Use stealth description, so the reader isn’t aware of it.”

ThrillerFest VIII – Day 1

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Hanging out with best-selling author Douglas Preston.

Today was the start of ThrillerFest, and I had the opportunity to meet and learn from some of the greatest writers in the business. Below are photos and highlights from some of the sessions.

Steve Berry

Steve Berry – Six “C’s” of Story Structure

  1. Character 
  2. Conflict
  3. Crucible
  4. Complications
  5. Crisis
  6. Conclusion

Act 1

  • “In Act 1 you establish the character and create conflict.”
  • “Then you introduce the crucible – the reason why the character is willing to do something he wouldn’t normally do.”

Act 2

  • “Act 2 is when you introduce complications and focus on no more than two subplots.” 

Act 3

  • “At the start of Act 3 is the crisis point. By the time this takes place, there should only be 50 pages left in the book.” 
  • “After you’ve hit the crisis point, bring it home with a satisfying conclusion.”

Steve Berry – Point of View

  • “When you start your book, you need to decide who’s going to tell the story.” 
  • “Point-of-view characters are precious because they’re the only people’s heads we go into. You have a lot of characters in a novel, but you only go into the heads of a handful of them.”
  • “Some writers don’t feel this is important, but I respectfully disagree.”
  • “First person is the hardest point of view. Don’t even try it until you’ve written a million words; it will put pressure on you and tax your creativity.”

John Sanford

John Sanford – How to Tighten Your Manuscript 

  • “The first and last chapters are the most important ones in your book.”
  • “The first chapter needs to be emotionally engaging. The action needs to start in the first paragraph.”
  • “The last chapter is critical. You want it to go out with a bang and for people to leave with a smile on their face.”
  • “If you make too many unnecessary changes after you’ve finished a book, they’ll come back to bite you in the ass.”

Michael Connelly

Michael Connelly – How to Write a Good Series 

  • “Forget about writing a series. Just write the best book you can write.”
  • “I’m a visual writer. I see scenes in my head and I write them down.”
  • “You want to move forward and backward at the same time. You have to work in the backstory so people know where the character came from.”
  • “I’m writing for the people that have been riding with me.”
  • “I don’t outline, I just write.”

Lincoln Child & Douglas Preston

Lincoln Child & Douglas Preston – How to Have a Great Collaboration 

  • “A writing partnership is like a marriage. Unfortunately, in our case, the sex is no good.” – Douglas Preston
  • “You need to determine the potential partner’s strengths and weaknesses to see if he or she would be a good fit for you.” – Lincoln Child
  • “Lincoln writes vicious murder scenes. Underneath that white jacket beats a black heart.” – Douglas Preston
  •  “The editing process is like putting a literary zamboni over the manuscript.” – Lincoln Child
  • “I’ll write a series of chapters from one character’s point of view, and Lincoln will write a series of chapters from another character’s point of view, and then we’ll merge them.” Douglas Preston
  • “Writing, by its very definition, is an egotistical act.” – Lincoln Child

One Year Later

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One year ago, this week, I launched my blog. I never thought I’d start one for a variety of reasons, but the past year has been quite a trip. During that time the following things happened:

The second year for my blog is shaping up to be an exciting one. This week, I’m heading to ThrillerFest and will be sharing with you all the wonderful content that will invariably come out of the event. And I’ve got a couple exciting author interviews lined up for later this year. Speaking of which, my first self-published book should be out before year’s end – so stayed tuned for more details.

Thank you for following my blog, as well as liking, sharing and commenting on my posts. Your voice and input is what matters most, and I hope to keep you entertained for many years to come.

ThrillerFest Is Almost Here!

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Next week I’m attending my first ThrillerFest, and it should be a blast. I’ll have the opportunity to network with and learn from some of the best writers in the business. I’m sure I’ll have many great photos, videos and stories to share. Stay tuned to my blog for full coverage of the event.

I’m Attending ThrillerFest!

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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.