How Bad Can Your Good Guy Be?

Stuart Neville's THE GHOSTS OF BELFAST aka THE TWELVE, was optioned to Craig Ferguson, by Joel Gotler of the Intellectual Property Group on behalf of Nat Sobel of Sobel Weber Associates.

John Rector's THE COLD KISS, pitched as THE GETAWAY meets A SIMPLE PLAN, was optioned to Jane Startz (ELLA ENCHANTED/ THE INDIAN IN THE CUPBOARD) with Kane Lee of JSP co-producing and Ole Bornedal (NIGHTWATCH/JUST ANOTHER LOVE STORY) to direct, by Allan Guthrie of Jenny Brown Associates.

Congratulations to both!

Grant is coming to Birmingham. Birmingham, Alabama. His speaking engagement at MURDER IN THE MAGIC CITY writers conference on February 6 at Homewood Library will serve as his inaugural visit to the Iron City. He'll surely find attendees buzzing with their own sporting chants of "Roll Tide" and "Bama Number One."

Grant's debut thriller EVEN (St. Martin's Minotaur) was released last summer and received worldwide praise. His name has begun being spoken in the same discussions with the top thriller/suspense wordsmiths. The book will be re-released in mass market paperback in March. His second book in this (British naval intelligence officer) David Trevellyan series--DIE TWICE--follows in May. At the conference he will discuss his work and the writing craft. Today Grant resides in Sheffield, England--which happens to be known as The Steel City--and Chicago.

Today's best-selling thriller authors all began with that first book, the one that hooked us and made us gasp for more. Tomorrow's bestsellers are no different and Tor/Forge wants to introduce you to this fresh, new crop in an anthology that will keep you turning pages deep into the night.

FIRST THRILLS: stories from the bestsellers of today and tomorrow, will be published by Tor/Forge in June 2010 and will feature contributions from established International Thriller Writer authors combined with stories from twelve members of their incredibly successful ITW Debut Author Program.

International bestseller Lee Child will edit FIRST THRILLS and provide the foreword, while ITW co-president Steve Berry will supply an afterword.

FIRST THRILLS will feature stories from such thriller luminaries as: Ken Bruen, Lee Child, Stephen Coonts, Jeffrey Deaver, Heather Graham, Gregg Hurwitz, John Lescroart, John Lutz, Alex Kava, Michael Palmer/Daniel Palmer, Karin Slaughter, Wendy Corsi Staub.

The debut authors who are already making a name for themselves are: Sean Michael Bailey (1787), Ryan Brown, Bill Cameron (Chasing Smoke), Rebecca Cantrell (A Trace of Smoke), Karen Dionne (Freezing Point), JT Ellison (Judas Kiss), Theo Gangi (Bang Bang), Rip Gerber (Pharma), CJ Lyons (Urgent Care), Grant McKenzie (Switch), Marc Paoletti (Scorch), Cynthia Robinson (Dog Park) and Kelli Stanley (Nox Dormienda).

As Lee Child says, "This is an incredible lineup of new talent. I'm delighted to be part of their introduction to an eager fan base. Readers will be surprised by just how good they are."

"Deliciously vicious, witty and noir, Hilton is a sparkling new crime fiction talent." - Peter James, bestselling author of DEAD MAN'S FOOTSTEPS

Finding fault with the Bernie Madoffs of the world seems the perfect inspiration for a novel. Norb Vonnegut, who has made a career out of wealth management, pulls off a compelling thriller that centers on the murder of hedge-fund schemer Charlie Kelemen: He's tossed into a public aquarium and munched by sharks. Kelemen's best friend, Grove O'Rourke, risks his career to ferret out Charlie's killer. Vonnegut (a distant cousin of the late Kurt Vonnegut) deftly portrays the Ponzi scheme victims. This novel ponders the age-old ramifications of greed, but Vonnegut gives it a fresh, timely twist.

Vonnegut's unique insider's perspective and his intuitive, darkly humorous writing are the key elements that make this a smart, sharp and gripping suspense thriller that digs deep behind the dirty dealings and scams of Wall Street's elite.

Debut author Gary Clites's Seneca Wood was selected as a Reader's Choice pick for Entertainment Weekly's August 30, 2009 "Must List."

''In this murder mystery set in West Virginia, the hero is Wood Garrett, while the minor character Wayne Zirk pops up unexpectedly at various points, providing a twisted sort of comic relief. Clites' character introductions and development are perfectly timed and keep you wanting more.''

Francesca Main, Commissioning Editor at Simon & Schuster, has negotiated a three-book UK and Commonwealth deal for American noir writer John Rector. The agent is Allan Guthrie at Jenny Brown Associates.

John's debut The Cold Kiss is a noir-thriller about a young couple who pick up a money-flashing hitchhiker during a blizzard and end up snowed in and fighting for their lives at a rural roadside motel. It's been described as The Getaway meets A Simple Plan and will publish from Tor Books in summer of 2010.

A Shamus Award nomination for Best First PI Novel just came in. The honor is given by the Private Eye Writers of America for protagonists who are paid to do their own investigative legwork, but are not employed by the government. So while journalists like her heroine, Riley Spartz, are eligible, cops and amateurs are not.

Stalking Susan is also a finalist for two other mystery awards--the Anthony and Barry Awards--both for Best First Novel. Registered attendees will vote for the Anthony winners during the giant mystery convention. The Barry Awards are sponsored by Mystery News and Deadly Pleasures.

Winners for the Shamus will be announced at a banquet Friday night, Oct. 16. Winners for the Anthony and Barry will be announced at a reception Saturday afternoon.