Heather Graham
It Was A Dark and Stormy Night: Atmosphere and Dialogue That Create The Hook That Keeps a Reader Going
Heather Graham, Instructor
In a thriller, the reader must be hooked--and feel a sense of danger and/or foreboding. Some authors accomplish this with narrative, creating the scene. Some do it with dialogue. Hands-on workshop in which both methods are studied and a first page is created that will draw the reader further into the plot. Since many editors say that their slush piles are so high they must feel something in ten pages, it's incredibly important to start off by seducing the reader right in. Includes first pages from books that prove just this point--when you pick them up, they must be read. Includes old pros--and a few new novels that really hit the target right on the nose!New
York Times and USA Today best-selling author Heather Graham majored in theater
arts at the University of South Florida. After a stint of several years in
dinner theater, back-up vocals, and bartending, she stayed home after the birth
of her third child and began to write, working on short horror stories and
romances. After some trial and error, she sold her first book, When Next We Love, in 1982 and since then, she has written over one hundred novels and
novellas including category, romantic suspense, historical romance, vampire
fiction, time travel, occult, and Christmas holiday fare. She wrote the launch
books for the Dell's Ecstasy Supreme line, Silhouette's Shadows, and for Harlequin's
mainstream fiction imprint, Mira Books.
Heather is pleased to have been
published in approximately twenty languages, and to have been honored with
awards from Waldenbooks, B. Dalton, Georgia Romance Writers, Affaire de Coeur,
Romantic Times, and more. She has had books selected for the Doubleday Book
Club and the Literary Guild, and has been quoted, interviewed, or featured in
such publications as The Nation, Redbook, People, and USA Today and appeared on
many newscasts including local television and Entertainment Tonight.
Heather loves travel and anything have
to do with the water, and is a certified scuba diver. Married since high school
graduation and the mother of five, her greatest love in life remains her
family, but she also believes her career has been an incredible gift, and she
is grateful every day to be doing something that she loves so very much for a
living.
ThrillerFest
ITW's annual celebration of the thriller world is the largest event of its kind, a meeting place for authors, readers, budding writers, and publishing industry professionals.
This year we're in the heart of New York in July, with two special add-on events, CraftFest and AgentFest, where authors of all levels can meet the professionals.
ThrillerFest 2008 will be held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City. There are limited rooms available at our conference rate. As soon as you register, please make your hotel reservation--don't wait! Once our block of rooms is filled, there will be no space available at the conference rate. You must be registered for the conference before making a hotel reservation. You can use our direct link to make your reservation online with the ThrillerFest rate.
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