MD: What will be your first order?

SK: Planning for the next ThrillerFest begins before the current one has ended. Negotiating a hotel contract, signing up special guests, developing details of the registration process, and designing graphics and placing ads are tasks that are right at the top of the list. My first order, "Onward to 2009!", was drowned out in all that activity.

MD: What interested you in moving from the front line to the top of the hill overlooking the battlefield?

SK: The soldiers on the front lines are the ones who get killed. The top of the hill is much safer. Seriously, none of our volunteers suffers, much less dies, from ThrillerFest involvement. I guess I wanted this responsibility because I want to give back something to an organization I believe in so strongly. And of course, the ones on the hill get more exposure to other authors, readers, and publishing industry professionals, and that can't hurt.

MD: What experiences have prepared you to lead the charge?

SK: Prior to working on ThrillerFest, I had experience volunteering with other writers' groups, including being treasurer and then president of a Sisters in Crime chapter, and holding national office as treasurer of the American Crime Writers League. Those things, along with many hours of volunteer work for Mystery Writers of America, established a track record. It wasn't easy getting started with ITW--I had to supply references, and they were actually contacted.

For the first ThrillerFest (2006, Phoenix), then Vice President National Events (now Executive Vice President) M. Diane Vogt and ThrillerFest Chair CJ Lyons were blazing a trail. They began organizing a conference barely a year after the initial conversation was held that led to the formation of International Thriller Writers, and that conference was a resounding success approximately two years after ITW was formed. That's a remarkable thing, and I wanted to be part of it. Also, I know a ground floor opportunity when I see it. When I began working on that first conference, my role was fairly limited--set up and run online registration--but I have a habit of seeing something that needs to be done and jumping in to do it. My role grew into that of Money Dude, producing all-inclusive financial reports, not just working with registration data.

Finances affect all parts of the conference, and that provided me more opportunities to see things that needed to be done. In my three years as registrar, interacting with attendees of all stripes before the conference and then meeting them at the registration desk, I learned to see the conference from the attendees' view as well as from the inside. In short, I became visible. I learned in my years in the business world that being visible (responsible) is akin to having a target painted on one's back, but I've gotten comfortable with it. Adding another arrow or two doesn't faze me.

MD: As a full-time writer, walk us through of typical week as you juggle the demands of family, ThrillerFest 2009, and the creation of your latest thriller. How do you manage it all?

SK: Believe it or not, my family life and writing life come first, and I would expect that to be the case for all of the volunteers. One of the great things about having the dream team is that I can be sidelined for short periods and ThrillerFest will hum along with out me. In particular, Kathie, Liz, and I have each others' backs--targets and all. My work day is odd, by most peoples' standards. I sleep until about 9:00am, work on the business of writing and ThrillerFest, and generally take a nap in the afternoon. After that, I have family time and then write until about 3:00 am or later. If I'm on a roll in my writing, I'll be fixing coffee at dawn. Crazy, perhaps, but it works for me.

This past year, I launched my older son into college, wrote an entirely new type of thriller, acquired a new agent, signed a two-book contract with HarperCollins, and met the demands for ThrillerFest. I'm working on the second book now, as ThrillerFest 2009 gets underway. It seems like ThrillerFest and the wonderful contacts I have working on it energize me rather than wear me down. Sure, there are times when one aspect comes to the fore--a deadline approaching, touring colleges, wrapping up details on ThrillerFest, or just sanity time. Every other day my husband and I have a leisurely breakfast out and talk things over, about us, family, and work. What's missing from this picture? Television and a busy social life. You have to sacrifice something to fit so many things into the day.

MD: The first three conferences were a tremendous hit and set the bar fairly high. What do you feel are the keys to continued success?

SK: The bar isn't just fairly high. It's somewhere at Olympic level. The keys to success are continued innovative programming and maintaining the intangibles of the conference: friendliness, openness, and helpfulness both before and during the conference. I want to have attendees leave thinking they got more than they anticipated.

MD: At the risk of omitting someone, which authors are you most looking forward to mingling with?

SK: There are so many that to avoid the risk of leaving someone out, I'll focus on David Morrell, our 2009 ThrillerMaster. I've been a fan of David's since First Blood and The Brotherhood of the Rose, and have felt David's influence in my writing long before I read Lessons from a Lifetime of Writing: A Novelist Looks at his Craft. When I finally met David in person, I was blown away by his earnestness, love of writing, and willingness to help--and his standing in the thriller field, which turned me into an awestruck fan on first shaking his hand. Since then, my interactions with him have been so positive and encouraging. I look forward immensely to seeing him receive the well-earned ThrillerMaster award at the banquet in July 2009.

MD: When ThrillerFest 2009 attendees arrive home after four adventurous days in New York City, what do you hope is the first thing they tell their significant others about their experience? And, as a follow-up, what do you anticipate will be the first thing you say to your husband and two adopted sons when you walk through the door? (Besides "Whew!" that is.)

SK: I think "Wow!" and "Whew!", respectively, nail it.