The literary agents are pouring in for AgentFest 2010: twenty-six have signed on, and more are on the way. If you haven't yet signed up for AgentFest, CraftFest and ThrillerFest, please consider doing it now: slots are going fast. To register and read more details, click on www.ThrillerFest.org, and then the Registration button. Sign up now for the chance to land your manuscript with one of the nation's premier literary agents!

AGENTS CONFIRMED FOR AGENTFEST 2010 

Pamela Ahearn, The Ahearn Agency
Robert Astle, Robert Astle and Associates Literary Management
Donna Bagdasarian, Publication Riot Group
Michelle Brower, Wendy Sherman Associates
Debbie Carter, Muse Literary Management
Bill Contardi, Brandt & Hochman Literary Agents
Liza Dawson, Liza Dawson Associates
Stacia J.N. Decker, Donald Maass Agency
Bob Diforio, D4EO Literary Agency
Verna Dreisbach, Dreisbach Literary
Evan Goldfried, Jill Grinberg Literary Management
Bob Gussin, Oceanview Publishing
Kevin Kaiser, Creative Trust
Miriam Kriss, Irene Goodman Literary Agency
Kristin Lindstrom, Lindstrom Literary Management
Donald Maass, Donald Maass Agency
Peter Miller, PMA Literary & Film Management
Scott Miller, Trident Media Group
Barbara Poelle, Irene Goodman Literary Agency
Dan Raines, Creative Trust
Victoria Skurnick, Levine Greenberg Literary Agency
Jon Sternfeld, Irene Goodman Literary Agency
John Talbot, Talbot Fortune Agency
Jennifer Weltz, Jean V. Naggar Agency
Kim Whalen, Trident Media Group
Paige Wheeler, Folio Literary Management

Thanks, and see you in New York in July!

Shane Gericke
Chairman, ThrillerFest 2010
Director, AgentFest 2010

 

John Beaumont has set the bar high for Thrillerfest fans.

He decided to attend the convention Thursday. Flew to New York Friday. Bought a day pass Saturday. And met his idol, Clive Cussler.

"I was star struck," he said. "My IQ went down 60 points.  I couldn't think of anything to say except, can I get your picture?"

Beaumont and I were both flying out of LaGuardia Airport Sunday morning when we met. He asked me if I was an author because I was carrying a giant poster board of my new MISSING MARK book cover. We discussed whether the airline folk would let me take it on board. He beamed as he told me his Thrillerfest tale. Then he showed me digital photos on his camera of him and Cussler. Then him and Steve Barry. Then him and David Morrell. Then he beamed some more, even though the whole impromptu trip had cost more than he expected.

"It was a lot of money." Beaumont says he spent $870, but it was worth it. "I would do it again in a heart beat."

Beaumont lives in Sarasota, FL, a place he calls "the dead end of America," because once you get down there you pretty much have to go back the same way you came. He says authors don't visit very often, so he might never have had another chance to mingle with top thriller writers if he hadn't gotten a buddy to take his work shift at the last minute.

We said goodbye, got on your planes, and now Beaumont and I are Facebook friends. When he got home, he told his sister all about his adventure, including meeting me. And while she'd never heard of Clive Cussler...she'd read my debut, STALKING SUSAN.  Maybe he can bring her along to Thrillerfest next year :)

Were you at ThrillerFest 2009? Want to relive your favorite author panel or CraftFest workshop? How about catching up on the ones you missed? Or did you miss the conference but still want to enjoy the panels and workshops? No problem. Now you can order DVDs and CDs of your favorite event from VW Tapes. Click here for more info or to place your order.

Limited opportunity - SORRY SOLD OUT

ThrillerFest is pleased to announce an outstanding promotional opportunity for ITW authors attending ThrillerFest. If you attended ThrillerFest 2008, you'll remember the eye-grabbing poster-sized advertisements placed on easels near the elevators. Publishers used these easels to feature their authors' book covers. If you didn't attend, take my word for it--the response to these beautiful posters was phenomenal.

Now you can have your own easel and poster, on display for all four days of CraftFest and ThrillerFest! All you, all the time.

The easels will be prominently placed in the hallway where all classes and panels are held, maximizing the exposure. You will supply at your cost a 2' x 3' color poster attached to a rigid backing such as foam core board, and you'll also be responsible for putting up and taking down your poster. You may be able to have your publisher make the poster for you--it's worth asking about. You must be an active ITW member attending ThrillerFest to take advantage of this. We expect these to go FAST! For pricing and to reserve yours now (one per person), email infocentral@thrillerwriters.org. Don't forget to have your picture taken standing next to your poster! It'll be great newsletter material.

Shirley Kennett
ThrillerFest Chair

Imagine not being able to fill out a job application, decipher a medicine label, complete an ATM transaction or read a story to your child.  As hard as that may be, the sad truth is that nearly one-half of the adult population in the United States is basically illiterate.
 
This deplorable situation causes enormous problems across our country. Children with illiterate parents are more likely to drop out of high school and receive lower grades than children with literate parents.  Adults with low literacy skills cost American businesses more than $60 billion each year in lost productivity.  These same low literacy adults also cost taxpayers over $100 billion annually due to frequent emergency room visits, longer hospital stays and extended critical care, among other health issues.
 
The direct link between low literacy skills and poverty is clear -- adults who cannot read are more likely to remain in poverty and resort to unemployment benefits, food stamps and other taxpayer-supported assistance programs.  Also clear is the fact that while food can keep one alive, it cannot, by itself, lift one from poverty. However, increased literacy skills can; thus the Feeding Body & Mind program.

Feeding Body & Mind was created by best-selling author David Baldacci in partnership with Feeding America®, our nation's food banks and is managed by the Wish You Well Foundation®, the family foundation of David Baldacci and his wife Michelle.

Feeding Body & Mind provides an easy, practical and significant way to make an impact on our nation's poorest individuals.  Through the program new and gently used books are collected and distributed alongside emergency food assistance through Feeding America's nationwide network of food banks.  By providing books alongside food, Feeding Body & Mind recognizes the direct and substantial link between literacy and poverty and is working to end the cycle of physical and intellectual undernourishment.

Shane Gericke: Thanks for asking me here today, Matthew. It's fun to talk with ThrillerFest fans through this forum.
 
Matthew Dunn: Glad to have you. As one of the deputy directors for this year's ThrillerFest, you're coordinating AgentFest as well as the Charity Auctions. What excites you the most about ThrillerFest 2009?
 
Shane: Two words: Being There. I'm a fanboy as well as a festival director, and honest to God, seeing all that writing wattage in one room? Makes my head buzzy. Berry, Rollins, Morrell, Lynds, Deaver, Baldacci, Kava, Meltzer . . . and me in there too? Listening to their stories? It's so cool it defies description.
 
MD: If I were to follow you around during the entire 4-day event, describe what I would see, who I would meet, and, in a word, how I would be feeling by the end of the adventure. (Besides exhausted.)
 
Shane: "Pumped" comes to mind. At ThrillerFest, I crash at two or three in the morning, then get up at six to start the next day. That's waaaay past my normal bedtime, but talking with authors and readers for hours on end is so worth it.

Before attending ThrillerFest's speed-pitching AgentFest, I developed a list of the top agents I was hoping to pitch that day. The very first agent on my list was Miriam Kriss of the Irene Goodman Literary Agency. I'm a fan of several of her clients, I'd heard of nothing but positive experiences with her, and I knew she represented the genre of the manuscript I was pitching.

Full of nerves, I sat down at her table first and hurried through my pitch with shaking fingers and a fluttering heart. It was the first time I'd ever pitched an agent even though I'd been through the query process once before. Miriam was extremely nice, and ignored my obvious display of nerves. She put me right at ease, expressed enthusiasm in my premise and requested the full manuscript. I was thrilled. Two and a half months later, she called offering representation! I enthusiastically accepted.

I attended AgentFest with the hopes of making great contacts, experiencing a slice of the publishing industry and learning more about pitching and querying, but it ended up landing me my dream agent. I highly recommend AgentFest to any other writers out there searching for agent representation!

Jenny Smith
www.jenwriter.com

ITW is thrilled to announce that the recipient of the 2009 Silver Bullet Award is Brad Meltzer.

The Silver Bullet Award was created by the International Thriller Writers to recognize outstanding and meritorious achievement in the pursuit of literacy and the love of reading. Recipients are chosen on an annual basis representing the corporate, literary and entertainment worlds. Past recipients of the Silver Bullet Award include authors Sandra Brown, R.L. Stine, and David Balducci, publisher Tom Doherty, actor Tony Plana (UGLY BETTY), the Nestle Company, and Capital One.

Brad Meltzer is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Fate, as well as the bestsellers The Tenth Justice, Dead Even, The First Counsel, The Millionaires and The Zero Game. He is also one of the co-creators of the TV show, Jack & Bobby--and is the number one selling author of the critically acclaimed comic books, Identity Crisis and Justice League of America, for which he won the pretigious Eisner Award. His newest thriller, The Book of Lies, was just released.

An Interview with Shirley Kennett, 2009 ThrillerFest Chairperson

Matthew Dunn: You've been one of the ThrillerFest soldiers since the very first conference in Phoenix in 2006, working the registration desk. Now you're in charge of the troops. What adjective best describes your style as a general?

Shirley Kennett: Moving into the position of chair is personally rewarding because it is both a recognition of my  work on the three previous ThrillerFests and an expression of confidence in me by the ITW board members. Having experienced ThrillerFest from the inside, I've interacted with many of the people from the top down who have given so generously of their time and talents. There are too many of them to name them all here, but there are two with whom I interact so frequently I'd like to mention them. Kathleen Antrim, Vice President National Events, and Elizabeth Berry, ThrillerFest Eecutive Director, have helped me grow into this position. Kathie, Liz--"thank you" doesn't seem adequate for all you do.

My style is very simple: select the right people for the right jobs, and then trust them to do it. Because putting on a conference that includes CraftFest, AgentFest, ThrillerFest, and the Thriller Awards Banquet is such a big task, there is a tiered structure with committee chairs working in their areas of expertise. Communication is vital so that we all have a general idea of what's going on with the whole conference, while still being able to concentrate on our specific tasks. That's handled with conference calls, individual calls, and a large number of emails. Kathie and Liz initiated this "know a little about everything, know a lot about your own, everyone open to suggestions" way of working, and I'm happy to carry it on.

We have a dream team working on the conference, with two crucial attributes: trust and fun. As hard as this work can be, it's also fun because of the exceptional people involved. Board members and ITW authors aren't just faces on a book cover; they're friends you can count on.

Want to join us? Let's talk about it. Contact Info Central.

As director of AgentFest, some writers ask me, "Is it really worth the time and expense?"

I have two answers.

The short: "Not only yes, but hell yes."

The long: "You get to pitch yourself to more than forty top literary agents. You do it face to face, not through a sterile e-mail. More often that not, the agents ask for chapters or a full manuscript. Occasionally, they take you as a client, and shop your book to publishers. All because you were savvy enough to sign up for AgentFest. What's not to like?"

Then again, I run the thing. If I thought it sucked, that would be pretty embarrassing, no?

So I'd like you to meet two people far more objective than me. They are literary agent Victoria Skurnick of Levine Greenberg, and author Mary-Frances Makichen. They discovered each other at AgentFest 2008. Victoria liked what she heard in the pitch, requested the manuscript, one thing led to another, and Victoria took Mary-Frances as a client. As we speak, the book is heading out to publishers.

How can you beat that?

Mary-Frances and Victoria have a great tale to share, so I'll get out of the way and let them tell you. Thanks for reading, and please join us next July for AgentFest 2009!

Shane Gericke
Director of AgentFest 2008 and 2009

---

By Mary-Frances Makichen

When I first heard about Agentfest, I was excited but nervous. Speed dating with forty-plus agents sounded like a wonderful opportunity to pitch my manuscript, but also overwhelming. Still, I'd never heard of any other organization making so many agents available to participants in one afternoon event.

I did my homework before arriving in New York. I went on the ThrillerFest website, read the agent bios, visited their websites, and noted their current clients. Then I put together a list of the agents that I thought might be interested in my work.

The event was well organized and ran smoothly. Shane advised attendees to meet as many agents as possible--not just the ones we were familiar with. This turned out to be great advice. I ended up pitching to a lot of agents outside my original list. Many of those unplanned encounters turned out to be some of the best for me. By the end of the day, I had several promising requests for my manuscript.

One of those requests was from Victoria Skurnick, of the Levine|Greenberg Literary Agency.

A few weeks later, Victoria offered to represent me. I was absolutely thrilled and elated! I definitely have AgentFest to thank for introducing me to my agent.

 

By Victoria Skurnick

When I first met Mary-Frances at ThrillerFest, I immediately loved the psychic element of her idea.  But it was only when she sent me the manuscript that I got to see just how talented she is, how beautifully she brings to life the terrible situation our heroine finds herself in. 

Mary-Frances knows how to build good characters, how to keep the suspense up and how to evoke romance within terror.  She's a triple threat.

ThrillerFest is a huge endeavor requiring strong leadership and a remarkable team. ITW is fortunate to have such leaders within its ranks. One such leader is Shirley Kennett. For the past three years Shirley has been the registrar for ThrillerFest, always leading by example. Time and again, she has show an incredible commitment and talent for getting the job done. This is why it gives me great pleasure to announce that Shirley Kennett will be the 2009 ThrillerFest Chairperson.

Many of us know Shirley as the ThrillerFest registrar. We've emailed Shirley regarding registration and various other questions. But she is also a very accomplished author.  

Shirley Kennett has published six novels, including five in the PJ Gray series, in which a psychologist steps into virtual reality recreations of homicides, playing the role of the killer to decipher a deviant mind. The first novel in the series, Gray Matter, was an alternate selection of the Mystery Guild, and the second, Fire Cracker, was a Mystery Guild Editor's Choice.

Shirley, writing under a pseudonym, has a paranormal thriller to be released in September 2009 (Harper). The book is based on ancient Sumerian myths come to life in modern times, and a woman's battle for her soul.

She's already garnered advance praise for her new book:  

"Sometimes you just need a kick-ass former demon's slave to tackle life's problems. Especially one wielding a whip sword. This is a novel to be savored for both its edge of suspense and the pure joy of its storytelling. Part immortal, all human, Maliha will leave readers breathless and craving more. Not to be missed!" --James Rollins, New York Times bestselling author of Map of Bones and Black Order

"A passionate, fascinating urban fantasy packed with action and history. Three hundred years ago, Maliha Crayne was burned at the stake. Now she's in a race against time to save the world and her soul, and you'll be with her step by step." - David Morrell, New York Times bestselling author of The Brotherhood of the Rose and Creepers, and 2009 ThrillerMaster

It is with great pleasure that ITW announces this year's Awards Program Chair, Allison Brennan. Allison is a New York Times bestselling author. She served as Chief Judge of the Best First Novel competition last year, and as a judge on the panel for Best Novel the year prior. We are grateful for her service and appreciate her willingness to step up and support this organization by serving as Awards Chair. The dynamic growth of our awards program has necessitated changes in the competition that are both exciting and offer members more opportunities to participate. More news on this will be announced soon.

Vicki Hinze
2008 Thriller Awards Chair

By Jean Mullan

We arrive to a fanfare of police sirens and an intense gaggle of security men at the entrance of the Grand Hyatt Hotel in midtown Manhattan. As we descend from the taxi on to the red carpet it slowly dawns on us that this welcoming committee is not for the Connemara contingent arriving to take part in ThrillerFest - the annual conference of international thriller writers. They're here to greet Barack Obama who is about to make a speech in the ballroom.

Undaunted, we proceed to the welcoming reception. As the cocktails flow we find ourselves face-to-face with David Morrell - the creator of Rambo - outgoing co-president of ITW. We chat with Raymond Benson, the chosen successor to Ian Fleming, author of the novels immortalising one James Bond. David Hewson, the English author of the Nic Costa series of novels set in Rome, impresses us with his self-effacing, gentlemanly charm and wit.

So who are these intrepid travelers from Connemara? At his first ever writers' conference is the multi-talented Maurice O'Scanaill, our local vet, who has also displayed his vocal talents in The Ceol Theatre production of My Fair Lady and in the bass section of Cantairi Chonamara. You may not know that some years back Random House published three of his books under the penname of Rory McCormac. His mission in New York is to find himself an agent to help him publish his latest work. ThrillerFest veteran Pat Mullan from Recess is also here. An ex-banker and published poet he now has two international thrillers under his belt. His most recent work appeared in the anthology Dublin Noir and two new thrillers are currently under negotiation in a two-book deal.

Many of the ThrillerFest 2008 attendees send in their impressions of the conference. If you would like to share your ThrillerFest, AgentFest or ChraftFest experiences, please send your comments using our convenient submission form.

"I had a great time at AgentFest and I thought that Shane and Pam did an absolutely fabulous job at keeping it running and smooth and all the agents were absolutely delightful." -- Daryl Woodgerber

"I'm a debut author and this is my "First Kill"--my first conference and I'm thankful I came here--I was thankful before I went to my first course.  It's been fantastic." -- Rip Gerber

"I had a great experience here. AgentFest, I thought, was wonderful.  It was really wonderful.  I got to see the people that have been in the field.  I'm not a published author so I'd heard a lot of the names before; I just had never met them.  It was really cool to meet the people from the agencies." -- Gary Aumiller

"This is my first time attending ThrillerFest and I have to tell you that it's probably been the best experience of my life.  The workshops were tremendous.  Having the ability to see all these agents in one place is just out of sight.  Wonderful all the connections you make, people you meet.  Wonderful bookstore.  Been there, spent too much money.  But I think anyone who comes, it's well worth the trip, and it's well worth your time and money.  So come and enjoy." -- Susan Myers

Want to savor panels or presentations you missed because you couldn't be three places at one time?

You can buy individual sessions or the entire CraftFest or ThrillerFest 2008. You can even "participate" in the Awards Banquet, a rollicking success with host James Rollins, by purchasing a DVD--although you won't get to enjoy the free drinks, the sparkling ambiance, the excitement of learning the Thriller Award winners first-hand, and the excellent steak & shrimp dinner.

Hear your CraftFest presenters over and over to squeeze every bit of information from their sessions. Missed hearing some of your favorite authors on ThrillerFest panels? Sit back, close your eyes, and listen to high quality, professionally-made recordings.

by Grant Blackwood

The call came unexpectedly last fall from Tom Colgan, my superb, longtime editor at Putnam. They'd asked Clive if he'd be interested in doing another series, Tom explained.  Would I be interested in having my name thrown in the hat as a potential co-author?

Dumbfounded, I interrogated him: Was this a joke?  No joke, he assured me. And we're talking about the Clive Cussler, correct?  Author of dozens of bestsellers stretching back decades; his work published in over 40 languages in more than 100 countries; 125 million faithful fans; 160 million copies of his thrillers in print. Yep, that's him, Tom replied.

Satisfied this was neither a joke nor a case of mistaken identity, I still had to think long and hard about Tom's proposal -- okay, that's not true.  I mulled it over for approximately 1.378 seconds, and said Yes.

BARNES & NOBLE BOOKSELLERS provides an on-site bookstore for conference attendees. You'll find a great selection of books by our attending ThrillerMasters, Spotlight Guests, Special Guests, CraftFest presenters, and ThrillerFest panelists. Buy books written by your favorite thriller authors and have them signed during the conference!

Are you a Barnes & Noble Member? Bring your card with you for terrific savings!

Interview by Jeff Ayers

Elizabeth Berry (at left), Executive Director for Thrillerfest, sat down with me to answer a few questions.

Jeff: How did you get involved in the International Thriller Writers Organization?

Elizabeth: ThrillerFest is a major undertaking. The Board realized they needed someone full-time on the job, and lucky me got drafted. I had the time, and really wanted to do it, so I think it's worked out great for everyone.

What exactly does your position of Executive Director entail?

It involves 6-8 hours every day, usually 6 days a week, overseeing committee chairs and volunteers. We have superb people working on this year's ThrillerFest - who by-the-way do the vast majority of the work - I'm simply the point person. Together, we plan and execute every detail. There's a lot that goes into putting on ThrillerFest. I didn't realize how much, but after getting ThrillerFest 2008 under my belt, I now understand. The old cliche is true - the devil is in the details. Absolutely.

What was one of your most memorable conference moments?

Late one afternoon, a fan came to me and asked if I'd seen Barry Eisler - he had missed the earlier signing, and wanted his books signed. I went down to the bar, and found Barry visiting with a group of friends. I quietly told him about the fan, and he didn't hesitate. He literally ran to the bookstore and made the fan feel like a million dollars. The best part is that I now know that each and every author that I've met would have done the very same thing. Impressive.

By Michelle Gagnon

Ironically, Graham Brown almost missed the Thrillerfest 2007 Agent luncheon. Thanks to a flight delay--on the red-eye, no less--he arrived late at JFK and made it to the Hyatt just as the event was about to begin. "I was completely wiped out at that point, and decided to skip the lunch. All I wanted was to check into my room and get some sleep." Graham confessed. "But another attendee got in the elevator with me, and by the time the doors opened on the ballroom level he'd convinced me to go. So I sat at the very last table and met Barbara, who was not only listening to pitches but helping authors make them better. My first thought was, 'This person had WAY too much coffee today.' I proceeded to come up with the worst pitch of all time, which she politely listened to."

By the end of lunch, Barbara Poelle of the Irene Goodman agency had invited Graham to submit his manuscript. "He was able to mark it with the coveted words 'Requested Submission,' insuring that his query would avoid the quagmire that can befall unsolicited manuscripts." Barbara said.  "I read it within days of Thrillerfest, and didn't even make it to the bottom of page one before picking up the phone to request the full."

Volunteering at Craftfest and/or Thrillerfest is a great way to meet folks--writers, readers, publishers, agents--and to really feel like a part of the conference. We'll have opportunities at the registration desk, monitoring panels, at signing sessions, escorting guests and VIPs, and seating and directing traffic at the banquet. We'll do our very best to accommodate any special requests or needs you might have. We know our volunteers' time is precious and we want you to have a great conference experience!

Interested? Please contact us.

"My best moment came just before the first ThrillerFest in Phoenix - I arrived from Europe a day early because of airline issues and decided to spend the time in the Arizona Biltmore's famous spa ... so there I was, lounging around in nothing but a (very small) towel ... and in walks Libby Hellman, also wearing nothing but a (very small) towel ... we became friends fast and now when we meet we always say, sorry, didn't recognize you with your clothes on." ~ Lee Child



"For me, one of the greatest thrills of last year's ThrillerFest was interviewing Clive Cussler. He's been a literary hero of mine going back to Junior High when I first read Raise the Titanic. He was charming, witty, and gracious. It was both an honor and a thrill to share the stage with this literary giant." ~ James Rollins




"I was at a ThrillerFest reception and suddenly realized how many authors I admired were in every direction around me.  The experience reminded me of what MGM used to say about having more stars than there were in the sky." ~ David Morrell






"Talking to Lee Child and discovering, from his chapter in The Chopin Manuscript, that he's even more of an audio geek than I am (as his chapter in Chopin proves)." ~ David Hewson





A Toast to ThrillerFest by M.J. Rose

I was sitting at the signing table on Sunday of ThrillerFest when a gentleman approached with a copy of my latest novel, The Venus Fix and a copy of the ITW anthology Thriller, and asked me to sign both. Of course, I said. I asked him his name and proceeded to inscribe both books. I'm  slightly in awe when someone asks me to do this - of all the things that make me "feel like a writer" it's this moment and I love the chance to stop and talk to readers: find out what they like, what they're tired of, what else they read, anything -- I'd be happy to talk to readers all day.

I handed him back both books and he proceeded to hand me a bottle of wine. A gift he said, for me, and explained that authors give him so much pleasure that he likes to give them something back as a thank you.

The "thank you" I told him is buying the book - but wine too? It was his pleasure he assured me.

I was tired, it was the last day of the conference, it had been a lot of fun and work for those of us who were involved in the event and when this man gave me this gift out of the blue, I was not only blown away, I was speechless.

The cost of ThrillerFest - $300 plus
The cost of the two books - $32.00
The cost of the bottle of wine - $15
The moment: Priceless


Friendships sometimes vanish.  Too little time and too much distance are often the culprits, and one mourns for what might have been.  How are they now?  Who are they now?

We knew the first ThrillerFest was going to be special.  After all, no one had ever created an international gathering to celebrate the field.  But there were other remarkable bonuses in store....

As I was walking past the Biltmore bar (why do so many interesting moments erupt in or near bars?) when I heard a woman call my name.  I spun, and there was Jean Jenkins's beautiful face.  She's a wonderful writer from San Diego.  I'm from Santa Barbara, and here we'd met in Phoenix - at ThrillerFest.  I hadn't known she'd changed directions and was writing in the field.  We sat together and caught up on that and five years of life. So beware ... it's not only new friendships one finds at ThrillerFest, but old cherished ones. ~ Gayle Lynds


At the first Thrillerfest, in Phoenix, I got to do a wonderful panel with John Lescroat and MJ Rose, moderated by Steve Berry, called "Sex in Thrillers:  With Booze."  To get the audience in the mood, so to speak, we made Screaming Orgasms in pitchers and poured as people entered (damn, you really can't discuss this stuff without becoming self conscious about word choice, can you?  Or at least I can't) the room.  As one woman walked in, I approached with my standard line -- "Can I offer you a Screaming Orgasm?" -- to which she, with a satisfied smile, replied, "No thanks, I just had one." I imagine that for her, the panel was anticlimactic... ~ Barry Eisler

Don't miss your priceless ThrillerFest moments. Register now!

Kathleen Antrim is the award-winning author of the political thriller CAPITAL OFFENSE, a columnist for the San Francisco Examiner newspaper, a correspondent for NewsMax Magazine, and a political commentator appearing on radio and television. She can be heard regularly on San Francisco's KSFO HotTalk 560 AM, The Lee Rodgers and Melanie Morgan Show, and has appeared on such shows as the Fox News Channel's Hannity & Colmes.

For the last two years, Antrim has divided her time between working in California and on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

Shirley Kennett: What persuaded you to take on the role of ITW's Vice President-National Events? Do you have experience in heading up a national conference?

Kathleen Antrim: It was a natural fit for me to step up and produce ThrillerFest and oversee ITW's National Events. Besides being a writer, I also own several companies with my husband, so I understand business. And I've developed and run charity events that raise money for children in need. I was a founder of the Ruby Hill Giving Thanks Charity Ball, which raised over 2.4 million dollars for children, and I was President of the Wine Growers Foundation Board, which has raised over 2.5 million dollars for Northern California charities. Since its inception, I've been a member of the board of directors for the San Francisco Writers Conference.

If anyone would have told me years ago that all my experience in raising money and event planning for charity would become part of my work as a writer, I would have laughed. But it's funny how life has a way of coming full circle and experiences tie together.

It has nothing to do with the Lone Ranger.

David Baldacci was the 2008 recipient of ITW's Silver Bullet Award.

The Silver Bullet Award was created by the International Thriller Writers to recognize outstanding and meritorious achievement in the pursuit of literacy and the love of reading. Recipients are chosen on an annual basis representing the corporate, literary and entertainment worlds. Past recipients of the Silver Bullet Award include authors Sandra Brown and R.L. Stine, publisher Tom Doherty, actor Tony Plana (UGLY BETTY), the Nestle Company, and Capital One.

David Baldacci has published sixteen novels with over 50 million copies in print worldwide. His works have been in numerous worldwide magazines, newspapers, journals, and publications. Baldacci has authored seven original screenplays. His books have been translated into more than 40 languages and sold in more than 80 countries. All of his books have been national and international bestsellers.