Rave Reviews for Thrillerfest 2019!
Ah, New York City. I was in the city a month ago for the International Thrillers Writer’s Conference at Grand Hyatt,
42nd Street and Park Avenue, and felt like I was in a thriller movie.
I experienced the following events in the last two days of my stay -
a fatal car crash in front of the hotel, angry demonstrations against the visiting Taiwan President which made Hyatt a security nightmare (security of the visiting President almost didn’t allow me inside the premises till I showed my writer’s ID), and lastly, a total blackout in mid-Manhattan which affected 70,000, rendering Times Square and Broadway in total darkness.
And yet, the calamitous event brought out the resilience of
New Yorkers who didn’t panic during the blackout, but instead brought comfort to those who were stranded in the streets.
Broadway cast members were singing outside the theatres, with a smile on their lips.
The Thrillerfest conference was like “summer’s camp for writers” according to Kimberley Howe, Executive Director of Thrillerfest. In a sense that was true since old friendships amongst writers were renewed and new friendships amongst many were created.
But really, it was a high-level summer summit for writers.
The number of best-selling authors walking leisurely around the corridors of the Grand Hyatt were head-spinning. Here was John Sanford (author of the Prey novels) signing autographed books at one table, Lisa Unger happily posing a selfie with another author (that’s me!), Steve Berry dispensing invaluable writing lessons to new and experienced writers, and so on.
I'm looking forward to ITW 2020 with Diana Gabaldon, writer for "Outlander", as the Thriller Master awardee. Her novel was published in 1990 and blends multiple genres. When asked to describe her book, this is what she says:
'Frankly, I’ve never been able to describe
this book
in twenty-five words or less, and neither has anyone else in the twenty years since it was first published. I’ve seen it (and the rest of the series) sold—with evident success—as <deep breath> Literature, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical NON-fiction (really. Well, they are very accurate), Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Military History (no, honest), Gay and Lesbian Fiction, and…Horror."
Hey, just the perfect writer to honor at Thrillerfest next year!
Thanks to Kimberley, Sandra, Kathleen and John! Because of these selfless organizer-writers, the International Thriller Writers conference was a magical experience, and only because the writer-organisers
made it so.
