The February 2014 Edition of The Big Thrill

Read the stories that were featured in the February edition of The Big Thrill.

This month, 28 new thrillers from ITW members, including debut author Kelly Parsons, plus A Between The Lines Interview with Jennifer McMahon by Paula Tutman and News from South Africa from Joanne Hichens. Mark your calendars: to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the International Thrillers Writers we’ve got the Best First Sentence Contest to help kick-off Master CraftFest at this year’s ThrillerFest, and the first-ever Online ThrillerSchool! Scroll down for more details, you won’t be sorry!

Hot off the press:

Click on a book title to read the feature story

• A Between The Lines Interview with Jennifer McMahon by Paula Tutman
• News From South Africa by Joanne Hichens
• Graveyard of Memories by Barry Eisler
• Doing Harm by Kelly Parsons
• When Shadows Fall by J.T. Ellison
• Trilemma by Jennifer Mortimer
• Runner by Patrick Lee
• Influx by Daniel Suarez
• The Deepest Secret by Carla Buckley
• The Vanishing by Wendy Webb
• Mistress of Fortune by Holly West
• The Barkeep by William Lashner
• Final Justice by Rick Reed
• Watch Your Back by Karen Rose
• Taming A Gentlemen Spy (The Spies of Mayfair Book 2) by Maggi Andersen
• Time Of Attack by Marc Cameron
• Spy For Hire by Dan Mayland
• The Janus Legacy by Lisa von Biela
• Evil in the Beginning (The God Tools: Book 2) by Gary Williams & Vicky Knerly
• The Line (Witching Savannah) by J.D. Horn
• Turnbull House by Jess Faraday
• Who Thinks Evil by Michael Kurland
• Finders, Keepers, Losers, Weepers by Robert S. Levinson
• The Contractors by Harry Hunsicker
• Mint Juleps and Justice by Nancy Naigle
• Beyond Belief by Helen Smith
• Glass Houses by Terri Nolan
• Cries of the Lost by Chris Knopf
• Extinction by J. T. Brannan
• The Ascendant by Drew Chapman

Coming Next Month

The latest thrillers from Harlan Coben, Allison Brennan, Jeffery Deaver, Brad Parks, Laura Childs, Adrian McKinty, C.J. Box, Mary Behre, James Grippando, Chris Pavone, Diane Fanning, Julie Anne Lindsey and many more!

New E-Releases from ITW Members

• Vandals 2 by R. Barri Flowers
• The Admirer’s Secret by Pamela Crane
• End Game by Reggie Ridgway
• Touch of the Wolf by Vella Munn
• 1934 Plot by Linda and Gary Cargill
• Key to Lawrence by Linda and Gary Cargill
• Soleil Tangiere by Larry Bonner
• Rooms To Die For by  Jean Harrington
• Until Death Do Us Part by Gary Madden
• Man Of Action (An August Adams Adventure) by Matt Bronleewe
• Wild Hearts by Tina Wainscott
• Know When to Run by Connie Flynn

New Audio Books from ITW Members

• Out For Blood (Transylvanica High Series #2) by R. Barri Flowers
• Japantown by Barry Lancet
• Hunted by Elizabeth Heiter
• Beyond Belief by Helen Smith
• Crescendo by Deborah J Ledford

ThrillerFest IX – Registration Now Open!

ThrillerFest IX – July 8th – 12th, Grand Hyatt, NYC.

This year is the 10th Anniversary of ITW, and we are thrilled to be honoring 2014 ThrillerMaster Scott Turow and 2014 Silver Bullet Award recipient Brenda Novak. We’ll also be welcoming back 2013 ThrillerMaster Anne Rice and 2013 Silver Bullet Award recipient Steve Berry.

With the upcoming release of ITW’s Thriller 4 Anthology, FACEOFF, we’re pleased to be showcasing the contributing authors, including David Baldacci, Linwood Barclay, Steve Berry, Lee Child, Michael Connelly, Jeffery Deaver, Linda Fairstein, Joseph Finder, Lisa Gardner, Heather Graham, Peter James, Raymond Khoury, Dennis Lehane, John Lescroart, Steve Martini, T. Jefferson Parker, Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child, Ian Rankin, James Rollins, M.J. Rose, John Sandford, R.L. Stine, and F. Paul Wilson. You won’t want to miss this incredible line-up, so please sign up today!

Best First Sentence Contest

To celebrate our first year of Master CraftFest, a one-day intensive retreat on Tuesday, July 8, 2014, we are running a special event called the Best First Sentence Contest.  All you need to do is send your VERY best first sentence (for a novel) along with your name, email address, and phone number to bestfirstsentence@gmail.com for a chance to win a critique of 10 pages of your work.

Five winners will be selected, and the Master CraftFest teachers—Steve Berry, Steven James, John Lescroart, and David Morrell—along with CraftFest Director, D.P. Lyle, MD will be choosing their favorite sentences and critiquing ten pages of the winners’ work.  This is an incredible opportunity for feedback, whether you are an aspiring writer or a seasoned author.

Visit The ThrillerFest Website for more information.

Register Online Today!

If you prefer to mail your registration, you can download and print the appropriate registrations forms here:

• ITW Author-Member Registration
• ITW Associate-Member and Thriller Fan Registration

Introducing: ITW’s First-Ever Online ThrillerSchool!

Seven Weeks! Seven Bestselling Authors!

Join Stephen James, D.P. Lyle, Robert Dugoni, Gayle Lynds,

Andrew Gross, Linwood Barclay and Heather Graham!

In this seven-week program, which begins April 7th, 2014, the craft of thriller writing will be front and center. Each instructor will teach an aspect of craft though a podcast, written materials that include further reading and study suggestions, and an entire week of online Q&A with the registered students. The goal is simple: To make each student a better writer.

Attendance is limited, so register today. Visit ITW’s Online Thriller School for more information.

The Thriller Roundtable

Whether you’re a fan or an author, you’ll want to join the Thriller Roundtable discussions at TheBigThrill website, where each week a new group of authors discuss everything from what they love about writing thrillers, to what they’ve learned, and more.

Here’s what’s in store for February:

February 3 – 9: “When were you first inspired to write?”
February 10 – 16: “Is travel essential to portray a setting? Is research ever enough?”
February 17 – 23: “Is deception an essential feature of thrillers? Would they otherwise be adventure stories?”
February 24 – March 2: “How do news events shape your plots? How closely should thriller writers follow the news?”

The Neverending Book Giveaway

If you’re a thriller fan who likes to win free books, be sure to check out the Neverending Book Giveaway on The Big Thrill website. Sign up for as many of the contests as you like! Just post a reply, and you’re entered!

Don’t forget to scroll down the list of contests or CLICK HERE for more contests and giveaways so you don’t miss any. (Tip: to shorten the display, click “Toggle Comment Threads.”) And because this book giveaway is “neverending,” be sure to check back often to enter the latest drawings!

Monthly Giveaway

Congratulations to Pat Joho, the winner of this month’s BIG THRILL giveaway. Pat will receive an assortment of signed thrillers including The Harlot’s Tale by Sam Thomas, Chain Reaction by Diane Fanning, The Contractors by Harry Hunsicker, Spy for Hire by Dan Mayland, Fake ID by Lamar Giles, Delivering Death by Julie Kramer, Beyond Belief: An Emily Castles Mystery by Helen Smith, Mint Juleps and Justice: An Adams Grove Novel by Nancy Naigle and Leverage by Dan Doeden.

All subscribers to THE BIG THRILL magazine are automatically eligible for the monthly drawing. CLICK HERE to subscribe to THE BIG THRILL email.