March 10 – 16: “What can thriller writers learn from the movies?”

This week ITW Members W.D. Gagliani, William P. Wood, Keith Deininger, Amy Shojai, Chris Pavone, Don Helin, Julie Lindsey and Bernard Maestas go from the notebook to the big screen, as they answer the question: “What can thriller writers learn from the movies?”

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An award-winning writer and poet, Keith Deininger is the author of The New Flesh, Fevered Hills, Marrow’s Pit, and Ghosts of Eden (Nov. 2014). He grew up in the American Southwest and currently resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico with his wife and their four dogs. He is a skeptic and a bit cynical.

Amy Shojai, CABC is the best-selling award winning author of two dozen pet books and channels her “inner pet” to write dog-viewpoint THRILLERS WITH BITE! Her critically acclaimed debut thriller LOST AND FOUND launched her fiction career in late 2012, followed in 2014 by the sequel HIDE AND SEEK. She specializes in stories that prompt an emotional response in both herself and her readers, and loves to write “furry” medical thrill-rides that leave readers gasping with delight. She’s currently writing SHOW AND TELL, the next book in the series.

W.D. Gagliani is the author of the horror thriller WOLF’S TRAP (Samhain Publishing), a past Bram Stoker Award nominee, as well as the other novels in the Nick Lupo Series, WOLF’S GAMBIT and WOLF’S BLUFF (47North), WOLF’S EDGE and WOLF’S CUT (Samhain), plus the hard-noir thriller SAVAGE NIGHTS, the collection SHADOWPLAYS, as well as MYSTERIES & MAYHEM (w/ David Benton). An active member of the Horror Writers Association (HWA), the International Thriller Writers (ITW), and the Authors Guild, Gagliani is also the author of numerous short stories published in many anthologies, plus dozens of book reviews, articles, and interviews. He lives and writes in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

William P. Wood is the author of nine legal thrillers, including his latest book Sudden Impact. Two of his novels, Rampage and Court of Honor (“Broken Trust”), have been made into films. He also co-wrote several episodes of the CBS-TV series “Kaz.” Wood’s nonfiction book, The Bone Garden, is the definitive account of serial killer Dorothea Puente. As former Sacramento deputy district attorney, Wood had sent Puente to prison for drugging and robbing the elderly.

Chris Pavone’s first novel, The Expats, was a New York Times, USA Today, and international bestseller, as well as winner of Edgar and Anthony awards for best first novel. Chris grew up in Brooklyn, graduated from Cornell, and was a book editor for nearly two decades, as well as an expat in Luxembourg, but now lives again in New York City. His second novel, The Accident, publishes on March 11th.

Julie Anne Lindsey is a multi-genre author who writes the stories that keep her up at night. She’s a self-proclaimed nerd with a penchant for words and proclivity for fun. Julie lives in rural Ohio with her husband and three small children. Today, she hopes to make someone smile. One day she plans to change the world.

Bernard Maestas lives in paradise. A police officer patrolling the mean streets of Hawaii, he has a background in contract security and military and civilian law enforcement. His debut novel, “Say That to My Face” was released in December. When not saving the world, one speeding ticket at a time, and not distracted by video games or the internet, he is usually hard at work on his next book.

During Don Helin‘s time in the military, he spent seven years in the Pentagon. These assignments have provided him background for his thrillers. His first novel, THY KINGDOM COME was published in 2009. His second, DEVIL’S DEN has been selected as a finalist in the Indie Book Awards. Don lives in central Pennsylvania where he is working on “Secret Assault,” to be published in Spring 2014.