The January 2017 Edition of The Big Thrill

Read the stories that were in the January edition of the Big Thrill.

We’re starting 2017 celebrating talent in the world of suspense fiction. Our cover subject Gregg Hurwitz talks about the truth of the anti-hero, while in “Off the Page,” A.J. Banner reveals how she wrote a challenging key character. Other revelations come in our in-depth interviews with Ian Rankin, Blake Crouch, Thomas Perry, and Adrian Magson.

In “Turning Point,” Laura Joh Rowland tells what draws her to Jack the Ripper’s East End, and in “Author Guided Tour,” Jeff Soloway explains the lure of the Grand Canyon. We get to know Scotland’s James Oswald in “International Thrills” and learn how Leye Adenle depicts Lagos in “African Scene.” In this month’s “Debut Spotlight,” S.J.I. Holiday interviews David C. Dawson.

What does the year look like for the thriller genre? In “Trend Report,” Dawn Ius interviews two leading book editors to find out. It’s not to be missed!

And hear from other great authors in this issue: Holly Brown, Elizabeth Heiter, T.C. LoTempio, Ritter Ames, and many more.

Hot off the press:
Click on the book title below to read the feature story or click here to scroll through all of this month’s articles.

SPECIAL FEATURES

• Between the Lines: Gregg Hurwitz by April Snellings
• Author Guided Tour: Jeff Soloway
• Off the Page: A.J. Banner
• Turning Point: Laura Joh Rowland by Nancy Bilyeau
• International Thrills: James Oswald by David Swatling
• African Scene: Leye Adenle by Michael Sears
• Trend Report: Thriller Industry Forecast 2017 by Dawn Ius
• Debut Spotlight: David C. Dawson by S.J.I. Holliday
• Ian Rankin by Nancy Bilyeau
• Thomas Perry by Robert Rotstein
• Adrian Magson by Alison McMahan
• Blake Crouch by Dawn Ius

INTERVIEWS

• This Is Not Over by Holly Brown
• Death at St. Vedast by Mary Lawrence
• The Elusive Elixir by Gigi Pandian
• Job’s Comfort by A.J. Davidson
• Pacific Homicide by Patricia Smiley
• Crime and Catnip by Toni LoTempio
• The Kill Sign by Nichole Christoff
• Chilled to the Bones by Linda Lee Kane
• Scared to Death by Rachel Amphlett
• Duplicity by Ingrid Thoft

NEW RELEASES

• Kill Without Shame by Alexandra Ivy
• Midnight Obsession by Melinda Leigh
• Rogue State by Steven Konkoly
• The Ashes by Vincent Zandri
• Stalked by Elizabeth Heiter
• Where I Can See You by Larry D. Sweazy
• Abstract Aliases by Ritter Ames
• No Happy Endings by Angel Luis Colón
• The Beekeeper’s Daughter by Jane Jordan
• Faultlines by Lucienne Diver
• Witness by Caroline Mitchell

Coming Next Month

The latest thrillers from John Lescroart, K. J. Howe, Karen Harper, Heather Graham, Jon Land, C. J. Lyons, Mark Greaney, Robert Dugoni, Christine Feehan, Paul Mendelson, Kat Martin, Lisa Black, Elizabeth Goddard, Lono Waiwaiole, Brett Battles, R. Barri Flowers, Winter Austin, Cara Brookins, Lynette Eason, Matt Hilton, Reed Farrel Coleman and many more!

ThrillerFest XII: Registration is Open!

Your ThrillerFest team is already hard at work planning for next July’s conference where we’ll feature 2017 ThrillerMaster Lee Child, 2016 ThrillerMaster Heather Graham, 2017 Silver Bullet Award recipient Lisa Gardner, 2016 Silver Bullet Award recipient John Lescroart and MATCH UP (ITW Anthology) authors: Lara Adrian, Steve Berry, C.J. Box, Sandra Brown, Lee Child, Nelson DeMille, Diana Gabaldon, Andrew Gross, Charlaine Harris, Lisa Jackson, Peter James, J.A. Jance, Michael Koryta, Gayle Lynds, Val McDermid, David Morrell, Kathy Reichs, John Sandford, Lisa Scottoline, Karin Slaughter, and Eric Van Lustbader.

Like a compelling page-turner, we need to keep you in suspense, so stay tuned for more details!

Master CraftFest: An extraordinary opportunity for writers and authors to meet and learn from the best in the industry in a full day of teaching and review of sample writing on Tuesday.

CraftFest: A host of industry experts or phenomenal teachers helping writers and authors improve their craft or assist in advancing their careers in classroom-type settings of hour-long sessions throughout the day Wednesday and Thursday morning.

PitchFest: An incredible opportunity for writers to pitch their manuscripts to as many of the best agents, publishers, and editors in the industry as they want on Thursday afternoon. (Note: Registration for PitchFest is an additional cost to either CraftFest or ThrillerFest and cannot be purchased as a stand-alone event for writers.)

ThrillerFest: A wonderful opportunity to meet the most successful and bestselling thriller authors in the world, starting with the Opening Night Cocktail Party on Thursday evening, and continuing with panels, interviews, and autograph sessions on Friday and Saturday.

The Thriller Awards Banquet, which is an added feature on the registration options, provides attendees a chance to see authors recognized by their peers for their work on Saturday night, the closing event. This is an amazing experience for both readers and authors, and should not be missed.

Register Today!

ITW’s Fourth Annual Online ThrillerSchool!

Starts March 13th, 2017

Seven Weeks! Seven Bestselling Authors!

Join Lee Child, Meg Gardiner, David Corbett, James Scott Bell, Peter James, Hank Phillippi Ryan and F. Paul Wilson.

In this seven-week program, which begins March 13th, 2017, 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.

Like the past two years, the online school will fill up very quickly, so register soon. 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 The Big Thrill 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.

Check out what’s in store for January. You won’t want to miss it!

January 9 – 15: “In the midst of struggling to finish a manuscript, writers often admit to loathing the story. Is it possible to fall in love again? Or is the passion gone for good?”
January 16 – 22: “What is the riskiest thing you’ve done in the name of research?”
January 23 – 29: “Some authors publish playlists of the music they listened while writing, or that otherwise inspired the novel. What is your take about music for writing?”
January 30 – February 5: “Antagonists, why do we love to hate them?”

Authors, don’t miss this promotional opportunity! Participate in the Thriller Roundtable by contacting J.H. Bográn.

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!