The March 2015 Edition of The Big Thrill

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

The Big Thrill kicks off March with a Between the Lines interview with bestselling author C.J. Box, who talks about life in Wyoming, his acclaimed work, and his latest bestseller, ENDANGERED.

March also brings a new series for The Big Thrill: The Big Break, where bestselling thriller writers tell their stories of how they broke into the thriller game. The inaugural article includes an interview with Steve Berry, the self-proclaimed “poster child” of why aspiring writers shouldn’t give up. Before he became a household name, Berry suffered 12 years and 85 rejections. Read more about his inspirational story by Jeremy Burns.

Michael Sears returns with The Africa Scene with his interview of Amanda Coetzee, and writer Layton Green is back with International Thrills, featuring Adrian McKinty.

This month’s edition also includes interviews with two ITW icons, the organization’s co-founder David Morrell and its co-president M.J. Rose, who talk about their latest highly-anticipated releases. And, of course, we interview more than two dozen ITW members about their latest, and greatest, thrillers.

—The managing editors, Anthony Franze, Barry Lancet, and Dawn Ius

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.

• Between the Lines with New York Times Bestselling Author C. J. Box by Josie Brown
• The Big Break—Stories of Breaking into the Thriller Game: Steve Berry’s 12 Years and 85 Rejections by Jeremy Burns
• International Thrills: An Interview with Adrian McKinty by Layton Green
• Africa Scene: An Interview with Amanda Coetzee by Michael Sears
• Inspector of the Dead by David Morrell
• The Witch of Painted Sorrows by M. J. Rose
• Wolf Winter by Cecilia Ekback
• Full Tilt by Rick Mofina
• Past Crimes by Glen Erik Hamilton
• The Black Widow by Wendy Corsi Staub
• The Venus Trap by Louise Voss
• Long Way Down by Michael Sears
• The Bullet by Mary Louise Kelly
• The Forgetting by Nicole Maggi
• Creed by Trisha Leaver & Lindsay Currie
• Red Equinox by Douglas Wynne
• Night Night, Sleep Tight by Hallie Ephron
• Empire Rising by Rick Campbell
• Aftershock by Philip Donlay
• The Fourth Rule by Douglass Seaver
• Deliver Us: Three Decades of Murder and Redemption in the Infamous I-45/Texas Killing Fields by Kathryn Casey
• Assault and Pepper by Leslie Budewitz
• Ladle to the Grave by Connie Archer
• Cognac Conspiracies by Jean-Pierre Alaux, Noël Balen, Sally Pane (translator)
• The Someday File by Jean Heller
• Too Bad to Die by Francine Mathews
• Quicksand by Gigi Pandian
• The Replacements by David Putnam
• Complicit by Stephen Edger
• Delicious Little Traitor by Jack DeWitt
• The Lynchpin by Jeffrey B. Burton
• Stiff Penalty by Annelise Ryan
• Sabotaged by Dani Pettrey
• The Defence by Steve Cavanagh
• Cheap as Beasts by Jon Wilson

Coming Next Month

The latest thrillers from Steve Berry, Harlan Coben, Heather Graham, Jon Land, DiAnn Mills, Elizabeth Goddard, Vincent Zandri, Alex Kava, H. W. “Buzz” Bernard, L.J. Sellers, David Walton, Mason Cross, Jess Faraday, Terry Shames, Bruce Holsinger, Rebecca Zanetti, Kevin Egan, Duffy Brown, Adrian Magson, Eric Giacometti, Jacques Ravenne & Anne Trager (translator), Robert D. Kidera, Simon Wood, J. L. Merrow, Gary Grossman, Annette Dashofy, James O. Born, Sharlene Almond, David Levien, Thomas F. Monteleone, Gary Haynes, Colin Campbell, David Hodges, Brian Pinkerton, Kristi Belcamino, Susan Sleeman, Graham Smith, Eli K.P. William, Robert D. Kidera, Frederique Molay, B. K. Stevens, A. J. Tata, Mark Petry, Anderson Harp and many more!

New E-Releases from ITW Members

• Barbecue and Bad News by Nancy Naigle
• Destiny by Tom Lowe
• Cannibal ( A Jack Sigler Thriller) by Jeremy Robinson & Sean Ellis
• Dog Have Mercy by Neil S. Plakcy
• Ryder: American Treasure by Nick Pengelley
• Cult of the Black Jaguar by JG Faherty
• Look Closer by Rachel Amphlett
• The Lady and the Wolf by Steve Myers
• Hellfire & Damnation III by Connie (Corcoran) Wilson
• Initiated to Kill by Sharlene Almond
• A Nest in the Ashes by Christine Goff
• Santa Claus, Lies, and Murder by Sibel Hodge
• Hot Rod Heart: A Noir Novelette by Thomas Pluck
• Rocco and the Snow Angel by Adrian Magson
• Target Shy & Sexy by L. J. Martin
• Lessons for Survivors by Charlie Cochrane

New Audio Books from ITW Members

• Fearful Symmetry by Michael McBride
• Whom Dog Hath Joined by Neil S. Plakcy
• Blood Moon by Alexandra Sokoloff
• Trafficked: The Diary of a Sex Slave by Sibel Hodge
• The Advocate’s Felony by Teresa Burrell

ThrillerFest X – Register Today!

ThrillerFest X – July 7th – 11th, Grand Hyatt, NYC.

Check out the Thrillerfest website, registration now available!

In 2015 we’ll be honoring:

• 2015 ThrillerMaster Nelson DeMille
  
• 2014 ThrillerMaster Scott Turow
• 2015 Silver Bullet Recipient Kathy Reichs
  
• 2014 Silver Bullet Recipient Brenda Novak
  
• 2015 Spotlight guest Mark Billingham
  
• 2015 Spotlight guest Charlaine Harris
• 2015 Spotlight guest Greg Iles

Some of the highlights of this year’s event include:

• Master CraftFest
• CraftFest
• PitchFest
• CareerFest
• ThrillerFest
• Thriller Awards Banquet

Want to learn more about ThrillerFest? Read a recap of the last ThrillerFest, ThrillerFest IX: Celebrating Ten Years of Innovation by Kimberley Howe and Anthony J. Franze

ITW’s Online ThrillerSchool: There’s Still Time to Register!

Seven Weeks! Seven Bestselling Authors!

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

Andrew Gross, Linwood Barclay and Heather Graham!

In this seven-week program, which begins March 2nd, 2015, 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 last year, 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 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 March!

March 2 – 8: “Do publishers fact-check–or is that the author’s job? Talk about big mistakes you have spotted.”
March 9 – 15: “Do some writers tend to work too hard, too long on the first chapter and neglect the rest of the story? How do you avoid that pitfall?”
March 16 – 22: “The TV series Seinfeld claimed their characters never changed, should the same apply to book series?”
March 23 – 29: “Have international novels evolved in recent years?”
March 30 – April 5: NO ROUNDTABLE.

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!

Monthly Giveaway

Congratulations to Patrick Kanouse, the winner of this month’s BIG THRILL giveaway. Patrick will receive an assortment of signed thrillers including Monday’s Lie by Jamie Mason, The Killing Season by Mason Cross, Empire Rising by Rick Campbell, Done in One by Grant Jerkins and Jan Thomas, The Someday File by Jean Heller, In Dangerous Waters by David O’Neil and Assault and Pepper by Leslie Budewitz.