It was so much fun to hang out at ThrillerFest in Manhattan on Saturday, listening to some of the most popular writers in the country talking about their work.
The four day event was sponsored by the International Thriller Writers and featured many of the biggest guns in the genre, from Lee Child to James Patterson, and Douglas Preston to Brad Thor (all four of those writers have books on The New York Times list at the moment).
Having attended many gatherings of crime, mystery and thriller authors over the years, I am always imprssed by the sheer niceness of most of the people who spend so much time writing about the darker sides of life.
The first two days of ThrillerFest were devoted to a series of workshops for aspiring writers where folks like Lee Child and Joseph Finder shared the secrets of their success. The ITW also invited more than two dozen agents who were available to listen to pitches from unpublished writers.
The event’s guest of honor — what the ITW called the “2008 ThrillerMaster” — was Sandra Brown (right), who is one of the funniest and most down to earth writers you would ever want to meet (she doesn’t act like a lady who has sold 70 million books in 33 languages).
Unlike many of her peers, Brown has avoided falling into the trap of focusing on one character in a series of novels. Each new Brown novel has introduced new people and explored new territory (the only common trait in her books, Brown says, is her fascination with people who abuse whatever power they might have). The next book, “Smoke Screen,” will be in stores Aug. 12.
Brown started in the romance field — where she would write five or six books a year — and then shifted to suspense in the early 1990s. At her panel on Saturday, one attendee told the energetic and attractive author that “I just can’t do the math. You have a book a year. How have you written 70 novels?”
“I’m 112!,” the writer said, laughing, before explaining her incredible pace when she was a romance writer in her earlier years.
What’s so great about the Texas native is that it’s clear she is ready to answer any question she is asked.
When a rather meek looking lady in the front row seemed to challenge Brown’s “faith” because of some of the spicier bedroom interludes in her novels, the writer smiled and said, “Well, you know, God did create sex.”
Next year’s ThrillerFest will be at the Grand Hyatt from July 8 to 11 and information will be posted at www.thrillerfest.com as planning for the event commences.
