ThrillerFest VII

If you're an aspiring author or an avid reader, ThrillerFest is the place to be seen this July. I will be attending my sixth, and it is one of the highlights of my summer, mainly because I am both an aspiring author and an avid reader. This year will be different. I will be attending with a completed novel. It may not change my experience, but somehow I think it will. Because I did it, I wrote 'The End'. I won't be wandering the halls soaking up the energy of David Morrell, Lee Child, R.L. Stine, Heather Graham and countless others secretly wishing that I had a novel under my belt. Because I will. 

And maybe some day I will hold that novel in my hands. And be on the dais for the Debut Author's Breakfast. Here's the fabulous Sophie Littlefield in 2010 when she was a debut author. (The gentlemen at the podium is Andrew Gross, a master storyteller you should check out if you haven't already.)

I know, one step at a time ...

I have learned a lot at the past six ThrillerFests that I've attended. The most important thing I've learned is that I want to be an author. I am already a writer. I want to take the next step and hold that hardcover with an awesome cover in my hands and see my (pen) name on the cover. Why? I love books, and I love to read, and I have stories in me that I want to share. I want to be part of that fabric of storytellers because I know that is where I belong. I have always thought of myself as a jack of all trades in lots of areas, from cooking to installing sheetrock to gardening to writing code. I think I could be a master at this author thing.

ThrillerFest is great for connecting with all sorts of knowledgeable people in the book industry. I've met bloggers, editors, debut authors and New York Times bestsellers, agents, readers, marketers, booksellers, and aspiring authors. Aspiring authors are among my favorites. They fill me with renewed enthusiasm, teach me something new about the journey, commiserate, read pages and provide helpful suggestions, and best of all, give me hope when I see one of my writers-in-crime pals on the debut author dais the following year. 

This year ThrillerFest is honoring Jack Higgins (2012 ThrillerMaster), Ann Rule (2012 True Thriller Award), and Richard North Patterson (2012 Silver Bullet Award). Spotlight guests Lee Child, John Sandford, and Catherine Coulter will be joined by R.L. Stine, last year's ThrillerMaster, and Karin Slaughter, last year's Silver Bullet Award recipient. ITW will also be awarding recognition to the Best Hardcover Novel, Best Paperback Original, Best First Novel, and Best Short Story. The finalists can be found here.

If you attend, be prepared to meet a lot of awesome people, have great conversation in the bar, the hallways, and the parties, get inspired, add lots of books to your library, enjoy lunch in the always splenderific Grand Central Station, and hear some great panel discussions.

And be on the lookout for really cool moments like Robert Dugoni and Jon Land modelling cute outfits. You never know when they'll happen!