Christine Feehan's Blog - Posts Tagged "tess-gerritsen"
My ThrillerFest Experience
I don’t travel much, but when I do I try to make the most of the trip. I had been told about ThrillerFest, a conference for thriller writers and readers, for several years. I read many genres, but some of my favorite authors are thriller writers and when a friend of mine invited me to attend this year, enticing me with the names of several authors I admire, I finally said “yes!” and we began making plans.
I was asked to be on a couple of panels and I truly enjoyed them. My GhostWalker series, Sea Haven series and my Shadow Rider series are both romantic suspense thrillers, so I found the entire experience helpful and fun. I was welcomed with enthusiasm and found everyone there to be gracious.
My panel on Friday was “Werewolves, Vampires or Witches? Thrillers on the Wild Side” moderated by Heather Graham. Other people on the panel included Kelley Armstrong, Mell Corcoran, Alex Gordon and Alexandra Ivy. The panel was fun in that the questions were out of the ordinary and meant to showcase our opinions on the supernatural, both real and imagined.
My panel on Saturday was “Guns, Sex or Both? The Attraction of Romantic Suspense”, which was extraordinary in the advice given to aspiring writers looking to write suspense and wanting to know what should or shouldn’t be in it. The moderator was Allison Brennan and other panelists included Lexi Blake, Anne Cleeland, Arlene Kay, Karen Rose and Rebecca York.
Panels I attended included “Army, Navy or Air Force? Military Thrillers” which was such an amazing panel and included A.J. Tata, Brian Andrews, Walt Gragg, Michael Byars Lewis, David McCaleb, Ralph Pezzullo and Jeffrey Wilson. These men have practical experience and so much knowledge. I spoke with several of them after the panel and many gave me their cards so I can contact them if I need help with research.
I also attended “Popcorn, Tickets or Trailers? Books and Movies, Movies and Books” and learned a great deal about having a book options, the good, bad and ugly. The panelists knew a great deal about the world of movies and TV series and included David Morrell , Lawrence Block, Lee Child, Tess Gerritsen, Peter James, Arvam Ludwig and John Sandford.
I met so many authors that I admire and even found a few that I was a bit nervous to meet. But everyone was approachable, gracious and kind.
I did a book signing in Jersey City on Thursday, then on Friday and Saturday signed at the Hyatt during ThrillerFest. It was wonderful to be sitting next to John Lescroart signing, or signing at a table with RL Stine, Kelley Armstrong and Allison Brennan.
The parties were fun and I ran into several people I knew including Tess Gerritsen, Kat Martin, Michael & Kathleen Gear. And I met wonderful new friends MJ Rose, Steve Berry and Jon Land.
It’s always a bit overwhelming the first time you attend a large event like this, but it was worth it and I recommend the event to aspiring writers, writers looking to network and people who just want to really have a great time with amazing readers and writers of the thriller genre.
I was asked to be on a couple of panels and I truly enjoyed them. My GhostWalker series, Sea Haven series and my Shadow Rider series are both romantic suspense thrillers, so I found the entire experience helpful and fun. I was welcomed with enthusiasm and found everyone there to be gracious.
My panel on Friday was “Werewolves, Vampires or Witches? Thrillers on the Wild Side” moderated by Heather Graham. Other people on the panel included Kelley Armstrong, Mell Corcoran, Alex Gordon and Alexandra Ivy. The panel was fun in that the questions were out of the ordinary and meant to showcase our opinions on the supernatural, both real and imagined.
My panel on Saturday was “Guns, Sex or Both? The Attraction of Romantic Suspense”, which was extraordinary in the advice given to aspiring writers looking to write suspense and wanting to know what should or shouldn’t be in it. The moderator was Allison Brennan and other panelists included Lexi Blake, Anne Cleeland, Arlene Kay, Karen Rose and Rebecca York.
Panels I attended included “Army, Navy or Air Force? Military Thrillers” which was such an amazing panel and included A.J. Tata, Brian Andrews, Walt Gragg, Michael Byars Lewis, David McCaleb, Ralph Pezzullo and Jeffrey Wilson. These men have practical experience and so much knowledge. I spoke with several of them after the panel and many gave me their cards so I can contact them if I need help with research.
I also attended “Popcorn, Tickets or Trailers? Books and Movies, Movies and Books” and learned a great deal about having a book options, the good, bad and ugly. The panelists knew a great deal about the world of movies and TV series and included David Morrell , Lawrence Block, Lee Child, Tess Gerritsen, Peter James, Arvam Ludwig and John Sandford.
I met so many authors that I admire and even found a few that I was a bit nervous to meet. But everyone was approachable, gracious and kind.
I did a book signing in Jersey City on Thursday, then on Friday and Saturday signed at the Hyatt during ThrillerFest. It was wonderful to be sitting next to John Lescroart signing, or signing at a table with RL Stine, Kelley Armstrong and Allison Brennan.
The parties were fun and I ran into several people I knew including Tess Gerritsen, Kat Martin, Michael & Kathleen Gear. And I met wonderful new friends MJ Rose, Steve Berry and Jon Land.
It’s always a bit overwhelming the first time you attend a large event like this, but it was worth it and I recommend the event to aspiring writers, writers looking to network and people who just want to really have a great time with amazing readers and writers of the thriller genre.
Writing Romantic Suspense Mysteries
I’ve always loved reading mystery novels. The Sherlock Holmes series was a favorite of mine. Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, and I loved Agatha Christie. Then I found romantic suspense and Laurie R. King’s Mary Russell mysteries series, Karen Rose’s amazing thrillers, Tess Gerritsen, Sandra Brown, the list is endless! So, to say that I’ve always wanted to write a romantic suspense mystery is an understatement.
I’ve written since I was very young. So, there are some initial mystery/thriller books that I’ve written that will never see the light of day. Let’s call those my practice run. Lol
Last year I decided to sit down and plan out a mystery novel. I normally am a linear writer and pantser. But, to write a mystery you do have to have some planning. I wanted people to really have to guess at who the killer was. It was every bit as fun as I had hoped and that is how Murder at Sunrise Lake came to be published.
I loved the women and the feeling of sisterhood in Murder at Sunrise Lake and though the next book, Red on the River, utilizes those characters it is a standalone book. It is also a romantic suspense mystery. Set in Las Vegas with a poker tournament and a killer following Vienna and her friends as they hike and boulder, this still has a touch of paranormal to it. And it has a hot hero with a secret government job and skills that can save, or end, someone.
The romance between Vienna and Zale is one of my favorite things about Red on the River . It’s an emotional relationship full of passion and hope. This is definitely an action book and I’ll be really interested in how long it will take readers to figure out who the killer is.
Murder at Sunrise Lake will be released in paperback May 24th and Red on the River releases in hardcover June 28th.
Who is your favorite mystery or romantic suspense author? Or what is your favorite mystery novel?
