ThrillerFest 2013: A Postscript

So:

This past week, I was in New York City for one of my favorite events of the year, ThrillerFest.  For those of you who don’t know what ThrillerFest is, take a gander here.  For those of you who are like me and therefore too lazy to click on a link, I will explain:

ThrillerFest is the annual conference for the International Thriller Writers.  The conference kicks off with CraftFest, which includes several days of targeted seminars on elements of craft taught by some of the genre’s best authors, agents, and editors.  CraftFest culminates with AgentFest, wherein the attendees of CraftFest can pitch their nascent novels to an assortment of highly successful agents.  I never have participated in either CraftFest or AgentFest, but I am rather fond of both, and especially fond of the fact that many writers, including future New York Times bestsellers, have been able to launch their careers because of the contacts made here.

In other words, ThrillerFest provides accessibility.  With barely an exception, each participant in the conference, whether it be publishers or publicists or multimillionaire authors, is approachable, friendly, and eager to share advice.  ThrillerFest proper begins after AgentFest, with two more days of panel discussions, cocktail parties, book signings, cocktail parties, interviews, and cocktail parties.  All of this climaxes with the Awards Banquet on Saturday night.  It is here that the annual Thriller Awards are handed out, along with the Silver Bullet awards for service and the Grandmaster award for lifetime achievement.

ThrillerFest also provides me with an excuse to visit New York City (as if I ever need an excuse to visit New York City), and this past year was no exception.  My calendar was delightfully filled with lunches, dinners, and (decaf) coffees with old friends…and I didn’t even get to see many of the people I wanted to see because my calendar was so delightfully filled.

Without further ado, here are some of my highlights from this year’s conference:

• Hanging out with fellow writers.  This is always a highlight for me.  Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen, nobody knows my sorrow…except for every other working writer, and spending time with them, commiserating over great food and good drinks, is nourishment for the soul.  
• Attending informative panels.  Probably my favorite panel this year was one on Young Adult Thrillers, moderated by the ever-hilarious R.L. Stine.   Stine and the panelists dissected the Young Adult genre, analyzed the intrinsic differences between it and Middle-Grade, and discussed what one should or should not do if one wants a Young Adult novel to be published.  Someday I am going to write a Young Adult novel.  That day is not today.
• The banquet.  Usually the meal is average, but this year, the cuisine was definitely a step-up, with a nice balance of non-rubbery steak and non-expired vegetables.  However, the real highlight of the banquet, for me, was having the honor of presenting the award for Best E-Book Original.  And I can say with full confidence that I did a good job (by which I mean that I didn’t wet myself, this being the bar I had set to determine success).
• Shortly after I presented the award, the Grandmaster honor was given to Anne Rice, who took the stage and delivered one of the sweetest, most down-to-earth speeches I have ever heard.

I have so many people to thank for helping make my week in New York City the joy that it was.  Jordan D. White, Jen McGuire, Brooke Tarnoff, John Russo, David Krasner – your friendships mean more to me than I can ever express (which, I promise, says less about me as a writer and more about you as big-hearted, brilliant people).  Allison Brennan, Janice Gable Bashman, Pam Callow, Karen Dionne, J.T. Ellison, Daniel Friedman, Michelle Gagnon, Michelle Ladner, Sophie Littlefield, C.J. Lyons, Brad Parks, Keith Raffel, Alexandra Sokoloff, Norb Vonnegut – your generosity is only matched by your soaring talents.  Steph Cha, Mike Cooper, Linda Gerber, Steven James, Jenny Milchman, Stefanie Pintoff, Kirk Rudell, Brian Tracy – it was a sincere pleasure getting to meet and know all of you.  Alison and Michael Gaylin – I’m really looking forward to catching up with you in Albany.  Kimberley Howe, you were juggling a million balls and managed to catch each one with poise and grace.  Shane Gericke, Andy Peterson – you were deeply, sorely missed and I hope you both are on the mend before long.  And finally, Carla Buckley, my vice-president, my confederate, my partner-in-crime  – your wisdom and empathy continue to inspire me.