Tag: Thriller Writing

Cover Reveal, it’s a big deal.

One of the milestones during a pregnancy is Gender Reveal. Likewise, when birthing a book, its equivalent is the Cover Reveal.

Forgive Us Our Trespasses – Available 02/22/2022

The cover then reveals what the book is about. Hmmm. Let’s see. A woman, a gun, and an airplane cockpit. I wonder what this could possibly be about?

But then you see the author’s name. Hey, wait a minute, that guy has 4 number one bestsellers! He writes thrillers about Brooke Burrell, a former federal agent, and special operator whose exploits and successes back then, force her to live cautiously now… while she’s pregnant! Ah, back to birthing.

The essence of this 4th Brooke novel, where she applies her special brand of exemplary skills is; innocent is not a defense. When social media, the media, corrupt D.A.s, and some really pissed-off terrorists all want her to pay for the things she did in service to her country. So now your saying, “Okay got it, sounds like a good thriller, but what’s the plane got to do with it?” Ah, that’s the other part of the cover, to create that question. For that, you’ll have to read, Forgive Us Our Trespasses, the next adventure following the number one best-seller, Give Us This Day.

PS. Although the front of the book gets all the glory at one of these Cover Reveal events, I think it makes the back cover feel bad. Mainly because its ‘other’ side gets all the smiles and goo-goo’s and “Oh, -you’re-so-cute”s. Well, here’s the other side of the cover reveal!

Forgive Us Our Trespasses will be available on February 22, 2022, but you can pre-order it on Amazon here.

Thrillerfest 2013

with the legendary John Lescroart
with the legendary John Lescroart

Last month I attended Thriller Fest, a four day intensive craft and professional convention held in New York City. Thriller writers from the top of the New York Times list to the middle of the Amazon self-published list were all in attendance. There were master classes given by people whose names are legend, top class, A #1, writing aces, who were teaching advanced writing on really specific, detailed aspects and nuances of beat by beat, pulse by pulse thriller writing. It was totally and completely exhilarating and exhausting. The amount of sheer talent, genius, accomplishment and all around camaraderie of having million-book-selling authors in community with us mere mortals was like strapping on a rocket pack and heading into adventure.

I’m certain that here in New York, Con Edison must have registered a temporary brown out as soon as Craft Fest (the part of Thriller Fest that deals with intensive classroom study) ended and thousands of thriller writers turned on their computers all at once to check that their work had somehow conformed to what they had just learned about crafting the ultimate thriller. For myself, to quote Charlie Daniels “Sparks flew from my fingertips” (if Charlie Daniels actually said that). It was a massive baptism into the art practice, business and human side of being an author.

Story Plant Authors at Thrillerfest From L-R: Ethan Cross, Tom Avitabile, Jeremy Burns

The human element was brought to full focus as even jaded New York Times best selling authors stood online to get their book signed by Ann Rice, this year’s Thriller Master. I thought I knew a lot about writing before Thriller Fest, I feel good afterwards because it wasn’t so much for me learning, as confirming. I felt I knew the next words that the teachers, again all master thriller writers in their own right, all accomplished authors, all New York Times and Amazon best selling authors, would say. I could complete their sentence – and I did as I was in class.

So I guess it wasn’t so much a convention as a confirmation. What an incredible experience. Of course, they were all writers, no photographers, so the pictures attached are nowhere near professional.

On a side note, I was honored to be on a panel as part of Thriller Fest, again, different than Craft Fest, on a seminar on apocalyptic fiction. Sharing the panel with four distinguished authors, Brian Andrews, Robert Gleason, Ward Larsen, Jon McGoran and Mike Sherer. The panel was moderated by the legendary John Lescroart. It was my moment to add to the collective intelligence. The fun that even discussions of the apocalypse brought was just another indicator that I was in the right place.

One of this year’s class of 2013 debut writers, Kay Kendall, in addressing the morning breakfast said and I’m paraphrasing:

There's no place like home

..spending these last few days here at Thriller Fest, overhearing conversations like “Do I kill him, do I not kill him? Do I just put him in a coma?” And conversations like “Would a knife inserted between the 3rd and 4th vertebrae lead to instant death?”

Her conclusion was she was finally among her own people. Kudos to Kay, that’s exactly the way I felt.