THRILLERS – The Hot New Genre
As the International Thriller Writer’s organization (ITW) draws closer to debuting the first all-thriller conference in history, ThrillerFest (June 29-July 2, 2006), one of the foremost questions ITW has been presented with is “What defines a thriller?” Depending upon who you ask, there are many different answers to this question – thrillers don’t easily fall into one specific definition or category. What is clear from looking at sales figures and bestseller lists, however, is that thrillers are extremely popular with readers worldwide – and have been for quite some time.
Jon Jordan, editor-in-chief of CRIMESPREE magazine, a popular genre publication targeted to mystery and thriller fans, has this to say when asked his viewpoint on what defines a thriller. “At heart I feel that thrillers and mysteries each contain a crime as the core element,” a point also reaffirmed in the May 15, 2006 article of Publishers Weekly entitled, Thriller, Incorporate, by Sarah Weinman, in which David Hale Smith, of DHS Literary, says that "Thrillers are the most commercially successful category of crime fiction…”.
Thrillers also transcend the published boundaries, as Margeret Marbury, editor at MIRA Books, who is publishing the first all-thriller ITW anthology entitled THRILLER (June 2006), says in the Publishers Weekly article that thrillers today “are the closest book format to TV and movies…”
Thrillers on film and t.v. have always been successful (think Alias and “24” as well as the Jason Bourne series), however, this will be especially interesting as we look towards the opening of The Da Vinci Code, which many have described as a theological thriller and is sure to be a film event equal to its blockbuster publishing counterpart.
The lines between genres blur when you begin to think about the ties thrillers have to other genres. There are romance thrillers, spy thrillers, science fiction thrillers – thrillers fit within nearly every genre and can contain elements of other genres. For example, many thrillers also have romance aspects (the main character often has a budding love interest with a fellow character). Relating to this, many readers are often cross-genre fans, as Nanci Kalanta, owner and editor of HorrorWorld.org, a popular, award-winning site has demonstrated. Though the site is most clearly dedicated to horror (as can be clearly seen from the website’s name) Kalanta heavily reviews and features books and authors from both genres, many of whom could easily be described as mystery or thriller writers.
“Many horror fans are as equally interested in thriller or other high-action genres. It has more to do with the emotions evoked in the reader by a story than by the existence of specific plot elements,” Kalanta explained. “This is why many thriller authors write books which cross genre boundaries, or write books which are strictly thrillers as well as those which may fall clearly into the horror genre.” A suspense or horror thriller may not contain ghosts or vampires, but rather examine the horrifying depths of the human mind and what unspeakable acts we are capable of committing against one another.
Some publishing professionals have described thrillers as being proactive, while mysteries are reactive. Author MJ Rose likes to quote fellow writer Joe Finder “A mystery is a who-dun-it, and a thriller is a how-dun-it.”
The focus of ITW and ThrillerFest, taking place from June 29 – July 2, 2006 at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix, Arizona, is to explore the realm of the thriller world in a three-dimensional, interactive conference that is exciting not only for authors, but for readers as well. With panels ranging from themes such as Inside the Mind of a Thriller Writer to Special Operations: Weapons and Tactics You Don’t See in Textbooks, on to Adventures in Research; Sex in Thrillers, With Booze and a mock-trial called The People Vs. Jack Reacher, starring author Lee Child as his famed Jack Reacher character, there is sure to be something unique and interesting to fit the interests of readers and authors alike. Other features of ThrillerFest include spotlight interviews with authors such as Douglas Preston, R.L. Stine, Brad Meltzer, Sandra Brown and John Lescroart, as well as a charity auction and the 1st Annual THRILLER Awards Banquet.
(A full schedule is available at http://www.thrillerwriters.org/thrillerfest/schedule.html)
What else is ITW up to these days? For starters, fans of the thriller genre can subscribe to the free new Thriller Readers Newsletter, where subscribers can get the latest news about their favorite Thriller authors, books, and the Thriller world at large, as well as qualify to win free books. ITW also is preparing for the release of their first all-thriller anthology, called THRILLER (MIRA Books, June 2006), with signings of the anthology at chain and independent stores nationwide hosted by contributing authors starting on June 1, 2006. (For more information about signing days, times and locations, please check the website at www.thrillerbook.com, as well as enter to win a signed copy of the anthology). And while ITW is still gearing up for the 2006 event, believe it or not, they are already well into the planning stages for ThrillerFest 2007…
Stayed tuned to future columns for more details about ThrillerFest and a behind-the-scenes look at this exciting event. Play the ITW/ThrillerFest Contest at http://www.horrorworld.org/contest.htm. Answer Questions about Your Favorite Thriller Authors for a Chance to Win Prizes Including Books, Gift-Certificates, CD’s, the THRILLER Anthology (a collections of short stories by 32 ITW members) and much more!
LUNCH WITH R.L. STINE, GO TO JACK REACHER’S TRAIL, LEARN HOW DAVID MORRELL’S FIRST BLOOD BECAME A MOVIE, FOLLOW TESS GERRITSEN’S TEAM OF FORENSIC INVESTIGATORS, DINE (Not Die) WITH JOHN LESCROART, ATTEND THE THRILLER AWARDS BANQUET, RUB SHOULDERS WITH SANDRA BROWN, BRAD MELTZER AND DOUG PRESTON, BE THERE FOR THE DEBUT OF THE THRILLER ANTHOLOGY –
THRILLERFEST IS NOT YOUR AVERAGE CONFERENCE.
ThrillerFest 2006. Thursday, June 29 – Sunday, July 2, 2006.
The Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa, 2400 East Missouri Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85016 800-950-0086
Register at www.ThrillerFest.com;www.internationalthrillerwriters.com
Jon Jordan, editor-in-chief of CRIMESPREE magazine, a popular genre publication targeted to mystery and thriller fans, has this to say when asked his viewpoint on what defines a thriller. “At heart I feel that thrillers and mysteries each contain a crime as the core element,” a point also reaffirmed in the May 15, 2006 article of Publishers Weekly entitled, Thriller, Incorporate, by Sarah Weinman, in which David Hale Smith, of DHS Literary, says that "Thrillers are the most commercially successful category of crime fiction…”.
Thrillers also transcend the published boundaries, as Margeret Marbury, editor at MIRA Books, who is publishing the first all-thriller ITW anthology entitled THRILLER (June 2006), says in the Publishers Weekly article that thrillers today “are the closest book format to TV and movies…”
Thrillers on film and t.v. have always been successful (think Alias and “24” as well as the Jason Bourne series), however, this will be especially interesting as we look towards the opening of The Da Vinci Code, which many have described as a theological thriller and is sure to be a film event equal to its blockbuster publishing counterpart.
The lines between genres blur when you begin to think about the ties thrillers have to other genres. There are romance thrillers, spy thrillers, science fiction thrillers – thrillers fit within nearly every genre and can contain elements of other genres. For example, many thrillers also have romance aspects (the main character often has a budding love interest with a fellow character). Relating to this, many readers are often cross-genre fans, as Nanci Kalanta, owner and editor of HorrorWorld.org, a popular, award-winning site has demonstrated. Though the site is most clearly dedicated to horror (as can be clearly seen from the website’s name) Kalanta heavily reviews and features books and authors from both genres, many of whom could easily be described as mystery or thriller writers.
“Many horror fans are as equally interested in thriller or other high-action genres. It has more to do with the emotions evoked in the reader by a story than by the existence of specific plot elements,” Kalanta explained. “This is why many thriller authors write books which cross genre boundaries, or write books which are strictly thrillers as well as those which may fall clearly into the horror genre.” A suspense or horror thriller may not contain ghosts or vampires, but rather examine the horrifying depths of the human mind and what unspeakable acts we are capable of committing against one another.
Some publishing professionals have described thrillers as being proactive, while mysteries are reactive. Author MJ Rose likes to quote fellow writer Joe Finder “A mystery is a who-dun-it, and a thriller is a how-dun-it.”
The focus of ITW and ThrillerFest, taking place from June 29 – July 2, 2006 at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix, Arizona, is to explore the realm of the thriller world in a three-dimensional, interactive conference that is exciting not only for authors, but for readers as well. With panels ranging from themes such as Inside the Mind of a Thriller Writer to Special Operations: Weapons and Tactics You Don’t See in Textbooks, on to Adventures in Research; Sex in Thrillers, With Booze and a mock-trial called The People Vs. Jack Reacher, starring author Lee Child as his famed Jack Reacher character, there is sure to be something unique and interesting to fit the interests of readers and authors alike. Other features of ThrillerFest include spotlight interviews with authors such as Douglas Preston, R.L. Stine, Brad Meltzer, Sandra Brown and John Lescroart, as well as a charity auction and the 1st Annual THRILLER Awards Banquet.
(A full schedule is available at http://www.thrillerwriters.org/thrillerfest/schedule.html)
What else is ITW up to these days? For starters, fans of the thriller genre can subscribe to the free new Thriller Readers Newsletter, where subscribers can get the latest news about their favorite Thriller authors, books, and the Thriller world at large, as well as qualify to win free books. ITW also is preparing for the release of their first all-thriller anthology, called THRILLER (MIRA Books, June 2006), with signings of the anthology at chain and independent stores nationwide hosted by contributing authors starting on June 1, 2006. (For more information about signing days, times and locations, please check the website at www.thrillerbook.com, as well as enter to win a signed copy of the anthology). And while ITW is still gearing up for the 2006 event, believe it or not, they are already well into the planning stages for ThrillerFest 2007…
Stayed tuned to future columns for more details about ThrillerFest and a behind-the-scenes look at this exciting event. Play the ITW/ThrillerFest Contest at http://www.horrorworld.org/contest.htm. Answer Questions about Your Favorite Thriller Authors for a Chance to Win Prizes Including Books, Gift-Certificates, CD’s, the THRILLER Anthology (a collections of short stories by 32 ITW members) and much more!
LUNCH WITH R.L. STINE, GO TO JACK REACHER’S TRAIL, LEARN HOW DAVID MORRELL’S FIRST BLOOD BECAME A MOVIE, FOLLOW TESS GERRITSEN’S TEAM OF FORENSIC INVESTIGATORS, DINE (Not Die) WITH JOHN LESCROART, ATTEND THE THRILLER AWARDS BANQUET, RUB SHOULDERS WITH SANDRA BROWN, BRAD MELTZER AND DOUG PRESTON, BE THERE FOR THE DEBUT OF THE THRILLER ANTHOLOGY –
THRILLERFEST IS NOT YOUR AVERAGE CONFERENCE.
ThrillerFest 2006. Thursday, June 29 – Sunday, July 2, 2006.
The Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa, 2400 East Missouri Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85016 800-950-0086
Register at www.ThrillerFest.com;www.internationalthrillerwriters.com
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