THRILLERFEST FIRST-TIMERS TELL US
In May, I wrote an article about my experience attending ThrillerFest (the annual conference of the International Thriller Writers – ITW) for the first time, including some suggestions for fuller participation. So, now that you’ve gone to your first ThrillerFest (TF), how was it? Playing roving ITW reporter, I interviewed several attendees to get their post-conference comments.
Several attendees thought TF not only met their initial expectations but exceeded them. Bob Riccio said he “left with 40 pages of single-spaced notes, answers to his questions from the famous authors he’s read and admired, six new debut/aspiring friends, and five agent/editor/publisher contacts.”
With so many classes, panels, and programs going on during TF, attending them all is impossible, and it may be even harder to choose those they enjoyed most. But one of Vicky Oliver’s favorites was the seminar on the mind of a serial killer. Her principal goal in attending TF was to “meet editorial and agent contacts and make some writerly contacts as well.… ThrillerFest was particularly well organized for networking.”
The most satisfying part of TF for Daniel Rhone was PitchFest, a success for him. “That made the rest of the conference gravy.” But his favorite panel was the Indy Publishing panel, “which gave me the most practical information.” Wendy Bradford’s favorite part of TF was the MasterClass she attended, and “the instructor and participants…made me feel very comfortable.”
Read what others had to say in my article in The Big Thrill.
