The ‘Best’ Thrillers, More from ThrillerFest

Posted on
3

What are the very best thrillers?

Of the many panels I attended at ThrillerFest, this question was often asked of the speakers, most of whom were thriller authors themselves. I tried to get their answers down in my notes and then compiled a list, which I share with you below.

So, here is my terribly subjective, painfully unscientific list of the best thrillers as selected by the panelists. Some of these have a particular context, such as best “smart” thriller. Some are simply the panelists’ favorites. Some are the best overall. Regardless, they should provide a great reading list for thriller fans.

  • Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell
  • Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith
  • Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth
  • Defending Jacob by William Landay (upcoming in 2012)
  • Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett
  • Gorky Park by Martin Cruz Smith
  • Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
  • Red Dragon by Thomas Harris
  • The Little Drummer Girl by John le Carre
  • The Red Fox by Anthony Hyde
  • The Secret History by Donna Tartt
  • The Tiger and the Smoke by Margery Allingham
  • Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carre

Feel free to add you own favorites in the comments section.

The Importance of Subplot, More Notes from ThrillerFest

Posted on
3

Talks at ThrillerFest, which I attended two weeks ago, covered a lot of ground. One of the most interesting was a panel titled “How Do You Thicken the Plot: Subplots and How to Make Them Shine.”

Of course, a strong plot is critical to a good thriller. But a single plot line can get pretty old, pretty fast. Enter the subplot.

Subplots, the panel explained, add texture to the story. They provide an opportunity for the writer to create emotional friction between characters. Also, subplots can allow writers to diffuse the darkness and violence that are so important to thrillers, saving the story from becoming too depressing. Humor can work wonders here.

The panelists provided some tips in creating subplots:

  • Subplots must add tension to the story, or else they don’t belong in a thriller.
  • They must feel immediate, with action. They should not be exposition.
  • Put them in when action in the main story gets to be too much.
  • Chart your main plot and subplots, and make sure not too much time goes by before a subplot reappears.
  • Romance is a great feature in subplots, giving characters the opportunity for some happiness.

This panel featured: Wendy Corsi Staub (moderator), Daniel Friedman, Mark Greaney, J.L. Hughes, Chris Knopf, Jeremy Robinson and Emily Winslow.

Dissecting the Thriller, Notes from ThrillerFest

Posted on
4

I had the pleasure of attending ThrillerFest this past weekend in NYC. It was a great opportunity to hear from some of my favorite authors and learn a bit more about the craft of writing thrillers.

One panel titled “Tricks of the Trade: Are There Must-Haves in Thrillers?” was particularly interesting as it looked at those items that are essential for thrillers — and some that are not. Here are my notes from the panel.

Of course, everyone agreed initially on the standards needed in thrillers: tension, pace, momentum. Then, it got interesting.

Information, the panel noted, can be a problem. While a certain amount of information is essential — backstory, description, etc. — it can also be a speed bump that hurts the pace of the story and breaks the tension.

Speaking of pace, the speakers raised an issue with pacing in general. Thrillers, it seems, can have too much. Panelists mentioned a particular thriller affliction called adrenal fatigue, where by the end of the story the reader is quite spent from the effort. Humor is one way to address this, cutting the tension, making the story fun to read, and then allowing the author to ratchet the tension back up.

Sex? In thrillers, the panel said, it’s not the act itself but the sexual tension that makes this work in the context of a thriller. Think sitcoms here. Moonlighting. Cheers.

Toward the end, the panel took on the question: What spoils a thriller? Here are some of the peeves discussed.

  • Not wrapping up all the loose ends. Don’t forget the roundup.
  • Poorly crafted character and voice.
  • Too much backstory dumped in the beginning.
  • Writers inserting themselves into the story. Authors need to be invisible.

Members of this ThrillerFest panel were: Karen Dionne (moderator), Mike Cooper, Joe Moore, William Craig Reed, Larry D. Thompson, Norb Vonnegut, F. Paul Wilson.

Harry Potter eBooks Coming

Posted on
Reply

After holding out for quite some time, J.K. Rowling has decided to make the Harry Potter series available via ebooks.

I’m really thrilled to hear this. I like the Harry Potter series and feel like those thick books are just made for the Kindle. I know kids struggle to carry these volumes around in their book bags. Now, they can just download them.

Rowling is going to make these books available herself on a special website dedicated to the Potter tales, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The free-to-access site, known as Pottermore, launches for the first million users on July 31 and opens to the general public—with the online e-book store—in October. Once the online store opens, the full Harry Potter series will be available as e-books in multiple languages, compatible with any electronic reading device.

I know I’ll be logging in come October to start downloading. Wonder if I’ll need a wand?

Author John Locke Sells 1 Million Kindle Books

Posted on
3

John Locke, a thriller author whose Donovan Creed novels I’ve enjoyed, has just surpassed 1 million ebooks sold for the Amazon Kindle.

This is quite an achievement, particularly given that Locke is a self-published author without the marketing muscle of a major literary house behind him. According to ReadWriteWeb:

Since the Kindle’s launch, Amazon has heralded each new arrival into what it calls the “Kindle Million Club,” the group of authors who have sold over 1 million Kindle e-books. There have been seven authors in this club up ’til now – some of the big names in publishing: Stieg Larsson, James Patterson, and Nora Roberts for example.

I love Larsson’s “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” books and Patterson’s mystery/thrillers. But Locke’s are different. He writes in a powerful, tough-guy, first-person voice and his plots are wild, pushing the bounds of reality as far as possible… and sometimes beyond. Locke’s books are always a quick read, perfect for those who want some easily digestible entertainment.

The other thing to know about John Locke’s novels is they are priced at 99 cents, and this seems to be a magic price point for Kindle best sellers. I’ll give just about any book a shot for 99 cents. And maybe that is the secret.

At any rate, congratulations to John Locke for his great achievement. To commemorate it, he’s come out with a new Kindle book, “How I Sold 1 Million eBooks in 5 Months!” Unfortunately, this one’s selling for $4.99.

I’ll probably buy it anyway…

En Passant, a Short Story

Posted on
Reply

I’m happy to post my first short story to this blog. It’s titled En Passant.

This story is a thriller and I’ve pasted the summary below. Any feedback you have would be great, as I intend to write lots more of these.

En Passant

Daniel Silverman, a chess grandmaster from New York City, awakens to find himself abducted, bound and utterly helpless in a dingy room somewhere in Morocco. He had traveled to the west coast of Africa to play in a major international tournament. Yet, his captors believe his trip had an altogether different purpose. Right or wrong, Daniel is about to play the opening moves of the toughest — and undoubtedly most dangerous — game of his life.

Read the story. (Length, 4,600 words)

Short Stories Coming Soon

Posted on
Reply

In an effort to get back to writing regularly, I’m going to begin posting short stories to this blog.

My first efforts will be in the thriller/mystery genre. I’ve been doing a lot of reading in these categories lately — particularly thrillers — and I have really been enjoying it. So I thought I’d give it a go.

I’ll set up a page for my short stories, where anyone can read them for free.

Of course, I’ll do a blog post on each to let you know when they’re available.

Kindle Sales Surpass Physical Books on Amazon.com

Posted on
Reply

It was bound to happen. Amazon.com has announced that since April 1, 2011, it has sold 105 Kindle ebooks for every 100 physical books sold on the site.

This is great news — for a couple of reasons.

To my mind, ebooks are superior to printed books in every way, so I’m happy to see them succeed. This means they’ll continue to evolve, as will the devices we read them on. How are ebooks superior? You can download them immediately upon purchase. Your can take your entire library with you in a small, light device. And reading them is a pleasure, with built-in conveniences like varied font sizes and a dictionary that works automatically with any highlighted word.

My excitement as a reader, however, is nearly surpassed by my excitement as a writer. Kindle books, and those of other platforms, are a godsend for authors of all sorts. There are writers today who have built huge audiences for their books strictly on ebook platforms. Amanda Hocking and John Locke come to mind.

No longer are writers required to play the agent/publishing house game. They can if they want. But it’s not a requirement. This is the free market at its best. Writers can simply upload and readers can download, with no middlemen, or gatekeepers, in the mix.

Clearly, we’ll see a whole new generations of writers emerge based on the freedom and power of this platform. They’ll do thrilling new things and old things in entirely new ways.

Perhaps I’ll even be uploading something myself in the not too distant future…