Hi everyone,
It is eleven o'clock in the morning and I am battling to stay awake. I arrived back in London late yesterday morning after attending Thrillerfest in New York and ever since the jet lag has been playing havoc with my internal clock. Hot Lava Java coffee (strength 5) seems to have no effect. I'm wearing my SLEEP IS FOR THE WEAK T-shirt but even this is not helping. I want my pillow!
As I think I may have mentioned before, this was my first Thrillerfest and I wasn't quite sure what to expect. On their website, the organisers describe Thrillerfest as a "summer camp" for aficionados of the thriller genre and I must say, this not a bad description. It is certainly the place to go if you want a thriller fix. Every possible topic you could think of to do with thriller writing - from how to create a villain, to how to pitch your manuscript, to essential tools for suspenseful dialogue - was covered. The whole event also had a very informal vibe to it with writers, agents, editors and fans mingling freely. I was as excited as any groupie. There I was, standing in line for my free drink along with David Baldacci and Lee Child. I not only got to sit on a panel alongside Eric van Lustbader but ended up exchanging martial arts injuries with the great man (he broke his wrist training in a dojo in Indonesia and I was able to impress him with my misshapen ankle). I even got to dip my hand into the chip bowl at the same time as David Morrell. Now, how cool is that?
I also met Jon Land. Land, an espionage thriller writer, is a New York Times bestseller, the author of 70 novels (yes, that is not a typo) with seven million books in print. He also has exquisite taste in literature and wrote the most wonderful review of Keeper of Light and Dust:
As I wanted to thank Mr. Land for his kind words, I made a point of seeking him out. He is a charming man but I must admit I was slightly taken aback when, upon introducing myself, his first words to me were: "Wow. I expected you to be - I don't know - darker - somehow." It turned out he meant more gothic - sinister - altogether gloomier of aspect. I wouldn't have thought much more of this but that same afternoon I had my one hour radio interview with Pia Lindstrom. Ms. Lindstrom - the sister of Isabella Rossellini - is a highly acclaimed broadcasting person and I was very flattered that she included me in her list of guests. The interview went well but halfway through, she asked me if I were in therapy. This came a little out of the blue and I told her no, but does she think I need it? She did not give me a clear answer to this question but she did explain that while she was reading my books (she read three of them), she couldn't help wondering if "the woman was in therapy." I am convinced that remark is going to boost my sales. You simply can't buy this kind of publicity.
As for my panel discussion -- I can state without undue modesty that I was by far the best prepared panelist present, thanks to all of you who left such great feedback at my previous blog entry. Whereas my colleagues had only their own experience to draw on, I was able to work from a much broader canvas, as it were. The topic, as you will remember was, "Is the thriller market truly international or are readers only interested in their own culture and environment?" The panel did not manage to come to a definitive conclusion but it was a fun - and informative -- event. I was surprised, for example, to discover that German readers rarely buy German suspense novels. One of the panelists -Sebastian Fitzek (whose own novel toppled Da Vinci code from the number one spot in Germany) - revealed that German readers usually opt for American fare as they consider German writers to be inferior thriller writers, if superior writers of literature. The panel leader, David Hewson, a Brit who writes detective novels about an Italian police detective called Nic Costa, created a spirited back-and forth after accusing us of desperately wanting to be loved by American audiences. Some of the panelists bristled at this accusation of neediness and I made the facetious comment that I don't care if they love me, I just want them to buy me. The truth is, of course, that it is nice to be appreciated in your own back yard but there is only one New York Times bestseller list...
Right, that's it for me! I'm heading for the coffee maker. Until next time, hope you guys are happy, healthy and having a ball!