THRILLERFEST
I’ve just attended my fourth Thrillerfest – an annual convention of thriller writers and readers that’s held in New York City every July. It’s a wonderful resource for learning how to writer thriller and suspense novels, and for networking with authors who are shaping the business: Ken Follett, Steve Berry, James Rollins, David Morrell, Heather Graham, Douglas Preston, Lisa Gardner, Gayle Lynds, (am I dropping enough names?) and this is just a partial (and some might say prejudicial) list from this year’s event.
However, my absolutely favorite, yet most reviled, part of the 4-day experience is AgentFest, two-and-a-half hours of speed dating with agents, that requires a lot of research, forethought and planning by writers, if they want to pitch to the most receptive agents during the time allow. There were about five dozen agents, although judging from the participants I spoke with, the average writer only got to talk with 10 to 14 of them. So it was important to choose wisely.
It’s my favorite part, because when multiple agents ask for a full manuscript, it really lifts your spirits; but it’s reviled, because it’s NERVE-WRACKING and the potential for failure looms large.
I got a lot of interest in Evangeline’s Ghost, YAY! But of course, someone asked me for a full synopsis (longer than the three sentence synopsis I provided on my one-page handout) so I’ve got to work on that, and someone else asked for the outline of the next book in the series (which I’ve got to hunker down and create, because while I’ve got an outline for another book in the Code Name: Evangeline series and a partial outline for A Force of Angels, there’s none for the next installment of Evangeline’s Ghost).
So the work never ends. But that’s what I want, isn’t it?
Yes. Definitely, yes.
I was just watching a video for iAd and it made me start thinking. It contained a car commercial that picked a point in the future and worked back to the product: an all-electric car.
Since Evangeline and her troupe are time travelers, I thought the futuristic travel part was interesting.
Since I’m a journalist, I thought the premise that it all began with this one car was clever.
Then they said, people won’t be asking miles per gallon anymore. They’ll be asking “miles per dollar.” That’s all well and good, unless you live in a region that has one of the highest utility rates in the country. When that “milage per dollar” is calculated, how much better off will we be, economically?
Maybe an all-electric car isn’t the answer. To really be energy efficient, a car has to be self-propelling. Rubber-bands, anyone?
Evangeline has nothing to worry about. She doesn’t need a car. Just her imagination.
Here’s the iAd video that started it all:
More Evangeline
Chapter 6 of Evangeline’s Ghost 2 has just been published and I’m hoping, if you’re reading this, you’ve already read that. But did you know you can read even more about Evangeline at www.CodeNameEvangeline.com?
HERE WE GO AGAIN
Evangeline’s Ghost is celebrating its one-year anniversary on January 17th 2010, and what better way to commemorate this milestone, than with a new adventure.
Of course, that’s just what our intrepid heroine will be doing as she and her new companions travel back in time, to enlist the help of Harry Houdini in finding a missing man.
Join us on as we embark on our journey in Evangeline’s Ghost – Book Two.
Dead…And Not So Dead
So there I was, at the Pearly Gates, and Saint Peter was ready to kiss me off to Purgatory. But I put my foot down and said I needed to avenge my murder. So here I am on earth looking for clues.
Stay tuned for ways to follow my adventure at www.EvangelinesGhost.com
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