Kimberley Howe, executive director of the International Thriller Writers association.KORBY BANNER/Supplied
ThrillerFest, the annual conference of the International Thriller Writers (ITW), is happening this week at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel, in Manhattan. Why is the event, this year celebrating its 19th year, so popular? It is no mystery, says Canada’s Kimberley Howe, ITW executive director.
Who comes to Thrillerfest?
It’s a great opportunity for someone to come and network and learn. Books, of course, have blurbs – Lee Child blurbs this or Michael Connelly blurbs that. A lot of that networking and opportunities for author endorsements come from meeting people at Thrillerfest. But even if you don’t want to write a book, you can still come as a fan and meet your favourite author.
The first Thrillerfest took place in Scottsdale, Ariz., in 2006. Why has it been in New York ever since?
We can ask some of the top editors and publishers in the industry to walk down the street and join us for lectures and sessions. It is hard to replace that. It would be impossible to fund flying them all out to other locations. We also have something we call Pitchfest, which is a kind of speed dating for aspiring authors to meet literary agents. A lot of agents are based New York, and we have more than 60 agents attending. It’s not easy get to them in one place.
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Is that why you have the cocktail parties?
How did you know our secret? Yes, the cocktails parties are definitely a highlight – we have one every night. It’s about sharing the love of the genre. We’ve had actors who come. Eriq La Salle, from the television series ER, has written two thrillers now. Jon Lindstrom, from General Hospital, is coming this year with his debut thriller. You meet fascinating people at the parties.
Am I wrong or does the thriller genre seem to draw authors who come to fiction writing late?
A lot of the people in our crowd are accomplished in different careers. Most people you meet will tell you that they’ve always wanted to write a book. But it takes a lot of energy and time. So, we have dedicated craft sessions for aspiring writers. And we have masterclasses where 10 people sit in a room with a New York Times bestselling author and study the genre and the craft. They each get a 10-page critique on their writing.
Can you define what the thriller genre encompasses exactly?
It depends on what country you’re speaking about. The U.K. can be different than Canada and the United States. But, really, it’s mysteries and thrillers. Mysteries are the who-done-its. There’s a dead body at the beginning of the novel, but you don’t find out who did it until the end. The thrillers are more about a ticking time clock of some sort. Something is going to happen and the protagonist is going to try to stop it. So, they’re a little different, but I see it all as crime fiction.
The genre is booming. What accounts for the popularity?
When you read novels, you experience emotions. Perhaps when you read a romance novel, you have hope – hope for love, hope for happy endings. When you read science fiction, it’s more about wonder and awe. With mysteries, it’s more about logic and puzzle solving. People want to figure out who did this before the author reveals it. Thrillers attract adrenalin junkies – people who live vicariously through a Jason Bourne, let’s say, without getting off the couch and taking that real risk.
It’s been said that crime novels put the balance back into life. That evil is punished, and the good guys usually win. Do you agree?
Yes, and it is justice in a very satisfying form. Like I said, without any risk to the reader. What could be better, really?
This interview has been edited and condensed.