The Thrill of It All: Coffee & Serial Killers

We all have been so busy this week trying to close the August isssue that I really haven’t had much time to post my impressions of Thrillerfest 2008.. So they’ll be coming in bits and pieces over the next few days.

This year I noticed a greater publisher presence and support with more galleys, parties, and even free coffee!. Random House sponsored a Thursday opening night reception at which Katherine Neville (The Fire) and Steve Berry (The Charlemagne Pursuit) signing advanced reading copies of their forthcoming thrillers. On Friday night HarperCollins hosted another reception and author signing at Otto Penzler’s Mysterious Bookshop down in Soho. The 16 authors who attended the party included Kathryn Fox, Alafair Burke, and James Rollins. 

During the conference, HarperCollins also sponsored the all-important coffee hour and live interviews with Morrow and Avon authors to go along with that coffee.I am obsessing about the coffee because last year the Grand Hyatt charged five bucks for a mediocre brew, a price that was even too high for such best-selling  stars as Lee child, let alone the thriller authors who still have kept their day jobs as lawyers, professors, nurses, and medical examiners. So this caffeine addict is eternally grateful to HC for getting her two days at Thrillerfest off to a great start. .