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January 04 – January 11 , 2007 Edition

Thriller Writers Begin New Year With Big Plans

NEW YORK, NY/1/2/2007—The International Thriller Writers’ Association, one of the fastest-growing authors’ organizations in America, ended its second year in 2006 with a healthy $228,000 bank balance and big plans for the Second Annual Thriller Fest. The organization launched its official ThrillerFest website today at www.thrillerfest.com.

Bestselling author James Patterson will be keynote speaker for the 2007 event, which will take place July 12-15 in New York’s Grand Hyatt Manhattan Hotel.

Special guests for the event will include New York Times bestselling authors Vince Flynn and Lisa Gardner, six-time Edgar nominee Jeffery Deaver, and actress Heather Graham.

ITW Vice President and Treasurer David Dun, in a year-end letter to the membership, said “Just two years ago, ITW had no money in the bank. At the same time, we had many ambitions, which we had to figure out a way to finance.” The $50 membership fee charged by the organization is perhaps the lowest of any professional authors’ organizations.

Over the past two years, ITW has managed to fund the 2005 BookExpo America cocktail party, ThrillerFest, Awards, the ITW Thriller Readers Newsletter, and a staffed office. “We are going to need more income over the years, but this is a healthy start,” said Dun.

The list of organizational founders reads like a who’s who among top-selling authors and other publishing professionals.

Founding sponsors of the organization include Clive Cussler, Dirk Cussler, Faye and Jonathan Kellerman, and John Lescroart.

On the charter sponsors’ list are: Kathleen Antrim , David Baldacci, Steve Berry, Gary Braver, Sandra Brown, Dale Brown, John Case, Lee Child, Richard Curtis, Jack F. Du Brul, David Dun, Joseph Finder, Brian Garfield, Tess Gerritsen, Leslie Glass, Vicki Hinze, Lisa Jackson, Alex Kava, Deborah LeBlanc, Eric Van Lustbader, D.P. Lyle, M.D., Gayle Lynds, Brad Meltzer, David Morrell, Katherine Neville, James Patterson, Christopher Reich, James Rollins, M.J. Rose, JoAnn Ross, John Saul, Susan Arnout Smith, R.L. Stine, and Brad Thor.