Bookwild - 2024 ThrillerFest Recap with Olivia Day Wallace and Lori Brand

Episode Date: June 7, 2024

This week, Olivia Day Wallace and Lori Brand join the podcast and tell me all about their experiences at ThrillerFest!  They share their most memorable moments, their favorite panels and new books that grabbed their attention.Books We Talked AboutThe DenSuch a Bad InfluenceA Friend in the DarkThe Drowning WomanSyndicate SpyFor WorseSing Her Down Get Bookwild MerchCheck Out My Stories Are My Religion SubstackCheck Out Author Social Media PackagesCheck out the Bookwild Community on PatreonCheck out the Imposter Hour Podcast with Liz and GregFollow @imbookwild on InstagramOther Co-hosts On Instagram:Gare Billings @gareindeedreadsSteph Lauer @books.in.badgerlandHalley Sutton @halleysutton25Brian Watson @readingwithbrian 

I'm here with Lori Brand and Olivia Day Wallace, who both went to Thriller Fest, and they're going to share all kinds of stuff about the event. They kind of both went to different things, so I'm super excited to dive into all of the experiences that you both had. All right, super. I think I can talk Thriller Fest all day, every day. Yeah. Yeah. Yes. Well, starting off, have either of you guys been there before or, like, what number of times was this for you to go?

This was my third time. So this was my, is your third? Okay, this was my second time. I went last year. Yeah, two years in a row. Cool. Yeah. Nice.

So you guys were kind of, you're kind of familiar with it by now. Yeah. I mean, the thing is to, like, so Frue Ler Fest is, like, it depends on what you're going for, I think, of what you want to. experience. So if you're a writer, I highly like recommend the early part of the week doing master class, craft fest, getting like a series, all the effects together, but it's all really to help around the craft of writing and like being prepared to go out on looking for an agent. And if you are, so if you're a fan, I would think coming later in the week is a much better thing. So you're going to have Thursday, Friday, Saturday, which is much, well, Thursday night.

But that's much more heavy on just authors being there and networking and seeing people and stuff. So it just depends on what experience you find out where you go. I love the whole week. I find every year except for this woman with the whole week. Yeah. Yeah. That's so cool. So you, Olivia, you went to, you said you went to query fest and Pistress.

Those are separate things. The way it works. Yeah. Crafts Fest. Okay. So they all have all these bests together, like the naming conventions, you know. Yeah, yeah. So craft is about the craft.

So what we do in those sessions is that there's deep dive into a topic around the craft of writing. So like when I went to that hosted out to me was around genre funding because that's a huge that thing that's really hot in the publishing world right now, blending genres. So I went to that. And I was looking more of like a kind of a deeper dive into the time. But then the other two things, I did as an aspiring author I highly recommend.

So queries, basically is that I submitted, and I signed up for them. These are individual prices. You can just pay for each slot. You get up to five slots, but you have to pay for these slides. And you submit ahead of time with your query, which is what you used as you're coming. What is to become off and you want to get an agent

to do a query letter is part of the process to get with you. So you do your, you bring your query and then like your first five pages of your manuscript and they gave you feedback. So it's just about like what's going to catch your five or in the first part of your like your management is this good enough in the first two pages to catch an agent, that kind of thing. So it's really specific where I'm focused on your . And then pitch fest you had 61 agents there and editors that are across all these different rooms and so you get three minutes with each person you want to get in line for.

So you should do your research ahead of time, highly strongly, strongly recommend you do your research ahead of time, so you don't waste your time in a line where the age is like, I won't even represent that. So you basically you go three minutes with the ages to say like, my name is Olivia, this is my book, here's what's about, and then they ask a couple questions, and then they either say, okay, you know, send me a query, send me a partial, like 25 pages, 50 pages, or send me the full management. So, and I left with, no. Olivia, will you do it for us? Will you do it for us? Will you give us your pitch? Oh, okay. Shoot.

Okay, I was hoping you would. Okay. She tried. Okay. Okay. I totally shared with you for sure. Okay, okay. Okay, okay.

Okay. Okay. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. So, okay.

Okay. Okay. Yeah. I just got to finish it. But, but, so. So it might as well. It is definitely an investment. This is not a cheap conference to go to, but it feels like it just feels a little bit

like you're investing into the future career. He's all the networking you which to do, not only with agents or with other authors and editors and publishers and all this stuff. It's truly incredible. And as a fan, I have a fan story later, but like it's amazing. Yeah. Uh-huh. Nice.

I want to say, too, I want to piggyback. on what Olivia just said there, right? It's about it being an investment, right, in yourself, right? If you're starting to think that you would like to be a writer, it's not just an investment in networking and in meeting people, but it is really an investment in yourself. It's that you're starting to see yourself as a writer. You know, I'm somebody who takes this serious,

you know, that you're taking it seriously. I think that it's a really, for new aspiring authors, it's hard to consider yourself a writer. You know what I mean? It sounds silly, but it is. It's kind of hard to say I'm a writer. So going to something like this makes you start to go, maybe I am a writer, you know?

They, you know, went through different things. You've gotten 57 rejections, you know, before they got it. Those things are hugely valuable to a writer earlier than a career time to get to where we all are. Yeah. It's just being published. Yeah. very much so and just and just I want to um who I'm just trying to look at I've got my thing here

I went to a really good oh what's the guy's name I went to a really good good talk like the psychology of a writer or something like that and it was really good yes were you there that was my okay that that was my favorite one so he he he he he is my my favorite but but I really liked about it. And I'm going to, I'm going to get some of these facts sort of wrong. But they're overall, right? I think he wrote, Olivia, did he say he wrote like five books before one actually got published?

It was, so to hear somebody who's a successful author who has a lot of books out there right now in the world, and to hear that it took him five, five tries, and then not only that, but then I think, like, some of his earlier books, like, I think he sold it. and like the publisher went on a business or something. So you hear, you hear these, you hear these horror stories,

but it, but to, to see that he persevered, right? He, he just got back up and he tried again and again and again. And if there are like people out there who are listening to this, who are interested in,

in writing, I mean, that's, that's really what writing is. Like, if you want, if you want to get published commercially, it is getting up again and again and again.

And just to hear, and you hear from so many, people, you know, I was there for several days, so many people tell you their journey to publication. And I can't tell you how many people wrote more than one book, right? Their first one, they didn't get an queer, or they didn't get an agent for, or they got an agent, but the agent could sell it, it, died on submission, or, you know, just, just various things that happened or, like, it's great to realize because you might end up yourself in a similar situation, not to lose hope. And that if these things happen to you, right,

and the same thing happened to somebody else and look how famous it became, right? They made it work anyway. So CJ Box was there. He talked about how he actually wrote one of his books, what is in this first one. Yes. He wrote one, got an agent.

Then the agent had it for like two or three years. This was before, like we're doing those things electronically. Agent died and he didn't even know. So if CJ Box can go from not even knowing if he just passed away, to now being where he is at with his series. Like, it's fine. Like, we can all get that.

It's stuff like that really, but, like, not, not that's referring that his agent has to. But, like, that she's like, okay, long, and still keep going. And that is the huge thing that is, it, especially, I mean, Kate, you put, you know, this book that you're writing as well, but it's such a solo experience. It's so, you're on her own. And I recently, like, I'm still trying to adjust or come back down after it's really fast. but personally, I was, I feel so great about my goal, super confident, really great, like, I'm good. I'm in this morning.

I was like, oh, my God, I'm terrible. Like, I didn't, what is happening? Why am I even thinking about doing this? Who am I? Well, this is a stupid concept, all the things. And so, it happens so much in your mind, but knowing that other authors and you created a network and met other people that you could just like, hey, I'm kind of losing my mind here. I'm talking off a ledge.

It makes such a difference. Yeah. I once had an author tell me, I can't remember who it was now, but it was somebody who was established. It was somebody who sold like maybe eight books or something. It was somebody who, you know, I was, I don't know, say, you have to have a hard time, but on my second, I'm working on a second book right now. And God, I can't remember if it's a man or woman, but they said to me, don't worry. Every book tries to kill itself at least once, you know, like, I know, like, you're like, I should just quit. I just quit. He's a lot.

Every book tries to kill itself at least once. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Yes. Yeah.

Yeah. That is cool, though, that you have to hear those kind of stories because it is. It's like, everything's so overwhelming, especially when you're working. Like, I'm just working on my first story ever, basically. And so it's like, I have all the headdrafts of like, I've never even finished. a manuscript, like, that's never even happened. So I don't even have the like part in my head that's like, oh, you've done this before. Like, you'll be able to finish it. So it's like even just like sitting down and writing like you were saying this morning for you, Olivia, like same thing. Like I was writing before this and I was like, this is all just stupid though. I'm like these words don't even matter like are these words even good you know it does it's so helpful that people talk to you know what was a really good

somebody wants to actually I got I know where I got this one I got this one off of the podcast the shit no one tells you about writing um write a crappy first draft just plow ahead get it done doesn't if you think it's not working out just just plow ahead work it out and it's when you're done yeah yeah Sally and I were talking about that because we've like heard that and both of us are like, but is it supposed to be this shitty? Like when we look at what we've written. Oh, I was talking about like so writing, you know,

know, there's this idea or write the shitty first draft. I think like Anne Patchett said that, right? Okay, yeah. So I'm going to try this time every 10,000 words draft and then go back and revise and draft because I don't know. that's going to work as well or not, but that's what I'm going to try this time, because when I were like, I lose track of things. Like you, you probably experience this, but like, you put a clue somewhere. Unbelievable. Unbelievable. I can't. It's okay. You're totally okay.

Okay. But you put a clue up somewhere, but then you forget about it. Yeah. Yes. So I'm trying to like, how can I make it a little bit more efficient for me. of still being able to be like enhancing and discovery. So you know what I do? I have a side Excel sheet going on. So I have each chapter as a row in an Excel document because sometimes I'll think of something, but I won't want to, I just want to keep going ahead

or there'll be something I want to note. And so I'll make a note like chapter three, you know, I don't know, should this be. be happening, question mark or something. Yeah. Or some clue that I'm going to want to pop in later, you know, like make sure to use this later or something in future scene. Like I'll put a little note and an Excel doc and then I'll just plow ahead.

Yeah. Yeah. That's a good idea. Yeah. It helps. Yeah. I didn't do that the first time. You're learning.

Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So Lori, you did a craft fest as well. You did. You guys both did that. We both did craft fest, but I also did master class. So master class is on Tuesday. It's like the first, it's the first official thing. And that's an individual, that's a class of up to 10 people. And you have a master teacher, like somebody who's well known. You know, like last year, last year, last year,

I did it in Mary Kubica, who is like the nicest person ever. She was our master class teacher. This year, my master class teacher was Hank Felipe Ryan. And you get to select, you get to select your top three. There's maybe 10 or 8 or something to choose from. And I actually, you're supposed to pick your top three. I actually said, can I just pick one? I actually wrote down like, I'm just going to pick Hank Felipe Ryan.

And if that's not okay, let me know. So, my God. That's amazing. Yeah, but anyway. And then what we did do is, so Hank did hers kind of different than Mary Kubikas last year. So Mary Kubikas, so ahead of time, the first 10 pages of everybody's manuscript gets sent out. And then we all, all the students review it. And then in the class in Mary Kubikas, we all reviewed each other.

Like we would take turns. Like we'd all, like as a class, we would review one. And then we'd move on to the next. and she kind of like led the discussion, but like other people got to say things too. And it was really powerful if like you thought something made sense and like eight people were all like, I don't understand what's going on here.

Like that was like your big tip off, that it really doesn't make sense, right? And then Hank, Hank didn't, we didn't go into each individual manuscript so much as we talked about, she more like lectured on like the story process. and like like different parts of a story. But then she would reference the manuscripts.

Like she'd say like like as so and so did in this one or so and so did in that one. And then because we didn't do a deep dive into the individual manuscripts, she was offering a half hour with each person as an individual. So like I have a one-on-one coming up with her this Friday for a half an hour where she will give me personalized feedback on those first 10 pages. So that's kind of nice. That is amazing. Hank is someone who like she does that.

I don't even know how she keeps up with, like, her inbox. I don't know either. Everywhere. And always, like, just email me directly. And she's like, wow, you just want hundreds of people to email you. Okay. Did you take her class, too? Did you do you take her?

I think in other classes where she's been the instructor. Last year, I had Claire McIntosh as my instructor. Before that, I had did it very differently. So I think if each instructor gets to choose, how to do it. Yeah. So you know what I heard about J.D. Barker's class last year. I didn't take his, but one of my friends took his. And you can tell me this is true if the same thing happened to add the one that you took, okay? So my friend said, everybody starts off with their hand in the air and then each person, yep, okay, and then you have to, like, Kate, if you wrote your first

10 pages, so all 10 of us have our hands in the air, and then you start to read your manuscript. And then we're all supposed to put our hands down. You put your own hand down whenever you, you would quit reading whenever you'd put the manuscript down. And so... And so, like, different hands start to come down at different points. And the person who I know, she said, like, she felt it was really intimidated. She was like, oh, my God. You know, because I think, I think, like, all the hands were down by the time that, like,

she got to her second page or something like that. It was a big tip off for her. Yeah, it was a big tip off for her that, like, maybe she needed to work on that. first page, right? Oh, man. It was powerful. It was totally powerful. I bet.

It was a powerful moment, like, doing it in there in that session. Like, when I did it, it was that my first time I took away fast. It was my first ever anything. So my last book was the first work of fiction I've ever tried to write. That was hers, too. The quarter of the way in. Yeah. So quarter of the way in, like, definitely was going to thrill or fest for learning.

Like, I was going to talk. I was like, I have no idea what I'm doing. So I took Master class. and so that was the first time anyone had ever heard or seen any of my work. So you had no, you had no calluses, right? You were, you were no calluses,

okay. Yeah. Yeah. I'll give me some of it. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, it was interesting. But like Claire did it.

She did it very much like Mary, like you were saying, they went through, we went through every manuscript. We kind of went in depth about what was going on, and then tied it back to overarching. themes around structure and pacing and different things like that. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So I think masterclass is, again, it's an extra fee, but to me it was really worth it. Like I really enjoyed it. And now, like, Claire McAchette, I say hi to her. She knows who I am. And it's like, great, because I can be like, hey, you know, whatever.

So it's just, it's a worthwhile thing to learn from somebody who truly is an master. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I think so, too. Yeah. I got to say one more thing about Hank Felipe, if you're right, but a nice person she is too.

Okay, so last year was my first thriller fest, and I was trying to get, Kate, the elevators at the hotel just suck, okay? They completely suck. There's all sorts of problems with the elevators. Oh, no. Somehow I got, like, lost. I got turned around.

The elevator was to work. I don't know what was going on, but somehow I was late to get to some panel that I really wanted to go to. You know, like there was one that I really wanted to go to, and I was, and I remember I got, I finally got out of, came out of the light out of the elevator and I was looking around I must have looked really confused and maybe a little bit frantic I don't know I was like like looking around like this there was nobody else around or anything because they were all in the classes um but Hank was out there and she she turned

and she looked at me and she said you look lost and I said yeah I am lost and um and so I told her where I was trying to get she kind of put her arm around me she's like you need to go over here and she kind of like led me that way. You know what I mean? Like she didn't trust me to like get around the corner and find the right place because I was like completely scattered. But she kind of like shepherded me around the quarter. Go right through that room.

And I was like, okay. Yeah. Yeah, that's the first time I met her. Yeah. I have two similar stories. One was last year I did query fast with my last manuscript and one of the agents like eviscerated me. Like, I, like, up, I was like, okay, like, a bitcher.

Really? Yeah. Like, what's up? Really? I mean, literally was like, I got nothing out of these faces. He's kind of tossed there. It was, so I was like, I didn't talk that I got elsewhere, but I'm good to know.

So I'm, like, walking down the hall, and I'm super, I obviously was on my face, and I was just like, what's that just happened? And then Lear Maconcastlead saw me in the hallway, she's like, wait, what's going on? What's going on? This was after I had a master class. She stopped me. I wanted to talk and, like, he was going on and, like, trying to give me some words to encourage me, which was really nice.

Wow. Wow. I didn't have to do that. Like, yeah. And then this year, I started doing pitch fest, and my first two pitches didn't go so great. And so I was like, I feel my own had been good. So I was like, this doesn't really think.

Something's going, I'm doing something wrong. And I was walking out. And then there was a group of ITW staff members and Danube. yelled Gerard. They were standing in a circle and I kind of walked up and was like, you know, I don't know what's going on. And they were like, give us your pitch. So I gave the pitch. They told me a couple of ideas how to rework it. And then I started getting requests when I went back. Like that is how amazing this community is. They literally will just stop or something's wrong. Let's see how we can help you. It's unbelievable. It feels like you're in a parallel

universe. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And then there's like a cocktail party like every night on top of it. Yeah. Like all day long you're like thinking, thinking, thinking, like working, working, working. And then at night, you go and you have like a couple of drinks, you know, it's like, it's like an exhausting like few days, but it's fun. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Randomly, like it's related. But when I decided a few years ago, I wanted to start a podcast where I interviewed authors, Ashley Winstead was like the second one that said yes. Okay. It's so wild. Like, she said, in my dreams had just come out. But anyway, so she was on the podcast, but I, like, always remember in, especially when people tell stories like what you guys just did.

I was remember her telling me, I don't even know if it was on air. It might have been when we were talking after it. She was, like, the thriller community is amazing. And she was, like, all the authors are nice. Like, most of the readers are really nice and supportive. And so she, like, mentioned it back then. And I was like, oh, that's really cool to know. Because I just, like, at the time, this was like four years ago.

Like, I was like, I don't know if people are going to respond to me when I have, like, two podcast episodes. And then when he came back for, I can't remember which one it was, she was doing, it might, I think she didn't do that one. So it must have been when she did midnight is the darkest hour. Okay. Okay. She was talking about how she had experience in the romance community now.

And she was like, I can't say that it's the same over. there. And I was like... I've heard that they're not very nice. I've heard that. Yeah. Because we get all of our anger

and darkness out all the page. Right. So all those forces like happiness and they're just writing all happy things and then they're like... Yeah. So here in thrillers, it generally feels like

a mystery thriller suspense out, that whole, all of it. It generally feels like everybody wants to pull up the next person behind them. Yeah. And because we know drill readers are voracious.

Yeah, that's true. like books like many couple books a week or whatever yeah yeah there's room for everybody who it doesn't feel as carnivorous i think as some of the other yeah yeah yeah this is my guess because i don't know yeah yeah yeah who knows but i love like the almost it's almost a dichotomy that like the thriller the thriller people are the really nice ones but i love it yeah it's very true it's very true so Do either of you guys have, like, a most memorable moment from this thriller fest? Or you may have shared it already.

I have one that's not, it's a smaller moment, but it was really big for me, kind of, just because it was like, holy, holy, that's right. I can, I can say it. Say it. Okay. Okay. So my, I'm actually not going to give any clues so I don't give away who this person is. I'll just say it's a woman, right?

And so I find. I found out from that she was having she she she's an author and she wrote a book and her publishing house was having an audio book created of it right there you know there's narrators her narrator and hers was told it was a dual POV it's not actually it is out now but this happened while before it was out but it was a dual POV man and a woman and um And the woman who I know who was the author who wrote the book, she ended up getting a divorce from her husband. And the book is fiction because it's a thriller, right? But she takes a lot of like the falling apart of her marriage and she kind of channeled it into this book, right?

Because she just said. Anyway, so the female auditor, or I mean, a narrator told her, yeah, audio person. The female narrator told her that, thanks to your book, I'm getting a divorce. because while I was reading it, while I was reading it, I realized that my, that your husband, or that, that, that your fake husband in that thriller book was my real husband in real life. And so, so being in that book, she's not getting a divorce. Oh, my gosh. And my friend was like, thank you.

What do you even say? Like, do you say thank you? I don't know, right? Thank you. If you were talking about that, then great, I'm super excited. Apparently she was happy about it. But my friend was like, oh my gosh. My book made my narrator get a divorce.

And she filed. The narrator fired by Thriller Fest. Yeah. Right. Yeah. But anyway. Oh, my God. Yeah.

I think in a million years, I never would have guessed that story. Yeah. Now I got to hear a book on audio. I have, I've not heard it on audio. I normally don't listen to audio books, but I totally want to listen now. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

All right. That was my weirdest. Yeah. Yeah. For me, so I tried to be pretty cool around most authors. Like, you know, like, these are people that I want to have with my colleagues. I don't want to freak them out by being freaking out of them. But I couldn't control myself.

So, Kimberly Powell was interviewing Louise Pneux. She was, like, one of the grandmasters. And I was sitting in the front row. And I was listening to her and I'm like a wrecked. And it's like just so wrapping everything that she's so long. She's describing in one of the books in the Mon Camash series, which she writes, there's a book that's set in a monastery. So she was explaining how the research she did for the monastery and how it felt and all these things

and it really evoked the same emotion that I had when I was reading the book as she was describing it. So she was incredible, like, storyteller and scripted. And so yeah, so after they're like, yeah, have any questions and I like raised my hand immediately and then I was like I've seen her about the food that she does in the book those books are like amazing so anyway I'm super excited then she got cut short so then I went back and I saw her later at the finding so I would go actually talk to her to my book and I was explaining my best friend gave me the first book in her series still life oh seven years ago now and it got me back into reading which brought me back

you like brought me to this point of where I want to be a writer like it can get brought and all back to me and so I was explaining that to her and then I like start crying oh yeah yeah yeah so yeah so yeah so yeah so that was my moment she was so so so sorry yeah I was like I definitely lost my cool that's all right like that's like such a big feeling I process a lot of big feelings by crying so yeah yeah good bad, all of it. Yeah. That's so cool.

Yeah. Also, if you go to Phyllis, the thing you know is the bar is where everybody hangs up. There's a cocktail party that's provided. And then I think they're going to have a new location next year. Oh, are they? Oh, thank God. Yeah.

Okay. Because of the elevators? Because of the elevators? I don't know. It's got to be because of the elevators. And then, oh, my God. Yeah. Not only that, but when I first got there, too, oh, my God, I forgot about this.

Okay, so when I first got there, I got there on Monday. I flew it on Monday because I had the master class on Tuesday. And I had, Kate, it was with you. I had that podcast with you. Remember I said it was kind of hot? Remember I said it was kind of hot? Turns out the air conditioning was broken. So I'm talking to Kate, and as I'm talking to her, like, I have to, like, take off my sweater.

and I had like sweat rain on my back by the end of it and I called down and they couldn't figure they had to like send a mechanic up there was something like grossly wrong they did like take apart a vent and like like there was like but yeah like so like the air conditioning wasn't working in my room it broke another time while I was there I don't know what's up with my god yeah so I wasn't making it up when it was hot yeah oh yeah it's a great location also I'll give it That's a great location. But, yeah, they don't have, first, my first of my first of my husband have room service.

So as an author, one night, I got into a flow. Literally, you guys, I wrote 7,000 words in one night. Like, it was in, right? And I had to stop to go get food because you don't have room service. Yeah. And they don't have microwaves or refrigerators in the room. You can rinse our refrigerator. So my room had a refrigerator this time for some reason.

in my room had a refrigerator. Were you in the side towers or were you in the main? I have no idea. I don't know. I was in room 2050. I still remember the number. Yeah. Okay.

Well, either way, though, some do and some don't. Yeah, last year I did not have a refrigerator, yeah. So I was plus a surprise to see one. Yeah. So I'm really, you just cross. The next one is a little bit easier. They need a better hotel. Yeah.

What's great about like going to something like this, and especially if you go like maybe a little bit early or maybe a couple days after. is you're in the zone. It's like your mind just churning with all of the different things that you could be doing and ways to fix your book and like ideas and all of this stuff. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So adding on either side, my experience, it's been really helpful because then I just like

I'm just in the book or whatever. Yeah. So yeah, I would, I definitely recommend that. So I hope the hotel next year has food service. Yeah, me too. And then again, I don't have to stop. Yeah. Right.

Yeah. Yeah. So I can't 100% I keep failing to remember You guys told me at the beginning Which things you guys went to Okay And I can remember who didn't go to something

Yeah, they're all okay They're all right Yeah But did you Did you guys have a favorite panel That you went to? I'm going to say my favorite So I actually posted to it on Instagram

If anybody, I hardly posted anything I suck I should have posted way way more. But I did video my favorite, my favorite one. It was called headbutt, drop, kick, or chokehold, writing realistic fight scenes. Yes. And oh my God, they acted out. Oh, golly, what's this guy's name? Greg, what's his, I'm actually looking up. His name is Greg Podowski's, his book, The Recruiter, a Rick Carter novel. He read his fight scene out loud. And the other people on the panel were like a stuntman, a guy who like owns like an artility store or something. I don't know what.

Or like I don't know. I don't know. But like these guys like acted out the scene. It was really cool. I thought it was really super fun. It was a great time. Also I was on a panel. So that was really fun too. I was on one called. What was it called? It was called. I got to look it up. It was called bourbon, champagne and cocaine characters and their vices. And so I was on that. And one of the people on it with me was Lisa Reagan and we found out that so at the beginning we had to each say something unusual about ourselves that nobody might know. So there was like four of us. We each, you know, say our thing, but hers, apparently she went, she like won 50 bucks in a boxing contest at a bar or something. She went to some bar where they were supposed to have a boxing. I might be getting somewhat wrong. She went to some kind of thing where there was supposed to be a fight or maybe she went

to a fight where there were drinks. I don't know what. But anyway, way her boxing coach was in charge of the other person and the other person couldn't show up or didn't make it or I don't know what they needed they needed somebody to do it and he was like oh you'll do it right you'll do it and she said all right fine I'll do it this is a long time ago she said so she did it and she won 50 bucks because she won the fight that's Lisa Reagan yeah yeah yeah yeah R E G-A-N man Lisa Reagan This is a shameless plug that Lori's book has some amazing action scenes at the end. So I'm just going to say it so that everybody knows. Yeah, I like realistic fights scenes. Yeah. I'm very excited about it. I was just reading this process before this and I was like, oh, you are just speaking my language.

Okay. With diet industry and all of those stuff. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. It's amazing. Okay. So, yeah, that was a super popular panel. I heard everybody talking about it.

I wasn't there. So the thing, I went to a craft fest, and I went to a couple of sessions, but because I was doing Queery Fest that day, you have appointments, so they were in the middle of a lot of sessions, so I didn't actually go as many as they wanted. And then Friday was, I left early because I had to go home. So I didn't get to go to as many panels as I wanted. But I really enjoyed the,

the genre blending ones. It was from an agent who's Mark Chavani. And he kind of went through kind of with the direction that we're going in and like what is selling and this whole

genre blending thing like romanticcy, right? Or think of this thriller or, you know, horror thriller, things like that. So that was really cool. And then Tosca Lee

also did a really great session on dialogue, which is always so tough. Yeah. Right? because you have to have like everyone has their own personality and stuff. So that was really good as well. I really liked that.

And then two, she works at a big of gift. One, and I went to the serious bookshop that they have on site. Yep. And I spent far, far too much money. Me too. Me too. I'm sitting there with us. I'm sitting there with us.

And I thought way too much. But it's so fun. I love walking around there. And not only being like, I know that person, I know that person, I've read that, I have that, because I'm waiting for this one all over. It's such a fun experience, and you're with all the people that are in the same boat that all feel that way. And I think a couple of years ago my first year, I was standing in the Mysterious Club Shop, and I was standing next to a man who was looking at a book. And he told me, oh, this is my book, it was his debut.

And Taylor Moore, you might say, like a Western kind of thriller series. So I was standing there with me, like, this is my book. And I was like, oh, my God, I'm so excited. Like, that's a talk to him about his debut and, like, having the moment where he had come the last time he did up, conference. He stood in this book shop. It was like one day my book will be here. And then now, then he was dad and I got to get the book was there that day and that. It's so, I mean, so many stories like that. So cool. So cool. I got to piggyback on what you're saying right there. So they also have something on Saturday called the debut author brunch. Yes. Yes. So I went to,

so I'm not on it this year because my book comes out June 11th. So I would be on it next year. But it's very inspirational. You know, you go, so everybody goes, right? It's like everything's full, right? And they have, you know, so we all sit at like maybe at tables of eight. Then there's a great big table up in front with like, gosh, they probably had, did you go? No, it's right, you were gone this year for that. They probably had, I'm going to say, 28, few authors.

Yeah. Yeah, a lot, right? They had a lot. These are all people whose books who are brand new authors. they were debuts and their books launched. And it's so inspirational to see these people up on that stage and think, one day I'm going to be there, right? Like it's just very, very, very inspirational.

And you can just see how happy they are. And then, you know, if you've read somebody's book, sometimes like you'll, you know, be a book that you read, that you were really impressed by. And so now you know what they look like. And so like later on, if you see them in the hall, you can say, hey, you know, I saw, you know, I read your book, I saw you up there, and they will be more than happy to talk to you,

especially their debut author. If you say, I read your book, I saw you, they'll be like, tell me more, you know. Yeah. Yeah. When they won't ever go. Yeah. I don't know. Will it ever go?

I don't know that it will for her. Yeah. Yeah. But ICW itself has a program called a debut office program. The practice is part of that. But then they get mentorship all year round. Like this group, they're like a class together, a cohort. They get mentorship from like Lisa Gardner and like other big names, whatever.

And they're talking about what the first year of the debut year is like and, you know, things to do, not to do, how it works. What is normal? What's not normal? Things like that. Because publishing is such a mystery. So I love that ICDEM does this and that we celebrate that at Solar Fest. It's one of my most favorite things that I'm bummed to miss at this year. year because I agree Lori like seeing them up there every year I'm just like okay one I'm gonna be

there I'm gonna be there like it feels like it's a more star like that's where I'm going mm-hmm yeah yeah I would I feel like I'd be the one like getting choked up for people just like being around those kinds of feelings one of my friends so what are my friends yeah yeah yeah I'm gonna I'm gonna spell her I have to spell her last name it's like NG you why yeah I can't speak right by Zia yeah Did you know her? Okay. So she, her book, you know what you did.

Right. It launched in, I think, April, this year. But so I met her last year at Thrillerfest. And when she was up there, you know, she, everybody gets like a minute or something to say something. But when she was up there talking, I actually was like, I felt like a little surge of like pride and happy. I mean, I almost got a little teared up. I was like, you go, Kate, you go. Yeah.

And I noticed that her outfit. But her, maybe not everybody noticed her outfit matched her book. Oh, my gosh. Her book is black and lime green. She was wearing a black top and a lime green, like, skirt her pants or something. Oh, my gosh. I was like, you go. She's very stylish, you know.

But, yeah, I got a little, I got a little choked up. Nobody knew because I was sitting down at a table. But, yeah. Right. Yeah. Oh, that is so cool. It is really cool. It's such a cool.

fan girl moments. I feel like you kind of said you kind of maybe fan girled already, but. Oh, did I have any fan girl moments? Did you see anyone where you were just, maybe not like you turned into a fan girl, but was there anyone you saw and you're like, oh, my God. Let me see. So, the biggest people who I, so, yep, I didn't talk to, like, I didn't specifically talk to Ruth Ware.

Like, I saw her, like, 20 feet away. I uh but you know who I was really excited to see um I I bought Samantha Bailey has a as a book coming out but I um I bought her book and you'd have her sign it and um she said oh sorry and she got up because we followed each other at Instagram but I was like oh my gosh she like recognized me she like gave me a hug and I was like well that's really nice you know um because you know I just thought that was kind of cool or you know who this isn't a fan girlish type of thing because this is a guy, but you know who is the nicest person in the whole wide world? Do you know who I'm going to say, Olivia?

I make this now. S. A. Cosby. Oh, my God. He genuinely is the nicest person in the world. In the world, in the world. That's what everybody says. He's so nice. Like, I can't tell you how many times, I mean, everybody wants to talk to him.

I'm the whole, by the time the guy's done there, he must be exhausted, right? No, I bet. I saw him get corners in a bar, like in the bar downstairs. He was there, and I was waiting for food or whatever. He was like 20 minutes of this, like, guy just talking to this. Yeah, yeah. Just like with me or whatever, and I was like, yeah. I was trying to go try to say them, one.

Yeah. I was like, I can't imagine how much he gets. Yep, yeah. He's so amazing. He's so gracious, and he's humble, he's kind. I know he blurbed KT's book. You know, I know KT had asked him to blur him. her book and he he blurbed her book um he just when i've only spoken to him a

handful of times you know but when i've talked to him he's been like just just so genuinely nice and kind yeah yeah very genuine um i mean most of the like i started thinking about like all these authors there i was like well jennifer hillyer and she's super nice and yeah i was walking by j t elison i was able to give her a hug which was so great i've seen her twice now both at thriller fest both times from less than third seconds. Uh-huh. I was going to tie with her.

But it was like nice being like, okay, like, hi, I see you, whatever. So it's just, it's, it's unbelievable. It's, like, if you're wanting to be around, like, a bunch of celebrity authors, like, there's no other place. Right. I mean, I think there's a, like, New York Times bestselling authors, and there, they are, like, two seats away from you at the bar, you know? Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. And they'll talk to you if you say hi. They talk to you. And they will ask you. you what's your book about what are you doing like what are these have you do how to pitch go all of these things yeah yeah it's insane and there were booktogrammers there too i will say like i saw scared shirt read i saw robin reed uh robin k t um uh kate that tim the tim the tim the tim the tim the tim talks

books or whatever he was there too yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah book addict like there's like a bunch of people that were there that are bookstagramers and that all it's so cool too because they're just talking to, like, it's all just funny. Like, it's just funny with everybody. It's, like, it's mind-blowing. It's very cool. Yeah. Yeah.

I have a kind of random question. Are either of you introverts? Yes. I am and I'm not. How about you? Olivia, you go first. You say what you are. How so?

Just straight up. Yeah, I'm an introvert, but my job and my career path is always a part of the preferred, so I can turn this on. But when we get done here, I'm exhausted. So, that's why I'm, Yeah. Yeah. Oh my God.

It is exhausting. So people like to go out and like go to bars all night and like go to day and all the stuff. That ain't me. I'm like, I'm like, I'm going to bed because I'm so drained. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That was a weird question.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I'm like, I don't get sleep too. So it's like. Not just not just sleep, but like some quiet time, right?

Yeah. quiet time to like read to write or just even just to look to cats on Instagram right I just need like some quiet time yeah yeah I'm not gonna lie one night I definitely took an edible and played Pokemon Goat and my hotel room by myself and it was okay it was a glorious night as it was just like just relax okay I had two drinks one night I came I came back we so so Katie at Orr organized like a dinner with a and like originally I think it was just like a handful of people but then like people invited people and invited people we ended up there ended up being like 20 people in

this thing right and so like we went out and it took like forever to get the table then like we all talked a lot of dinner and then you know we came back but through the whole course of everything I had I had two drinks and for me having like two drinks is like getting like crazy right I like went back to the hotel room and I was like whoa yeah Yes. It's hard we did that. See, that's the thing about introverts. Like, if you know, breaking a lot of stuff, too,

they just have a really low tolerance for they should keep dates. Yeah. Yeah. Yes, I know. Yeah, but it is very common. Actually, they talk about it a lot. We're in a room full of introverts. Like, so don't be afraid to go talk to somebody because everybody else is afraid to talk to somebody else, too.

So it's okay. Those things. And then I would always say, good. What I've also always. said about like everyone that I've met now on bookstagram or through the podcast is like we're talking about the shared interest that we really like which is like in introversion and that does give you energy versus like the small talk and the just like let's talk about nothing but I have to talk because I'm sitting next year or whatever like yeah I am more extroverted around a bunch

of people that have the same interest as me too which is what it feels like the whole thing would be yeah yeah it's just it it's incredibly comfortable like I'm that's the only thing I can really just comfortable to be there even when you're like I don't know I'm shy because somebody will probably come up and talk to you or you just walk up to a group of people in the cocktail party stand there and then people will be like hi and who are you look everybody wants that so everyone is doing it and it's the for a social setting it is the most comfortable I am in any social setting I would say for a lot so right right That's cool.

Yeah, I kind of like almost like lost my voice. Like by the time I got home, like on Monday, I, so I got home late Saturday night. But on Monday I had like a 7 a.m. meeting at my work, like a Zoom meeting. I was like talking and like my voice was like kind of raspy. Yeah. Yeah. After I get done on Thursday night, I went out to dinner with a bunch of friends. But by the time we got done with that, after I've done pitch fest during the day and query,

from like all of the different things like yeah I lost my voice too it was just like barely anything was there because it's so my everybody's just I don't know and it's really loud you gotta like talk over everybody in too right yeah yeah yeah yeah poor acoustics yeah yeah I have a different hotel okay

okay yeah yeah but we're gonna yeah hopefully until next year hoping it's a little better we'll see yeah yeah we'll see what happens did either of you guys find out about a book. Oh, sorry, go ahead.

No, no, what are you to say? Go ahead. Did any of you guys find out, either of you guys, any of you guys, find out about a book that you didn't know about before you went, that you're excited for me? Yes, yes. Hold on, I'm going to, hold on. I'm going to have to look at the stack.

Right, I know, I know. I've got the stack in the other room. Actually, should I go get the stack? I wonder. Should I go get my stack? Yeah, you can. I'll be right back. I'm going to go get the book.

that I bought. Hold on. So, this is just like the stack of books. Oh, my gosh. Just a few. Just a few. I mean, it was quite a bit. Sorry, that's not great for podcasting. But anyway, so there were... Oh, I don't work on YouTube.

They are, let's see, the Den by Kara Reinhard. I've never heard of it. And I saw it on the shelf in the Mysterious Bookstaff, and I was like, I'm like interestingly. Ooh, that's pretty. Auburn hair with curls. And I'm like, well, what is this is a new one? Yeah.

I had not heard of about sibling rivalry. And then actually, Pub Day is today for Such a Bad Influence by Olivia Munster. Yes. Big a place in muttered. Anyway, so this was also one that was taught for people oh, it wanted, because there was a table

there, you get free books, like, all while you're at the conference, like, crazy. But there was a table you can actually exchange. books at. Like if you got one, you're like, this is it for me, but I see that this other one is. You could do that. Yeah. So that book, the Olivia's book, such a bad influence, was a very hot one. Wow. I mean, I love the cover. The cover's so cool. Yeah, I agree. I agree. Yeah, those are some of the, uh, some of the books that I got. It's so fun. I know. I know. I've got to make it happen. Yeah. Yeah.

Yes. Yeah, it sounds amazing. And it'd be so cool to meet a lot of people that I've, like, met so far. All right. I can't find all of the stack. I can't find all of the stack. I can't find part of the stack. Because I think I've moved it around. So, I'm

excited to read a friend in the dark by Samantha M. Bailey. Very excited to read this one. I'm excited to read The Drowning Woman by Oh, that's right. She also wrote the haters, right?

Yeah. Okay, I have an arc of the haters, right? Yeah. Yes, I got an arc of that. I can't wait to read that one. And then what I also wrote, I may have to look it up, or what I, not wrote, what I also bought by another Blackstone author. Oh, I got to find it on here.

I can't believe I can't find it. I think her name is Bowen. I'm going to find it. And then also Carter Wilson's book, right? Remember he, I bought one of his books. Actually, I'll go to Blackstone because I know it's a Blackstone author. When you start going to the session, then you're like, oh, I want to buy this person's book or you meet them and they're super nice. So like for me, I bought this book, The Syndicate Sky.

And that is the author of this Brittany Butler is a former CIA agent, field agent. And she has an Instagram channel where she talks about all the things that are going on for real, for real right now. I met her last year. I yeah so I met her in an elevator and I was so per cent and so it's like oh my god I love you she was like everybody hates you no no I love you but I got this because I wanted to sign it because I wanted to support I saw her there and I was like oh yeah I definitely want to buy this for her because I want to support it so it's yeah it's especially easy thing to do it's for like hit products we want you to read that one yeah I can't find Bowen's but they find her on

Instagram. For some reason, I can't find this book. And I know I bought it, right? I had her sign it. Bowen. Here it is. Author L.K. Bowen. It's called For worse. For worse. For worse. Yes. Yep. It's about some woman who's losing her eyesight or something. And she goes, she joins some kind of like online group and ends up, I don't know, like finding out that she's like in a destructive relationship or something like that. It sounded really good, but I bought that book, too, and I talked to her. That sounds good, too. Yeah. Last year, Ivy Pocoda was there, and I bought her book because she was on a panel,

and I've never heard of her before, and it was my favorite book I read last year. What was it called? What was it? What was it? Sing her down by Ivy Pocoda. So. I like typing all these into. like Amazon issue talk.

Okay. I wouldn't have, I would never have sounded if I didn't go to those of us because like it just was not anywhere on my radar anywhere. And then yeah, she was there. And I was like, oh, I'll see what this is. And loved it. Love it. It was good.

I read it too last year. What was the one that you just showed again about the spy? Hold that up again one more time. Can you hold it up? The syndicate. The syndicate, the, I'm just typing this day because that looks really good. Syndicate. That sounds amazing.

hit spy. Okay. I'm, uh, okay. All right. Cool. All right. Yeah.

So anyway. The character arcs and sing her down though were so, that's what I remember the way the character arcs crossed and ended. I was like, whoa. It was, it's visceral. That like that book is visceral. And like, when you're talking about feminine rage, like, that's what I felt like was very, like, obvious there.

but then also not just feminine rage, but then a female being, like, aggressive and angry and stuff, which you usually don't see because there usually is, like, some sort of other motivation. It's a revenge plot. It's a whatever. So, like, those characters weren't necessarily like that. So it was good. So good. It was brilliant. It was so good.

I just remember it was hot everywhere, though, and I was like, oh, my God. The atmosphere was so hot in that book. And it's like set during the pandemic. So Lori, two prisoners are released from a prison in Arizona, really because of the pandemic. They're supposed to stay in a state, but then they end up leaving. One leaves. The other one follows her. And so it's like a whole kind of chase, whatever.

They end up in downtown L.A. where there's like, you know, nobody's there, all those stuff. It's so super atmospheric as well. Yeah. So good. So good. All right. Yes.

It's on good reason they even calls it a feminist Western, and it is such a Western. Yeah. That's a great way to describe it. It's really good. Yeah. I remember finishing it, and being like, yeah, it was a Western. Wow. Okay.

Yeah. Love that. Yeah, it was good. It's so easy. Like, that's what you just like, I don't know, that I always try to, I always pick up something you were finding an author I've never heard of or something like from this event. It's playful. Yeah. And look at, like, I'm doing this right now.

Well, you guys are talking. I've got Amazon open on my other screen, and I'm just, like, pulling these books up, like, left and right, you know? So what I'm trying to check them out. Yeah. Maybe that's the last thing I need to do. Yeah. I think it's smarter for doing it that way.

I had to, like, last year I had to ship my box of books home. And so that was the extra. This year, I ended up carrying it, like, on a carry-on. And in my luggage, it was a whole thing. I got real close to being overweight. And I was like, can I get another book in? Can I get another book in? I'm going to check that.

I was like, I don't want to give you all these around. So, yeah. Good, but. It's easy to do because you want everyone to sign them. Yes. Well, do you have any other random things that come to mind that I didn't ask you about? You don't have to, obviously. I don't know.

New York is fun. If you've never been to New York, I would say it is a different energy. The first year that I went, like I said, was just barely starting to write a book. Like I was totally coming in as a reader, fan kind of thing. And between all of that excitement and then just the excitement of New York, the hotels that we, that are at, and I think the new ones, too, will be near Times Square. There's a lot of energy that's there, which is really fun. And if you're from like a, I'm from a very, very small town.

I grew up in a really small town in Southern Arizona. So it's such a different, so different. So that is really cool. And then, oh, there are other events that happen outside of Thriller Fest. For example, stories of books, throw the cocktail party, I think, on Thursday or Friday or Thursday, something like that. And that is really well attended by people and, you know, books to grabers can go, read this can go, things like that. There's lots, like a lot of the industry kind of do some things around that time because all the authors and stuff right now.

So it's pretty cool. That's cool. That's good to know. Yeah. Yeah, I've never been to New York. So I'm sure it will be a very different experience. It would be very, yeah, very different. It's very, yeah.

Phrenetic is what I would say. Yeah. It's a lot of kinetic energy. But it's really cool. And then we're right in your time, squires, you're right where I got all the Broadway places. So definitely went and saw a show.

This is fun. Nice. The most people that I know have been like picking up a show once they're doing weeks. Yeah. That is. I love it.

Well, thank you guys for both talking about your experience. I love all of the random stories. Well, thanks for having us. Yeah. If anyone of your listeners, they have questions about the event, I'm always happy to answer any questions about my experience or can help direct you to people who can give you answers. Yeah, me too, me too. Feel free to reach out.

Yeah.