Love Is Murder Mystery Conference

Michael Dymmoch was born in Illinois and grew up in a suburb northwest of Kentucky. As a child she she kept a large number of small vertebrates for pets and aspired to become a snake charmer, Indian chief or veterinarian. She was precluded from realizing the former ambitions by a lack of charm and Indian ancestry and from the achieving the latter by poor grades in calculus and physics. This made her angry enough to kill. Fortunately, before committing mayhem, she stumbled upon a book titled Maybe You Should Write a Book and was persuaded to sublimate her felonious fantasies. Moving to Chicago gave Michael additional incentives to harm individuals who piss her off. On paper of course.

Joseph Finder’s plan was to become a spy. Or maybe a professor of Russian history. Instead he became a bestselling thriller writer, and winner of the International Thriller Writers Award for Best Novel for KILLER INSTINCT (2006) and winner of the Barry and Gumshoe Awards for Best Thriller for COMPANY MAN (2005).

Born in Chicago, Joe spent his early childhood living around the world, including Afghanistan and the Philippines. In fact, Joe’s first language — even before English — was Farsi, which he spoke as a child in Kabul. Finally, after a stint in Bellingham, WA, his family finally settled outside of Albany, NY.

After taking a high school seminar on the literature and history of Russia, Joe was hooked. He went on to major in Russian studies at Yale, where he also sang with the school's legendary a cappella group, the Whiffenpoofs (and likes to boast that he sang next to Ella Fitzgerald, an honorary Whiffenpoof). Joe graduated summa cum laude from Yale College, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, then completed a master’s degree at the Harvard Russian Research Center, and later taught on the Harvard faculty. He was recruited to the Central Intelligence Agency but eventually decided he preferred writing fiction.

His first book, published in 1983 when Joe was only 24, was a non-fiction exposé that resulted in threats of a libel suit. RED CARPET: THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE KREMLIN AND AMERICA'S MOST POWERFUL BUSINESSMEN was the first book to reveal that the controversial multi-millionaire Dr. Armand Hammer, the CEO of Occidental Petroleum, had worked for Soviet intelligence in the 1920s and 1930s. (This book is no longer in print.)

But RED CARPET was only part of the story that Joe wanted to tell. So he wrote his first novel – the only way he could legally tell the whole Armand Hammer saga. Published in 1991, THE MOSCOW CLUB described events whose factual truth would only be revealed many years later. THE MOSCOW CLUB was named by Publishers Weekly as one of the ten best spy thrillers of all time and was published in thirty foreign countries.

What followed were three more critically-acclaimed thrillers – EXTRAORDINARY POWERS, THE ZERO HOUR (sold to Twentieth-Century Fox for a record sum) and HIGH CRIMES, which became a 2002 Fox film starring Ashley Judd and Morgan Freeman. Joe was invited on the movie set and even cast for a nonspeaking role as a JAG prosecutor.

Published in 2004, PARANOIA represented a major turning point in Joe’s career, landing on the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists, among others. It was his first book to use the ruthless drive, corruption and conspiracy of the corporate world as riveting plotline. Called “fun...movie-ready...[with] twists aplenty...” by Entertainment Weekly, PARANOIA has been acquired by Gaumont, one of the world’s largest film production and distribution companies. The movie deal was announced in April 2009, with Barry Levy (“Vantage Point”) set to script the adaptation.  

Joe’s next three novels – COMPANY MAN, KILLER INSTINCT and POWER PLAY – were all bestsellers in which things were decidedly not business as usual. He was quickly hailed as “the CEO of suspense.”

Joe’s latest novel VANISHED, published August 2009 by St. Martin's Press, launched a four-book series featuring corporate security specialist Nick Heller. Trained in the Special Forces, Nick is a high-powered intelligence investigator – exposing secrets that powerful people would rather keep hidden. He's a guy you don't want to mess with. He's also the man you call when you need a problem fixed.

In addition to his fiction, Joe does occasional work for Hollywood and has written on espionage and international affairs for a number of publications, including TheDailyBeast.com, Forbes, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The New Republic. In an April 2006 New York Times Book Review article, Joe discussed his fascination with ambition as a subject for fiction. He roots for the Boston Red Sox and lives in Boston with his wife, daughter, and a needy golden retriever, Mia, a dropout from seeing-eye-dog school.

His Novels

• THE MOSCOW CLUB (1991) - Published in 30 foreign countries and a bestseller throughout Europe.
• EXTRAORDINARY POWERS (1994) – This novel about the discovery of a Soviet mole in the highest ranks of the CIA was published just days before the unmasking of CIA mole Aldrich Ames.
• THE ZERO HOUR (1995) - First novel ever written with the official cooperation of both the CIA and the FBI.
• HIGH CRIMES (1998) – A Main Selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club. Became a 2002 Fox film starring Ashley Judd and Morgan Freeman.
• PARANOIA (2004) – Instant New York Times bestseller. Film rights have been acquired by powerhouse producer-distributor Gaumont.
• COMPANY MAN (2005) – Winner of the Barry and Gumshoe Awards for Best Thriller.
• KILLER INSTINCT (2006) – Winner of the International Thriller Writers Award for Best Novel.
• POWER PLAY (2007) – Debuted at #7 on the New York Times bestseller list.
• VANISHED (published August 2009) – Launches Joe’s first series after eight standalone novels.

Website: http://www.josephfinder.com

In my three decades of writing, almost everything I've learned has arrived after much suffering. There are some basic things that can speed a writer along the path to publication or better structured stories. Most books are rejected because of plot or structure failure. By answering a few questions, a writer can shape the story in ways that avoid sagging middles and plot confusion. I'll discuss these questions and how to apply them. Had someone told me these basic things, I would probably have been too hard-headed to listen, but had I listened, I would have saved myself a number of rejections.

When I was growing up in the small town of Lucedale, Mississippi, I had big dreams. I wanted to be a cowgirl, a writer, and Nancy Drew. Life has surely thrown me more than a few twists, but dreams are hard to destroy.  Today, I’m all three--sort of. Of course the only mysteries I solve are in Zinnia, Mississippi. And I have the help of Sarah Booth Delaney, Tinkie, Cece, Coleman, Millie and a host of other characters. They’ll be quick to tell you they do all the hard work--I’m just the writer. Read More

Website: http://www.carolynhaines.com/

Joan Johnston has an eclectic background. Now the bestselling, award-winning author of forty-six novels, she was formerly an attorney with Hunton & Williams in Richmond, Virginia and Squire, Sanders & Dempsey in Miami, Florida. Joan also worked as a newspaper editor and drama critic in San Antonio, Texas, as a director of theatre in Southwest Texas, and as a college professor, most recently at the University of Miami, Florida. Joan has a B.A. in theatre arts from Jacksonville University in Jacksonville, Florida, an M.A. in theatre from the University of Illinois in Urbana and received her J.D. with honors from the University of Texas at Austin School of Law.

Joan loves to travel and visited England and Scotland to do research for her Captive Hearts series (Captive, After the Kiss, The Bodyguard and The Bridegroom). She also made journeys to Tahiti, Australia and Bali--for a South Seas, WWII novel that she hopes to write. Joan's books have appeared on the New York Times, USA TODAY and Publisher's Weekly Bestseller Lists.

For her Bitter Creek series, Joan toured the legendary King Ranch in South Texas and took a course on tracking (humans and animals!) from a Deputy Marshal deep in the Big Bend country of West Texas. She also traveled to Australia to tour the big cattle stations there and see what life is like Down Under.

Joan is a member of the Authors Guild, Novelists, Inc., International Thriller Writers and Romance Writers of America. She divides her time between homes in Colorado and Florida.

Website: http://www.joanjohnston.com/

Look for Shattered, in stores now and Invincible, in stores September 2010.

Jon Land is the acclaimed author of 30 novels, including seven previous Ben Kamal / Danielle Barnea thrillers: The Walls of Jericho, The Pillars of Solomon, A Walk in the Darkness, Keepers of the Gate, Blood Diamonds,The Blue Widows, and The Last Prophecy. He lives in Providence, Rhode Island.

Blaine McCracken
1. The Omega Command (1986)
2. The Alpha Deception (1987)
3. The Gamma Option (1989)
4. The Omicron Legion (1991)
5. The Vengeance of the Tau (1993)
6. Day of the Delphi (1993)
7. The Kingdom of Seven (1994)
8. The Fires of Midnight (1995)
9. Dead Simple (1998)

Ben Kamal
1. The Walls of Jericho (1997)
2. The Pillars of Solomon (1999)
3. A Walk In The Darkness (2000)
4. Keepers of the Gate (2001)
5. Blood Diamonds (2002)
6. The Blue Widows (2003)
7. The Last Prophecy (2004)

Caitlin Strong

1. Strong Enough to Die (2009)
2. Strong Justice (2010

Other Novels

• The Doomsday Spiral (1983)
• The Lucifer Directive (1984)
• Vortex (1984)
• Labyrinth (1985)
• The Council of Ten (1987)
• The Eighth Trumpet (1989)
• The Valhalla Testament (1990)
• The Ninth Dominion (1992)
• Hope Mountain (1998)
• Dolphin Key (1999)
• The Seven Sins: The Tyrant Ascending (2008)
• The Copper Bracelet (2010)

Paul was born and raised in New Jersey where he misspent his youth playing with matches, poring over Uncle Scrooge and E.C. comics, reading Lovecraft, Matheson, Bradbury, and Heinlein, listening to Chuck Berry and Alan Freed on the radio, and watching Soupy Sales and Shock Theatre with Zacherley.

He is the author of more than forty books: science fiction (HEALER, WHEELS WITHIN WHEELS, AN ENEMY OF THE STATE, DYDEETOWN WORLD, THE TERY, SIMS), horror thrillers (THE KEEP, THE TOMB, THE TOUCH, REBORN, REPRISAL, NIGHTWORLD, BLACK WIND, SIBS, MIDNIGHT MASS), contemporary thrillers (THE SELECT, IMPLANT, DEEP AS THE MARROW), novels that defy categorization (THE FIFTH HARMONIC, VIRGIN) and a number of collaborations. In 1998 he resurrected his popular antihero, Repairman Jack, and has chronicled his adventures in LEGACIES, CONSPIRACIES, ALL THE RAGE, HOSTS, THE HAUNTED AIR, GATEWAYS, CRISSCROSS, INFERNAL, HARBINGERS, BLOODLINE, BY THE SWORD, and GROUND ZERO.

Most of his short stories are collected in SOFT & OTHERS (1989), THE BARRENS & OTHERS (1998), and Aftershock & Others. He has edited two anthologies: FREAK SHOW (1992) and DIAGNOSIS: TERMINAL (1996). He has written for stage, screen, and interactive media as well.

THE KEEP, THE TOMB, HARBINGERS, and BY THE SWORD all appeared on the New York Times Bestsellers List. WHEELS WITHIN WHEELS won the first Prometheus Award in 1979; SIMS won another, THE TOMB received the Porgie Award from The West Coast Review of Books. His novelette “Aftershock” won the 1999 Bram Stoker Award for short fiction. DYDEETOWN WORLD was on the young adult recommended reading lists of the American Library Association and the New York Public Library, among others. He was awarded the prestigious Inkpot Award from the San Diego ComiCon and the Pioneer Award from the RT Booklovers Convention. He is listed in the 50th anniversary edition of Who's Who in America.

His novel THE KEEP was made into a visually striking but otherwise incomprehensible movie (screenplay and direction by Michael Mann) by Paramount in 1983. THE TOMB is in development as “Repairman Jack” by Beacon Films and (we hope) will not suffer a similar fate. His original teleplay "Glim-Glim" aired on Monsters in 1989. An adaptation of his short story "Menage a Trois" was part of the pilot for The Hunger series that debuted on Showtime in July 1997. "Pelts" was adapted by Dario Argento for Masters of Horror.