The Virginia Festival of the Book starts today, the largest gathering of authors, writers, and readers in the the Mid-Atlantic region, with an entertaining lineup of fiction and nonfiction panels and talks. The annual Crime Wave component of the festival begins Friday at 8 p.m. with "The Art of the Thrill," moderated by Ellen Crosby, as Steve Berry (The Jefferson Key) and Lisa Gardner (Catch Me) discuss how to keep an audience hooked.
Other panels include:
- 10:00 am – "Add Murder to My Resume": Ellen Crosby (The Sauvignon Secret), Lorna Barrett (Sentenced to Death), G.M. Malliet (Wicked Autumn), Mollie Cox Bryan (Scrapbook of Secrets), Ellery Adams (The Last Word), and Lucy Arlington (Buried in a Book).
- 10:00 am – "Murder, Murder Everywhere": James Church (The Man With the Baltic Stare), Corban Addison (A Walk Across the Sun), Thomas Kaufman (Steal the Show), and Greg Lilly (Scalping the Red Rocks) write about location and character.
- 2:00 pm – "Thrilling Me Softly": Matthew Jones (A Single Shot), Jane Bradley (You Believers), John Milliken Thompson (The Reservoir), Gary Kessler (What the Spider Saw), and John Gilstrap (Threat Warning) describe how they create thrillers.
Unfortunately, the luncheon with Jeffery Deaver (author of 28 novels including Carte Blanche: The New James Bond Novel) is sold out, but you can hear Deaver later in the day at 4 p.m. in conversation with J.A. Jance (Left for Dead) and Brad Parks as moderator.
The festivities (with the exception of the Jefferey Deaver luncheon and other author luncheons) are free and open to public, held primarily at the Omni Hotel, although events like The Art of the Thrill" take place at other venues. Purchase raffle tickets, and you could win prizes like "The Bond Experience," which includes a signed copy of Jeffery Deaver's Carte Blanche, a free tuxedo rental, two classic martini glasses and stainless steel shaker set and a bottle each of olives and cocktail onions.
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