The International Thriller Writers, Inc. (ITW) has announced the launch of its new bestselling thriller-author studded "Brunch & Bullets" luncheon series, debuting Saturday, March 17, 2007 at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel in Hollywood, California. ITW will donate 25% of the net proceeds from this event to Beyond the Bell, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) chapter of the nationwide Reading is Fundamental (RIF) literacy program. A second luncheon is slated for May 5, 2007 in Greenwich, Connecticut, with proceeds benefiting a local RIF chapter.
Thrillers, many believe, have become the new mainstream novel
Registration for "Brunch & Bullets" is open to the public, with individual tickets and tables of 10 available for purchase (to register online, go to www.regonline.com/brunch). Tickets will also be sold the day of the event at a higher rate, pending seating availability. ITW members receive a 10% event-registration discount. Admission also includes a voucher for one free hardcover book available at the event bookroom, which in Los Angeles is being hosted by Mystery Bookstore of Westwood, California (www.mystery-bookstore.com). Patrons who register through participating area bookstores including Mystery Bookstore and Dark Delicacies receive a 20% discount.
"We've brought together an amazing range of today's foremost thriller authors to support a terrific cause," says "Brunch and Bullets" event organizer and bestselling author Jon Land, Fundraising
Chair of ITW.
"Thrillers, many believe, have become the new mainstream novel," he continued. "Just take a look at the new releases lining bookstore shelves and the bestseller lists. Thrillers are more popular than ever. From romantic thrillers, to high-action, historical, suspense, political, legal, high-tech, procedural, and even erotic thrillers, the genre offers something for everyone. The amazing thing is the assortment of writers who will be attending for everyone to meet and have lunch with. There will be something for everyone. How often have this many major writers all been at an event that's open to anyone who wants to attend?"
The debut "Brunch & Bullets" luncheon in Los Angeles will take place at the five-star Renaissance Hollywood Hotel, step from where the famed Academy Awards are held, and will feature leading thriller authors of our time - many of whom are locally-based. ITW has a spectacular lineup of authors slated to attend including ITW co-founders (and co-presidents) Gayle Lynds and David Morrell, as well as Sandra Brown, David Dun, Heather Graham, Gregg Hurwitz, John Lescroart, ITW Thriller Award-winner Christopher Reich, Christopher Rice, Nancy Taylor Rosenberg, and more. Additionally, ITW will be honoring noted stage and screen actor Tony Plana ("Ugly Betty"; "24: Season 5") with its first ever Silver Bullet Award, given in recognition of outstanding contribution to the pursuit of literacy.
The Los Angeles "Brunch and Bullets" luncheon will start at 11:00 a.m. with registration and a cocktail reception where attending guests and authors can mingle. The lunch at this top-flight venue begins at Noon, with a sit-down meal featuring an ITW thriller author seated at each table, rotating through the course of the program. Lunch will be highlighted by author interviews, a performance by John Lescroart on guitar (reminiscent of the Killer Thriller Band performance at ThrillerFest 2006), and the long-awaited announcements by ITW co-presidents Gayle Lynds and David Morrell about the ITW Thriller Award nominees, the finalists of which will be presented at ThrillerFest 2007 in July. The luncheon culminates at 2:00 p.m. with a book signing including all ITW authors at the event, hosted courtesy of Mystery Bookstore.
The most exciting feature of the entire "Brunch and Bullets" program, however, is ITW's decision to donate 25% of the net proceeds from each event to a local chapter of Reading is Fundamental, a nationwide group in support of the written word and literacy. The proceeds will be given directly to the local chapters to be utilized immediately.
Asked why ITW chose to donate a 25% portion of the proceeds to Reading is Fundamental (RIF), Land replies, "It's one thing to say you're behind a cause, but ITW wanted to demonstrate our support in a tangible way. Successful authors supporting a group that promotes reading? It just seemed like the perfect fit." With two Brunch and Bullets luncheons this year, and two more in the works for 2008, Land anticipates the level of support for RIF will be "very significant."
About the International Thriller Writers Organization
Founded in October 2004, at the Bouchercon World Suspense Conference in Toronto, Canada, the International Thriller Writers organization (ITW) was created by thriller authors to celebrate the thriller, to enhance the prestige and raise the profile of thrillers, to award prizes to outstanding thriller novels and authors, and to create marketing opportunities for authors within the thriller community. ITW boasts a membership of more than 400 authors (many of whom are New York Times bestsellers) with worldwide sales exceeding 1.8 billion books. For more information visit www.thrillerwriters.org.
"Brunch and Bullets"
THE RENAISSANCE HOLLYWOOD HOTEL
March 17, 2007
1755 North Highland Avenue, Hollywood, CA 90028
Call: 323-856-1200 for Hotel Information
Registration fee of $150 ($175 at the door)
ITW Members $135 ($150 at the door)
Table for Ten available for $1,250. Tickets for the event are open to the public.
Registration Fee includes program, lunch and voucher for 1 free hardcover book.
Deadlines for Registration Online: March 15, 2007
By Mail: Postmarked by March 5, 2007
Sorry, no refunds are available.
To volunteer contact ITW Fundraising Chair Jon Land.
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