Bonnie Hearn Hill's latest novel of suspense, THE RIVER BELOW, was described by Publishers Weekly as, a "poignant standalone (that) is as much a story about friendship and loss as it is a mystery." Hill is the author of six thrillers from MIRA Books, the Star Crossed young adult series, and the Kit Doyle series, IF ANYTHING SHOULD HAPPEN (2015), GOODBYE FOREVER (2016), and I WISH YOU MISSED ME (2016). With Christopher Allan Poe, she wrote DIGITAL INK: WRITING KILLER FICTION IN THE E-BOOK AGE, a guide for novelists. Her thrillers INTERN, KILLER BODY, MISTRESS, OFF THE RECORD, LAST WORDS, TIL MORNING, and CUTLINE are now available as e-books. A national conference speaker and contest judge, she has is proud of the many published authors she has mentored.

Tim Maleeny is the award-winning author of STEALING THE DRAGON, a thriller about the Chinese Triads that was named a Killer Book of the Year by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association. Publishers Weekly said his series featuring private detective Cape Weathers “engages the reader without insisting that it be taken too seriously, with writing that will resonate with Elmore Leonard fans.” His novel BEATING THE BABUSHKA was called “the second coming of Travis McGee," and the third book in the series, a novel with the unlikely title GREASING THE PIÑATA, is "just right for readers who like a gritty crime novel with a labyrinth of plot twists," according to Library Journal. Tim's standalone comedic thriller JUMP was described as "a perfectly blended cocktail of escapism" by Publishers Weekly and was named Best Mystery of the Year by Foreword Magazine. Tim has won the prestigious Macavity Award for his short fiction, which appears in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, Ellery Queen, and several major anthologies, including Thriller 2, Uncage Me, Fear, and Death Do Us Part. Crimespree Magazine said “Maleeny gives readers a fresh and fast take that enthralls,” and Bookreporter called him “one of the new princes of detective fiction.” A member of the International Thriller Writers, Sisters In Crime, and Mystery Writers of America, Tim currently lives and writes in New York City.

Jim Fusilli is the author of nine novels including “The Mayor of Polk Street” and “Narrows Gate,” which George Pelecanos called “equal parts Ellroy, Puzo and Scorsese” and Mystery Scene magazine said “must be ranked among the half-dozen most memorable novels about the Mob.” Jim’s debut novel “Closing Time” was the last work of fiction set in New York City published prior to the 9/11 attacks. The following year, his novel, “A Well-Known Secret” addressed the impact of 9/11 on the residents of lower Manhattan. Subsequent novels include “Tribeca Blues” and “Hard, Hard City,” which Mystery Ink magazine named its Novel of the Year. “Closing Time,” “A Well-Known Secret” and “Tribeca Blues” were reissued by Open Road Media in October 2018. Lawrence Block provided a new foreword for “Closing Time.” Jim has published short stories that have appeared in a variety of magazines as well as anthologies edited by Lee Child, Dennis Lehane, Laura Lippman and other masters of the mystery genre. He edited and contributed to the anthologies “The Chopin Manuscript” and “The Copper Bracelet.” His “Chellini’s Solution” was included in an edition of the Best American Mystery Stories and his “Digby, Attorney at Law” was nominated for the Edgar and Macavity awards. The novel “Narrows Gate” was nominated for a Macavity in the Best Historical Fiction category. The former Rock & Pop Critic of The Wall Street Journal and an occasional contributor to National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered,” Jim is the author of two books of non-fiction, both related to popular music. “Pet Sounds” is his tribute to Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys’ classic album. It was translated for a Japanese language edition by Haruki Murakami Combining his interests, Jim edited and contributed a chapter to “Crime Plus Music: Twenty Stories of Music-Themed Noir,” published in 2017. His novel for young adults “Marley Z and the Bloodstained Violin” was published by Dutton Juvenile. Jim is married to the former Diane Holuk, a global communications executive. They currently reside just north of New York City. Find out more about them at https://jimfusilli.com/.

Raised in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon, William Kent Krueger briefly attended Stanford University—before being kicked out for radical activities. After that, he logged timber, worked construction, tried his hand at freelance journalism, and eventually ended up researching child development at the University of Minnesota. He currently makes his living as a full-time author. He’s been married for over 40 years to a marvelous woman who is an attorney. He makes his home in St. Paul, a city he dearly loves. Krueger writes a mystery series set in the north woods of Minnesota. His protagonist is Cork O’Connor, the former sheriff of Tamarack County and a man of mixed heritage—part Irish and part Ojibwe. His work has received a number of awards, including the Minnesota Book Award, the Loft-McKnight Fiction Award, the Anthony Award, the Barry Award, the Dilys Award, and the Friends of American Writers Prize. His last five novels were all New York Times bestsellers. "Ordinary Grace," his stand-alone novel published in 2013, received the Edgar Award, given by the Mystery Writers of America in recognition for the best novel published in that year. "Windigo Island," number fourteen in his Cork O’Connor series, was released in August 2014.

Jeff Abbott (born 1963) is a U.S. suspense novelist. He has a degree in History and English from Rice University. He lives in Austin, Texas. His early novels were traditional detective fiction but in recent years he has turned to writing thriller fiction. A theme of his work is the idea of ordinary people caught up in extraordinary danger and fighting to return to their normal lives. His novels are published in several countries and have also been bestsellers in the United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland, and France. Series: * Whit Mosley * Jordan Poteet

Ridley Pearson is the author of more than fifty novels, including the New York Times bestseller Killer Weekend; the Lou Boldt crime series; and many books for young readers, including the award-winning children's novels Peter and the Starcatchers, Peter and the Shadow Thieves, and Peter and the Secret of Rundoon, which he cowrote with Dave Barry. Pearson lives with his wife and two daughters, dividing their time between Missouri and Idaho. Also writes Chris Klick mysteries as Wendell McCall.

P.J. Parrish is the New York Times bestselling author of ten Louis Kincaid and Joe Frye thrillers. The author is actually two sisters, Kristy Montee and Kelly Nichols. Their books have appeared on both the New York Times and USA Today best seller lists. The series has garnered 11 major crime-fiction awards, and an Edgar® nomination. Parrish has won two Shamus awards, one Anthony and one International Thriller competition. Her books have been published throughout Europe and Asia. Parrish's short stories have also appeared in many anthologies, including two published by Mystery Writers of America, edited by Harlan Coben and the late Stuart Kaminsky. Their stories have also appeared in Akashic Books acclaimed Detroit Noir, and in Ellery Queen Magazine. Most recently, they contributed an essay to a special edition of Edgar Allan Poe's works edited by Michael Connelly. P.J. Parrish as children Before turning to writing full time, Kristy Montee was a newspaper editor and dance critic for the Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale. Nichols previously was a blackjack dealer and then a human resources specialist in the casino industry. Kris in Tallahassee FL and Traverse City MI and Kelly resides in Traverse City as well. The sisters were writers as kids, albeit with different styles: Kelly's first attempt at fiction at age 11 was titled The Kill. Kristy's at 13 was The Cat Who Understood. Not much has changed: Kelly now tends to handle the gory stuff and Kristy the character development. But the collaboration is a smooth one, thanks to lots of ego suppression, good wine, and marathon phone calls via Skype. The first eleven books in the series, in order, are: Dark of the Moon, Dead of Winter, Paint it Black, Thicker than Water, Island of Bones, A Killing Rain, An Unquiet Grave, A Thousand Bones, South of Hell, The Little Death and Heart of Ice. They also wrote three stand-alone thrillers: A Thousand Bones, The Killing Song and She's Not There.

Robert Lawrence Stine known as R. L. Stine and Jovial Bob Stine, is an American novelist and writer, well known for targeting younger audiences. Stine, who is often called the Stephen King of children's literature, is the author of dozens of popular horror fiction novellas, including the books in the Goosebumps, Rotten School, Mostly Ghostly, The Nightmare Room and Fear Street series. R. L. Stine began his writing career when he was nine years old, and today he has achieved the position of the bestselling children's author in history. In the early 1990s, Stine was catapulted to fame when he wrote the unprecedented, bestselling Goosebumps® series, which sold more than 250 million copies and became a worldwide multimedia phenomenon. His other major series, Fear Street, has over 80 million copies sold. Stine has received numerous awards of recognition, including several Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards and Disney Adventures Kids' Choice Awards, and he has been selected by kids as one of their favorite authors in the NEA's Read Across America program. He lives in New York, NY. http://us.macmillan.com/itsthefirstda...