The old cliche about it being an honor just to be nominated is absolutely true! I am an original member of ITW, in fact David Morrell (my idol!) escorted me to the very first meeting at Bouchercon in Toronto. After that I was honored to be the chair of the first ThrillerFest in 2006.

The friends I’ve made through ITW have supported and encouraged me during every downturn–even when my dream debut was pulled by my publisher prior to publication. Through them I found a new agent, a lawyer who helped me get my rights back, and the inspiration to not give up my writing career.

The book I wrote during that terrible time when it seemed my publishing career was over before it ever began? BLIND FAITH!

To say that I’m thrilled (pun intended!) is an understatement! Fingers crossed, come July’s ThrillerFest Awards Banquet!

Criminal Element seems to think so!

Check out their review of BLACK SHEEP:

As a thriller writer, CJ Lyons has a stellar reputation, but I must confess that I was never a loyal follower—until now. Oh sure, I’d heard lots of noise among readers about how they simply could not put down an Angels of Mercy medical thriller or how they got lost in one of the sexy and forceful Shadow Ops books and could barely come up for air, but I tend to prefer cozies and just didn’t think CJ Lyons wrote her stories with me in mind.

 

So I bypassed Blind Faith, the first book in Lyons’s new series featuring FBI Agent Caitlyn Tierney, but when I heard about the second book, Black Sheep, the plotline intrigued me and I decided it was time to give CJ Lyons a try.

 

CJ Lyons has plots and subplots galore in this fast-paced thriller but she never moves too fast for the reader to keep up with the fascinating story lines. Terrific writing like this could easily convert me to read thrillers more regularly.

 

You can read the complete review HERE

A paediatric specialist in an American hospital, Lyons first published this thriller on the internet and it has grown into a sensation that rocketed up the bestseller lists.
 

No surprise, then, that she is a trained crisis counsellor, with experience in rape and murder cases – the work oozes with authenticity.
 

Tinged with a compelling sense of dread, there are echoes of Kathy Reichs here, but Lyons has her own distinctive voice, and one that is a little more compassionate. She allows her female protagonist to become much more than just a woman in peril. Lyons’s next, featuring Tierney, appears as an eBook next week and confirms her promise.

Order today:

That’s right for $5.99 (the price of most single books) you can get both! Check it out HERE

Happy reading!

CJ

Haven’t met Lucy yet? Check out this video short story to see if you’ve got what it takes to handle her world:

BookingIt Grade: A+ In true CJ Lyons fashion, this book pulls no punches. It’s an in-your-face, no-holds-barred story depicting the cruel world of murder and drugs. As with all of her other books, CJ Lyons never disappoints. She is a brilliant writer and storyteller both, which is not often found in an author. ~BookingIt.net

When you look into the mirror this morning, smile knowing that you are a Hero! I hope it makes the smile last all day for you…I know it will for me!

Thank you!
CJ

PS: Want to help out? Spread the word by using the Buy a Book, Make a Difference pdf press release OR pick up a copy of KILL ZONE today. It’s available HERE at Amazon and coming soon to stores everywhere.

You can find it HERE and soon on iTunes.

The coolest thing is that the narrator sounds exactly like the Lucy in my mind! Here’s more about her:

LAUREN ROTH is an New York City based actress. NYC credits: Play Nice! (59E59), Reckless (The Gallery Players), Sex & Violence (Mint Theater), Lavender Lizards and Lilac Landmines: Layla’s Dream(New Federal Theater), Land Escaping (The Flea) Tape (Medicine Show Theater), Billy Carver and the Children in Mind (Manhattan Theater Source, 2011 NYIT Best Performance by a Supporting Actress nod), Rhinoceros (UglyRhino).  TV: 30 Rock.  Lauren studies improv (UCB, PIT) and is a “Regular” company member/ writer for Project Theater’s monthly show OUR BAR (ourbarnyc.com).  MFA: University of Florida.  For more information visit www.LaurenJRoth.com.

BREAKING NEWS: Suspense Magazine has selected KILL ZONE as one of their Best Books of 2012!!! (yes, that’s three exclamation points worth of wow-o-wow!)

WARNING: the Lucy Guardino FBI Thrillers are NOT for the faint of heart! They depict adult situations, realistic violence with consequences, and delve deep into the darkness of the human heart and mind.

Here’s what readers said about Lucy’s first adventure in SNAKE SKIN:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great FBI Story: “Very well researched with most details spot on. It is a compelling story. The characters were real, to the point of reminding me of an agent, who, was every bit as dedicated, smart, and fearless as Lucy Guardino. I highly recommend it.” ~Mark B. Lewis, Former FBI Special Agent

Lucy’s back! In a story ripped from the headlines, the violence is the worst she’s ever seen, the stakes are higher than ever, and then…things get personal.

It’s a vicious, horrific crime: the brutal killing of a teenaged girl. When Pittsburgh detectives call FBI Supervisory Special Agent Lucy Guardino to the scene, their focus is on who and why?

Was it the girl’s Afghan father striving to regain his honor after she became too Westernized? Her Jewish boyfriend? Someone from Afghanistan settling an old grudge? Or one of the many drug cartels the father helped the DEA bring down seeking revenge?

Former Marine Sergeant Andre Stone has been home a month, but he has yet to leave the safe haven of his grandmother’s house—other than to go to his appointments at the VA’s burn clinic. Andre’s disfiguring physical scars are the least of his worries. The emotional wounds of seeing his men massacred in a DEA raid gone horribly wrong have left him a walking dead man, numb to anything.

All he can think about is revenge. On Rashid Raziq, the man behind the raid. When Andre is offered a chance at vengeance, the only question left is: How far will he go to get it?

The answers seem clear when Pittsburgh becomes engulfed in flames as a violent narcoterrorist turns the city into a kill zone…But in the dark of night, surrounded by men intent on destroying the truth, Lucy and Andre both learn that secrets hide in shadows.

Think you have what it takes to handle Lucy? Order KILL ZONE today. Available in ebook, trade paperback, and coming soon in audio.

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For Readers Drowning in E-Books, Author Collectives Offer a Lifeline

Detroit, MI August 31, 2012 – In an ocean of self-published titles, two questions surface: How can readers find quality e-books, and how can authors of quality e-books find readers?

Before Amazon’s Kindle changed the face of electronic publishing, in 2006, 51,237 self-published titles were printed as physical books, according to the data company Bowker. Last year, Bowker estimated that more than 300,000 self-published titles were issued in either print or digital form.

How can readers sift through hundreds of thousands of self-published titles to find quality e-books that will be worth their investment of money and time?

Author collectives such as the recently launched “Killer Thrillers” provide one answer. All 22 Killer Thrillers members are award-winning, bestselling, and internationally published thriller authors committed to bringing high standards and professional quality to their self-published works.

Of the 163 self-published titles currently featured on the Killer Thrillers website, many first appeared in print. Others are original e-books. All are written by talented, experienced thriller authors who’ve proven they know how to tell a ripper of a story by winning major awards, becoming regional, national, and international bestselling authors, and seeing their novels translated and published in other countries. Some of the Killer Thrillers titles have also been optioned for television and film.

New York Times bestselling author David Morrell, christened “the father of the modern action novel” for his iconic creation, John Rambo, lists 15 self-published e-books on the Killer Thrillers website including First Blood, the title that introduced the world to John Rambo, The Brotherhood of the Rose, the basis for a television mini-series, and his other Rambo books.

“I’m in the process of archiving my entire 40-year output of novels, essays, short stories, and non-fiction works as e-publications,” Morrell says. “E-books are wonderful for authors. No more out-of-print titles.”

Killer Thrillers authors include Brett Battles, Raymond Benson, Sean Black, Robert Gregory Browne, Blake Crouch, Karen Dionne, Timothy Hallinan, Katia Lief, CJ Lyons, Bob Mayer, Grant McKenzie, David Morrell, Boyd Morrison, J.F. Penn, Keith Raffel, J.D. Rhoades, Jeremy Robinson, L.J. Sellers, Zoë Sharp, Alexandra Sokoloff, Mark Terry and F. Paul Wilson.