HAPPY BIRTHDAY THRILLERS, KILLERS 'N' CHILLERS!

Unbelievable as it might seem THRILLERS, KILLERS ‘N’ CHILLERS is one year old today.


What started off as a simple plan has turned into something far more successful than ever I intended or expected. When I set up the site, my intention was to allow like-minded writers to share their short stories and flash fiction in the different genres of crime, horror, noir and thrillers, and to solicit feedback and support from their peers. This was achieved very early on, and from there the site grew to be a regular haunt for readers and writers from all corners of the globe. What became apparent to me was the wealth of talent out there, writers who should have their own publishing deals, and in some ways I want to think that I’ve helped them build their ‘platforms’ and to attract new readers they otherwise wouldn’t have connected with.

In truth, I thought the site would be the domain of only a handful of writers, as it was in its first month or two, and it has surprised me how many – and how talented – authors have flocked to support the site. In the past year we’ve featured more than two hundred and fifty original stories that have given many hours of entertainment to not only me but the readers at the site. It quickly became apparent to me that I couldn’t handle the site alone. I’m a full time writer with deadlines to hit and a book every six months to produce. I’m not saying that to sound like I’m whingeing, only to show my appreciation to Col Bury, who came on-board early on as co-editor. Without Col, this site wouldn’t be anywhere near as successful as it has turned out. Thank you Col.

But Col and I can’t take all the accolades. The success of the site is down to our contributors, our readers, our supporters. The high consistency of quality is down to the strength of the writing – OK, there has been the occasional story that maybe hasn’t been as good as it should be for publication, but they’ve been very few and far between – and that’s down to the contributors; Col and I just post them. So, to everyone who has had their work featured here, thank you.

We've been pretty open about submissions, and have had to only turn down a few contributions that didn't quite make the grade. We'd like to maintain this quality. You the readers and authors have a hard act to maintain, I'll tell ya! So we're going to be a little tougher in the future. But that can only be a good thing, surely? You wan't your work to be the best it can be, so show us what you've got.

Talking about quality...TKnC has been nominated for awards, some of our contributors have also had their work mentioned at other blogs and webzines, an agent has been scouring the site and offering to read work by certain individuals, a teacher out in Australia advocated the site’s merits to his creative writing students and most recently TKnC has been nominated for an award in a readers poll (more on this at a later date). We’ve had a couple blips – no less one where one of our contributors was accused of plagiarism – and there have been times when I’ve wondered about the kind of beast I’d unleashed on the world. The ups have far outweighed the downs, though, and I foresee many more ups in the future. Some of the ups may just be in the form of our contributors hitting the big time. Who Knows? It could be you.

There are many great sites out there and you know who you are. But there’s something that’s pretty unique about TKnC. It mixes genres. It has horror writers rubbing shoulders with crime authors. Thriller writers stand alongside noir writers. The walls that were once set between genres have crumbled, and we’ve all seen that, really, all the work fits into quite a neat little bundle. It’s not the story but the voice that defines the genre. Maybe publishers will begin to recognise this in future, and the doors will be open to all genres without any of the associated hang-ups.

Let’s hope so.

Thrills, kills, and chills, that’s what we want to get from our writing, regardless of what school of writing any of us come from. This site has shown the way. Not bad for a one year old, I reckon.

Thanks everyone, and here's to at least another successful year to come
 
Matt