Jessica Van Dessel is a writer and farmer, two career choices that ensure she will never be rich, but will at least lead an interesting life. She has written fiction across multiple genres but what she loves best is a good story well told. She lives in Virginia.
Scholarships
We want to thank everyone for their interest in the 2026 ThrillerFest XXI Scholarships. After receiving a large number of submissions the judging panel has chosen the following recipients:
2026 Barbara Peters / Poisoned Pen Scholarship Recipients:
Élan Les Vies is a Californian author of upmarket mystery and psychological thrillers. He is also known by his stage name, The Coyote, for his eclectic 1960s sound and nostalgic Southwestern brand. Élan currently lives between San Diego and Paris, France with his wife, Clémence, and his Australian Shepherd, Sam.
Thomas Dann was born and bred in Memphis, Tennessee, five generations deep. He studied creative writing at Stanford and worked for years as a defense investigator for the Washington, D.C. Public Defender. His debut novel, Midnight in Memphis, is a Southern noir crime thriller set in the bluff city in 1955.
Andre Hardy is a former NFL running back turned crime novelist. His debut novel, TEAR THE CITY DOWN (Grand Central Publishing, September 2026), draws on the spirit of John Coltrane—hardboiled noir set in San Diego, where ambition, violence, and bad choices collide, and karma eventually collects its debt.
2026 ThrillerFest Scholarships:
Mia Dalia is an internationally published, Crime Writers Association-nominated author, whose work includes dozens of published short stories; novels Estate Sale, Haven, and Beautiful, Once, novellas Alakazam, Arrokoth, Do You Know The Muffin Man? and the collection Smile So Red and Other Tales of Madness.
Ash Fanning won the James Patterson Thriller Writing Competition, received his Go Finish Your Book Grant, and holds the Lee Child/Lisa Gardener Scholarship to the Leopardi Writing Conference. By day, she works at the intersection of AI and behavioural design, studying the gap between what people say and what they do. That curiosity fuels her debut thriller, THE TRANSCRIBER.
Ivy Ge writes psychological thrillers about ordinary women confronting extraordinary odds. A pharmacist turned writer and stage actor, she holds degrees in business, engineering, and pharmacy. Her essays in HuffPost and Business Insider explore the art of reinvention.
Scholarship Sponsorships
If you would like to sponsor a scholarship, please email samantha@thrillerwriters.org.
For more information about the event please visit: www.thrillerfest.com
For more information or questions, please contact Executive Director of International Thriller Writers, Kimberley Howe at: kimberleyhowe@thrillerwriters.org
Testimonials:
I was lucky to be a ThrillerFest scholarship recipient in 2024 and attending the conference was a true highlight in my writing journey. The panels and author talks focused on a wide range of topics and it was a great experience to learn from the speakers and panelists. I was able to apply many of the learnings to my own writing as well. The conference also gave me the opportunity to network with other authors, literary agents and editors and provided valuable insights on the publishing industry. I am very much looking forward to attending the conference again in the future.
—Karabi Mitra
ThrillerFest was incredible. It made publishing a world of people rather than a world of books. I loved thrillers for so long, but that world had only ever existed for me via novels or articles about the industry. When I came to ThrillerFest, it was living and breathing. It helped me understand how to make a career in the publishing world. And getting to meet R.L Stine and have a conversation with him was a ‘pinch-me’ moment.
—Madeleine “Mac” Gagne