May 12 – 18: “What are the secrets to creating a popular anti-hero?”

Anti-heroes are popular on television. This week ITW Members Bill DeSmedt, Alan Field, Patrick Freivald, William Dietrich, Ralph Pezzullo, Gary Kriss, Thomas M. Malafarina,  Ted Scofield, Lisa Von Biela, and Brandon Hebert will answer the question: “What are the secrets to making a popular anti-hero?”

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Bill DeSmedt lives by his wits and his words, as — a Fortune 50 management consultant, an AI researcher/practitioner, an ontologist/knowledge engineer, and, in his copious spare time, a novelist. Bill draws on this checkered career history in penning his “Archon Sequence” technothrillers: cult-classic Singularity (2004), Dualism (appearing May 13th), and, next up, Triploidy. Bill writes from an aerie overlooking Milford PA, a town whose rich literary and philosophical tradition furnishes an inexhaustible source of inspiration.

Patrick Freivald is an author, high school teacher (physics, robotics, American Sign Language), and beekeeper. He is the author of TWICE SHY, SPECIAL DEAD, BLOOD LIST (with his twin brother Phil), and JADE SKY, as well as the novella LOVE BITES, a growing legion of short stories, and a graphic novella (with Joe McKinney) for Dark Discoveries magazine. There will be more.

William Dietrich is the NY Times bestselling author of the Ethan Gage historical thriller series, featuring an American adventurer in the Napoleonic Wars. He’s written a dozen thrillers, five non-fiction titles, and as a journalist won a Pulitzer for coverage of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. He has sold into 28 languages. Bill lives in Anacortes, WA.

Lisa von Biela worked in Information Technology for 25 years, then left the field to attend the University of Minnesota Law School, graduating magna cum laude in 2009. She now practices law in Seattle, Washington. Lisa’s first short story appeared in The Edge in 2002. Her short works have appeared in various small press venues, including Gothic.net, Twilight Times, Dark Animus, AfterburnSF, and more. She is the author of the techno/medical thriller novels THE GENESIS CODE and THE JANUS LEGACY. Her noir/suspense novella, ASH AND BONE, is being released in May 2014, and her BigPharma thriller, BLOCKBUSTER, is scheduled for release in January 2015.

Ted Scofield is a novelist, non-fiction author, securities attorney and entrepreneur. St. Martin’s released his debut novel, EAT WHAT YOU KILL, on March 25, 2014. Edward R. Pressman, the famed producer of such films as Wall Street, American Psycho and The Crow franchise, has purchased the movie rights. Originally from Louisville, Kentucky, Ted is a three-time graduate of Vanderbilt University. He and his wife, contemporary artist Christi Scofield, live on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.

Brandon Hebert lives in a sleepy Louisiana town with his wife and three high-maintenance dogs. In his spare time, he enjoys being at home, fishing with his dad and dissecting fake Cajun accents in movies. The Buddy System is his third novel. His first, My Own Worst Enemy, was named to Kirkus Reviews’ Best Debut Fiction of 2010 list. His second, Odd Man Out, was hailed as a “combustible atmosphere” and “three-course banquet of felonies.”

Thomas M. Malafarina has published five horror novels, five collections of horror short stories and a book of single panel cartoons; all through Sunbury Press. Thomas’s works have appeared in dozens of short story anthologies and e-magazines. Thomas is known for the twists and surprises in his stories as well as his descriptive often-gory passages. He has been given him the reputation of being one who paints with words.

Gary Kriss, a former college professor and an award-winning reporter for the New York Times, was born in Brooklyn and raised in a small town in Eastern Tennessee. Kriss and his wife, Pat, live in a northern suburb of New York City. For those who want to know more can follow the progress of the book, and find extras for THE ZODIAC DECEPTION on Gary’s website. They can also find him at @garykrisswrites.

Ralph Pezzullo is a New York Times bestselling author, and award-winning playwright and screenwriter. His books have been published in over twenty languages and include JAWBREAKER (with former CIA operative Gary Berntsen), INSIDE SEAL TEAM SIX (with Don Mann), THE WALK-IN, AT THE FALL OF SOMOZA, PLUNGING INTO HAITI (winner of the 2006 Douglas Dillon Prize for American Diplomacy), EVE MISSING, BLOOD OF MY BLOOD, MOST EVIL, and THE NAVY SEAL SURVIVAL HANDBOOK and the SEAL Team Six thrillers HUNT THE WOLF. HUNT THE SCORPION, HUNT THE FALCON, and the forthcoming HUNT THE JACKAL (also with Don Mann).

Alan Field, new to the ITW, hopes to make a splash with his first urban thriller, The Chemist, that revolves around a weapon of mass destruction and the person who created it. Alan has written short stories starting from age 10, but this is the first work he wishes to publish. While practicing law for twenty years, Alan fathered four children. He is also an accomplished music composer and arranger who resides in New Jersey.