November 17 – 23: “Does the upcoming holiday season disturb the writing process?”

Does the upcoming holiday season disturb the writing process, or on the contrary, can it become a great a catalyst for the next story? This week ITW Members Bernard Maestas, Les Edgerton, C. Hope Clark, Rick Zahradnik, Mark S. Bacon, Ethan Reid, Susanne Leist and Arthur Kerns discuss the holiday writing season and more!

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C. Hope Clark is author of the award-winning Carolina Slade Mysteries and The Edisto Island Mysteries, four novels published by Bell Bridge Books, the current release being Murder on Edisto. Hope founded FundsforWriters.com, chosen by Writer’s Digest for 101 Best Websites for Writers for 14 years. She’s appeared in The Writer, Writer’s Digest, Writer’s Market, Guide to Literary Agents, and more, and speaks across the country. Member of MENSA, SinC, MWA, SWA, EPIC, and NINC.

Bernard Maestas lives in paradise. A police officer patrolling the mean streets of Hawaii, he has a background in contract security and military and civilian law enforcement. When not saving the world, one speeding ticket at a time, and not distracted by video games and the internet, he is usually hard at work on his next book.

Rich Zahradnik is writing the Coleridge Taylor Mystery series for Camel Press. The first, LAST WORDS, was published Oct. 1. Before taking up fiction full time, he was a journalist for 30-plus years, working as a reporter and editor in all major news media, including online, newspaper, broadcast, magazine and wire services. In January 2012, he was one of 20 writers selected for the inaugural class of the Crime Fiction Academy, a new program run by New York’s Center for Fiction.

Ethan Reid received his BA in English with Writing Emphasis from the University of Washington and his MFA from the University of Southern California’s MPW Program, where he studied under author S.L. Stebel, Oscar-nominated screenwriter Sy Gomberg, and Oscar-winning screenwriter Frank Tarloff.  Born in Spokane, Washington, Ethan is a member of the Horror Writers Association, the International Thriller Writers and the Pacific Northwest Writers Association. Ethan currently lives in Seattle, with his wife and son.

Mark S. Bacon began his career as a Southern California newspaper reporter covering the police beat. He later wrote commercials for Knott’s Berry Farm, the California theme park. His mystery flash fiction collection, Mysteries and Murder, was published by Ether Books. He is also the author of several business books including one named a Library Journal best business book of the year. His articles have appeared in dozens of periodicals including the San Francisco Chronicle.

From Susanne Leist: “I have always loved to read books. My goal has been to write a book different than any other book that I’ve ever read. And I believe I have accomplished this goal. The Dead Game has dead bodies and suspects like a traditional murder mystery. However, it also has humans, vampires, and vampire derivatives. It has plenty of romance and thrills. And don’t forget the haunted house–we must have one of these.”

Les Edgerton has a bit of an unconventional background in that he’s an ex-con having spent a bit over two years in prison for burglary, armed robbery, strong-armed robbery and possession with intent to sell. He’s since taken a vow of poverty (became a writer) with 18 books in print. Recent titles include: THE GENUINE, IMITATION, PLASTIC KIDNAPPING, THE RAPIST, THE BITCH, JUST LIKE THAT and THE PERFECT CRIME.

Arthur Kerns is a retired FBI supervisory special agent and past president of the Arizona chapter of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO). His award-winning short fiction has appeared in numerous anthologies. He is a book reviewer for the Washington Independent Review of Books. In March 2013 Diversion Books, Inc. published his espionage thriller, The Riviera Contract and in May 2014 the sequel, The African Contract.