January 26 – February 1: “What is the best cure for writer’s block?”

We’ve all felt it at one time or another: the dreaded writer’s block. This week, ITW Members Joan Hall Hovey, E.M. Powell, Bob Reiss, Bill Loehfelm, Victoria Griffith, Elizabeth Goddard, L.T. Graham, Lisa Von Biela, Annie Rose Alexander, Jerry Hatchett and Jean Heller will discuss the best cure.

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Most of Jean Heller’s career was as an investigative and projects reporter and editor in New York City, Washington, D.C. and St. Petersburg Florida. Her career as a novelist began in the 1990s with the publication of the thrillers, “Maximum Impact” and “Handyman” by St. Martin’s Press. Then life intervened and postponed her new book, “The Someday File,” to publication in late 2014. Jean has won the Worth Bingham Prize, the Polk Award, and is an eight-time Pulitzer Prize nominee.

Jerry Hatchett grew up in the creatively fertile Mississippi Delta, and loves to craft thrilling tales that the reader can’t put down. He writes from near Houston, Texas.

Annie Rose Alexander is the author of two published novels, Retribution, and, Evil In High Places, Both are mystery/thrillers. Annie attended Erie Community College in Buffalo, New York, where she received an academic scholarship to any four year university of her choice. She attended and earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Howard University, and a Juris Doctorate Degree from Howard University School of Law. She is admitted to the Bar in Maryland and the District of Columbia. She won the National Trial Lawyers Moot Court Competition (NITA) held at Georgetown Law School. She also earned the highest grade in Civil Procedure in law School and received an award. She has over fifteen years of experience litigating criminal and civil cases in Maryland and the District of Columbia. She was a writer for local magazines in the DC area, and an editor for an international E-magazine. She loves spending time with her children and grandchildren. Her passion is reading and writing mysteries and thrillers.

Lisa von Biela worked in Information Technology for 25 years, then dropped out to attend the University of Minnesota Law School, graduating magna cum laude in 2009. She now practices law in Seattle, Washington. Lisa began writing short, dark fiction just after the turn of the century. Her first publication appeared in The Edge in 2002. She went on to publish a number of short works in various small press venues, including Gothic.net, Twilight Times, Dark Animus, AfterburnSF, and more. She is the author of the novels The Genesis Code and The Janus Legacy, as well as the novella Ash and Bone.

L. T. Graham is the pen name of a New England-based suspense writer who is the author of several novels. Graham is currently at work on the next Detective Anthony Walker novel.

Elizabeth Goddard is the award-winning author of more than twenty romance and romantic suspense novels and novellas, including the romantic mystery, THE CAMERA NEVER LIES–a 2011 Carol Award winner. A 7th generation Texan, Elizabeth graduated from North Texas State University (now University of North Texas) with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and worked in high-level software sales for several years before retiring to home school her children and fulfill her dreams of becoming an author. She lives in East Texas with her husband and children.

Bill Loehfelm is the author of five novels, including The Devil in Her Way, and The Devil She Knows, the first two books in the Maureen Coughlin crime fiction series, as well as the stand-alones, Bloodroot, and Fresh Kills. He lives in New Orleans with his wife, the writer AC Lambeth, and plays drums in a rock-and-roll cover band. Look for Doing the Devil’s Work, the newest Maureen Coughlin novel, in January 2015.

E.M. Powell’s medieval thrillers The Fifth Knight and The Blood of the Fifth Knight have been #1 Amazon bestsellers. Born and raised in the Republic of Ireland into the family of Michael Collins (the legendary revolutionary and founder of the Irish Free State), she lives in northwest England with her husband, daughter and a Facebook-friendly dog. She blogs for English Historical Fiction Authors, reviews for the Historical Novel Society and contributes to The Big Thrill.

In addition to her critically acclaimed novels, Joan Hall Hovey’s articles and short stories have appeared in such diverse publications as The Toronto Star, Atlantic Advocate, Seek, Home Life Magazine, Mystery Scene, The New Brunswick Reader, Fredericton Gleaner, New Freeman and Kings County Record. Her short story Dark Reunion was selected for the anthology investigating Women, Published by Simon & Pierre. Ms. Hovey has held workshops and given talks at various schools and libraries in her area, including New Brunswick Community College, and taught a course in creative writing at the University of New Brunswick. For a number of years, she has been a tutor with Winghill School, a distance education school in Ottawa for aspiring writers. She is a member of the Writer’s Federation of New Brunswick, past regional Vice-President of Crime Writers of Canada, International Thriller Writers and Sisters in Crime.

Victoria Griffith is the author of the award winning non-fiction picture book The Fabulous Flying Machines of Alberto Santos-Dumont (Abrams, 2011), which won numerous awards, including the prestigious Parents’ Choice. The book was recently translated into Portuguese for the Brazilian market and was also released in audio book version.

Bob Reiss is the best selling author of 20 books. He divides his time between New York City and western Massachusetts. His fiction is often based on his experiences as a journalist covering stories in Washington, Africa, the Arctic and South America. He has appeared on Morning Joe, Today Show, Good Morning America, Charlie Rose, Nightline, Al Jazeera, CNN and Dan Rather Reports. His next novel, “White Plague,”  under the name of James Abel, was released this month (January, 2015).