January 30 – February 5: “Antagonists, why do we love to hate them?”

This week we’re joined by ITW Members Sarah K. Stephens, Ritter Ames, Steven Konkoly, Rachel Amphlett, Linda Lee Kane, Patricia Smiley, Jane Jordan, A.J. Kerns and Mary Lawrence as they discuss antagonists: why do we love to hate them?

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Rachel Amphlett is the bestselling author of the Dan Taylor espionage novels and the new Detective Kay Hunter series, as well as a number of standalone crime thrillers. Originally from the UK and currently based in Brisbane, Australia, Rachel’s novels appeal to a worldwide audience. An advocate for knowledge within the publishing industry, Rachel is always happy to share her experiences to a wider audience through her blogging and speaking engagements. SCARED TO DEATH is the first in a new series featuring Detective Kay Hunter, with the second in the series scheduled for publication in 2017.

Linda Lee Kane, MA in Education, PPS, School Psychologist, and Learning Disability Specialist, is the author of The Black Madonna, Witch Number is Which, Icelandia, Katterina Ballerina, Cowboy Jack and Buddy Save Santa, and Chilled to the Bones, 2017 release date, Clyde: Lost and Now Found, and Bottoms Up, A Daisy Murphy Mysteries. She lives with her husband and three dogs and six horses in California.

Patricia Smiley is the best-selling author of four mystery novels featuring amateur sleuth Tucker Sinclair. Pacific Homicide is the first of a new series about LAPD homicide detective Davie Richards and debuted on November 8, 2016. Patty’s short fiction has appeared in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine and Two of the Deadliest, an anthology edited by Elizabeth George. She has taught writing at various conferences in the US and Canada. She served as Vice President for the Southern California chapter of Mystery Writers of America and as president of Sisters in Crime/Los Angeles.

Sarah K. Stephens is a developmental psychologist who teaches a variety of human development courses as a senior lecturer at Penn State University. Although Fall and Spring find her in the classroom, she remains a writer year-round. Her writing has appeared in LitHub, Critical Mass, Five on the Fifth, eFiction, (parenthetical), The Indianola Review, and the Manawaker Studio’s Flash Fiction Podcast. Her debut novel, A Flash of Red, was released in December 2016 by Pandamoon Publishing. Follow her on twitter @skstephenswrite or Facebook @sarahkstephensauthor and read more of her writing on SarahKStephens.com

Jane Jordan grew up in England, and after some time spent in Germany in the 1990’s she immigrated to Detroit, USA, eventually settling in South West Florida. She returned to England after a fifteen-year absence, and spent six years in the South West of England living on Exmoor. Inspired by the atmosphere, and the ancient history of the place, she began writing. Jane Returned to Florida in 2013, and now lives in Sarasota.

Ritter Ames is the USA Today Bestselling author of the Organized Mysteries and the Bodies of Art Mysteries. She lives atop a very green hill with her husband and Labrador retriever, and spends each day globetrotting the art world from her laptop with Pandora blasting into her earbuds. Often with the dog snoring at her feet. She’s been known to plan trips after researching new books, and keeps a list of “can’t miss” foods to taste along the way.

Steven Konkoly is the USA Today bestselling author of over twenty novels and novellas. His canon of THRILLERS includes: the FRACTURED STATE trilogy, a “24-style,” near future conspiracy series set in the southwest United States; the BLACK FLAGGED books, a gritty, no-holds barred covert operations and espionage saga; and THE PERSEID COLLAPSE series, a tense, thriller epic, chronicling the aftermath of an inconceivable attack on the United States.

Mary Lawrence lives in Maine and worked in the medical field for over twenty-five years before publishing her debut mystery, The Alchemist’s Daughter (Kensington, 2015). The book was named by Suspense Magazine as a “Best Book of 2015” in the historical mystery category. Her articles have appeared in several publications most notably Portland Monthly Magazine and the national news blog, The Daily Beast. Book 2 of the Bianca Goddard Mysteries, Death of an Alchemist, released in February 2016.

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. Diversion Books, Inc. NY, NY published his espionage thriller, The Riviera Contract, and the sequel, The African Contract. The third in the series, The Yemen Contract, was released in June 2016.