Libby Fischer Hellmann's Blog, page 4
July 19, 2020
A Bend In The River — A Departure For Me
Hi, all, and Happy Monday. Some of you might know that in addition to Virtually Undetectable, I’ve been working on a longer historical novel set during the Vietnam War. A Bend In The River follows the lives of two sisters whose village on the Mekong River is destroyed by American forces. They are the only survivors. The story follows each over the next decade.
As you might suspect, this is a huge departure for me. It’s not a mystery. It’s not a thriller. It’s Historical Fiction primarily for women. I’ll be talking a lot more about it in the coming weeks; it will be out October 7, 2020 in both paperback and ebook, with an audiobook version soon after.
For now though, I wanted to reveal the cover. It’s based on a painting I saw in a Saigon art gallery. Once I saw it, I figured it was a sign. I bought the painting, and when I got home, I started to write the book.
The other important thing to know for anyone who loves Goodreads Giveaways is that I have one starting Wednesday, July 22!! It’s an ebook ARC giveaway, so you have 1 in a hundred chances to win an Advance Reading Copy (It’s being copy-edited right now, so it’s not absolutely final). Which is not too shabby. You can sign up for it here on Wednesday, and if you win, I hope you’ll leave your opinion on Goodreads, Amazon, and any other platform you care to. This author would be very grateful.
And now, without further ado, here’s the cover. What do you think?
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July 11, 2020
I Was Puzzled!
Looks like the Daily Mirror in the UK used one of my books in their daily crossword puzzle a few days ago. I’ve never been in a crossword before! The Mirror calls itself the “intelligent tabloid,” and since they used DOUBLEBACK, I quite agree. Click here for the answers.
How cool is that?
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July 6, 2020
Virtually Undetectable is spotlighted as today's Featured Book of the Moment
Thank you, Caleb Pirtle, III & Linda Pirtle!
https://calebandlindapirtle.com/botm/...
July 1, 2020
Nasty Woman Press
“See what all the buzz is about with 3 of the contributors and the founder of NASTY WOMAN PRESS…”
Join us July 2, 2020 @ 7:00 PM * RSVP today!
https://isthmus.com/events/rachel-how...
June 20, 2020
Summer of Mystery giveaway is live!
Enter for your chance to win Amazon Gift Cards and some AMAZING books!
Click here: → http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/disp...?
Enjoy! Libby
May 8, 2020
For MOM: A Shot To Die For and Havana Lost… FREE!!
Mothers Day this year is extra special because of two celebratory events I hope you’ll check out. The first is A GIFT FOR MOM , an audiobook giveaway organized by Uvi Ponansky. It’s a party-like atmosphere and the grand finale is TONIGHT, Friday, May 8, giving you all weekend to listen to the rewards. 
April 4, 2020
Coronavirus Edition: Free Audiobooks!
How about some free audiobooks while you’re stuck indoors? Well, you’ve come to the right place.
I’ve JUST finished re-recording the fourth Ellie Foreman novel with my very favorite narrator Nan McNamara. (She has now recorded 4 of the 5 Ellie Foreman thrillers). I’m delighted with the finished version, and I hope you will be too. I have some Author Direct codes to distribute to anyone who will write an honest review of the production in exchange for the audiobook.
The story takes place largely in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, a resort town known for over a century as the summer playground for rich Chicago industrialists like Sears, Pullman, Wrigley, Ryerson and more. They came after the Chicago fire of 1871 and stayed while their Chicago mansions were rebuilt.
Lake Geneva’s other attraction was the Playboy Club resort, which flourished from the 1950s until about the mid-1960s. Celebrities were flown in for shows. Bunnies served the guests wine and other cocktails. But alas, all shiny things come to an end, and SHOT begins with Ellie Foreman producing a video at the Playboy resort, now a family vacation spot. She’s returning from a shoot when she meets a beautiful young woman at an Illinois rest stop. They chat — the woman is waiting for a ride. Then a van pulls up, a rifle extends from the back, and the woman is shot dead.
Ellie’s love life turns upside down in this book too, so it’s a pivotal entry in the series.
To get this audiobook free, in exchange for a review on Audible, iTunes, Goodreads, or other platform, email me.
But wait! There’s more!
FREE DURING APRIL: If you get audiobooks via Hoopla’s library service, these 4 audiobooks are FREE all month! Order the first novels in both my Ellie Foreman and Georgia Davis series, plus two of my award-winning historical thrillers.
Here are the links for each :
https://www.hoopladigital.com/title/12400358
https://www.hoopladigital.com/title/12402697
https://www.hoopladigital.com/title/12388143
https://www.hoopladigital.com/title/12276360
Enjoy APRIL! I’ll be back with more in May!
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February 14, 2020
Love In A “Politically Unstable Climate”
This is a revision of a blog I initially wrote 5 years ago, but it might have been written 5 days ago. Scary.
Happy Valentine’s Day.
Few of us live in total isolation. Most of us love somebody, whether it’s a mother, father, children, relatives, even a pet. And when you write female characters as I do, love is a natural part of the plot. Which is why, in every book I’ve written, there is some allusion or reference to a man, or even another woman, to whom the protagonist is attracted.
Of course, their relationships are never easy. The complex tangle of human emotions ties us in knots at the best of times. But what about when love blossoms in what Nancy Mitford called a “politically unstable climate?”
How politics, war, and class impact love
When the Berlin Wall went up in the early 1960’s, it separated husbands and wives, couples, sons and daughters, entire families who would never see each other in the flesh again. The Holocaust, too, separated families and blew them apart.
Loving the wrong person, on the wrong side of the political or cultural fence, can lead to lovers who become ostracized by their communities, thrown in jail, tortured, even killed. Falling for someone from the wrong caste, country, religion or social set can sow chaos as when a poor individual falls for a rich one, or a Jewish woman falls in love with a WASP, as in my favorite Australian TV series, A Place to Call Home.
Even so, some lovers will do almost anything to be with the object of their desire. Political and other difficulties add an extra dimension to illicit meetings. Forbidden fruit has a powerful attraction. On the other hand, periods of extreme conflict or political strife can keep couples together who would—and should—have fallen apart in ordinary times.
How lovers react
Some star-crossed lovers give up and give in. Others rise to the challenges uncertainty. It’s human nature – we invariably want what we can’t have. And none of us like being told whom we should love.
In fact, danger can be a potent aphrodisiac. Frankie Pacelli, the protagonist of my thriller, Havana Lost, is the daughter of a mafia casino owner in Cuba. Frankie falls in love with a rebel fighting for Fidel Castro. She refuses to give him up and runs away to live with him and have his child. But in my Iranian thriller A Bitter Veil, Roya has been chosen by Nouri’s family for an arranged marriage. Unfortunately, Nouri inconveniently falls in love with Anna, an American, and Roya gives him up.
Romance under duress – My books
All this emotion adds texture and depth to a story, which is why there is always a love interest in my thrillers. Not that I write romance. But a person who loves or is forced to abandon a loved one can occasionally drive the plot, as it did in Havana Lost and A Bitter Veil. A love affair gone bad was also a major part of Set The Night On Fire, another of my historical thrillers.
It’s also woven into my two series. Easy Innocence, the first Georgia Davis novel, begins with Georgia recovering from a break-up with former cop Matt Silver. That Matt subsequently becomes a major character in the story is no accident. And then there’s Jake Foreman, Ellie’s father, who had a grand passion for a German refugee who didn’t return it. Imagine how hard it was for Jake to fall in love with someone from a country whose wartime leaders were tearing the world apart.
The love for a child can be even more powerful, visceral and fierce. Take Ellie and her daughter Rachel. Despite her daughter’s rocky teen years, Ellie adores Rachel, and in Jump Cut, my 2016 thriller, it takes center stage. Love for siblings knows no bounds, as Georgia demonstrates in Nobody’s Child. And in An Image of Death, a sisterly love between two female characters persists through the entire book, despite almost insurmountable obstacles.
Heroes and Cowards
Extreme conflict, when it reaches the level of war, disaster, or revolution, brings out the extremes in people. Some people become heroes; others cowards. It does the same to people’s love lives. Under threat, everything is either more vivid and precious, or less solid and unreliable. Actions and reactions are exaggerated against the backdrop. Maybe that’s why, despite it being a terrible time, so many people claim that the build-up to and battles during World War Two were the happiest years of their lives – they felt vividly alive, in a way they never would have during peace. How do you feel during these dark days?
Happy Valentine’s Day!
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February 13, 2020
Thank You For Your Support
Hi, all. I wanted to report back to you on the sale of the Georgia Davis Boxed Set of Four and the winner of our raffle.
First, me. I wanted to make the USA Today Bestseller List but didn’t quite get there. Still, with your help we sold well over 4,000 copies, which is the most I’ve ever sold in a week. Ever. So I feel like a winner in terms of your support and friendship. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I am grateful.
Now, you. We raffled off a $25 Amazon Gift Card, along with the choice of a coffee mug, a ball cap, or a tote bag. And the winner is:
Neena Christianson Martin
Congratulations, Neena! We’ll get in touch with you privately as well.
Finally, a happy coincidence for YOU. The audiobook of Nobody’s Child, the 4th Georgia Davis PI thriller, is now available on Chirp for just 99¢!! Who knew it would come right on the heels of my other promotion? Beth Richmond, the narrator, does a fabulous job, and it’s one of my favorite Georgia Davis stories. Others have agreed – it was nominated for THREE prominent awards.
Okay. You’ve heard plenty from me recently… I’m going back into my corner to write a novella featuring Rachel Foreman, daughter of Ellie. More on that next time. It’s a fun project, and there are lots of authors involved.
Speaking of hearts, Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone. Part of me is a hopeless romantic, but the cynical crime thriller author part of me wants you to be careful out there. You’ll hear more tomorrow.
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February 5, 2020
Just a few more days for the 99¢ Georgia Davis Box Set
Hi, everyone. There are just a few more days to get the award-winning Georgia Davis Boxed Set of Four for the amazing price of 99¢, and I hope you’ll take advantage of the offer! Just go to your favorite ebook retailer (It’s widely available) here and choose your go-to.
If you’re one of the 1200 readers who entered my recent Goodreads Giveaway but didn’t win a copy, here’s a chance to get it at a rock-bottom price…
Or if you prefer, go directly to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple, Kobo, or Google to buy it…
And if you feel like sharing the opportunity with your friends on Facebook, check out this NEW giveaway where you can win an Amazon Gift Card, and either a mug, a ball cap, or a tote bag!
Any way you look at it, Georgia’s got you covered for the icky month of February.
Thanks in advance. Your support means the world to me.
Libby
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