Libby Fischer Hellmann's Blog, page 60

Unofficial Launch of A BITTER VEIL

Hi, all!

I'm delighted to announce that my 9th novel, A BITTER VEIL, will be coming out "officially" April 15 (but it's already available as an e-book here and in print here within a day or so.) And the audio version will be out soon as well.

Here's a description:

It all began with a line of Persian poetry .

Anna and Nouri, both studying in Chicago, fall in love despite their very different backgrounds. Anna, who has never been close to her parents, is more than happy to return with Nouri to his native Iran, to be embraced by his wealthy family. Beginning their married life together in 1978, their world is abruptly turned upside down by the overthrow of the Shah, and the rise of the Islamic Republic.

Under the Ayatollah Khomeini and the Republican Guard, life becomes increasingly restricted and Anna must learn to exist in a transformed world, where none of the familiar Western rules apply. Random arrests and torture become the norm, women are required to wear hijab, and Anna discovers that she is no longer free to leave the country.

As events reach a fevered pitch, Anna realizes that nothing is as she thought, and no one can be trusted…not even her husband.

Already VEIL has received some lovely praise:

"Meticulously researched, fast-paced… this political thriller will please established fans and newcomers alike." Publishers Weekly

"A tragically beautiful story … that is both subtle and vibrant… the author does an amazing job… but never sacrificing the quality of her storytelling… a bleak and heart-wrenching tale that will stick with the reader long after they finish the book." Crimespree Magazine

"Libby Hellmann's A BITTER VEIL brings a lyrical, literary dimension to her writing. Readers will be fascinated by this glimpse behind the veil of Revolutionary Iran and how a young American woman deals with her Iranian husband and family." Cara Black, Author, Amy LeDuc Investigations Series

If you're in the Chicago area, I'll be doing three launch signings and would love to see you…

If you live North, you're invited to The Book Stall on April 14 at 2 PM

If you're South or West, Centuries and Sleuths, May 5th at 2 PM

and if you're in Chicago, come to the Hidden Shamrock Saturday May 6th

But if you're not in Chicago, we can still connect. In fact, instead of a tour this year, I'll be hosting several online activities, including a

Video Chat: Tuesday, April 17 6 PM (Eastern)

On Tuesday, April 17, at 6 PM (Eastern time so plan accordingly), I'll be talking about A BITTER VEIL, the state of publishing, and anything else that's on your mind during a 45 minute video chat online! This is a brand new service provided by Shindig Events that allows up to 500 people to interact together in real time. And it is so easy to use that even my 92 year old mother will be there. All you do is go to this website. That's it! You'll be able to ask questions, watch my slide presentation (don't worry — it's short) and even chat among yourselves. So I hope you'll join me. Again, the website is:

shindig.com/event/32-Libby-Fischer-He...

The "Everybody Wins" contest starting Wednesday, April 18

Want the chance to win a Kindle Fire? Doesn't everyone? The day after the video chat, I will be launching a contest in which the grand prize is a Fire.

To enter, all you need to do is like my Facebook Author Page, read A BITTER VEIL, post an honest review within 30 days on Amazon, Goodreads, and/or B&N, and send us a link to the review. On Friday, May 18, we'll pick one grand prize winner at random. As an incentive, the ebook will be free at Amazon for one day during the contest month. Keep an eye on my Facebook Author page where I'll announce which day it will be free. (Hint: It will be sooner rather than later).

But the best part is that even if you don't win a Fire, you still win— everyone who enters will get a free copy of any one of my previously published short stories. Your choice. You can find a description of them here. Btw, all of the rules will be on my Facebook Author Page soon. Again the link to my FB page is

https://www.facebook.com/authorLibbyF...

So there's a lot going on over the next few weeks, and I hope you'll join me.

Finally, please know how much I appreciate your support and friendship. I hope to see you in the flesh — or online soon.

Libby

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Published on March 26, 2012 15:14

Live Video Chat for A BITTER VEIL: Save the Date

Hi, all. I just nailed down a date for what I hope will be a fun — and novel — event. I'm going to do a video chat about my newest thriller, A BITTER VEIL! The book comes out in a couple of weeks, and the chat will take place

Tuesday, April, 17 at 6 PM EDT

(So plan accordingly if you're in the UK or on the West Coast)

URL: shindig.com/event/32-Libby-Fischer-Hellmann

This is a brand new service offered by a company called Shindig Events. and it's MUCH more than a Skype talk. The technology can handle up to 500 people at a time (gulp…) and you can interact with me plus each other. You do it via your webcam — ie you can actually raise your hand in real time and I can call on you — or you can type in comments and questions if you don't have a camera and mic.

I'm planning to talk a little bit about the book, why I wrote it, and some of what I learned doing my research. I'll then answer questions about — well — anything you want.

All you need to do is go to this URL (it's also posted above)… That's it! No calling ahead, no making reservations… Just show up, although it would probably be a good idea to test your microphone and camera about 15 minutes ahead of time.

So I hope you'll take me up on the invitation, kick back with your favorite beverage, and have a great time. Btw, feel free to spread the word. I will be doing that too.

Hope to see you soon.. in the flesh, so to speak.

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Published on March 23, 2012 09:06

Virtual Book Signings are Really Here!

Those of you who've read me for the past few years know I used to think Skype was a potentially terrific tool to do virtual books signings. Didn't turn out to be.. there just isn't enough interaction and the setup is not intuitive enough for technological Luddites (like me, actually).

No longer!

There's a new game in town, and I am blown away. Just had a demo of "ShindigEvents" and it's an amazing tool. Authors can read, do a presentation, and interact with up to 500 people virtually (who can talk among themselves as well). All people have to do is go to a specific website, and the rest is intuitive. (As easy as an iPad). You can "raise your hand"… "ask a question" or leave a comment, all in real time, with your image on the screen along with the author's. Several authors can band together if they want, and it all works (at least the demo did) flawlessly.

I will be doing a virtual signing when A BITTER VEIL comes out, and I hope you will join me. Don't worry. I'll be tweeting and Fb'ing and Google Plussing the world when I lock in the date. In the meantime, though, take a look at the possibilities. I hope you are as pumped as I am.

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Published on March 19, 2012 12:19

Your Sweet Man in Italian!

I just published my first short story in Italian! It was translated by a student working on her doctorate in English. You can find it on Amazon Italy here.

If anyone speaks Italian, and you feel like adding tags, that would be fabulous.

Let me know how it reads!

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Published on March 16, 2012 06:36

New Review for A BITTER VEIL

Crimespree Magazine will be running the following review in their next issue. I am a happy camper.

When I first picked up this novel, I must admit I was a bit hesitant. The story revolves around an American college student named Anna, who falls in love with an Iranian student during the rise of the Islamic Republic in 1978. I assumed I was in for a thin plot laden with civics lessons and thick overtones of the oppressive nature of sharia law when it came to women's rights. Ten pages in, I knew that all my expectations were wrong.

A BITTER VEIL does an amazing job of showing how the revolution started by good people from a solid place and steadily devolved into the horrors that many of us remember about the Ayatollahs. By showing the conflict through the eyes of an American woman, Hellmann makes the events of 1978 to 1980 relatable and chilling. While the book could easily have become just another story of female oppression, the author manages to craft something far grander.

The courtship of the two main characters is heady and ferocious. The passion that exudes from the two young lovers immediately makes us connect deeply to them. As the revolution rises, the conflict from the political upheavals echo conflicts within their relationship. The tension increases with each turn of the page as their relationship becomes as unstable as the country they are living in. The heartache and pain that so many felt at that time become all too tangible to the reader through the eyes of Anna.

Hellmann crafts a tragically beautiful story around a message that is both subtle and vibrant. The author does an amazing job of delivering her point but never by sacrificing the quality of her storytelling. Instead, the message drives the psychological and emotional conflict painting a bleak and heart wrenching tale that will stick with the reader long after they finish the book.

-Bryan VanMeter

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Published on March 14, 2012 17:30

My Week in Cuba

As many of you already know from the photos I posted, I visited Cuba February 11-18, but it's taken me a while to write about it. I think I needed to process exactly how I felt. I knew it was an important trip, and not just because I'm setting a novel there (which I am). It turned out to be one of the most meaningful trips I've ever taken.

Even though Cuba is a "foreign" country, still technically Communist, and theoretically our "enemy," as soon as we arrived, I felt an instant sense of ease. Even familiarity. Part of it was seeing all the American cars from the '50s. I have no idea how they are able to maintain them, but most of them are cruising the streets just as well as the Russian Ladas. Btw, you see newer KIAs and German cars these days as well.

I think that sense of familiarity came from the island's history. Let's be honest here: under Batista, Cuba was basically a US colony. American corporations and the Mafia "owned" Batista, and thus, Cuba. The corporations exploited the country for sugar, pineapples, cigars. They ran the phone system, the electrical company, some of the banks, and more. And that doesn't include the profits that the Mafia raked in at the casinos. So there were a lot of familiar looking telephone wires, buildings, and infrastructure. In fact, going there took me back to my childhood in some ways.

Which is unfortunate because that was 50 years ago. It shouldn't be the case now. But it is. Cuba in 2012 isn't much different than Cuba in 1959. It's as if time stopped, even went backwards. That's not to say Fidel failed in his revolution. But the embargo that we sanctioned after the Bay of Pigs, and the pressure we put on our allies to honor that embargo, has had its effect. And it's been devastating.

All right… let's talk about Fidel for a moment. Because of him, the literacy rate in Cuba is virtually 100%. We could learn from the huge effort he mandated. Basically children taught children, young people taught young people, and adults taught adults.

It was a massive effort and probably one of his most telling successes. There's also health care for all — although medications are in short supply– free education, transportation, and subsidized housing. But like any bureaucracy, particularly when everything is owned by the state, a lot of things aren't great. And it shows. Roads are falling apart, buildings too. Cuba hasn't totally recovered from the Special Period, after the USSR collapsed, and Cuba lost most of its oil imports. People starved then, and while they're not starving now, things have deteriorated.

With no oil or gas, farmers can't use tractors. In the countryside, they plow the fields with oxen. They get around by horse and buggy. The soil, I learned, is not conducive to heavy agriculture, so Cuba still imports rice and other goods when they can.

Havana is a different story. Because tourism is now Cuba's #1 industry, the government has paid a lot of attention to certain areas. In Old Havana and Vedado, for example, there's a lot of restoration. And, of course, the beach resorts of Varadero are incredible. In other neighborhoods, though, there's nothing. We spent an afternoon in Regla, for example, which is falling apart. The rotten smells, the heat, the crumbling infrastructure almost made me cry. As did this photo of a little girl, which seems to mirror despair as bad as the worst of Chicago's South Side.

As tourists we were treated like royalty. We stayed for the most part at fancy hotels mostly owned by the state. We were offered opulent breakfasts — indeed, there was more food than we could possibly eat. The average Cuban does not eat like that. In fact, our guide told us Cuba imports food because tourists consume five times as much as the average Cuban.

Politically, Che Guevara's image is everywhere… on walls, buildings, posters, books, postcards, hats, t-shirts. You see Che even more than Fidel. It was the biggest irony I experienced — in a remarkably non-commerical culture, Che is marketed heavily. I have no doubt he would be appalled were he still alive.

Yes, technically Cuba is Communist, but I didn't see much evidence of it. There were some pretty ugly buildings erected by the Soviets, mostly housing units that look like Chicago's Cabrini Green. Some stood next to beautiful homes in Vedado. It made for a striking contrast, architecturally. And while I realize we were taken where they wanted us to go, namely Vedado, Old Havana and Miramar, it's clear many restrictions have been lifted.

The most visible changes are the paladars, private restaurants that have sprung up and are flourishing. We went to several and had delicious, inexpensive meals. Restrictions have also been lifted on selling cars and property. This just happened, so it will be fascinating to see if it makes a difference in the poverty level.

The average Cuban makes about $20 a month. Even lawyers and doctors. Yes, it's shocking, even though they don't have to pay for education or medicine. The result is that tourists are expected to tip for everything. Even the bathrooms are supervised by women who parcel out a little toilet paper in return for a dollar or so.

Which leads me to the currency. There's an interesting dual currency system. Tourists and people in the tourist trade use Cuban Convertible Pesos, which everyone calls "kooks." One CUC is roughly equal to one Euro, but the average Cuban still uses pesos, which are virtually valueless. The result? People survive on tips. And with the prices so low, one or two kooks makes a huge difference to Cubans. We met a waiter who earns about $16 a month, but because of tips was able to make 5 times as much.

Technology is at least 10 years behind the rest of the world. Internet connections are dial-up, and the average Cuban does not have a computer. But I did see people with cell phones– not a lot — but some. So I'm guessing smart phones aren't far behind. Venezuela helped build a high speed cable for Cuba, but it's not working.

Despite all the obstacles of daily life, I got the feeling that Cuba is in transition, and the Cubans know it. You see it in their eyes and in their smiles. There's a palpable sense of optimism. With the loosening of restrictions on American travel, I sensed that Cubans feel the embargo will finally be lifted, sooner rather than later. And that their future is finally looking up.

At the same time they love Fidel… what we in the US failed to understand, especially during the Bay of Pigs era was the depth of the Cubans' hero worship. Fidel brought them education, health care, housing… and despite his failings and that of the State he created, he's "their" Fidel.

My biggest fear is that when the embargo is lifted, American companies will rush in to exploit the island and its resources like they did 50 years ago. I hope that doesn't happen. The island is beautiful…it's small but you can find every kind of topography: from pristine beaches (with no litter, paper wrappers, or sludge) to acres of palm trees to mountains. In addition the non-commerical culture is refreshing. There's only one place in Havana where artisans come together to sell their wares, and it's a huge warehouse near the wharf. Surprisingly, the tourist stops along the highway had more kitsch than you'd expect. Still, I hope there are some limits and I dread the day when the first McDonald's opens in Havana.

In the meantime, I highly recommend you visit. Make sure you bring donations: medicine, school supplies, clothes you don't want, shoes. Whether you give them to the chambermaid, or a school, or the waiters in a restaurant, they'll know what to do with them.

I didn't cover everything– I left out the wonderful Afro-Cuban music, the Santeria influence, all the Hemingway points of interest, as well as the wonderfull daiquiris, Mohitos, and Cuba Libres we drank. I also didn't discuss Cuba's book publishing industry, about which I learned quite a bit.

Maybe I'll get to those things in Part Two.

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Published on March 05, 2012 14:50

Desperate Housewives — The End?

This blog is also posted on http://mediamania.blog.com/ a new blog that will hopefully engage you in lots of different ways. I encourage you to visit.

Afghanistan is on edge… Iran is heating up… and Rush Limbaugh keeps making crazy statements. I say it's time to go where there are real issues to contend with: the final season of ABC's Desperate Housewives. DH has been one of my guilty pleasures ever since it began, and even though I can get it online or streamed, I usually make sure I'm home every Sunday evening so I can watch it when it's broadcast.

But now it's the last season, and I'm almost in mourning. No longer will I cluck at Bree's crazy behavior, feel sympatico with Lynette, admire Gaby's perfect outfits, or let Susan drive me crazy. Not to mention Mike, Carlos, Tom, Renee and all the other characters who are always impeccably dressed, coiffed, and costumed.

The show is clearly gearing up for a grand finale, and there are lots of questions to be resolved… those of you who watch know what I mean. So I thought it would be fun to ask you –my readers and faithful DH viewers — what you think is going to happen. Please leave your answers in the comments section! I have my own theories, but I'll save them for later.

Here we go.

– Will Bree see through Orson in time?

– Will Renee end up with Ben? Will they both live?

– Will Tom come crawling back to Lynette? Will she take him back?

– What about Julie and Porter? What's going to happen to the baby? Is there going to be a sudden "accident?"

– And what about Paul Young? Has he suffered enough? Or will there be another twist at the last minute?

– Who killed the cop, Orson or Paul?

– Will Susan ever stop meddling in everyone's business?

– Will Gaby ever think of other people instead of herself?

– Who's going to die in the final episode? Why?

What do you think? If you had to end the series, how would you do it? And do you think there will be a DH movie sequel?

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Published on March 03, 2012 14:20

PW Reviews A BITTER VEIL

My new novel, A BITTER VEIL, will be out April 15, and PW has just weighed in. Here's what they said:

"The Iranian revolution provides the backdrop for this meticulously researched, fast-paced stand-alone… Anna Schroder, an English major at the University of Chicago, meets Nouri Samedi, an engineering student at the University of Illinois's Chicago campus. After Anna and Nouri fall in love and decide to marry, they travel to Iran just as the shah's regime is falling apart. By the the time the shah flees the country, Anna is teaching English through an American advocacy group. Within months, as the political upheaval continues and America is vilified as the Great Satan, tragedy strikes and Anna becomes a pariah to Nouri's family and friends. Worse yet, she becomes ensnared in a murder investigation and finds she has no one to trust and nowhere to hide. A significant departure from the author's Chicago-based Ellie Foreman and Georgia Davis mystery series, this political thriller will please established fans and newcomers alike."

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Published on March 02, 2012 14:15