Libby Fischer Hellmann's Blog, page 62

Second City to None in Books: ToxiCity

[image error]I am amazed and honored to report that TOXICITY was among the books cited by the Chicago Tribune in their list of favorite 2011 Chicago authors' books!

Here's the link to the article.

Some of my other favorite authors were also listed, including Laura Caldwell, Dave Heinzmann, Jamie Freveletti, Marcus Sakey, all of whom are members of the OUTFIT, the blog we started five years ago. Luis Alberto Urrea, Michael Harvey, Keir Graff, and Melanie Benjamin, also some fine authors and friends, were on the list as well.

Chicago, the Second City? Bah, humbug!

 

In that spirit, wanted to let you know about a mind-blowing review of TOXICITY by Robert Carraher. You can find it here and here.

Another Fabulous Anthology!

I know, I know… 'Tis the season for anthologies, and I've run across several, which I've already told you about.

 

But TALES FROM THE BACKLIST  is special. (And not just because my story is the first one… ahem…) It includes 19 stories by a group of us who call ourselves the BackList EBooks group. All of us have been traditionally published and are now making our backlists available as e-books.

 

We think the anthology is – well – priceless, but we did need to charge something. So we're selling it for 99 cents throughout the holidays. Here's the description:

 

Romance! Mystery! Aliens! Suspense! Spirits! Invite top writers from across the genres and what do you get? Tales from the Backlist! These short stories are a delectable sample of treasures from traditionally published authors who have united to bring you the best in fiction. Previously appearing in an array of publications, these 19 tales will delight, excite, and make you cry out for more!

 

Hope you'll take a look, and while you're there, check out all the authors who are in the group. You can't go wrong with any of them.

 

And if I don't post until after Christmas, I hope your holidays are warm, peaceful, and fun.

An Eye For Murder: Audiophile Alert

So it happened! My first Ellie Foreman novel, originally published in 2002, is now (finally) out on audio!

You can find it on Audible– the narrator was actress , and she did a fabulous job. Btw, this all happened through ACX, and I couldn't be more pleased. As I've said a couple of times, I think it's a win-win for everyone involved. Hustle on over and check it out.

Back to me for a minute (of course)… As of today, 4 of my 8 novels are now on audio, including:

 

 

 

And by the end of February 2012, this one will be too:

[image error]

 

Color me happy.

A Conversation about Online Book Promotion: What, How, and Why

As you know, I'm both a traditionally published and indie author. Last week I talked about traditionally published authors, but this week I'm crossing over to the indie side of the street. I've been incredibly fortunate to have hooked up with some imaginative and creative indie authors who not only write wonderful books but know how to promote them online.

In fact, I have to admit that most of my knowledge about online marketing has come from them. They are my go-to people, writers I can brainstorm with, rant to, ask advice, even occasionally give some. Today I want to share some of their thinking with you. Whether you're traditional, indie, or something in between, I think you'll find it valuable.

So take a break from shopping, worrying about KDP Select, and get your coffee or beverage of choice.

 

First, introductions.

[image error]

Mel Comley  is well known in the indie world. She writes a best-selling thriller series featuring DI Lorne Simpkins whose turf includes London, the UK, and even France. She also writes romance, and even has a book about dogs. You can find her here … and here… in fact, she's everywhere. I don't know anyone who uncovers more amazing promo opportunities than Mel. And shares them with us. She heads up our UK office, even though she lives in France (It's complicated…).

Val Maarten is indefatigable. She's primarily a romance writer who has dipped her toe into thrillers tied to current events (which, as a recovering news junkie, I love). Val is always experimenting, trying new things, mostly in support of other authors. She's started several websites  and forums for authors, including Got Books on Facebook and Indie Authors Unite. She also creates and runs special seasonal promotions on holidays and special occasions.This woman never sleeps.

Lia Fairchild, who writes both women's fiction and mysteries, is another person who never sleeps. She created the successful Quickie Book Reviews, has had her first book picked up by Amazon, and is constantly assessing what works and what doesn't. She's the most organized of all of us, and keeps us focused. She's created several other blogs as well that cover innovative and fun subjects.

Linda Prather writes best-selling mysteries with a paranormal angle. Her third book, FIND ME, will be coming out soon. It's set in Louisiana, and is a terrific read. Linda also knows more about online promotion than almost anyone — I don't think there's a FB page, website, or blog that she (and Mel) haven't visited. As a court reporter and paralegal, she's also our go-to person for a clear explanation of contract, Amazon, and other issues. She's also a Paranormal Investigator and does research into the field.

 

I asked all of them the same questions.

 

As authors we know we're supposed to have FB pages, blogs, Twitter accounts, Google Plus and Linked-In pages. But just what are we supposed to do on all these sites?

MEL: Gosh, I wish I knew the answer. I think the main thing is to have a presence.

VAL: Over the past year, since I've entered the publishing world, I've developed great, long-term relationships by simply networking, chatting and generously promoting other authors and their work.  At times it gets overwhelming trying to maintain a presence on every site imaginable, but it can also be fun if you don't take things too seriously and simply go with the flow.

LIA: The first rule is to be present. You'll hear writers say to stay away from promoting yourself and just concentrate on writing. That's good advice to a point, but if readers don't know about your work, it doesn't matter how much you write. But Rule #2 is don't promote too much. It may end up having the opposite effect. You want them to know you, like you, and remember you. Then when you do post about your book they'll be interested. Rule #3:  Spread it around. I came up with a schedule and a log. I make sure I'm present in various places throughout the week without over doing it in one area. It's about being respectful with your messages. If they are nice enough to allow your posts or you're your tweets you want to be courteous. Lastly, do your part. I love helping people and especially those authors that have helped me. When I see an author launching a book or struggling to get noticed, I step in and do what I can. I truly enjoy meeting people via social media and if you can go in with a mindset like that then you have a shot at being remembered.

LINDA: I think the best promotional tool for FB pages, blogs, twitter and google plus is interactive posts.  You can accomplish the same with reading groups, but you have to be active, and you have to be interested in something more than promotion of your work.  Social media is great, and I'm sure I've sold a lot of books through that media, but not by constantly asking someone to buy my book.  It's much more subtle than that.

 

What's the one best promotional tip or website you've found ? What's the worst?

MEL: The best promotional sites have to be EReader News Today and Pixel of Ink. The worst I wouldn't like to say because things change so quickly in this game. I also think what genre you write in makes a difference as to how well your work sells on promotional sites.

VAL: The best tip is to gain as much exposure as possible, which means you'll spend a lot of time reaching out to different groups, blogs and reviewers.  You should also remember to remain engaged with your followers and especially readers who've reached out to you.  Word of mouth is the key in our industry.  I can't say I know what the worst is yet.  I'm still fairly new and have a lot of mistakes to make before I can qualify that with a response.  Stay tuned…

LIA:  In general I see Facebook as more of an opportunity than Twitter. Twitter is so fast that if people aren't right there, your message is gone. I like the aspect of relationship building on Facebook.

LINDA:  My tip would be the same as above.  Be interested in others, and you'll find they're interested in you.  I think the paid sites such as POI and ENT are very helpful.  My biggest disappointment was Facebook ads and google ads where you pay per click.  Lots of clicks–no sales. (Added by Libby: Me too…)

 

What are the benefits of creating/joining a group of like-minded authors? The drawbacks?

MEL: It's good to be surrounded by like-minded people who have the same goals as you. A support group is a must in order to retain your sanity in this Indie publishing world. The drawbacks, I suppose are when others in the group take, take, take and give little in return. I've been involved in a few groups where the support has started out strong, but then becomes a "me, me, me" attitude. I can't and won't get tangled up in a group like that again. At the end of the day, we Indies are all in the same boat, we're ALL trying to sell books.

VAL: The abundance and diversity of knowledge is always a plus when joining these types of groups.  The drawback, if I can call it that, is we also have a tendency to "preach to the choir."

LIA: I see way more benefits than drawbacks. You can bounce ideas off each other, ask for support in promotion, and get assistance with a technical, writing, marketing or any other kind of issue. Only drawback for me is getting caught up in discussions and spending too much time away from writing.

LINDA: The benefits would definitely be brainstorming and support.  The drawbacks can be getting in over your head and not having time to do all the things you want to do or need to do and still find time to write.

 

Agree/Disagree: Amazon can be your best friend one day, your worst enemy the next. How do you take advantage of the good days, and get around the bad ones?

MEL: I agree. Something has happened to the algorithms on Amazon, in March this year I had a bump in sales when my thriller, Impeding Justice, was mentioned on Pixel of Ink. I remained at around #300 for almost 2 months with Impeding and the sequel Final Justice. Now, a bump in sales on POI or ENT doesn't last and within a few days, your book sinks again. You just have to ride out the bad days. It's a roller coaster ride after all.

VAL: Amazon is a dichotomy I have yet to figure out.  I can agree they are my best friend for enabling me to get my work out to the public, but my worst enemy when they seem to "actively" promote against my interesst (or what I've sometimes seen as such ~okay, that was a whine~).  When that happens, I spend time writing, developing projects I've started and neglected, and reaching out.

LIA: I don't think of Amazon as a best friend; more like a business associate.  We're both out to do business and sometimes that means we're not on the same page. I'm still fairly new so I've had some pretty good days, but I'm still waiting for the incredible ones. Bad days? I just head over to my writing group and give a holler!!

LINDA:  I'm not really sure on this question.  I don't consider Amazon my friend or my enemy.  They are, like B & N and Smashwords, simply a means to make my product available to the masses.  It is still my responsibility to get people there.  Amazon is a business and will conduct itself as a business, which means first and foremost making money for Amazon and its boards and stockholders.

 

Why do some authors do very little promotion, and yet their books sell like wildfire, while others do a lot and see very little results?

MEL: Again I think it's about what genre you write in. Recently anyone writing erotica has seen a huge jump in sales this year. I wish I could write it but I can't.

VAL: If I knew the answer to that question, I'd definitely have the combination to this fluid, uncertain industry.  I equate it with several factors: luck, skill, great product with voracious followers…but mostly LUCK.

LIA: Ha. That's the million dollar question. You just can't predict what's going to set off a trend with readers. But I think those cases are rare. In my opinion there are three ways to get sales. You are either a kick-ass writer that's just ok at promotion or you're a kick-ass promoter that's just ok at writing, or you can be kick-ass at both. Then, the sky's the limit.

LINDA:  I haven't really seen this.  Perhaps those selling like wildfire are promoting in ways we're not aware of.  Word of mouth, of course, is still the best promotion out there.

 

How much time do you spend promoting? Is that too much or too little? If you only have 30 minutes a day, what should you be doing?

MEL: Seriously? I used to spend 14-16 hours promoting. Now, and in the past 3-4 months I've put most of my efforts back into writing, it's addictive, don't you know! I think the days of gaining sales through Twitter are gone; I think people are fed up with  authors constantly saying 'buy my book'. I think the most important thing is to be interactive with readers on the forums. I'm involved with a group on Goodreads who are a great bunch. I've even added a few of them as characters in my next novel, although I haven't told them yet! lol

VAL: It seems that everything I do each day is some form of promotion, whether it's tweeting another author's work, blog-hopping to offer giveaways, or posting my books for consideration.  What I've found, no matter what you do during the course of your day where your books are concerned, it's promotion…blatant or indirect. Now, if I had 30 minutes a day to do whatever I wanted…I'd sleep J

LIA: Lately I've been spending a great deal of my time promoting. That's due to some great ideas I could not ignore. This whole world, including reading a lot of books, is very new to me so I get excited about the possibilities. I've been doing book reviews as well as writing my own book, so I'm spending time promoting there as well. I used to be in marketing and PR so a lot of this comes naturally to me. If I only had 30 minutes a day, then I'd split my week up and spend 4 days writing and 3 days promoting; the whole 30 minutes. Yes, that's seven days. No, I haven't taken a day off in months.

LINDA: I spend far too much time promoting.  Lately several hours a day.  I will be changing a lot of things in 2012.  Hopefully some of them will work. If I only had 30 minutes a day–I would still follow the interactive course on Fwitter, Facebook and Goodreads.  I would still try to blog at least 3 times a week and pray for the best.

 

As you can see, paying it forward happens a lot more in the digital book world than you might have imagined, and these women are the proof. I'm honored to be among them.

 

Finally, in that spirit, we'd like to leave you with a Holiday Gift. SEASONS READINGS is an anthology with multi-genre short stories (mystery, romance, fantasy) by most of the above authors, plus a few others. Oh — and it's FREE on Smashwords.

Happy Holidays!

Ode To Traditionally Published Authors

I just got back from the annual Sisters in Crime luncheon in Chicago's Greek Town where I was one of the guest speakers, along with Sara Paretsky and Barb D'Amato. All of us were at one time President of the National organization, which many of you know is dedicated to the development and promotion of female mystery authors. Of course, there were lots of questions about today's publishing environment, and what authors and/or aspiring authors should do.

I "grew up" in the traditionally published world, behind Sara and Barb, both of whom are among my favorite authors . Sara has been on the NY TImes Best-Seller list more times than I can count, and Barb's books have been highly acclaimed with praise and awards as well. They are authors who probably don't have to worry about the "new world," although Sara does do Facebook and Twitter, for those of you who are interested. I, on the other hand, am not as storied as they are, and do have to navigate this Brave New World.

Someone at the luncheon asked us what we see as the biggest change in the new age of publishing. I decided to expand on my answer with this blog. Again, this turned out to be longer than I wanted. So get comfy before you start.

As it happens, I was thinking of writing a blog geared specifically to traditionally published authors even before the luncheon, but then two other authors beat me to the punch. I highly recommend you read both blogs. Each makes excellent points, but one is more closely aligned with my personal philosophy, and veers close to what I wanted to talk about.

First, the blogs. Edan Lepucki, who attended the Iowa Writers' Workshop says this. And Kris Rusch, a prolific author who's been published in several genres says this.

Now, a bit of background: I've generally had wonderful experiences with traditional publishers. I started at Penguin. Berkley Crime Time published my four Ellie Foreman mass markets. At the same time  the hard covers of those mass markets were published in a unique (at the time) subsidiary rights arrangement with Poisoned Pen Press. Berkley subsequently dropped me, but Poisoned Pen kept me in print. In fact Barbara Peters and Rob Rosenwald are responsible for saving my career, and I will always be indebted to them. I went on to publish my two Georgia Davis thrillers with Bleak House Books when Ben and Alison were around, and they were fabulous. Now I'm with Allium Press of Chicago and Emily is a dream to work with.

However, the most valuable lesson came when I was dropped by Penguin.

It was not a good day. Not at all. I cried. I drank. I ranted. But when I finally picked myself up off the floor,  I realized that if I was going to survive in this business, I had to become a business. Sure, I liked the cachet of being a writer with a modest following and modicum of respect, but bottom line, I needed to step in and control my career, such that it was. Poisoned Pen did make it easier, but despite their support,  I needed to learn how the business works, where I belonged in it, and how I could grow. I hate to say I realized I had to "brand" myself, because it's such a cliché now, but a lot of my efforts were and are exactly that. Building my brand. My "inventory"… my "stock."

And that, traditionally published authors, is an attitude that self-published authors have WAAAY over most of you. You have been managed by publishers and agents, perhaps to the point that Stockholm Syndrome has set in. You feel unable or unwilling to do anything to upset the apple cart. You are trying to please THEM, whereas it should be the other way around.

I remember when I was starting out and authors would say, "well, my agent told me…" or "I have to run this by my agent/editor/publisher (take your pick)."  At the time I thought they were bragging… as in, I'm important and good enough to have an agent, editor, et al. Now I'm not so sure. Maybe they really did ask their agent's permission before they wrote a short story or went to a conference or started a new series. If they did, or if you do, might I suggest you re-examine what you're doing in this business? You are — or should be — the boss. Your agent works for you. You license your work to a publisher. You make the decisions.

Unfortunately, not enough traditional published authors have that attitude. But pretty much every self-published author I've ever come across DOES. And they're constantly coming up with ways to add value to their brands. I am involved with a group of indie authors. I'm also involved with a group of traditionally published authors, and I've got to admit that the indie authors are the ones with the creative ideas. They are always thinking and willing to experiment, sometimes in ways I've never considered. But they are also always focused on the bottom line. What will this do for us? For me? For our sales?

Does this mean I have "gone Indie?" Of course not. I hope to continue to be published traditionally. I love the community, the reviews, the relationships, the bookstores. However, I now evaluate every opportunity that comes my way, including those from traditional publishers, to see if it is a sound business decision.

Btw, those decisions don't always involve dollars and cents. Sometimes it might be wiser for me to be published traditionally, despite not making a lot of money, knowing I will get reviews that will be worth their weight in gold down the road. Or perhaps the distribution of the traditional publisher is deeper and wider what I could do myself.

Other times, it might make more sense for me to publish myself. Particularly if it's a prequel or a sequel to an ongoing series. Or a short story that sets up or concludes the series. Or an audiobook that I can produce through ACX (which is a godsend for midlist authors, btw… If you have the audio rights to your books, RUN, don't walk to ACX.com right now.)

Still other times, I might be in it primarily for the bucks.

But, you see, that's my choice. Yours too.

I know several indie authors who refused deals with reputable agents, because they concluded an agent couldn't do anything for them that they couldn't do on their own. I know other indie authors who have signed with agents. I know plenty of traditionally published authors who are producing e-books of their backlists just to have them available. I know other traditional authors who are doing e-books because any dollar they make is found money.

None of these reasons are stupid. They are all the result of authors who have seen the writing on the wall. And that writing says "Writing is my business. Not my agent's. Not my editor's. Mine."

To that end, I want to again recommend Kris Rusch's latest blogpost. If you are a traditionally published author, eventually you're going to be signing a new contract. You should – at the very least – be aware of the issues that will impact you now and into the future. Read this. Print it out. Keep it near you in contract negotiations. Remember that contract is skewed toward a publisher's interests, not yours. Don't automatically accept everything without knowing what you are giving up. Ask yourself, or a lawyer, (I recommend you hire one to review the contract), whether it's a fair contract. If it's not, what price are you paying? Can you live with it?

You don't have to. You do have options. But only if you take control. Btw, this is not rocket science. All it requires is a slight shift in your mental attitude. From… "they like me, they really like me"… to  "What are you doing for me today? Tomorrow? For the long term?"

See? Not hard at all.

Have a great week.

 

PS It happened again…  You know that sophisticated drug tunnel they found on the border?  Well, Georgia Davis knows all about it. Life imitiates DOUBLEBACK.

The World of Xarrok is Here!

[image error]A good friend of mine, and a lovely writer, Catrina Taylor has just published her first novel, a sci-fi, Star-Wars epic, Xarrok Birth of an Empire, Book 1. To celebrate, she's put together a kind of scavenger hunt. I am thrilled to be able to help her launch her new work. (Don't you love the cover?) I hope you'll join in. Here's more about it.

This new scifi novel is based in the middle of a centuries old war of the species. The universe in turmoil watches as the dominant races fight, kill and steal their way to survival. The less dominant species hope to live off what's left behind. In this war, many are tiring from the morose monotony.  Some take a stand for peace. The stand for peace is as dangerous, if not more so, than the war itself, but that doesn't deter many.

Author Catrina Taylor has created an action packed book with many distinct characters. Each strives to do their job and not be swept away by the war. Below is a multi-site interview and excerpt. Both are part of a scavenger hunt to win a free copy of the book.

 

Scavenger Hunt

Read the questions and the samples at the bottom of the posts, then go to TheWritingNetwork .com and/or Xarrok.com and answer the 5 questions OR the 2 bonus questions accurately. The top 3 responses will win a free copy of Xarrok.

At the end of the sample on each site will be a link to another post — eventually you'll get to the home of the Scavenger Hunt.

What kind of research went into the universe, book, species etc?

A lot. I read up on basic life requirements of certain animals, and the ecosystems around them. I researched some of the early weapons technology development, like Tesla's original plan and how far it ended up, as well as some of the speculative potential. Watch the Dentonian weapons tech to see his influence. I also made sure I read up on warp theories. In the end, I ran with a technology that's been used in other science fiction series, but it was the most sound and efficient warp theory for this use.

Can you describe the species we meet in the book?

This is going to be a lengthy conversation but here goes…

The Dentonian and Xenonian species have similar origins, centuries old.  The humanoid species that originally inhabited Dentonia found themselves at odds. There was a split. The societies that grew on separate planets have very different values. Xenonians are female dominated while Dentonians are male dominated. Both exhibit extreme bias against gender and psionic ability.

Ven are small creatures that believe in total domination of any species, known or not.

Cybernetics and Xentu both just want to survive. Each for different reasons, they have been forced into the war by the Ven. The Cybernetics are a people trying to help their race survive when they can no longer reproduce. They do this through amalgamation. The Xentu are lizard people, and former Ven slaves. The Xentu fought their way to freedom by stealing, altering and commanding Ven vessels, and as needed ships from other species.

Who influenced this book?

 You'll notice the obvious ones like Gene Rodenberry, George Lucas, and the like but some of the more subtle influences to this book are Jason Dodge, George Orwell, Jules Vern and H.G. Wells.

What other science fiction authors do you believe found their way into your book?

Beyond the ones listed? Hmm.. I don't know. I think that's a full list. If you notice someone else, feel free to let me know who.

An Excerpt from Chapter 2 

Yatrell woke up to a sharp searing pain in his mind. Alarms were sounding loudly around him. "Ven," he muttered. He reached under his pillow and pulled out his weapon. Without taking time to dress, he entered the minds of those under his command to ascertain where they were. Most were also just waking. He projected to them, ~I am being telepathically attacked. I don't know how long I'll be able to communicate this way. Assemble in the common area, now. Pietro not uniform, just the weapon.~ Quickly he moved to the common area, wearing only shorts, t-shirt, a holster and he carried his weapon in hand. He was surprised that he had no resistance, aside from the clear telepathic attack. As he waited for his team he took note of the rattling of the ship and then the sudden but brief quiet before the relocator transportation lights started appearing all over.  He yelled loudly, "We're being boarded. Get here now!"

Anara was next into the common area. She wore her uniform pants and a tank top. She had two small projectile weapons in hand, one directed energy weapon in a holster on her hip and an assortment of small bladed weapons strapped to her. Standing nearly at Yatrell's height, she was intimidating to anyone standing against her.

"You slept with those on didn't you?" He grinned and gestured to her arm where one of the bladed weapons was strapped.

"Yep. Well, some of them can't be too prepared." She turned and saw three more of their team coming into the common area. "So we're waiting on Pietro?"

A tall man with sandy color hair and hazel eyes nodded, "Yea, the kid isn't getting how fast he has to move." A relocator light appeared right in front of the man, who quickly drew his projectile and fired as soon as the Ven appeared solid. The head of the smaller alien splattered across a table behind him. "One."

Anara shook her head, "Canith, you've got a long way to go to catch up." The men in the room chuckled, knowing they hadn't kept pace with her in several of the last number of battles. She turned to Yatrell in a serious tone, "We can't wait for the kid. We need to move out."

Yatrell nodded, "You're right. You take these guys and head toward the armory. I'll get the kid and we'll meet you there. Make sure you collect as many of our people as you can on the way. Get them armed and ready to return the gesture." One of the men started to speak up regarding the order but Yatrell just glared at him and he thought the better of it.

Anara nodded and gestured for the team to follow her out of the room. As she moved with the other three out of the common area another relocator light appeared. This time it was a wider than the previous, relocating multiple Ven into their path. She stood with an energy weapon in one hand and a projectile in the other. She smiled as seconds later she took out two of the Ven men. "Two." She looked over her shoulder as her team took out the rest. "Good. Time to clean house. Let's move."

Yatrell heard the noise but turned away from where his team exited and toward the quarter's section. He knew if he didn't retrieve the kid, Pietro might not handle his first battle on their ship. As he moved through the halls the power cut out. Everything remained dark for several seconds before a relocator light appeared in front of him. As the Ven man appeared inches in front of Yatrell, he was prepared. Yatrell reached out and clutched the throat of the Ven then shoved him up against the bulkhead behind him. The Ven struggled and Yatrell gripped harder, taking the much shorter man off his feet. Yatrell tried to focus in an effort to read him but he couldn't get through the psionic block. The searing pain in his head forced him to relent. In response to this growing and intensely painful headache he took pleasure in watching the Ven invader gasp for his last breath.

He dropped the body and stepped over it, continuing toward Pietro's quarters. As he walked the halls became illuminated by a dull red light from the emergency systems. When he was only steps from Pietro's door, the ship shuddered again and then everything nearby him went silent. More focused than before, he quickly found himself outside the young man's quarters. Through the silence around him, he heard the fight inside Pietro's room. Yatrell reacted quickly to input his override codes and enter the room. Upon doing so, he looked at the young man who was pinned beneath a Ven woman. She had a dagger to his throat. Yatrell growled, "Get away from him." The woman sneered, looked Yatrell right in the eye and slit the boy's throat.

Pietro made one last kick, pushing the Ven woman off him. He then stumbled for two or three paces before collapsing, blood pouring out of his neck and coating the floor.

Yatrell looked at Pietro, unable to help him as he took his last gurgled attempt for air. The Ven woman then jumped on Yatrell, pushing him back into the hall, hard against the wall. With a dagger stuck in his abdomen he glared at her, "Ven bitch."

The female soldier leaned against him and with furious intensity she nearly growled, "The weak will serve us or they will die. You, I like dead." She twisted the dagger as she spoke.

 

You can find the book through major retailers, including  Amazon USA,  Amazon UK, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords

Learn more about the universe around Xarrok at http://Xarrok.com  (check the intelligence page for the questions)

 

Your next stop for the scavenger hunt is right here:  http://bettysbloggingplace.blogspot.com/

I hope you'll join in the hunt for Xarrok. And, btw, get to know Catrina as @TheLadyWrites  on Twitter. You can also visit the Facebook home for Xarrok.

[image error]

 

My Annual Holiday Newsletter

If you are one of my 3,400 closest friends, you've already received this. But, if you trashed it instead of reading it (no, I'm not offended), or if you're not in my Address Book (a situation about which you may be quite satisfied), I thought I'd reprint it anyway. This is what's going down in my corner of the universe.

 

Hi all.First off, I wish everyone a lovely holiday and New Year. I hope 2012 brings your dreams and goals that much closer.I have a lot of news to share –  I hope you'll find it worthwhile… (and maybe even fodder for those Holiday Gift lists)!

 

 

ToxiCity

 

I published my first full length e-novel a few months ago. [image error]It's the prequel to my Georgia Davis series, set when Georgia was still a cop. And in love. Here's what people are saying:"Draws the reader inexorably into a web of deceit, heart-crushing loss, and righteous fury… Stunning and satisfying…""Hellmann writes with the economy and emotional punch of classic crime novelists like Lawrence Block…" (Be still my heart…)It's also in paperback, for Luddites (like me) who still prefer real books. You can find both versions  Amazon, Barnes&Noble, or my very own e-bookstore, which I've just created, using Paypal.

 

 

E-Boxed Set of the Georgia Davis Series

 

I decided to package all 3 Georgia Davis novels, Toxicity, Easy Innocence, and Doubleback, into a boxed e-set just for the holidays! It's very giftable, and at $5.99, a darn good value. Hope you'll take a look. You can find the set on Amazon, Barnes& Noble, or here.

 

 

For Audiophiles

 

If you prefer to listen to your stories, I'm delighted to report that four of my novels are now on Audio! I'm particularly pleased with the audios of SET THE NIGHT ON FIRE, and AN EYE FOR MURDER. (EYE will be available by December 15, btw) Both sound just the way I wanted them to. You can find them at Audible, Amazon, or at your library through Overdrive. And I've just signed a contract for the audio production of DOUBLEBACK… so

that will be out next spring!

[image error][image error][image error]

 

The Last Page — an e novella

 

[image error]If you love libraries and librarians, you'll probably like this short, breezy mystery which I co-wrote with my writing group partner, David J. Walker. Of course we had to kill the library director. Hardcore crime lovers, be advised: this is a cozy (but probably the only one I'll ever write).It's here, here, and here.

 

 

Two more things:

 

[image error]I started writing a blog a couple of months ago, and it's turned out to be  fun. Who knew I had so much to say? Um, actually, it's called SAY THE WORD (And You'll Be Free). So if you like to procrastinate online — and who doesn't — I hope you'll drop by for a visit. You can find it right here.

 

 

 

 

 

Finally,

I've started teaching a one-day, interactive workshop on how to write crime fiction. I'm aiming to do two per quarter. So far, they've been in Chicago, but I'm willing to travel. If you or your group are interested, please get in touch. Included is an edit of 20 pages of your mss. For more info, click here.

[image error]

Again, I wish everyone a healthy, peaceful holiday. I'll be in touch next spring, when my new novel, A BITTER VEIL, (a literary thriller set in Revolutionary Iran) is released.

 

Happy to answer any and all questions.

 

 

Interview and more at my favorite blog

One of my favorite new blogs for and about crime fiction is READ ME DEADLY, and today they are interviewing — me. I hope you'll stop by and have a read, leave a comment, a slur,  or even something nice.

 

Thanks!

http://www.readmedeadly.com/

Girl In A Box — Using Current Events 30 Years Later

Ok. I confess. I'm a sucker for "modern" historical crime fiction — stories that go back to the recent past (ie Twentieth Century +) for their inspiration. I've written my fair share of them –  those of you who've read me know that.  But I'm always on the look-out for similarly themed crime novels, and this is one worth a look. The author, Sheila Dalton, has written a thriller that has its roots in Guatemala during the '70s, as well as the present. It's a harrowing story, filled with righteous anger and compassion in equal parts, and — well, let's hear from the author directly. Here's Sheila:

 

I briefly took part in an online discussion on using current events in fiction, and it got me thinking about my own book, a literary mystery called The Girl in the Box. The novel is set in Guatemala during the Civil War there in the seventies and eighties.

I visited Guatemala in the seventies, for a protracted four month stay. I went with a girlfriend in order to explore Central America. We fervently did not want to be "tourists" and rather naively set out to discover the "real" Guatemala. And we did see and hear things most tourists would not be privy to. We traveled on the same second-class buses used by the Maya, and stayed by choice in no-star accommodations in areas with a high native population.

Our Spanish was poor, our "Mayan" (there are many dialects) non-existent, but our interest in the people was genuine, and they responded for the most part in a friendly way. I remember sitting on a bus one day and feeling my hair being stroked. A Mayan woman behind me was running her hand down it and exclaiming with a broad smile, "Soft!" It was the start of a limited but fascinating conversation. She was on her way to market in Chichicastenanga to sell her chiles and chickens (clucking and squawking in a box on the seat beside her).

We also saw Mayan men taken of a bus by government soldiers, and never returned. The fear on the bus was palpable, no one was talking, and it was several days before we understood that the men had been killed.  And longer still before we discovered that the church in one of the villages we visited had been converted into a prison where rebels were tortured. You could hear their screams at night, the locals said, but we did not stay long enough to test this for ourselves.

Back in Canada, my friend and I became involved with Latin American groups for immigrants and victims of torture. My own involvement was brief, though I volunteered for Amnesty International for many years because of my experiences. My friend returned to Guatemala before I did and met a group of young, idealistic activists who were involved at great danger to themselves in teaching g the Maya to read.

The situation was terrible, with the government sending out troops to massacre whole Mayan villages. I found out that the Maya were caught in the middle – if they helped the guerrillas even by simply providing food or lodging, they were in grave danger from the military. But not all guerrillas were noble idealists; many retaliated violently if the Maya refused to help them. Most Maya understandably wanted to remain neutral, but they were hard pressed to do so. Many innocent people were killed by both sides, though the power of the military being so much greater, the number of Maya massacred by the government was by far in the majority to those hurt by the rebels.

Thirty years later, I finally completed a novel that used some of what I had learned, and much of what I had researched, about the Civil War. Though the events were no longer "current' they were at the time I first began taking notes,  and therefore much of what I think about using current or real events in novels still applies.

First of all, I like fiction that deals with "real" events, for novels can often help us understand human nature, and figure out our own place in relation to the world.  But why did I write a mystery? Because the mystery is not about "who" but "why" and centres on a young woman who is trying to deal with the effects of the trauma of the death of her lover at the hands of someone she also loved who was far more traumatized than she.

If I thought my book was exploiting the people and circumstances I found in Guatemala, I wouldn't have written it. I think that's partly why it took so long for the story to "gell" in my mind. I was struggling with my desire to entertain as well as engage readers, in addition to informing them. I wanted to make sure my focus was on understanding political realities, giving them context for English-speaking readers, and, hopefully, providing insight that press reports alone could not do.  I wanted to write a book that would be read and enjoyed that also might make readers feel empathy for people a world away, and bring their struggles, hopes and dreams alive.  I can only hope I succeeded.

Hope you'll take a look. You can find it right here.

An Early Gift for You

You've got until Sunday to finish the Turkey Trot, but for those who've already found the turkey, here's another Holiday Gift for you.

 

It's totally FREE at Smashwords and includes holiday-themed romances, mysteries, thrillers, by some of my friends… and, of course, a noir story from me.

 

You can get it right here.

 

Enjoy!