Libby Fischer Hellmann's Blog, page 7
January 2, 2019
An Interview about High Crimes, Writing, Publishing, and more
Happy New Year, everyone! Let’s hope 2019 brings us less darkness, more light, and trust in our institutions again. And some fun! We need some, don’t we?
I was delighted to be interviewed by Rich Ehisen on his Open Mic Blog. It was a wide-ranging conversation, so it’s long, but I think it worked out pretty nicely. Here’s the first part, and a link to the rest.
A Few Words With: Libby Fischer Hellmann
For someone who never intended to become a writer, Chicago-based Libby Fischer Hellmann has done a pretty good job of it. After years in TV news and then public relations, Hellman penned her first novel in 2002, “An Eye for Murder,” the first in the Ellie Foreman series. The book was nominated for several awards, and it set Hellmann off on a whole new path. Fourteen more books followed, as have many more awards and nominations. In recent years she has also significantly grown her profile in the crime fiction world, hosting writing-centric radio and television shows and serving a term as president of Sisters in Crime, a national organization dedicated to supporting the growing number of women who write crime fiction, mysteries and thrillers. We sat down recently to talk about her work and the changing nature of the publishing industry.
Click Here for The Full Article
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November 24, 2018
A FREE Georgia Davis Short Story from Libby Fischer Hellmann.
https://books.bookfunnel.com/mysterys...
November 21, 2018
“Speaking of Mysteries Podcast and High Crimes
Hi, all. I’m interviewed by Nancie Clare on her Speaking of Mysteries #podcast about HIGH CRIMES. Hope you’ll take a listen. bit.ly/2Ab9eBA
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November 20, 2018
Self-Publishing Has Never Been Easier… or Harder
Hi, all. Here’s an excerpt to my latest foray into the state of self-publishing these days. Thanks to Crimereads.com, who gave me the opportunity. I hope some of it is useful!
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November 19, 2018
Library Journal Interview & HIGH CRIMES
Hi, everyone. In addition to that lovely review from Library Journal over the weekend, I also did an interview with them that I’m just seeing now. Thought you might like to see an excerpt — with a link to the full article.
Crime Fiction Master Libby Fischer Hellmann gives readers an insider’s view of American power.
Libby Fischer Hellmann smoked her first cigarette behind the United States Capitol Building. Born in Washington D.C., Hellmann started her career with the public television unit that first paired Robert MacNeil and Jim Lehrer. Among her credits, she worked on the rebroadcast of the Watergate hearings. In short, she understands American power. She knows that the most important stories don’t make it into newspapers or telecasts. The truth can come from novelists who smoke cigarettes out behind the halls of power.
In Hellmann’s fifteenth thriller HIGH CRIMES, resistance leader Dena Baldwin is assassinated at a mass demonstration fourteen months after the 2016 election. The gunman is found dead on a rooftop near Grant Park in Chicago. Hellmann deploys fan favorite Georgia Davis, P.I., to track down the person or persons who ordered the hit. Georgia soon discovers rightwing enemies lurking behind fake profiles amongst the victim’s 42,000 Facebook followers.
Following the 2016 election, Hellmann found herself consumed by the drama of current events. “I didn’t write for an entire year,” she said, “I hung out on Twitter.” Having fled Washington years ago, she hunkered down in her Chicago office and watched the underground action online. Hellmann was following a Facebook activist group when inspiration struck. “There’s this little spark in your belly that fires when you know you have the right story.” Hellmann reached out to the group’s founder and said, “I want to write a book but you are going to die in the first chapter. Is that okay?”
Libby Fischer Hellmann loves her adopted hometown of Chicago, but remembers her lessons from Washington and Watergate. Big power players, she says, “don’t have issues with violence. Particularly if it goes in their favor.” As she watches strongmen rise around the world, Hellmann hopes we never see deadly political violence here. But, she says, “I can’t rule it out.”
In HIGH CRIMES, Georgia Davis has no political views. She looks only for the truth and, with 42,000 suspects, finds plenty of corruption and depravity. “I really tried to keep it even handed. The Resistance activists aren’t clean and snowy white. Some of them are opportunists. Some of them are looking for glory. Some of them are getting their rage out. They run the gamut just like the people they are trying to confront.” On whether she thinks her readers will accept a complex view, she said, “While I’m sure some readers will be offended, I also hope they will recognize that these characters make mistakes and are sometimes misguided. In other words: human.”
In our current season of discord, Libby Fischer Hellmann finds friendship and solidarity with her fellow mystery writers. She formerly served as the national president of Sisters in Crime, a 3500-member mystery authors’ organization. “You’d think that writers are isolated and competitive,” she says, “However, the mystery community is generous and open. I spend hours on the road with Cara Black and UK author Zoe Sharp brainstorming each other’s stories. I love that about our community.”
Read the rest of the article here. And thanks for taking a look. Btw, HIGH CRIMES is widely available in print, audio, and ebook. And, if you’re looking for great ebook prices, check out my online store.
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November 17, 2018
Library Journal Review of HIGH CRIMES
To say I’m delighted is highly restrained of me. Consider me floating after Library Journal’s Review. Here it is:
After the 2016 election, Dena Baldwin vowed to resist the new administration with all her might. To that end, she creates a Facebook group called Resistance USA. Fourteen months later while at an organized demonstration, she’s shot and killed by a right-wing extremist. However, Dena’s mother is convinced there’s a deeper conspiracy behind her daughter’s murder. Now it’s up to Chicago PI Georgia Davis to discover the truth. Meanwhile, Georgia is blindsided by the return of her estranged mother, which stirs up bitter resentments. This timely thriller addresses social media fiefdom, corruption in Washington, and the current divisive political climate. While Hellmann (War, Spies & Bobby Sox, the Ellie Foreman series) dives headlong into the political quagmire, readers should not be put off by the political context. Georgia’s complicated private life adds depth to the smart, multi-layered plot, which perfectly exemplifies our modern society. VERDICT: This fifth installment of the series (after NOBODY’S CHILD) is a cathartic novel for Hellmann. However, fans of all political stripes will enjoy this combination of intricate family relationships and realistic crime fiction.
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November 14, 2018
Hey, I Got a Badge!
Cute, huh? The badge is from MANY BOOKS, where I am Author of the Day. It was a fun interview, too. You can find the complete interview here — it’s pretty short, but I’ve excerpted the first two paragraphs below.
Please give us a short introduction to what High Crimes is about.
How do you solve a murder when there are 42,000 suspects? That’s the task facing Chicago PI Georgia Davis, hired to hunt down those behind the assassination of Resistance leader Dena Baldwin at a demonstration fourteen months after the 2016 election.
Tell us more about Georgia Davis – what makes her tick?
Georgia is a loner. She has baggage. She doesn’t trust easily. When we meet her she is still a cop and in the middle of a love affair with a detective. Of course, that falls apart, as does her career, and she eventually becomes a PI. Through it all, though, she has a finely tuned sense of justice. She also has a predisposition toward protecting young girls, and she is a mentor in spite of herself. However, over the arc of five books now, she has slowly changed, and her life has become more complex and dependent on other people. I’m glad. It keeps her from being too hard on herself.
Enjoy!
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November 1, 2018
High Crimes Paperback Now On Sale
Hi everyone. Big day here: HIGH CRIMES is now on sale in paperback! You can find it at these retailers:
If you’re a bookseller or librarian, HIGH CRIMES can also be found on Ingram, and it IS returnable. I hope you enjoy the read. I’ll let you know when the ebook and audiobook are available.
What early reviewers are saying
“In this ripped from the headlines and rocket-paced thriller, Libby Fischer Hellmann is at the top of her game. You won’t stop turning the pages, gripped by every twist and turn. And the tough, smart Georgia Davis is sure to take her place among the top female PIs in crime fiction.” Lisa Unger NY Times Bestselling Author of UNDER MY SKIN
“Entertaining…(Georgia is) a shrewd investigator… for readers who watch the nightly news with dismay, the novel offers a satisfying alternate reality.”Publishers Weekly
“HIGH CRIMES is the P.I. novel for our moment, not just because of its backdrop of political tension, but because of the resilient strength of its characters. Georgia Davis is a terrific lead, and Libby Fischer Hellmann calls on her own journalism background to add layers of realism to this all-too plausible plot.” Michael Koryta, NY Times Bestselling Author of HOW IT HAPPENED
BookLife Talks to Libby Fischer Hellmann
Here’s an excerpt of an interview I did with PW’s BookLife last week (October 19) about HIGH CRIMES.
What’s different about High Crimes from your previous books?
High Crimes was personal. After Nov. 8, 2016, I spent an entire year in a state of semiparalysis. I couldn’t write. I couldn’t talk about anything but the election. Eventually, I realized that I had given the occupant of the Oval Office all my power, especially where my writing was concerned. I brainstormed two different novels, but they just didn’t resonate. Then came the eureka moment. A few days after the election, I’d joined a resistance Facebook group, which eventually grew to 42,000 members. Now I asked myself, “What if the leader of a sizeable resistance Facebook group was assassinated? Who would have done it and why? And what if Georgia Davis was hired to look into it?” From that point on, the story took off.
Tell us a little about Georgia Davis, your series, and how the events in High Crimes test her mettle.
Georgia was a cop when she first appeared in my Ellie Foreman series. But as soon as she walked onto the page, I knew she would have her own series. She is completely apolitical. If anything, she leans toward the conservative side. Although there is a political slant to High Crimes, Georgia helps make it evenhanded. She also has a finely tuned sense of justice, which allows her to take risks that the rest of us would find unacceptable.
What is the one thing you most want to say about you or your book?
High Crimes is a mystery that goes right to the heart of the huge, ongoing conflict with which we’re grappling as a nation. There are no heroes in this novel, either on the left or on the right, but there is Georgia, driving the story toward justice.
Click here to read the entire interview.
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October 31, 2018
Check out my interview with Lesa's Book Critiques.
Sharing Books and Authors, with an emphasis on Mysteries.
Libby Fischer Hellmann - Author Interview
https://lesasbookcritiques.blogspot.c...
#author #interview #mystery #crimefic #amwriting
October 28, 2018
BookLife Talks with Libby Fischer Hellmann
Hi, all. I thought you might be interested in an interview I did with BookLife last week (October 19) about HIGH CRIMES
. A lengthy excerpt was published in the 10/22/18 edition of Publishers Weekly as well.
Hellmann’s Chicago PI Georgia Davis returns to solve a politically motivated Facebook murder mystery.
What’s different about High Crimes from your previous books?
High Crimes was personal. After Nov. 8, 2016, I spent an entire year in a state of semiparalysis. I couldn’t write. I couldn’t talk about anything but the election. Eventually, I realized that I had given the occupant of the Oval Office all my power, especially where my writing was concerned. I brainstormed two different novels, but they just didn’t resonate.
Then came the eureka moment. A few days after the election, I’d joined a resistance Facebook group, which eventually grew to 42,000 members. Now I asked myself, “What if the leader of a sizeable resistance Facebook group was assassinated? Who would have done it and why? And what if Georgia Davis was hired to look into it?” From that point on, the story took off.
Tell us a little about Georgia Davis, your series, and how the events in High Crimes test her mettle. Georgia was a cop when she first appeared in my Ellie Foreman series. But as soon as she walked onto the page, I knew she would have her own series. She is completely apolitical. If anything, she leans toward the conservative side. Although there is a political slant to High Crimes, Georgia helps make it evenhanded. She also has a finely tuned sense of justice, which allows her to take risks that the rest of us would find unacceptable.
How did you research High Crimes, and how much did current events inspire this book? I didn’t do much research for this book. The daily news cycle provided most of what I needed.
What was it like shifting from a traditional crime-solving milieu to a virtual one, complete with fake profiles? I’ve been writing about cybercrime for a while now. Jump Cut (2016), book five in my Ellie Foreman series, deals with cyberespionage. I love the possibilities that the virtual world offers—and when I combine them with traditional gumshoe detective work, the pace and the plot of a story can take flight.
Do you think true crime is potentially more relevant in our current political climate than before? If so, why? Yes, especially with all the books detailing the crimes and corruption of the current administration. I imagine we’ll see a rash of books about police shootings—for instance, about the murder of Laquan McDonald—as well as histories of the Russian mafia and its leader, Semion Mogilevich, before it’s all over. Criminals are more brazen and fearless today, and their crimes affect more people. It’s not just one or two families who suffer or grieve—it’s often an entire community, and in some cases, a country.
Who is your ideal reader and why?
My ideal reader loves suspense and is unable to put a story down until he or she has figured it out or finished it. That reader loves to explore “the dark side” but ultimately wants justice to be served.
What is the one thing you most want to say about you or your book? High Crimes is a mystery that goes right to the heart of the huge, ongoing conflict with which we’re grappling as a nation. There are no heroes in this novel, either on the left or on the right, but there is Georgia, driving the story toward justice.
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