Author, Compulsively Readable Thrillers
Libby Fischer Hellmann 
Aclamada novela de suspenso de la mafia cubana ahora publicada en español La novela premiada de la autora más vendida de novelas de detectives, Havana Lost, ambientada en Cuba durante la revolución y el Período especial treinta años más tarde, ahora está disponible en español. La Habana perdida será publicada el 1 de abril de … Read more
I’m excited to share with you a structure for both writing and editing a chapter of your novel. We’ve all been schooled in introductions, conclusions, and the overall flow of a novel. But what about individual chapters, which, after all, are the building blocks of your story? Is there a format? How do you know … Read more
I’m very excited to announce that the Spanish translation of Havana Lost will be released May 1. In honor of the release, I’m giving away 2 print copies via Goodreads. You’ll find everything you need to know below. I hope you’ll enter! Goodreads Book Giveaway La Habana Perdida by Libby Fischer Hellmann Giveaway ends May … Read more
Suddenly Orphan Black is the most talked about show on TV. For the uninitiated, Season three started Saturday night on BBC America, and it promises to be even more complex (maybe even a little unwieldy) than the past two seasons. I’ve been watching it since the beginning, and I’ve been a big fan. Part of … Read more
I just finished a short article by Gretchen Rubin on the PW Tip Sheet titled “How To Become A Better Reader in 10 Steps” that I can’t praise highly enough. Whether you’re a fiction reader, (and I hope you are) a non-fiction reader, a news/internet/research article junkie, I hope you find it as … Read more
As some of you know, my 6th novel, Doubleback is on sale this week at Amazon for 99¢/.99£. I thought you might like to hear some of the backstory — why and how this book came to be. It was published in 2009, but I’d been thinking about it for a while. Especially the first … Read more
Hi, everyone. I’m happy spring is trying to settle in Chicago. On the left is Oak Street beach. It doesn’t quite look like this yet, but I’m counting on it soon. And hoping we’ve seen the last of the tornadoes. I have some fun things for you: not one, … Read more
Many of you have read Bird by Bird by Annie Lamott. When I started my journey of writing, hers was the first book I read. I still have to remind myself it’s okay to write shitty first drafts. And I still have to remember it doesn’t all happen at once. But her advice has weathered … Read more
As you know, I’m a big fan of short stories for all sorts of reasons, so when a couple of my own pop up, I’m delighted to tell you about them. Capital Partners – A Short Story Two women, whose husbands have been caught in a Ponzi scheme, vacation at a posh ski resort and … Read more
I’m still not sure how it happened, but somehow over the past few years, we’ve elevated our pets in the family pecking order. They are now our sine qua non, our raison d’etre, deserving of abject love, often as deep, if not more, than our kids. After all, children grow up and leave us. My … Read more