Libby Fischer Hellmann

writes the Ellie Foreman mysteries, the Georgia Davis thrillers, and several stand-alone thrillers. Her Ellie books are a cross between “Desperate Housewives” and “24”, but the Georgia Davis PI thrillers are more hard-boiled. Her stand-alones include a “trilogy” of thrillers set during the revolutions of Iran, Cuba, and the turbulent late Sixties in Chicago.

The Reluctant Writer

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Hi, all. The following blogpost first appeared on Jungle Reds about a month ago. Unfortunately, not much has changed except that I had to put my dog down. He had cancer. I miss him. I came across an article not long ago titled “My Friend Thinks I Don’t Work Because I’m a Writer…” In defense, … Read more

Writing Lite Tip #33: Chapter Titles Aren’t Necessary

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Writing Lite Tip #33

I am actually in awe of writers who title their chapters. I’m not sure why they do it. Or how. Writing a novel is hard enough. Why add to the hardship? Especially if your chapters are James Patterson-short, and you end up with more than 100. Numbers are just fine. And you can use numerals, … Read more

Amazon Ebook Royalty Estimator

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Spreading the word about a handy-dandy new tool that helps you estimate your Amazon royalties. It’s very simple and you can embed it on your website, blog, or just about anywhere. It was developed by Will Bontrager and you can find out more about here, including how to embed it on your pages.   Thanks, Will!   … Read more

Writing Lite Tip 32: Write new material for 45 uninterrupted minutes a day

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Writing Lite Tip 32 - Libby Hellmann

If you, like me, are a “reluctant” writer (one who can find a million things to do instead of writing), I have a suggestion. Set a timer for 45 minutes, and during that time, write new material. Don’t edit, don’t revise, don’t even go back over your material. And don’t answer emails, check your book … Read more

Writing Lite Tip #31: Annie Lamott and Sh*tty First Drafts

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    The first book about writing I ever read was Bird by Bird, and it just might be the most valuable. I particularly love Lamott’s discussion about “Shitty First Drafts.” You see, I am one of those writers who hates to write. Who always thinks she is unequal to the task. Who always second-guesses … Read more

PW Reviews Nobody’s Child… and it’s great!

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Some great news this morning! PW (Publishers Weekly) reviewed Nobody’s Child! For those of you who don’t know, it’s very difficult to have a self-published book reviewed by PW… let alone a good review, which this is… So forgive the crowing… Here’s the whole thing, with the relevant parts bolded: Former cop-turned-PI Georgia Davis takes on … Read more

Writing Lite Tip 30: “Said” is about the only dialogue tag you’ll ever need

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Writing Lite Tip 30: "Said" is about the only dialogue tag you'll ever need.

  OK. I’m lying. You can also use “asked.” But anything else calls attention to itself and indicates you don’t have enough confidence in the dialogue without adding a declaration of how someone spoke. If your dialogue is clear and strong, you will rarely need anything beyond “said” or “asked.”