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.

Women’s Voices Magazine is Here!

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If you’ve been following me on Twitter, FB, and Google+, you know I’ve been talking about a new online magazine that debuts — today! Starting with the 2012 election, American women have emerged as a new high-target demographic powerbase for media.  But the media’s approach has not necessarily changed much from continuing an emphasis on … Read more

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to “The Mystery Box” Anthology

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War Secrets - An anthology in The Mystery Box

I am delighted to announce the release of “The Mystery Box” anthology released by MWA (Mystery Writers of America) today. I am even more delighted to say that my story, “War Secrets,” is in it. It has—well—an unusual backstory. I was casting around for an idea—the anthology’s premise is “Secrets,” which lends itself to a … Read more

Writing Lite #3 — Raise the Stakes

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In this week’s Writing Lite I talk about how to raise the stakes to build suspense into your work. Enjoy… and let me know what you think. And yes, I’m sorry I cut off a bit of my head in the frame, but I didn’t think you’d miss it. It’s not easy to produce and … Read more

My Favorite Non US Crime Authors

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I started out thinking I’d write about my favorite Nordic crime authors, but as prolific as they are, I’m afraid my Nordic love affair is dimming. In fact, I’m loath to say it, since I am someone who loves the darkest shades of noir, but reading them has not been as satisfying as it once was. They’ve started to feel far too dreary, dark and cold. Even for me.

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WRITING LITE #2 — Beginnings

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Hi, everyone. Welcome to WRITING LITE #2. I’m still talking about suspense, but this time I start at the beginning and discuss the power of that first line. I talk about why it’s important, how to approach it, and give you some of my all-time favorite examples. It is a little longer than I anticipated … Read more

My Six Favorite Male Mystery authors

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My favorite male mystery authors

My favorite male mystery authors

It’s so hard to whittle down my favorite authors. I’ve read so many wonderfully dark, nuanced stories over the years. But these are the male authors I have on automatic buy… or listen. Being the proud owner of an iPhone (plus the cool thingie you plug directly into the cigarette lighter to make the audio come out of the radio) means I’m becoming fonder of audio by the minute.

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Introducing “Writing Lite” by Libby Hellmann

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Hi, all. Some of you know I teach a number of workshops devoted to the craft of fiction writing, especially crime fiction. For a while now, I’ve been toying with the idea of producing short videos about craft, and I decided to go ahead with them. I’m calling the series “Writing Lite” because none of … Read more