Author, Compulsively Readable Thrillers
So we did it — the Top Suspense Group (of which I’m a member) conducted our first Google Hangout On air last night. All in all, I think it went pretty well. We tried to focus on techniques of suspense (imagine that), although we got side-tracked a lot. But it was fun. I hope you … Read more
Here’s a transcription of the first video in my Writing Lite series, in advance of Top Suspense Group’s Hangout this Thursday, 20th February 2014. We’d love to have you join the hangout, btw, and you can do it by clicking here or on the link below. Secrets to Writing Top Suspense OK. Here’s the transcript: Take one neighbor, … Read more
About six months ago, the Mystery Readers Journal edited by Janet Rudolph (Btw, if you don’t get these quarterly magazines, you should) released a “Chicago Mysteries” edition. An essay I wrote—well, actually it’s a love letter—was included. I’m reprinting it here, so you understand my love affair with this city. I’m also including the video … Read more
I started reading spy thrillers around the time of Watergate (Hmm… think there’s a connection?). The first two I read were The Wind Chill Factor by Thomas Gifford and The Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett, and I was blown away by them both. The Wind Chill Factor – Thomas Gifford I love this … Read more
I’ve been sliding down a slippery slope over the past couple of years. I guess it’s no surprise—‘they’ do say the more crime you write the darker you get. In my case, I’m afraid they’re right. When I started writing Havana Lost, I knew from the start it was going to have a noir-ish ending. … Read more
I just finished my latest Georgia book. Now, understand that when I say finished, I mean the first draft is done. It has been through my writers group, and right now several people whose opinions I trust are reading it. Which means it will go through several more iterations and drafts before it’s ready to … Read more
More holiday specials! I’m giving away a free audio of Havana Lost sometime between December 1-7, as part of my participation in The Virtual Book Fair. All you have to do is sign-up for my newsletter here. I’ll announce the winner on the 7th. But, and this is the best part, there are a lot … Read more
Just to let you know that EASY INNOCENCE, the first Georgia Davis PI thriller, is part of Amazon’s new Countdown Deal. The ebook is just $.99 today and tomorrow, then $1.99 Wednesday and Thursday, and $2.99 Friday and Saturday. If you haven’t read it, I hope you’ll take a look here.
“Good writing is supposed to evoke sensation in the reader – not the fact that it is raining, but the feeling of being rained upon.” E. L. Doctorow I love that definition. Sensory detail succeeds when a writer uses the senses of touch, taste, sight, smell and sound to create a visceral, emotional reaction … Read more
Just a few snippets of news from my corner of the universe… An interview with me in The Examiner by Terry Ambrose is here, but here’s the first graf: Libby Hellmann (www.libbyHellmann.com) writes what she calls “compulsively readable thrillers.” In this interview, the thriller author talked about where the idea for her latest book came from and … Read more