Libby Fischer Hellmann

Last spring, thriller writer CJ Lyons talked with fellow author Libby Hellmann about her writing.

Part of the Q & A:

CJ: Tell us about your background and how you broke into fiction.


LH: Writing books was never in my master plan. I was going to be a film-maker. In fact, I planned to become the Lina Wertmuller of the US and dance into the sunset with Ingmar Bergman.

Funny about that.

I got an MFA in film production but started working in broadcast news. Aside from loving film, I had acquired a healthy news jones. It’s understandable – I was raised in Washington DC, and when you’re gossiping about the neighbors, you’re usually talking politics. After a while I moved to Chicago and worked for a PR firm where I produced industrial films and videos, wrote speeches, and coached executives in communication skills.

I didn’t start writing until the 1996, after my father passed away, but it took five years and three “practice” novels before I mastered the craft of fiction well enough to be published. I remember writing an article about getting published called “Doing it By the Book”… because that’s pretty much what happened. I did what they say you’re supposed to: I went to conferences, I volunteered, I sent out query letters, I revised, and ultimately I got an agent. She sold what became An Eye for Murder to Berkley Prime Crime for a three book deal. The unusual part ...[read on]

Read an excerpt from Doubleback, Hellmann's new novel, and watch the video trailer.

My Book, The Movie: A Shot To Die For.

The Page 69 Test: Easy Innocence.

My Book, The Movie: Easy Innocence.

Visit Libby Fischer Hellmann's website.

--Marshal Zeringue