Meet Robert Jones, FBI Counter-Intelligence Security, Part 1

My latest Ellie Foreman book, Jump Cut, came out in March, 2016. Rather than talk about the book, I chatted to FBI Counter-Intelligence Deputy Director Robert Jones on the March edition of Second Sunday Crime. He’s been with FBI for 20 years, worked anti-terrorism, and is now with the counter terrorism division. He’s been in … Read more

I Really Wanted to Like Eye in the Sky

Last week I saw Eye in the Sky. I really wanted to like it. With Colin Firth producing, Helen Mirren as Colonel Katherine Powell and the late Alan Rickman, in his final movie role, as Lieutenant General Frank Benson, the signs were all good. But it fell a bit short. The story goes like this: … Read more

The Invisible Uyghurs

Who are the Uyghurs? If you don’t know, you’re not alone. They live deep in the remote desert of China’s Tarim Basin, and they’re the second most populous ethnic minority in China. They are Muslims, and their plight is mostly untold. The Chinese call them terrorists. The Uyghurs deny it, saying all they want is … Read more

Can You Revive A Series A Decade Later?

I try to answer that on the Kobo Writing Life blog today. Let me know what you think…   Posted on March 7, 2016 by Kobo Writing Life One comment By Libby Fischer Hellmann My latest thriller, Jump Cut, is the fifth Ellie Foreman mystery, and it’s been ten years since the fourth one came … Read more

Publishing in Cuba: Baby Steps

“We have made new friends, fostered business relationships, have fantastic memories, and were a part of history that will forever be a chapter in the publishing industry.” World Book International director Kristin Norell on the Havana Book Fair. Cuba’s publishing scene in 2012 I visited Cuba in February, 2012, and went to the Havana Book … Read more

Girl Heroes Shatter The Literary Glass Ceiling

World Book Day is an annual event organized by UNESCO during March or April, depending where you live. It’s designed to be a global celebration of everything to do with books and reading. Prior to this year’s celebrations, a poll of memorable children’s novel characters, created to mark the big day, saw female heroines and … Read more

What’s Cook-ing with Apple’s iPhone Rebellion

Remember the first commercial for the Mac? Called “1984,” it was directed by Ridley Scott and starred the English athlete Anya Major. The concept, ‘saving humanity from conformity’, alluded to George Orwell’s novel of the same name.   This week, Apple CEO Tim Cook stoked the embers of the company’s erstwhile image by refusing FBI … Read more

Spy Fiction: Where Are All The Women Authors?

A couple of weeks ago, an article came out in The Big Thrill about espionage thrillers. It featured Gayle Lynds, who is one of the best espionage authors around — and yes, I am flattered that she enjoyed and blurbed Jump Cut. But that’s not the point. The article touched on an issue close to … Read more

Join The Jump Cut 50-Skype-Book-Club-Celebration!

JUMP CUT, the 5th installment of my Ellie Foreman Mystery Series will be published on March 1. In order to celebrate and get it into the hands of as many readers as possible, I’m aiming to be a guest at 50 Book Clubs via Skype. Will you join me? An Author at Your Book Group … Read more

Starred Review — Publishers Weekly

I’m awestruck, honored, and humbled that Jump Cut received a Starred Review from Publishers Weekly today. Here’s the review:  Jump Cut: An Ellie Foreman Mystery Libby Fischer Hellman. Poisoned Pen, $15.95 trade paper (286p) ISBN 978-1-4642-0519-4  Hellman’s exceptional fifth Ellie Foreman mystery (after 2005’s A Shot to Die For) offers no easy solutions to the various … Read more