Libby Fischer Hellmann

"“The tourists pour in, spend their money in a frenzy, determined to flout every norm of social behavior. For them Cuba is a playground where they can do what they want, no matter how obscene, and go home without accountability"

From Havana Lost

http://amzn.com/B00CS7TICY

My latest book, Havana Lost, goes live on Amazon this Friday. And I can’t help comparing what it used to be like launching a book with my traditional publishing head on to what it’s like releasing a self-published novel.

The traditional publishing book launch experience

As a traditionally published author, it’d go something like this: wait for PW (Publishers Weekly), Kirkus, Booklist, and Library Journal reviews to come in, which my publisher would

forward on to me. If they remembered. Bite nails.

Hope that the publisher had paid for some coop advertising, which would give my book a front-of-the-store ‘real estate’ display, and that the book stores would stock the book attractively. Bite nails.

Put the finishing touches on the launch party plans. Bite nails. Finalize the book tour schedule. Bite nails more. Make sure my banners, book marks, and any other paraphernalia I’d paid for were ready. Send out postcards to everyone in the known and unknown universe about the book and my tour schedule. Bite nails.

The self-published book launch experience

Now, as a self-published author, I wait for Amazon, Goodreads, and bloggers’ reviews. Bite nails. Hope that a load of popular book websites will feature it. Bite nails. Put the finishing touches on the launch party and book the tour schedule (I didn’t plan on touring this time around but the bookstores said sure, come on up or down... so I am). Send emails to key people in the cities I'll be visiting on tour. Bite nails more.

Happy to be a Type A control freak!

They don't sound so different, do they? Either way, my nails get bitten down to the quick days before the actual launch date. And a lot of the marketing and promotional activities are similar. But there is a fundamental difference - it’s all about control.

When I decided to self-publish HAVANA LOST I took full control of my books’ promotion. And the money I’ve invested is my own, not part of a traditional publishing deal. It’s my green, which I earned, and I need to make it work as hard as I can. This time, it’s personal.

OK, as an individual I don’t have the same personal marketing punch as a big name publisher. But on the positive side, I can do things my way. I don't have to rely on a third party, who may or may not be up to speed on my work, or allows something crucial to slip through the cracks.

On balance, despite the less-than-attractive manicure, the peace of mind I get is priceless. Yes, I’m still panicked. My fingertips are still chewed ragged. I still can’t sleep nights during launch week. But at least I’m in control of my own sleepless, raggedy-nailed destiny.

One of the most common question writers are asked is, "what made you start writing crime fiction?" For years I always answered the same way: I can tell you how and when I started writing, but I wasn’t exactly sure why.

I didn’t plan it. I was going to be a film-maker. I have an MFA in Film production from NYU and had visions of becoming the American Lina Wertmuller, riding into the sunset with Ingmar Bergman. Unfortunately, life had other plans.

A stint in broadcast journalism

I ended up working in broadcast journalism, mostly in Washington DC, but also in New York. Which was fine. I was raised in Washington, which, as I say in my bio, means when you’re sitting around the dinner table gossiping about the neighbors, you’re talking politics. And I had been a history major in undergraduate college, always aware that current events are history in the making.

The big move came when I was put on the overnight shift at NBC News in DC. I couldn’t handle it. I hated working on the wrong end of the clock, although, curiously, I think I’d love it now. So I ultimately left TV, moved to Chicago, and worked in PR for eight years producing industrial videos, films and audio-visual programs. I also trained executives for speeches, presentation, and media interviews. I got married, had kids, and eventually started my own business doing the same thing. Still, I had no plans to write.

Change in the wind

However, I had always been a voracious reader, reading everything I could get my hands on.  Especially thrillers. My mother was - and still is - a dedicated mystery reader, and she hooked me on them, as well. Despite this, I still had no reason to write. Life carried on. Then, in February 1996, my father died.

We went to the funeral in Washington and when we got back, I went into the basement and started writing. Four months later I’d finished my first mystery. It was a police procedural about the murder of a female judge who was also president of her synagogue. Of course, I thought it was the best thing since sliced bread. The rest of the world didn’t agree. It was never published (and it didn’t deserve to be). But I persevered, and a few years later started publishing books I could be proud of.

Why I became a writer

Now for the why. At first I thought the catalyst might have been my father’s death, my way of dealing with it, working through the grief. But it really didn’t resonate. Then I decided I was writing because my father had been such a practical businessman that his death, in a strange way, way freed me to pursue activities that didn’t have a measurable goal, money or closure. Nice and neat. But that didn’t ring true either.

It was only about six or seven years ago, after I’d written six novels, that I finally got it. In fact, it was one of those smack-yourself-on-the-forehead, how-could-I-have-been-so-stupid moments. It was OJ Simpson.

The greatest show in town

Back in 1995 I was free-lancing, and I had a flexible schedule. So I was able to watch a lot of his murder trial. I remember being glued to the TV, and what I remember most was the theater: a hideous crime, a compelling story, eccentric characters, drama, conflict… in other words, everything you could want or need in a crime novel.

First there were the characters. Central Casting couldn't have come up with a better collection: the earnest but scattered female prosecutor, the urbane, witty defense lawyer, the dullard judge who yielded control to everyone. The racist cop. There was even a California surfer dude, the requisite expert witnesses, and the avuncular king of defense lawyers.

Then there were the forensics. I knew nothing about police procedure, and less about forensics. DNA tests, blood spatter, the bloody glove, the footprints. I was fascinated by the way crimes could actually be investigated in a systematic way, with all sorts of (at the time) hi-tech gadgets. I was mesmerized by the concept, even though the prosecution botched the job. And when the defense suggested that some of the evidence had been mishandled - maybe even manipulated - it played to all of my latent conspiracy theories.

Finally, of course, there was the denouement in October 1995. How absolutely noir an ending! The victims are denied justice. The bad guy goes free. Chandler or Ross McDonald couldn't have done it better.

Remember: OJ was acquitted in October, 1995. My Dad died February 1996. You connect the dots.

Curiously, it wasn’t until 2007, when O.J. was arrested in Vegas for trying to steal his own memorabilia, that the light bulb flashed. THAT’s why I’m writing crime fiction. Because he got away with it! The injustice, the unfairness of it all, had percolated up from my subconscious.

In a way, I've been hesitant to own up to this, because who wants to give the devil his due? At the same time, though, I have to admit that OJ changed my life.

This is a reprint from CrimeSpree magazine but it appeared back in 2007. So I think it’s safe to say  most of  you never read it. I’ve updated it.

As I wait for the reviews of Havana Lost to come in, I can’t help but remember the first (and only) first professional review I wrote. It was in 2007 for Marcus Sakey’s Good People, (btw, Marcus has a new thriller out called Brilliance , and you really need to read it). My review ran in the August 2007 edition of Chicago Magazine. Happily, I liked the book and said so. But I never want to write another review. Ever.

I don’t know how other authors can write reviews. (I’m not talking about blurbs—they’re a different kettle of fish,). As a writer,  I know what a torturous investment I make in my own writing. How I write myself into a corner. And rewrite myself out of it. How I try to stretch to the next level. Create characters that come alive on the page. Avoid contrived plots or resolutions. Weave issues that add depth to the story. And that’s just the writing process.

There’s also the second guessing. The nail-biting when the ARCs go out for review. Was I too heavy-handed? Did the subplot work or fall flat? Was the dialogue natural? What will the trade reviewers say?

Oh, and let’s get real about something else. Some authors claim they don’t care if a review isn’t good. That any review is better than none at all. Some authors even claim that, in some ways, a bad review is better than a good one. I don’t buy it. Having been the recipient of the occasional dunderhead myself (Of course, they totally misunderstood the conceit. And the plot. And the characters), I want to hide for a week in my basement or drown myself in wine.

So, having gone through this many times myself, how could I possibly judge another author’s effort? How do other writers do it? Boston Globe mystery reviewer Hallie Ephron, who is an incredibly successful author herself, understands and says knowing what a writer goes through keeps her from being snarky. “I don’t take it lightly,” she says. “I try to be respectful.” If something doesn’t work for her in a book, she tries to be specific and descriptive rather than judgmental. She also makes a point of telling readers that, as a writer, she might quibble about points that wouldn’t bother a non-writer; for example, an inconsistent point-of-view.

Sounds reasonable. But even supposing I could do what she does, how far would I go? The objective of writing a review is to tell potential readers whether they should invest their time and energy and dollars in a new book. Because I’m a wordsmith, I can probably describe all the good points of a book. I could probably even make the book sound like the best thing since the Guttenberg Bible. But because I’m a wordsmith, I choose words carefully. I could easily forego a superlative hear and there. Write around a deficiency in craft or concept. We’ve all read reviews that damn with faint praise. Reviews in which what isn’t said sometimes screams louder than what is.

And what if I truly don’t like a book? Should I review it at all? What good does it do? Carl Brookins, a veteran author who also reviews crime fiction, straddles the line. He generally finishes a book he’s decided to review, even if the book has problems. He’ll write about the problems, but he’ll make a point of saying something positive as well. “Because I know what writers go through, I think it’s incumbent on me to mention both the good and the bad.”

There’s also the problem of knowing the people you’re reviewing. Over the years I’ve met a lot of people in this business, including reviewers. Some are even my friends. How do they stay objective when reviewing me? Don’t get me wrong. A great review makes my day. But sometimes I wonder whether the reviewer might have been going “easy” on me because we know each other.

And what if I like the person, but I don’t like the book?  Hallie Ephron avoids the whole issue by not reviewing books written by friends. She also won’t review a book if she’s given it a blurb. But what about subsequent books by the same author? Even she isn’t quite sure about that. “How long is the ‘statute of limitations?’” she asks. “Eight years? More?” In those cases she’s glad for support and counsel from the Globe. Carl feels differently. If he knows the author, he’ll still review the book. If he knows them well, though, he’ll say so in the review and will focus exclusively on the book. However, he acknowledges there might occasionally be a subconscious effect, particularly if he likes the author. (Do you like me Carl? Pretty please?)

Both Hallie and Carl say the dramatic decline in print review space isn’t necessarily a bad thing. They both predict that book bloggers and review websites may ultimately reach more “qualified” readers, i.e., those apt to buy and/or read crime fiction. Still, newspaper reviews, when they do appear, play a critical role. “We owe it to bookstores, libraries, and publishers to use mass market channels when we can,” Hallie says.

Regardless of the venue,  authors who review other authors’ work have stores of courage and precision I don’t. After dipping my toe in the water, I don’t intend to dive in, but those who do have my utmost respect and admiration.

HAVANA LOST is the ‪#‎Book‬ ‪#‎Trailer‬ of the Day over at Shelf Awareness! Who knew?

Take a look...

http://www.shelf-awareness.com/theshelf/2013-07-30/book_trailer_of_the_day:_havana_lost.html

Ex-VP of Global Online Sales and Operations at Google and a former Facebook CEO, Sheryl Sandberg is a powerful woman. Her best-selling first book Lean In – Women, Work, and the Will to Lead,deals with the importance for women to  ‘lean into’ life to capitalize on both professional and personal opportunities. A heady mix, the book includes a long, hard look at a woman’s role – or the lack of one – in business leadership, development and government, and explores the contemporary role of feminism.

According to Sandberg, the key to female success isn’t necessarily pushing harder. It’s about being attentive, remaining objective, focusing on emerging life and work opportunities. In Sandberg’s world, women who know and understand their own passions, calculate risks boldly, reject pressure, and say ‘boo’ to fear smooth the rocky paths of life and work better than others.

As a writer who enjoys breaking stereotypes, I get her point. The themes in her book resonate, where against the odds, and sometimes dire circumstances, women take control of their destinies.

Three kinds of women; the good, the bad and the ugly

I write about three kinds of women, none of whom are heroes in the traditional sense (well, maybe a little). All of them, however, are characters who “lean in” on their own. They are women who deal with extraordinary circumstances in unexpected and sometimes extraordinary ways, and I love writing about all of them.

Flawed but honorable

First there are the flawed but honorable women, imperfect in many ways, yet they have high levels of empathy for others. Ellie Foreman and Georgia Davis are both examples, as is Frankie Pacelli, at the beginning of my latest book, HAVANA LOST. Frankie knows her mother and father don’t approve of what she’s doing. She understands why. But she goes her own way anyway, calculating that an honorable, open, honest life with her lover Luis is better than living without him, no matter how hard her defection and disobedience will affect her family. In her own way Carla is another flawed but honorable woman in HAVANA LOST.

We are all flawed; it’s part of the human condition. But we are not all honorable.  I find it fascinating to discover how some characters become cowards and lose all sense of honor when they run into difficulties, while others remain true to themselves—even heroic—when obstacles happen.

Women without choices

The second type of women I love writing about are women whose choices have been taken away from them. For example Anna in A Bitter Veil travels to her new husband’s native Iran with high expectations only to find life is at first difficult, and then impossible. Her freedom is restricted and threatened simply because she is female in an oppressive male-dominated society. She’s up against the wall, all her options have vanished, and many would call her a victim. In her darker moments, she might even agree. But not for long. Something—some core inner strength—propels her to endure, perhaps even prevail against her problems. She is asurvivor.

The same goes for Arin and Mika in my novel An Image of Death, as well as Lila and Alix inSet The Night on Fire. I put them in desperate situations, force them to cope with the challenges and, like the women championed by Sheryl Sandberg, they all eventually manage. I like to think that, put in a similar situation, I’d react the same way, that I would fight to protect my innermost ‘self’. But what do any of us know, until it actually happens?

The witch bitch

The third type of female I love to write about is the witch-bitch. Take Ricki Feldman, who’s a recurring character in several of my novels, and somewhat of a nemesis for Georgia Davis. She’s sharp, willing to cut corners, and says one thing while doing another. You really want to hate her, and she deserves it, but every once in a while she does something … well, almostnoble. So you can’t hate her 100%. She’s flawed and damaged and has more baggage than the carousels at O’Hare, but something human has survived under her hard shell of disappointment and disillusion.

My favorite witch-bitches are Ricki, Frankie Pacelli in HAVANA LOST, and Marian Iverson, who was an important character in my first novel, AN EYE FOR MURDER.

More questions than answers

Women are far from perfect, and creating characters that reflect their flaws and foibles is one of the most enjoyable parts of writing my novels. Who is your favorite strong fictional female character, and why? If you’ve read Lean In – Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, what did you think about it?

Thought you might like to take a look at this. It's called a "Glossi" and it's a short online magazine that you can read at your leisure. Of course, it's about Cuba as described through excerpts from the book. 

Just click below, and be sure to let me know what you think. 

http://glossi.com/LibbyHellmann/31548-havana-lost

 

Well, that’s it. My latest novel, Havana Lost, is being read by a bunch of fans who have downloaded the Advance Reader Copy. I’ve already been asked a whole load of questions about the writing process, the book, the characters and Cuba itself.

Here are my answers.

What attracted you about a plot set in Cuba? Where did the inspiration come from?

I was talking to my sister on the phone after I’d finishedA BITTER VEIL. I knew I wasn’t ready to go back to my Georgia Davis series yet, even though I was already about 60 pages into it. I’d been thinking about doing a World War Two thriller—I’m continually drawn back to that period of time. Unfortunately, I ultimately realized there was probably nothing I could write about the period that hadn’t been done better by someone else.

The conversation turned to other time periods and settings, and my sister brought up Cuba. As soon as she mentioned it, I started to get that itch. It’s the kind of itch that can only be scratched by delving more deeply into the subject. I told her how I remembered my parents flying down to gamble in Havana. This was when Batista was still in power. I must have only been about 6 or 7, but I remember being jealous that they were going to a foreign country and culture. I wanted to go too. Of course, they didn’t take me.

A few years later Fidel took over and Cuba became off limits to Americans. Plus, it turned Communist! Communism was our enemy. Because of that, Cuba seemed even more mysterious and exotic, and I remember wanting to know more about it. Then, of course, there was the Cuban Missile Crisis, which made Cuba even more impenetrable and distant. So close and yet so far.

Finally, and I’m not ashamed to admit it, I recalled one of the Godfather films where Al Pacino (Michael Corleone) and Lee Strasberg (Meyer Lansky) are on a rooftop supposedly in Havana discussing how they’re going to own the island. Shortly after that, Michael sees a rebel willing to die to overthrow Batista and changes his mind about doing business with Lansky.

That clinched it. I realized I had most of the elements for a terrific thriller: revolution, crime, conflict, and an exotic setting.

There was only one other element I needed.  I enjoy—actually it’s more than that… it’s probably an obsession—writing about women and the choices they make. I needed a female character who would have been thrown into the middle of the revolution. It would be fascinating to see what she did and how she coped. Once I came up with Frankie Pacelli, the daughter of a Mafia boss who owns a Havana resort, the rest was, as they say, is history.

Are any of the female characters in HL based on you? If so, which aspects of their personalities are inspired by yours?

None of my female characters are based on me. All of my female characters are based on me. I think it’s impossible for an author not to share shades of themselves through their characters. The issue isn’t so much what comes from me, though; it’s their own authenticity. Once they’re on the page, they have to be true to themselves. Consistent. They can’t do one thing on Monday, and the opposite on Wednesday, even if I want to.

Have you been to Cuba? What did you think / feel about it?

Absolutely, I went to Cuba.  My daughter and I went in 2012 on a cultural tour that coincided with the Havana International Book Fair. It turns out that the Book Fair is one of the largest in Latin America, and it was packed. We were there for 9 days. Of course we did a lot of other things and saw other places (Varadero, Cienfuegos, and Trinidad), and one day, we even ditched the tour and went on our own to Regla. I had written most of the book by then, so it was a perfect opportunity to fact-check. I’m glad I did. I got the geography of Regla wrong.

I took hundreds of pictures, and you’ll be able to see some of them in the coming weeks.

How do you go about creating a new persona from scratch?

I write a ‘stream of consciousness’ “backstory” for each major character that includes their motivations, background, experiences and emotions. Each backstory only needs to be a couple of pages but they act like skeletons to hang the details on. Everyone has a history and backstories help me make people real, breathing life into them. You can watch a video about my process here.

How do you plot your books? Beginning to end then fill in the middle? Or plot on the hoof, as you write?

I write chronologically from beginning to end. Probably an anal compulsion, but I can’t switch around like other writers can. For example, in SET THE NIGHT ON FIRE, the middle section takes place in 1968, well before Parts 1 and 3. I thought I could write that first, since it preceded the others. Nope. Couldn’t do it. I had to write Part one, which takes place in the present, then go back to write Part 2, and then fast forward again to the present to write Part 3.

However I don’t outline… well, that’s not entirely true. I know the premise before I start, and I THINK I know who the perpetrator is. Then I start writing. What we call “a seat of the pants” type writer. I prefer that. It keeps my writing fresh, and more important, allows the characters to determine the plot, rather than me getting in their way with a preconceived notion or outline about what I think they would do. Consequently, in almost every book, the person who committed the crime changed from the person I initially thought it would be.

How long did it take you to write HL?

About a year.

Do you treat the creative process like a 9-5 job or do you only write when you feel in the right creative mood?

I used to be a lot more disciplined and wrote every morning for an hour or so. Now, though, my schedule is all over the place. Mostly because of the added responsibilities of marketing and self-publishing. I wish I could get the discipline back.

Have you ever spent a day writing them trashed the lot?

Not really.

Which is your favorite HL character, and why?

Luis and Carla. Because they are noble.

Did the plot take you in unexpected directions or did you know who you wanted to kill off right from the start?

I pretty much knew this was going to be on the noir side from the outset and that it would have a fairly high body count.

What do you think about female authors and gore – are they as good at the gory stuff as male authors?

Absolutely, and I resent the fact that anyone would think differently.

Do you enjoy writing or is it just 100% hard graft?

I hate it. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done. But I love the notion of “having written.” And I love editing. For me, that’s where the magic happens. Still, I remain somewhat incredulous that I’ve actually published 10 novels. How did that happen?

Are you good at keeping secrets, like Luis?

No. I’m terrible. NEVER tell me a secret you don’t want out.

Where do you get the names for your characters?

I consult a lot of websites for the time and culture I’m writing about. There are also a few websites that randomly generate names. Those are fun.

That’s it for now, but keep the questions coming. I love hearing from you. And don’t forget, you can pre-order the print, ebook, and, within a week or so, even the audio of Havana Lost on Amazon right here.

In Writing Lite #9, I talk about the power pf language and recommend a book that will help you become more aware of it.

 Happy Fourth of July, America…. Hope it’s a good one. Now… on to business.

Some say the lunatics have taken over the asylum.

Until recently, agents and traditional publishers were publishing’s gatekeepers, deciding whose work was printed and whose was rejected. The growth of self-publishing has turned everything upside down now that anyone, anywhere, can publish, market their books, and call themselves an author. But is all this freedom a good thing?

Let’s look at the repercussions.

Glut of books/ Lack of Discovery

While reliable statistics are impossible to find, Bowker says nearly 150,000—43 percent—of all print books were self-published in 2011. But that doesn’t begin to cover ebooks, which we know total in the millions and are rising exponentially every day.

The question is how many of those books are actually read. And how much do they cost? I’m not going to belabor how the plummeting price of ebooks has devalued books in general – we know it has. I’m also not going to estimate how many self-published books are never read. We know the number is high. Bottom line: we have millions of books available at bargain basement prices that are never read. Being discovered is more a dream than a reality.

No quality control

If you want to write and publish a book, you’re completely free to do so, even if you can barely write your name. Imagine what would happen in other industries if this was the case; most professions demand some sort of training or certification to practice. but in publishing no credentials are necessary. Yes, there are editors, fact-checkers, and people who presumably check to see that plagiarism is not a factor, this story notwithstanding.  The problem is that not all writers take advantage of them.

Relentless Social media

Then there’s the relentless deluge of social media. Every other message these days seems to be “Buy my book”.  Or “Buy her book” or a first sentence or something akin to that. (And yes, I’ve been guilty of the practice myself). But we’re just at the beginning of the digital revolution. What will happen as the industry matures?

Pointing Readers in the Right Direction

Some say readers are already providing the gate-keeping function, democratizing the process and putting it in the hands of the “people.” But the sheer numbers of books being released make it impossible for anyone to thoroughly vet what’s out there. Gems will slip by unnoticed, while others, by virtue of salacious or weird content (Think 50 Shades), will generate buzz.

So, yes. I’m coming down on the side of gatekeepers. I think there SHOULD be some kind of gate-keeper function. But what form should it take? And how should it work? That’s where it gets fuzzy…

Bloggers

To some extent bloggers are already gate-keeping, by critiquing work and drawing attention to quality writing. But their process is hit and miss. There are thousands more would-be authors than bloggers. And bloggers’ TBR piles are already so vast that some aren’t accepting books at all.

Aggregators

We’ve seen the rise of aggregators like Goodreads, Booklikes, Shelfari, and Red Room, who play the role of gatekeepers by allowing anyone to rate books, post reviews, and then collect the panoply of opinions in one place. Theoretically, this is a terrific idea, but, like Amazon, these sites are prone to sock puppets and fake reviews and people gaming the system. Plus, some of them (Goodreads) take co-op money from traditional publishers, which confers a kind of Animal Farm “some are more equal than others” status in terms of authors’ visibility on their sites.

Btw, an offshoot of that are what I call “quasi-aggregating” sites like Penguin’s Book Country, and Bookish which are really nothing more than a forum to push publishers’ books. Most of the big 6 publishers have some kind of website like that. Don’t be fooled.

Market forces

Market forces also have a gate-keeping effect. If demand is high for a specific book, it’s fair to assume it’s a decent read. Maybe. There is a follow-the-leader mentality of readers who can’t bear the thought of missing out on the latest and greatest, which can result in a self-perpetuating whirlwind of sales. (Please, God, let it happen to me..:)

Author groups and coalitions

Some authors have taken things into their own hands. The Top Suspense Group, which includes me and fellow crime writers Joel Goldman, Lee Goldberg, Bill Crider, and eight other acclaimed thriller authors, is a good example. We formed Top Suspense to become our owngatekeepers. We have all been traditionally published, have been nominated for, and in some cases, won lots of awards. We want to showcase the quality of our work so we stand out from the crowd.

There are other author groups as well, usually around a particular genre but some, like theIncredible Indie Authors, span several. The benefits of working together are that all members have been traditionally published, and readers can be assured of a decent read. However, that in itself is an issue.

Do you know when a book sucks?

The level of craft involved is so uneven with self-published work that many readers don’t know when they’re reading sub-standard work.

Again, it’s like other industries. If you’re not part of the community, you may not know everything that goes into it. I’ve been writing and publishing over 15 years now, and I can tell by the end of the first paragraph of a book whether it’s well-written. I am seduced by smooth writing, emotional investment, and suspense. If you can get me past that first page, I will read the first chapter. And if you can get me past that, I am putty in your hands.

But there are millions of readers who don’t recognize a well-structured, beautifully written book. They may have a feeling that something isn’t quite right, or that the book isn’t moving along as nicely as others, but if you’re not a prolific reader or writer yourself, how do you know if a book sucks? Now, don’t get me wrong—if a story is terrific, or the characters are unique, I might read on even if the prose doesn’t sparkle and the structure isn’t tight. But my mental editor will be on full alert, and if there are too many obstacles in the way of the read, I will abandon it.

More Questions Than Answers

Of course, I’m just one reader. And one writer. And I’m aware that my taste may be very different than others.’ In fact, when you get right down to it, who am I to judge if a book is worthwhile? And if I’m loath to make myself a gate-keeper, who else should sift through the crap?

It’s a thorny issue. If craft and quality don’t matter, what does? And how do we find it?

I think you can tell that I’m not very sanguine about the future… at least today. So this is where you come in. I need some reassurance. I don’t want to wade through a morass of mediocre writing out there, whether it’s traditionally OR self-published. At the same time, I don’t want to miss out on a gem or two.

Librarians at the ALA  are starting up a recommendation program for adult new fiction this fall. Unfortunately, I get the feeling only traditionally published books will be included.

In other words, it’s the same old, same old. Yes, they’re performing a gatekeeper function…and  that’s good. Yes, I love librarians, but if they’re only considering one portion of the book market, are they really performing a service to the reading public?

I dunno. What do you think? What am I missing?

I just finished THE COMPANY by Robert Littell. Excellent, but too long.

INTRODUCING WRITING LITE -- WHAT IS SUSPENSE?

This isn't a book review, but it is a video series on writing fiction, and it's geared to crime fiction and thrillers. Because I teach a number of workshops on the craft of fiction, I’ve been toying with the idea of producing short videos about it, and I decided to go ahead with them.

I’m calling the series “Writing Lite” because none of the videos will be over 3 minutes. (This one clocks in at 2:30), and this first one is about suspense, which is probably my favorite workshop to teach.

The plan is to have a new video every week, but we’ll see how that pans out. Bear in mind these videos will be short highlights, not a detailed tutorial. Still, I hope you get some worthwhile information from them. If you like this one, I'll post some more, so let me know what you think. Really. I don't want to bore anyone.

At any rate, here’s the introductory video. 

For any of you who enjoy thrillers, historical, political, and romantic, an advance reader copy of HAVANA LOST is available as a PDF for a limited time. All we ask is that you post an honest review by September 1st here on Booklikes, Amazon, and/or any other place you usually post.

If you're interested, here's where to go:

http://www.libbyhellmann.com/my-books/havana-lost/

Every once in a while, a sleeper of a novel comes around that you really HAVE to read. For me, it's CHEESELAND. Those of you who live in or have ties to Chicago already have an idea what it's about... and you're right. It's partly a coming of age story, partly a noirish crime novel... and it's a gem. Not long, either. My only quibble is with one of the characters who seems to be too good to be true, but, as I said, it's a quibble. It's elegant, well-written, and the characters are wonderfully wrought. I highly recommend it.

Here's the book trailer for my upcoming thriller, HAVANA LOST. It's less than a minute.

What do you think?