​Visit Libby on her website: 
https://libbyhellmann.com 
Join Libby on Faceboook: 
www.facebook.com/authorLibbyFischerHellmann
Subscribe to Libby's YouTube channel: 
www.youtube.com/user/libbyfh1
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https://x.com/libbyhellmann

LINK for BOOK:
https://www.amazon.com/Maxs-War-Story-Ritchie-Revolution/dp/B0CR3DFMJR

Check out Libby's UPDATES & EVENTS here.

​Dane is a student of science and culture. He travels and works with people from around the world. ALL THE DARK VOICES is the debut novel and the first sci-fi/speculative thriller in a three book collection. Other unrelated thrillers are in queue for readers in the years ahead. 

Q: What inspired you to write this book?
Answer: A quote by Albert Einstein, “Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.”

It’s a humorous quote. I smile every time I read those words. I have always been intrigued by this succinct perspective. Especially with the speed of advancement in science throughout the 20th century, and into our modern day world. As I contemplated how one would reconcile science and human culture in the contemporary world, ALL THE DARK VOICES arrived as a story. I challenged myself to write it. Turns out, it is a love story.

Q: What was your writing process like?
Answer: It may sound cliché, but the best way to describe the process is organic. I had no outline, no developed characters. I never dreamed of being a writer. I simply started writing one day. I had an opening scene and final concept scene in mind. I wanted the story to move with pace so that if anyone ever read the book, they wouldn’t get bored.

I wrote at every opportunity. On airplanes, on different continents, before and after work, late at night, weekends. I developed the characters, scenes and the story arc on long-walks, jogs, and of course in the shower. It was a busy couple of years but I never once regretted sitting down to write it. Meanwhile, I was raising three boys and running a company.

Q: What do you hope readers will take away from reading this?
Answer: I hope readers enjoy the ride and take away a feeling of hope and optimism about the world we live in. Einstein’s words are not very flattering to the human species. But there are billions of good human beings all around the world. We are all more alike than perhaps the different cultures would suggest.

Q: Do you have any other books in the works?
Answer: I have the sequel to VOICES in process. There is much more for the protagonist’s to accomplish. There is also a prequel that I think readers will enjoy. On the drawing board there is another story trilogy to be told, and other unrelated standalone stories in the idea box. Much more to come.
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Q: What is it like to be a writer?
Answer: I suspect I would have never written the first story if I hadn’t worked in a science and technology driven industry around creative and inspirational people. I never dreamed of
being a writer. But I’ve always filled empty space by telling myself stories. Capturing those thoughts in words, is work that is relaxing and personally enjoyable. If others can find enjoyment, well that is about as good as it gets.

Born in 1942 in Munich, Germany, I am a naturalized U.S. citizen.

My academic credentials consist of a B.A. in German, a B.A. in Russian, a Master’s in Linguistics from the California State University, Fresno, and a PhD in English Philology from the Freie Universität Berlin.

Retired from teaching part-time English and Linguistics at California State University, Fresno, California State Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo, and the Freie Universität Berlin, I am currently living in Santa Barbara, CA.

My publications began with academic articles and book reviews as well as book reviews of fiction in "The Los Angeles Times." I have recently published nonfiction short stories. My creative nonfiction memoir, “Trauterose: Growing Up In Postwar Munich,” was published by Glass Spider Publishing in September, 2023.

Awards

On May 30, 2024, Elisabeth Haggblade's book, "Trauterose: Growing Up in Postwar Munich," received the "2024 IndiReader Discovery Award Genre Memoir."
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Personal Resilience and Healing:
There was basically no community support because of our location away from the center of town. Instead, I had: Music, Nature, Church, and Family Cohesion. Music, because I loved to sing in church choirs. Nature, because of my foster father’s teaching about our garden and the nearby municipal park. Family, because it gave me a sense of belonging. And there was also hope for a better future. 

Inherited Guilt and Identity:
In navigating complexities, I just accepted the foster parents as my guardians and what they had experienced. I didn’t ask questions, then, about their past actions. I saw the past struggles written in their faces and in that of neighbors and others. Each person had to grapple with his/her own past and experiences.

Humor Amidst Hardship:
Humor was not writ large in our lives, but for a few examples, such as the story of Aunt Meta sister, where the baby peed into the soup. And there were daily living annoyances; e.g., teasing my foster brother about paper bits sticking to his face to stop the bleeding from shaving cuts. Some incidents seem humorous in retrospect but were not at the time; e.g., sitting on the toilet in an outhouse without a door. 

Lessons for Modern Readers:
​For our Collective Memory, we need to: Examine the past, teach about Holocaust, engender conversations among generations–old and young–and continue the conversation. We need to be vigilant about the dangers of Nationalism, of the movement of the FarRight, which is active everywhere, not just in Germany and in Europe, but also in the United States. 

Book is: A coming-of-age story, a foster-care story, a refugee story, an immigration story, a learning English as a foreign language story, and it’s an education story working through conflicts with parents, school, and church.

This narrative is bookended by critical thoughts about nationality: Being considered German in the US versus being American in Germany. I close with reflections on today’s Germany, with the past intruding on the present and with my inherited trauma and inherited guilt still pursuing me.

Finally, a dream come true. I have always wanted to publish a book. A fiction story I have worked on over the years taking my treasured moments from visits at the beach along with a few life experiences. I grew up in Long Island, NY and currently live in Colorado surrounded by family and friends. I enjoy watercolor painting. A Pair of Oars is my debut novel. I hope you enjoy it.
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Connect with Kerrina on LinkedIn:
www.linkedin.com/in/kerrina-kuhns-73991b96
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LINK for BOOK:
https://www.amazon.com.au/Pair-Oars-Kerrina-Kuhns/dp/1977250408