TRUE CRIME - TRUE LOVE MEMOIR

Preview Chapter 1 FREE

Little did Lizbeth suspect that transferring out of the rundown Army fire department dispatch office into the
high-tech one at the Air Force would be like jumping from the frying pan into the fire. Literally. And it only gets hotter.

Click "Read Sample" on Amazon to read part of Chapter 1 free!


“Angel Hero is alive with feeling, both sexual and spiritual. By turns vivid and gritty, ethereal and romantic, this exquisite book tells a love story that evokes laughter, tears, and wonder in equal measure.”


Elaine Madison, Ph.D.
Professor of Literature, Hawaii Pacific University, playwright


“Exquisitely woven thriller…compelling…escalates from ‘just another ordinary day at the office’ to a shocking and terrifying crescendo as the psychopathic antagonist spreads fear and terror…this is ‘Ghost’ meets ‘Psycho’.”


Rick Smith, author, “How to Master  Self-Hypnosis in a Weekend”


“Captivates from page one…brutal crime coupled with tender romance…deep spiritual connection with love of her life…convincing, emotionally satisfying.”

Rosemary Mild, mystery and memoir author

Lizbeth's essay discussing the devastating reality of her dear friend Vic's death as a result of gun violence is featured on Bullets into Bells. You can read the essay, Healing Violence Through Activism, on their website by clicking here. Read the entire story, as well as what it was like dealing with the sociopath that murdered Vic in cold blood, in Angel Hero, Murder in Hawai’i, A True Story.

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150th Arbor Day: How to Help

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Build a Wall and the Wind Will Come – #WATWB

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An Alternate Intro: Angel Hero, Murder in Hawai’i, A True Story

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Jim Allison: Breakthrough – #WATWB

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Goodbye, 2019! Hello, 2020.

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We Have Giveaway Winners!

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Breakthrough and Love #WATWB

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Gratitude Giveaway / Facebook Contest

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A Free-Roaming Cat Family and Me (Part 5)

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A Free-Roaming Cat Family and Me (Part 4)

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A Free-Roaming Cat Family and Me (Part 3)

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A Free-Roaming Cat Family and Me (Part 2)

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A Free-Roaming Cat Family and Me (Part 1)

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An Amazing Comeback for the Kākāpō Parrot – #WATWB

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An Inheritance of Kindness – #WATWB

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Follow Your Dreams

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How to Extricate Yourself When a Sociopath is Targeting You

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How to Recognize a Sociopath

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Tree-Planting Drones Reforesting the World in Record Time #WATWB

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Narcissists and Sociopaths – A Facebook LIVE Event

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Scientist Jim Allison wins 2018 Nobel Prize for Cancer Cure #WATWB

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A Year after the Parkland Shootings

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Good News About Love and Compassion #WATWB

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My Last Valentine

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Revenge, Fear and Self-Preservation

Brian Smith, like most of the firemen at the department, feared Jaku. After swearing me to secrecy he told me that the firefighters laughed at Jaku’s stories to appease him, but they all knew better than to believe the outrageous sexually oriented lies he’d told about me. Brian said the guys knew Jaku lied whenever…

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Liar Liar: How a Sociopath Lies to Manipulate and Control

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Can Hundreds of Thousands of Tweets Help Save a Saudi Teen’s Life? #WATWB

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The Ghost of El Tejano

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An Epiphany on Epiphany

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Four New Year’s Resolutions from Seth

I’m a longtime follower of the teachings of the entity called Seth, channeled through writer Jane Roberts, his words transcribed by her husband Rob Butts. I continue to embrace Seth’s core teachings that consciousness creates matter; that each individual creates his or her own reality through their thoughts, beliefs and expectations; and that the “point of…

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Five Fabulous Folks Who Created Positive Changes in 2018 #WATWB

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A Christmas Miracle

On the afternoon of Christmas Eve’s eve, in 2012, when Barry and I lived in a condo complex in Mililani Town, I was hanging out with the neighborhood kids—mostly girls, a couple of boys—at the new jungle gym outside B building. The girls, would-be gymnasts all, jumped and twirled and did amazing flips on the…

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Holidays Are Happy, Right? Kindness as Comfort for Grief

The chubby man’s mirrored goggles reflected sunlight as he skillfully performed an underwater flip in the Nuuanu YMCA pool, barely stirring the surface of the water at the east end of his swimming lane. His yellow fins and flaccid arms propelled him swiftly toward me. I hoped he’d be friendly. Swimming pool rules dictated you…

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The Good News About Science; Outsmarting Fake News #WATWB

I came across a hopeful article in the New York Times saying that science can provide accurate news to counteract the fake news threatening to engulf us. Good news indeed! We are increasingly assaulted by “alternative truths.” Climate change is a myth, according to many, despite plentiful evidence to the contrary. The mass shootings in…

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When Your Gut Tells You Something’s Wrong with a Coworker, Listen

The meanness of Jaku embarrassing his friend so readily, pricked me like a pin jabbed into my heart. Ouch! What kind of friendship allowed for this? Why did the two hang out? Was it a case of opposites attract? That pinprick was my first, faint inkling that something was wrong with Jaku, the man that…

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A Glimmer of Hope in the Aftermath of Gun Violence #WATWB

Welcome to the 18th installment of the #WATWB (We are the World Blogfest.) We participants in the monthly posting (last Friday of the month) strive to link to an inspiring story that shows love, humanity, hope, and/or brotherhood. Our talented cohosts for this month are: Eric Lahti, Inderpreet Uppal, Shilpa Garg, Mary Giese and Roshan…

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Paranormal Passions & Palm Readings

Saturday, October 20th, 10am – Noon Paranormal Passions & Palm Readings with Lizbeth Hartz Event Flyer: Download PDF Blaisdell Season’s Best Arts, Crafts & Gift Fair in Honolulu, Hawaii Cost: $3 General Admission, FREE Author Chat & Autographs, FREE Mini-Palm Reading w/purchase Come out and meet me at the Sisters & Misters in Crime booth in the Blaisdell…

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How One Woman and Her Nonprofit Are Saving Our Forests #WATWB

We are the World Bloghop seeks to share uplifting, good news with the world on the final Friday of each month. Special thanks to our fabulous co-hosts for September: Eric Lahti, Inderpreet Uppal, Shilpa Garg, Sylvia Stein,and  Peter Nena. Searching for good news today to post for the We Are The World Blogpost (WATWB), I…

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Grateful for the Kindness of Three Strangers

On time (for a change) this morning, I tried to head to my Tai Chi class. But my car battery was deader than one of the geckos my three cats chase in the back yard. My magnificent significant other, Barry, gave me a jump so I could drive to class. But we noticed something odd—my…

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Speak, Love, Last – A Non-Fiction Short Story – Part 7

Winter turned into spring and my feelings for Vic blossomed like summer roses. I tried to keep them hidden but I couldn’t conceal what was happening inside of me. Something was thawing. The ice floes protecting my heart were melting in the sunlight of my desire. Anxiety picked at me. Maybe I wasn’t Vic’s type.…

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Ingenious Way to Keep Dementia Patients Hydrated (#WATWB)

What with Hurricane Lane wreaking havoc on Hawai’i’s weather, I forgot today was the day to post good news for We Are the World Blogfest. So I was scanning good news and came across this one that’s near and dear to my heart, because I help look after a hundred something lady with dementia. It’s…

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Speak, Love, Last – A Non-Fiction Short Story – Part 6

The pain of Vic blaming me for something I didn’t do hit me hard. I barely made it to the bathroom before my tears fell. After collecting myself, I hurried back to the alarm room. The relief fireman, my pal Danny, asked, “How come your eyes all bloodshot?” “I thought Vic…Vic was my friend,” I…

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Speak, Love, Last – A Non-Fiction Short Story – Part 5

“The course of true love never did run smooth.” A Midsummer Night’s Dream, by William Shakespeare. *** A few months later, Vic told me Molly had moved back to L.A. “Was it because of the oil thing?” “Nah. She rearranged my apartment. I told her she should’ve asked first.” “Well, yeah. Did she say why…

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Speak, Love, Last – A Non-fiction Short Story – Part 4

  The longer I knew Vic, the more his positive outlook charmed me. On a slow afternoon in the alarm room, I poked fun at a short fireman who told tall tales about his amazing rescues. In his typical, generous style, Vic said, “Aww, the sawed off little dude’s just trying to act big.” “You’re…

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Speak, Love, Last – A Non-Fiction Short Story – Part 3

“Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.” Maya Angelou *** Part 3 of Speak, Love, Last continues below. A few months after I despaired of resurrecting my connection with Billy, I transferred into a new job, gladly escaping from a run-down Army fire…

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Speak, Love, Last – A Non-Fiction Short Story – Part 2

“What is love?” was the most searched phrase in Google in 2012. Psychologists say people need to pair up with partners who possess high self-esteem and mature, compassionate love in order to prevent erotic Eros from burning itself out. In this author’s experience, that’s about right. Part 2 of the non-fiction short story Speak, Love,…

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Speak, Love, Last – A Non-Fiction Short Story – Part 1

I wrote my memoir Angel Hero, Murder in Hawaii, A True Story to honor Vic, a courageous firefighter whose unconditional love transformed me. I wrote the nonfiction short story Speak, Love, Last to expand on what I wrote in my memoir about the love that grew between Vic and me after I quit “pussyfooting” around,…

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Doctors’ Orders: Pass the Fresh Produce and Pass on the Pills WATWB#

All too often, the negativity and hatred expressed in social media and the news assault our senses. Since focusing on hatred only begets more hatred, We Are The World Blogfest (#WATWB) urges us to banish the darkness by lighting lamps. In that spirit, we focus on love and positivity. Many an oasis of love and…

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Book Club Discussion Questions for My Memoir, Angel Hero, Murder in Hawai’i, A True Story

On June 2nd, Sisters in Crime (SinC) Hawai’i prez Vicki White shared this message from the national SinC organization with members like me: “It’s time to gather submissions for the July Book Club Central Booklist.  This month’s theme is Mystery from Sea to Shining Sea (mysteries set in different states).” Since my murder mystery memoir…

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Toby Cat Walks Into Our Hearts #WATWB

All too often, social media and news are filled with hate and negativity. So how do you banish the darkness they bring? You don’t focus on them. Instead, you light lamps, hoping to bring love and positivity forward instead. This is the 13th installment of We Are the World Blogfest (#WATWB). Our fabulous cohosts for…

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March for Our Lives #WATWB

Social media and news in recent times has been filled with hate and negativity. Just as you cannot fight darkness, only light lamps, Hate and Negativity cannot be fought. You need to bring Love and Positivity forward instead. I bring to you the We Are the World Blogfest, along with these fabulous co-hosts:Belinda Witzenhausen,  Sylvia…

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A 911 STORY THAT WILL PLUCK YOUR HEARTSTRINGS #WATWB

Social media and news in recent times has been filled with hate and negativity. Just as you cannot fight darkness, only light lamps, Hate and Negativity cannot be fought. You need to bring Love and Positivity forward instead. I bring to you the We Are the World Blogfest. Thank you to this month’s co-hosts Shilpa Garg, Peter…

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Military vets deliver supplies across Puerto Rico #WATWB

Special thanks to the We Are The World Blogpost cohosts this month,  Shilpa Garg, Simon Falk, Lynn Hallbrooks, Eric Lahti, Damyanti Biswas and Guilie Castillo. It lifts me up to be part of this journey. Puts me in mind of the old song “Accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative…” But now on to the main…

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A Blind Runner and His Very Good Boy#WATWB

Social media and news in recent times has been filled with hate and negativity. Just as you cannot fight darkness, only light lamps, Hate and Negativity cannot be fought. You need to bring Love and Positivity forward instead. I bring to you the We Are the World Blogfest, along with these fabulous co-hosts: Special thanks…

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Lowes, Generators, and Heroes: We Are The World Blogpost #WATWB September 29, 2017

Aloha nui loa from Hawai’i, worldwide friends. Like you, I believe that when we let our love lights shine, we banish the tortuous shadows of hate and negativity. In this spirit, I offer you links to a news article, which shone a light in the darkness for me. Here’s hoping it will banish some of…

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Lizbeth’s We Are The World Blogpost #WATWB

 Aloha nui loa from Hawai’i, worldwide friends. Like you, I believe that when we let our love lights shine, we banish the tortuous shadows of hate and negativity. In this spirit, I offer you links to a tweet and a news article, both of which dissolved the darkness for me, at least for a spell.…

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Surprise! A New Format (Podcast or Radio play)

I just signed up for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. On September 6th, I’ll be posting about an experience I had in a recent online Writing Boot Camp class taught by the fine folks at Creative Nonfiction, when my excellent teacher Rhonda challenged us to write in a new genre.

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Two Incendiary Firefighting Memoirs

Dennis Smith’s Report from Engine Co. 82 and Lizbeth Hartz’ Angel Hero, Murder in Hawai’i, A True Story are both memoirs about firefighters. One big difference is the setting: Smith’s in New York City, Hartz’s on a military base in Hawai’i. How accurate is Angel Hero? Every detail is true except for names, dates, and places—a necessary…

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Only Love, Part 1

Wouldn’t it be fabulous if you could rewrite a heartbreaking event in your life so it would turn out the way you wanted it to happen? This short story is based on true events described in my murder mystery romance memoir, “Angel Hero, Murder in Hawai’i, A True Story,” but fictionalized to have a happier…

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Only Love, Part 2

“What is love” was the most searched phrase in Google in 2012. Psychologists say you need to marry self-esteem with a mature, positive love in order to prevent erotic Eros from burning itself out. In Liz’s experience in this story (and in my memoir Angel Hero, Murder in Hawai’i, A True Story), that’s about right.…

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Only Love, Part 3

This third installment of my short story, “Only Love” is partly truth (the part that’s taken from my memoir Angel Hero, Murder in Hawai’i, A True Story) and partly fiction. *** Vic the blue-eyed Adonis considers me safe because I’ve got a boyfriend, so I don’t mention my breakup with Billy. The grapevine has it…

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Only Love, Part 4

Liz and Vic are still “talking story” about Vic’s conflict with Molly. Liz longs to speak her truth, but that old Devil fear squelches her voice (just like He did in my true crime romance memoir, Angel Hero, Murder in Hawai’i, A True Story.)   “Getting even doesn’t sound like you, Vic. It sounds more…

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Only Love, Part 5

Here’s the final episode of my short story “Only Love.” Although the ending’s fictional, under better circumstances, it could have been, should have been what happened. ***** Hesitantly, Vic says, “Uh…if you ever need it…,” he pats his shoulder, “…my shoulder is…well, it’s strong enough for you to lean on.” “Thanks.” I swallow hard, long…

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Dr. Christopher T. Gregory, Chiropractor Extraordinaire, is Back!

Recently, I was delighted to discover that Dr. Christopher Gregory, the only chiropractor I have gone to for the past 27 years except for a few adjustments from his brother Charles, is back in practice at his Piikoi office after recovering from a long illness. Now adjusting on Tues, Thurs and Saturday afternoons, Dr. Chris’s…

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Honoring our Heroes on Memorial Day

The National Memorial Day Concert is an American tradition honoring the military service of our men and women in uniform, their families, and those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Did you watch the 90-minute concert live on Sunday, May 28th, 8:00 p.m. ET? If you missed it, it’s not too late…

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Hear ye! Hear ye! A Mystery Anthology Is Born!

DARK PARADISE, Mysteries in the Land of Aloha, a compilation of 17 Hawaiian mystery short stories (one of them my short story Palm It Off On Murder), has been in the planning stages for two years. I’m thrilled to announce that, on Monday, April 3, the Facebook page DARK PARADISE goes live. Editor of the…

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J is for the Jupiter Mount: Reflecting an Attractive Personality

Mounts are significant in the study of palms because the influence of mounts causes different lines to form and develop. Named after the planets, mounts reveal their special features. Interestingly, the planet which is more prominent in the horoscope is also prominent in the palm.1 I’d like to thank the talented professionals from which much…

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Join Us For A Cup Of Java And Mystery

JOIN US – for the Sisters in Crime book signing. Meet the authors, hear their stories and get a copy of their latest books-signed. For the 1st 5 books purchased, each day, we’ll buy you a cup of coffee. The authors: Dawn Casey on the left, Vicki White (new SINC President) in front of the…

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Left Coast Crime Conference 2017: Honolulu Havoc

I’m happy to say I’ll be attending and presenting at the “Honolulu Havoc”, the Left Coast Crime Conference in Honolulu on March 16-19. I’m excited to be meeting some fabulous new authors and look forward to reconnecting with old friends from the Sisters in Crime Honolulu Branch, who worked so very hard to make this conference happen. To…

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In Memorium of My Beautiful Mother Ruby

My mother lost consciousness one year ago tomorrow. Somehow I’ve made it to one day short of 365 days—she had a massive stroke on Jan 17th, 2016—without hearing her soft, soulful voice (except for occasionally listening to a saved voicemail phone message my brother Mike sent me). Mike and I phoned her every day, me…

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A Hodgepodge of Poems from the Heart

A Medley of Poetry While wrestling today with what to write for Susannah Conway’s Blogging from the Heart assignment, the idea to write poetry pounced on me. So I pulled out some old poetry and spiffed it up, and scribbled down some new. And then, as is my wont, I edited and reedited, and now…

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Hawai’i Changes the Law on First-Degree Murder Again – Part 1

While attending a Sisters (and Misters) in Crime meeting during May of this year, the topic of first-degree murder in Hawai’i raised its grisly head. Actually, I raised it. My intentions were good. I wanted my fellow SINCs (Sisters in Crime) to get their facts straight when they wrote about murder. Since I’m the only…

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Hawai’i Changes the Law on First-Degree Murder Again – Part 2

On Wednesday, July 6, 2016, two months after my Sisters in Crime Meeting at Makiki Library, the law changed yet again. That’s when Governor David Ige signed a bill into law that broadens the offense of first-degree murder once more. From 2013 to 2016, the offense has been limited to rare cases in which there…

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Kwill Publishing Company Launches Angel Hero July 22nd!!!

Hallelujah! Hip, hip, hooray! Today is Publication Day for Angel Hero, a true tale of crime and courage and love that lives past the grave. I’m sitting at my computer in this vintage redwood house in the green hills above the University of Hawaii, listening to songs I wrote honoring a firefighter I grew to…

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Upcoming publication of my book Angel Hero, Murder in Hawai’i, A True Story

Dear readers, I’m announcing the upcoming publication of the third edition of my e-book Angel Hero, Murder in Hawai’i, A True Story. This new version will launch on 22 July. Also (drumroll) a demo of my song Angel Hero is being recorded in Nashville (using the lyrics I recently updated) by talented Azalea Music Group.…

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Fabulous Kirkus Review for Angel Hero!

In December, I received a terrific review for my book Angel Hero from Kirkus (whoo hoo!) Here’s the link in case you want to go there directly: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/lizbeth-hartz/angel-hero/, but I’ll also publish it below. In their review, Kirkus designated Angel Hero a novel and gave it a wonderful review. However, this second edition is actually…

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Writing a Fictionalized Memoir, Part 1

An author friend of mine, Laurie Hanan, got me a gig speaking at a local library recently. Because my book Angel Hero is a fictionalized memoir, the librarian asked me to talk about writing one. I worked long and hard on my 15-20 minute speech before I came up with this version, which I’ll post…

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Writing a Fictionalized Memoir, Part 2

The word memoir comes from the French word memoria, meaning reminiscence. A memoir is a nonfiction, or factual, collection of memories an individual writes about that took place in his or her personal life. It is a subcategory of an autobiography but with a narrower focus. A few definitions: an autobiography is nonfiction, written by…

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Writing a Fictionalized Memoir, Part 3

For writers who do not invent dialogue, or make up events, or combine characters, but who do fictionalize details, a third category is necessary. If the writer tells the truth about events that actually occurred, uses genuine dialogue, and only changes details such as dates, names of places and people and their appearances, an appropriate…

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Writing a Fictionalized Memoir, Part 4

Before writing a memoir, you should pinpoint your reasons for writing. Want to publish for an audience beyond family and friends? Then you need to understand where your work fits in. Will there be a market for a book like yours? Can you present your experiences in such a way as to appeal to a…

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Sisters in Crime, Ray Bradbury, and Me – Part 1

Knowing I would be one of four mystery authors to participate in a panel discussion at a Sisters in Crime meeting at Makiki Library in September, 2015, I’d done my research. In a small hot area enclosed by bookcases, twenty or so of us Sisters (and Misters) in Crime pulled our chairs close to round…

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Sisters in Crime, Ray Bradbury, and Me – Part 2

What did I want more than anything else in the world? To love a Prince Charming who also loved me. What did I have to armor up against, and go to battle with, in order to find love? My squelched voice, which became even more stifled when a killer searched for me after murdering my…

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Sisters in Crime, Ray Bradbury, and me — Part 3

Before settling on the title Angel Hero, two titles I came up with were God Solves the Case, and Detective God. I didn’t choose either one because both sounded like a trivialization to me, sort of like taking The Creator’s name in vain, even though both titles were apropos of my experience. God did solve…

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A Local Hero in This Land of Aloha

“Here’s to all the strong ones who don’t care if they win, the kind I’ll never see again” ~ Steve Winwood lyrics from his song, “Slowdown, Sundown” In my book Angel Hero, I tell the story of Vic, a real-life hero who lived on Oahu. Vic, a courageous firefighter and dear friend I had the…

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First Chapter, Angel Hero, as Poetry

Thanks to the feedback from readers who said they liked the Angel Hero prologue poem I posted on Halloween, I am posting the next two poems. These touch on the events of the first part of Chapter One.   First Part Chapter 1, Setting the Scene   Minutes before midnight, couldn’t see much, moon hid…

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The First Christmas Tree

Barry and I are visiting Barry’s 97-year-old mother Rosalani (Lani for short) for a few months. She is a charming, educated woman who was a gifted writer in her younger years. I brought my little Christmas tree from our home for Lani to enjoy. She liked it except for the blinking tree lights. “The tree…

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Book Story Poem

During these past couple of weeks, on a whim, I wrote three story poems that relay the events at the beginning of my memoir, Angel Hero. The inspiration to attempt this came from famous fantasy writer Ray Bradbury, one of my favorite authors. Like Ray, I believe that writers should only write about what they…

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Resurrection Song, Second Version

In 2004, when I was writing song lyrics, I had the good fortune to hook up with talented singer/songwriter Shelley Miller. On a shoestring, without the aid of a recording studio, she transformed my lyrics into a medium-tempo folk song, created the music, and sang my Resurrection song beautifully. In less than two weeks, she…

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Angel Heroes Song, third version

I wrote the lyrics of the song Angel Heroes (music and arrangement by gifted local musician John Valentine, demoed by Azalea studios in Nashville in 2005, and CD cover by my friend Phyllis Ha) as a tribute to my formerly dearest friend and present angel hero Vic Lazzarini, the protagonist of my memoir Angel Hero. …

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Poems Dedicated to the Angel Hero

During the last few weeks, I poured over notes from a class I took about social media in hopes of finding ways to publicize my memoir Angel Hero. But the time it took to try and hoist myself up the social media ropes left me with little time to return to my daily writing routine.…

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How To Keep Your Writing Cooking

MG McClintock, author of “Bastard Sons of Ireland,” tells amusing anecdotes about famous authors’ rituals to keep themselves writing. Benjamin Franklin soaked in the bathtub. Truman Capote wrote lying down. Maya Angelou used legal pads, sherry, cards, a Bible and thesaurus while lounging in a hotel room. Shakespeare picked up his pen, turned around, rolled…

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Mystery Writer Woes

“Know how your story will end before you begin to write it…think over various solutions to your character’s problem, remembering that she has to solve the mystery herself.” Joan Lowery Nixon Sounds good, Joan, but I’m clueless about how the mystery novel I’m trying to plot will end, or even what it’s about. So I…

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Present Moment, Wonderful Moment

Yesterday, the impulse to unclutter grabbed hold of me. I sorted through stuff Barry and I hadn’t used for five years or more, and made piles of unwanted books and magazines, frayed clothes, and chipped kitchenware. I discarded torn, stained, or broken items and donated usable items to charities. Winnowing through my files, I discovered…

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Resurrection Song (first version of two)

This version of “Resurrection” was born after I told a talented young singer/musician, Megan Petrie, the story of Vic, Jaku, and me. I often talked to her when she made me smoothies in a health food store I was fond of visiting in Haleiwa Town on Oahu’s north shore. Even though Megan was busy getting…

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From Book to Blog

Killer, not filler, posts are the ones I strive for. That’s why only one or two posts make it into my blog most months. It takes tons of time to find a fitting topic, write a draft, let it set, edit it, and write and edit some more. As I often do when seeking a…

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After Birthing a Book Blues

Forty five years ago, in spite of shaking in my shy shoes beneath the bright lights shining on my high school stage, I enjoyed donning different identities and acting out bit parts in theater productions. But on the first morning after the last curtain call, the post-production blues invariably set in. The magic vanished, daily…

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Virtually Grounded

On May 21st, I beamed as I read a recent five-star review for my book Angel Hero on Amazon. “Darkly Disturbing but Spiritually Uplifting,” wrote Hypnotist 101. “An exquisitely woven thriller, this excellent and compelling novel uses first-person narrative to great effect.” Hypnotist 101’s book about publishing on Amazon had helped me, so I’d praised…

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Book Author Butterflies, Part 1

On May 7, eleven other writers and I took turns standing behind a podium in front of some fifty folks seated around tables in a large room. We read from our poems, short stories, novels or narratives for five minutes max. The excerpt my writer’s group had helped me select sizzled with suspense. In the…

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Book Author Butterflies, Part 2

“I’m reading an excerpt from Chapter 9 of Angel Hero.” I hoped my voice wasn’t shaking. “Dark clouds extinguished the starlight and spewed out rain as my borrowed Ford with bald tires skidded along an unlit stretch of highway. “Everything’s going to be fine,” I whispered, and chanted “Om” again and again. “A flash of…

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Back to My Adventure

Missed the 1st part of this story? Read my last post here. “The greatest oak was once a little nut who held its ground.” ~ Author unknown The tree-house man led me to an Indiana Jones style hanging bridge, constructed of ropes and wooden slats, which spanned a tree-filled valley far below, and connected the…

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An Adventure

“A head full of fears has no space for dreams” ~ Author unknown Today, burned out on writing, I looked away from my monitor, through the living room window of my fiancé Barry’s and my old redwood home at a rainbow arcing across the sky north of Honolulu. A steep mountain street beckoned me. I often…

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Publishing Day and Finding Your Writer’s Voice

Hip hip hoorah! My first book, Angel Hero, a true crime and love memoir, goes live today on Amazon. Special thanks to my publisher, Mighty Quill Press, a private label publishing company that made my dream of finding a publisher come true. This small press looks for authors with fresh, engaging voices making the transition…

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The song Angel Hero is available for purchase or streaming on Amazon Music.