Welcome The International Writers Magazine DECEMBER 2012

TRAVEL

COMMENT

LIFESTYLES

REVIEWS

FICTION

Welcome to the December Issue of Hackwriters.
You'll find an an analysis of what is going wrong in Spain as well as insights into the coming fiscal cliff in the USA and new fiction, and lifestyle issues. More to come during the month but it's a good start. If you like what you find Tweet it or share it. That's how we get around. December chills are on us in the UK and the heating bills won't come till January so for now - live it up.

WARNING: If you are worried about the end of the world on Dec 21st and you're tempted to max out your credit card on some booze filled bash with 100 of your closest facebook pals that you never actually met before - here's a warning, it may not happen - right? All those bills for champagne at $300 bucks a pop will be with you in 2013 (and 2014). (That's when your world will definitely end). Better to take one friend to a nice high mountain spot, a decent Shiraz or two, and have a lobster picnic. Who knows you might get a great light show. My guess is you'll still be here on Dec 22nd.

Notes from the Editor:
The USA might be heading for a fiscal cliff, Spain might well be breaking up into little tin-pot thiefdoms, Europe heading for a third bout of recession, but hey I’m already ahead of you guys.  I’m in way over my head and heading for the rocks.

Here's another note of warning. Never and I mean never, try to remove Ivy from a garage wall. Yesterday I thought I'd tackle the Ivy that literally covers my garage, walls, roof, inside the roof and over the windows too. It's a task I had been postponing. Ivy is tough, tenacious and really sneaky. The only snag is, I rather think it was HOLDING up the garage, that now sags in the middle. Sigh. It also contains spiders and bugs and sharp thorns that get under your nails and make your fingers swell. Nasty stuff Ivy.

God knows why I bought this house but I guess he just wanted to humble me to oblivion. 'You think you know what you're doing? I'll show you...' Not for nothing do they print ARGGHHHH in the comics.

At some point last week we gave up looking for the mystery leak. All the floors torn up, the laminate on the junk pile and it just plain refused to give up the ghost. It’s SOMEWHERE but invisible. Now I have to find some money to put all the floors back down, get some new laminate and rebuild the bathroom (having of course destroyed the tiled floor looking for the leak).  Thousands needed. Thousands not got.  I can't claim on the insurance as apparently there is no visible water damage - they like to take the money though.

Of course some people, around 5000 according to the news, are in homes that have flooded in late November and in fact, according to the local news I need to go to the end of the road and watch for a huge high tide this full moon. Wild waves heading this way.  Joy huh.

Kit felt sorry for me and helpfully sent me a case of wine (I am imbibing now) to help me though my troubles.  It doesn’t solve anything, but for a little while you don’t actually care.

Everything Everywhere finally connected my broadband. It took exactly two months to do this.  Seems it didn’t like the password or something.  TWO MONTHS without broadband is a long time when you run an on-line magazine.  If you want to spare yourself any grief AVOID *Everything Everywhere.  Their customer relations are dreadful, non existent.  They literally don’t care about their customers. *Used to be called Orange.  I can’t wait for the contract to expire and I have been with them for 16 years or even longer. Loyalty is a hazard in the digital age.

The funny thing is I have no time to put the floor back as I have to edit and make some changes to my latest book and another that will be coming out in March as an e-book only.  All that energy I ploughed into the new house in October has been dissipated as we endlessly tore up the floors.  Seems it’s less satisfying to do it all over again, especially knowing it all may come up again sometime in the future. 

It was quite hard to get back to writing again.  I spent days last week writing a new ending only to discard it and then the other morning it suddenly came in a brief moment and I could solve the problem in just a couple of pages.  Thank God the subconscious works even when you sleep. Luckily I just discovered that they are reprinting Sam Hawksmoor's 'The Repossession'. That has to be good news and even better getting shortlisted for the Leeds Book Awards is great news. If you are curious it would make a darn good present for any young teen you happen to know.

Right now I am a carer/editor/writer/ constant supplier of cash to plumbers/on edge type of guy.  The other day we went through 14 nappies.  It’s not nice.  People point and say you’ll be like this one day.  I can assure you I will not.  I pray hard every night that euthanasia will be not only be legal but compulsory when I am old.  Be like Edward G Robinson in Soylent Green, nice view of a sunset, a lethal injection, glass of decent vino and hey presto I’m someone's breakfast for two in the morning.

On that note I had better get back to work.
All the best for the season.
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© Sam North - Editor December 2012 Author of Diamonds – The Rush of 72 (Print) The Great Californian Diamond Rush of 1872 - a grand western adventure that ruined the lives of almost everyone it touched. ipad (iTunes version)

The Repossession. View the Trailer here - a fast paced edgy romantic thriller 'The Repossession... will blow your mind and keep you guessing until the very end'. A Dream of Books (SJH) 'Smart, dark and graceful, this story is sure to send chills down your spine...one of the best, and most fascinating, debut novels I've ever read'. Evie-bookish.blogspot Now shortlisted for the Leeds Book Awards 2013 Out Now - The Hunting - the thrilling sequel - order yours from Amazon or Waterstones See Sam's previous guest editorial here: Hawksmoor

'The Repossession is an absolutely wonderful sci-fi mystery... that will never let you go.’
http://thoughtsandroses.blogspot.co.uk -

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