The International Writers Magazine Editorial JULY 2024

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Welcome to this edition of Hackwriters. 25 years on-line, 8,007 + articles - reviews - stories - travel - share any feature you like and pass them on. July 2024 - Previous Editorial here

Welcome: Editorial - July 31st 2024 - Summer Update

Another election stolen in Venezuela. Let the riots begin.
Saboteurs try to distrupt access to the Paris Olympics but France respnded quickly to fix the situation on the train lines as the opening of the huge sporting event went ahead on time. Who is behind it? Russia? Anarchists? Now they have tried to attack the French telecoms. But Gold medals are being won!

Saw Twisters. Finally something worth seeing with some interesting characters as well as spectacular CGI.

Kamala Harris takes over the mantle of running for President from Biden. For Biden it was a bitter decision to give up but it was the only choice given his increasing frailty and best for democracy. But now Harris is equal to Trump in the polls and Obama has endorsed her.

Trump gets shot and survives and in the process instantly increased his chance of getting re-elected. But the reality is - it's better to beat a man at the ballot box than with a bullet. Democracy needs peace and calm and rational debate. Not this. Nice to know that the VP Candidate J D Vance believes the UK is an Islamic Nuclear Armed state. Doesn't bode well for our future I suspect, especially as he's very likely be President in '28.

Judge Cannon dismisses the case against Trump for stashing all the top secret documents in his spare bathroom. Is Trump just lucky or are they (the Judges) preparing the ground for autocracy next year. The Supreme Court stands ready to rubber stamp any law the next president will pass including doing away with Medicare and Medicaid. Vance has promised America in 2028 will be a very different place indeed.

So the Far Right defeated in the French Election but it swung the other way to the Far Left - giving an even bigger headache for President Macron. A compromise will have to be found but is that even possible? Not so far. The different left factions hate each other more than they hate the Far Right.

One third of the electorate came out to vote for the fascists, ‘that Bardella looks so handsome – like a young Mussolini’ someone told me.  It looks like the Youth vote came out in France to save France. The cost of living in France must be the cause of all this discontent. Prices of everything are at least forty percent more than the UK, even in (les halles) the markets. 6.30 Euros for a cafe au lait in Biarritz is mad. Restaurant food is very expensive and where are the vegetables? Does no one eat veg in France? Not a great place to be a vegetarian. But here's to the political wrangling ahead. The Far Left want to impose a 90% income tax. Good luck with that. And now it seems the centre is holding and Macron's man is in charge. Stability is needed. Enjoy the Olympics! Tickets still available.

Labour won big in the UK election and I'm sure will have a very short honeymoon with electors once they realise the financial and structural problems ahead of them. Unions will make heavy demands on them.

Democracy is in trouble - especially now that Trump has immunity from all past and future crimes that he will certainly commit if he wins this November. Bardella, Farage, and Trump are using democracy to destroy it, just like pro-Putin Oban in Hungary, who is busy linking up all the Far Right parties in Europe, such as German’s AFD. Whole ethnic groups and different genders need to be very worried about their futures.  Being in South-West France recently (with endless rain) and seeing the Le Pen literature being handed out I was suddenly reminded of Trintignant’s character in Bernardo Bertolucci’s 1970 movie ‘The Conformist’, about a man desperate to belong to the rising fascists and set a task to prove his worthiness by betraying the only people he respected. J D Vance comes to mind.

People are attracted to Fascism because it lends them power to overlord it on others before it eventually consumes them.  We are on the cusp of a huge change to a restrictive, illiberal age. There’s hardly any difference between the hard-right Republicans and The Taliban, they both seem to hate women. Read 'Project 25' if you don't believe me. No one in American can rely on the Supreme Court to save justice, they are now very much part of the problem.
* I just discovered on NPR that some supermarkets in the Southern States of America now sell ammo out of vending machines (American Rounds). Madness writ large. Lock and reload before you massacre your fellow shoppers. Only in America. I hope.

Maybe it's good that Labour have such a big majority here in the UK as we will be a rare country with a stable government in a sea of coming chaos. Hold on to your hats.

Meanwhile a small celebration as Mission Longshot wins an Honorable Mention at the Purple Dragonfly Awards 2024 - need a good sci-fi read for the summer? Download or order the print version now.

Editor - July 2024

*Sales of Sam North's and Sam Hawksmoor's books help keep Hackwriters going. Sam Hawksmoor's Books below

The Restoration of Ami: ASIN: B0CVQMH78C - Kindle ISBN: 978-1-7385181-0-4 - Print UK Pub: Hammer & Tong/KDP 2.29.24 Remy has one last obsession – to complete the restoration of his ’57 Studebaker Golden Hawk.  He’s planned a road trip to Montreal to find a part he desperately needs. It’s a long way from Florida; his Chevy truck is almost as old as he is. There are doubts he’ll be able to make the drive, doubts about his bladder, his heart, but he’s determined to go. At the very first urgent stop in the pouring rain, a dog appears from nowhere and jumps into his truck, quickly followed by a drenched teen. Scared, the girl, Ami, urgently needs a ride. She has escaped from a nearby religious cult and is desperate to find the mother who abandoned her there when she was just five years old. One old man, a troubled teenage girl and Stan the dog are on a road trip into MAGA America. With each mile they travel Montreal seems to get further away.

A Road Trip Nightmare by Sam Hawkmoor -

The Book of Ashes • Sam Hawksmoor ISBN: 979-8-837434-952 ASIN: B0B85HFK86 Hammer & Tong - print and kindle 'an immensely satisfying story' - Walli Leff on Goodreads. 'a fun read with unique elements ... exemplary in its voice and style' 'Judge, 10th Annual Writer's Digest E-Book Awards An extract from the Book of Ashes		The Book of Ashes - Some secrets are meant to be kept forever The Case: Delaney and Asha run their own investigation company now. Hired to find a writer who stiffed a client of $10,000 - things go bad pretty fast. "This was supposed to be a simple track and trace job. Find the writer, bank the money. Now it's a horror show."

'We Feel Your Pain' by Sam Hawksmoor ISBN-13: 979-8699087693 Published by Hammer & Tong Print & Kindle Book One in the Delaney & Asha series		We Feel Your Pain – So you don’t have to. The Case: Delaney (42) and Asha (22) run the Office of Berg City Oversight. Their role is to expose the scams, keep the city safe from unscrupulous people.  When something looks too good to be true – it’s a scam, right?  But what if the scam works?  What kind of scam is that?

MISSION LONGSHOT: how far will you go to save one life? 2024: Honorable Mention in the Purple Dragonfly Awards (Sci Fi) Gerry is convinced aliens are going to attack on Millennium Eve - Y2K night. Everyone else is preparing for the end of civilisation. That night only Gerry notices aliens land. He and his spacenut pals Jolene and Kali race to be the first to greet them... 'Climate change, lost alien civilisations, adventures in deep space. Great fun with endearing characters'. Kitty Thomas

The Sam North Novels - still available to order Amazon or Lulu

*Keeping Hackwriters archived is supported by sales of our books - so do buy, print or kindle, we aren't picky.
Magenta - A chilling story of kidnapping, burning and strangeness set in the wilds of Lincolnshire

** The Heaviness, & The Repercussions of Tomas D - 'best time travel WW2 story in a long while'

The new edition of 'ANOTHER PLACE TO DIE: ENDTIME CHRONICLES By Sam Hawksmoor & Sam North There's no safe place to hide from a lethal pandemic Print & Kindle - Q&A interview with the authors here A city gripped by fear. People are petrified of being thrown into quarantine. Best friends Kira and Liz once parted are scared they will never see each other again. Teen lovers, Chris and Rachel, prepare to escape to the islands. a taster here The Last Ferry Review from the First Edition: 'Beautiful, plausible, and sickeningly addictive, Another Place to Die: Endtime will terrify you, thrill you, and make you petrified of anyone who comes near you...' Roxy West - Amazon.co.uk

Girl with Cat (Blue) - Shortlisted for the Rubery International Book Award 'a funny, bloody, colorful narrative that never fails to surprise the reader. Girl with Cat (Blue) provides great entertainment'. * Screenplay a quarter-finalist in the Screencraft competition 2024

'This book was amazing! I was hooked from the first few pages and couldn't put the book down.' Judge, 26th Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards. - Honorable Mention

J&K 4Ever - A post-apocalypse love story Sixty years after the end of everything the city of Bluette survives, controlled by a malignant sect.  A place where men rule, girls receive no education and are matched at 16 to the highest bidder.  No one is ever permitted to leave the city and outside is a murderous wasteland of despair. Orphans Kruge and Jeyna have been devoted to each other through all the years of terror in this harsh regime and sworn never to be parted.  But the beautiful Jeyna has been betrayed by the Warden. Kruge has been swiftly banished to the Scraps, under the control of the Keeper. Jeyna is heartbroken; she will not accept her fate and escapes to find Kruge.   'A genuine romance in a bleak but plausible and terrifying setting'.

J&K 4Ever

MARIKKA- exclusively on Amazon Print only Based on a tragic real life event, Marikka flees from an arson attack on her home to the sea, where she meets Starfish boy – a runaway working for Jackson, a scarred man hiding a sinister secret from the world. Meanwhile her real father searches for her with the aide of Anya, ‘the girl who can read objects’. More about the writing of this book ‘Long after my tears dried, my heart stayed with Marikka, Starfish Boy and the strange girl who reads objects.’ CT You will smile, and you will struggle to read the words through your tears. Gemma Williams - Amazon.co.uk

Spy/Romance thriller set during the Blitz in WW2 - Kindle download The Repercussions of Tomas D A Hero? Or Englands Greatest Traitor? USA Paperback here 'Disturbing and very poignant YA love story that presents a chilling alternate future for an England that lost the war.' Marcel d'Agneau 'A brilliant imagining of living in the Blitz, well researched.' Amazon UK 'This is Man in the High Castle for teens and scarily plausible ' *download the Kindle version or buy the paperback from Hammer & Tong

'The Heaviness' betrayal, revenge, relationships and the laws of gravity. Genie & Renée have just 36 hours to save Rian or he dies 'Without a doubt, one of the best YA Sci Fi series out there.' Evie Seo - Bookish Kindle & print Thanks to readers who have been buying this title. * Also published as Rüya by Marti Yayincilik - The Turkish publishers of TOZ & Golge Read Part Two: The Hunting of Genie Magee - the fight for the right to exist

*December 9th: Sara Troy interviews Sam Hawksmoor on Self Discovery Wisdom

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