The International Writers Magazine Editorial 2025

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Welcome to this edition of Hackwriters. 26 years on-line, 8,068 + articles - reviews - stories - travel -
share any feature you like and pass them on.- Previous Editorial here

Welcome: Boy do we need a few distractions this summer.

Is birthright in the USA safe or not? Seems like its doubtful as the Supreme Court hands vistory to Donald Trump.

Well I guess we can all be thanking God that nuclear war hasn't started. But there's always the worry that if Iran can't make a nuke, they will be gifted one or two from North Korea or Russia for 'peace' purposes. Dmitry Medvedev has just suggested this very thing (June 23rd). Meanwhile attention is diverted away from the genocide in Gaza. The trouble with lobbing huge bunker busters into a spiders nest is that is doesn't kill all the spiders and in fact tends to spread them far and wide. Don't celebrate too early.

Dr Janbek comments on the sudden war Israel vs Iran here.

A sad farewell to Brian Wilson from the Beach Boys. Pet Sounds was the sound of summer in the sixties.
And a farewell to Sly Stone - with a tribute from James Campion here.

The 'agent of chaos' Andrew Cuomo (who just lost the NY Mayor primary) calls Trump and it is all going to the SS playbook in California. Send in ICE, round up thousands and quickly deport them before they can get any legal representation. People react, you crack down hard, call it a 'rebellion', spread fake videos of rioting and bingo democracy vanishes under crushing Marine boots. One down, 49 states to go. *But suddenly Trump is realising that if he rounds up all the farmworkers soon there won't be any food on his table. Funny this didn't occur to him earlier. Already construction is griding to a halt in Miami as ICE round up all the workers.

James Comey, the former FBI Director once said in 2018: “This President is unethical and untethered to truth and institutional values. His leadership is transactional, ego driven...”  More recently he said, “He’s the monster in a horror sequel”.  Mr Comey is last former Trump employee who is able to speak the truth and one hopes that someone out there has Ethan Hunt on speed dial to rescue us all from a certain disaster in the very near future. We need a new IMF crew to rip the mask of the orange ogre and reveal exactly who Putin has placed in that oval office.

So how do we get through this summer without thinking about him, tariffs and the rapid destruction of the moral fibre of the USA? Any shafts of sunlight we can glimpse on the horizon? Any more 'parades' we can avoid?

In England we can talk about the cricket I suppose, or the weather. (Too hot, too cold, too wet, too dry). Anything but politics. We just survived 32C this last weekend and it wasn't comfortable.

In the USA there is always the disappointment about your chosen team in the NBA to discuss and in Europe June is a month of summer fetes and celebrations of local traditions before all the tourists descend and trample over everything. More than one country in Europe is thinking of banning Airbnb to block this mass tourism. Spain cancelled 55,000 licences for example.

Meanwhile, Russia’s war against Ukraine grinds on and we don’t seem to be rearming Zelensky anymore, moreover the NY Times warns us that Putin is ramping up his army along the 1200 miles of the Finnish border and also thinking about Poland’s defenses. Luckily the Finn's and the Poles are ready to defend their countries, but in the UK apparently 47% of people under 25 say they wouldn't be prepared to defend their country under any circumstances. No doubt Putin will take encouragement from that.

Luckily in the UK we can find distraction in tennis or music festivals (Wimbledon and Glasto) this summer and the British Grand Prix. Anything to avoid thinking about politics or the state of the economy as a deeply inept government try their best to finish it off completely. 

Many Europeans have cancelled all thoughts of visiting the USA for the next four years as we know they will be scouring all our social media for the slightest hint of resistance to Trump or Musk or Vance and don’t want to end up in El Salvador. Air fares to the US are dropping fast, so I guess it is tempting, but too risky by far.

Stay safe and perhaps rebuild your covid stockpile – the preppers won’t always be wrong.

© Sam Hawksmoor June 28th 2025

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

Whatever Happened to Genie Magee?

Whatever Happened to Genie Magee? • Sam Hawksmoor - Published 3.10.25 ASIN ‏: B0DZTLNJHW ISBN-13: 978-1-7385181-1-1 USA Amazon link In a world where rich people want to live forever - a girl who never seems to age would be a tempting target. Her DNA would be very valuable indeed... Genie wakes up with a head injury from serious car wreck. She has no memory of the crash, or who she is. It appears this might have been a kidnap gone wrong. The abrasions on her wrists indicated she was tied up in the back of the burning vehicle. As she begins to recover her identity, she accidentally discovers a graphic novel is serializing her life, in horrific detail.  Her therapist is deeply skeptical this could be true and worries for her sanity. But all she can think of is, why is this happening to her? And how can she stop them? No 4: In The Repossession of Genie Magee series ...

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. 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. 'Fabulous, can't-put-down story with quirky, original characters, a loveable dog and a great adventure'. ***** Roxy West on Goodreads.

A MAGA Road Trip 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 - catch A Cure for Sceptics *New 2025

*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 * Also published as Rüya by Marti Yayincilik - The Turkish publishers of TOZ & Golge Part 2: The Hunting of Genie Magee - fight for the right to exist

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

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